When the mind is lost and doesn't know what to think or do

In this present moment

Either standing, or sitting, or lying down, or being in any position that is comfortable

Closing the eyes gently

Staying still for a few moments

It's okay, if the body needs to move and change position

Focus on the space below the nostrils above the upper lip

Be aware of the breathing

Be aware of the air coming in and going out

The air coming in is slightly cold

The air coming out is slightly warm

The mind might wander away

It's okay

Gently bring the mind back onto the breath

No matter how many times the mind wanders away

Gently bring the mind back onto the breath

If the breath is slow, let it be slow

If the breath is fast, let it be fast

If the breath stops coming and going, let it be

Allowing the breath to be what it is

Allowing the mind to be what it is

No judgment

No expectation

It's okay, if the mind is lost in this present moment

It's okay, if the mind doesn't know what to think or do in this present moment

All and everything are impermanent

The breath is impermanent

The calmed or disturbed state of mind is impermanent

The comfortable and uncomfortable sensations are impermanent

The positive or negative thinking is impermanent

The pleasant or unpleasant feelings and emotions are impermanent

The good and bad experiences are impermanent

No clinging towards what is here, that is pleasant and agreeable

No aversion towards something that is here, that is unpleasant and disagreeable

No craving towards something that is not here

Even this, is impermanent.

Be truly generous

The mind wants to thinks and believes that itself is a generous person.

It also wants others to think and believe that it is a generous person.

It wants to be generous to all its friends and the surrounding community.

However, it feels that it is unfair to itself for being the one to be working and supporting its family's living.

It feels that its family members shouldn't be staying at home and just looking after the household affair, while itself has to go out and work to be the financial supporter of the family. It wants its family members to also be working hard in certain way, so that it will feel better about itself.

It tells its family members to be grateful towards its contribution to the family.

It complains to others about itself has to be working hard while its family members are enjoying the fruit of its hard work.

Itself is getting frustrated and unhappy due to such ignorant thinking and petty-mindedness.

What generosity?

If there is true generosity, the mind would be so glad to be able to provide for the family, even if oneself is the one that has to be working for making a living, while all the others family members are having their own particular duty and responsibility to be looking after themselves and the household affair. There's no calculation towards who work less and who work more, or who contribute more and who contribute less.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Compassion towards mental illness sufferer doesn't mean one should be empowering their mental illness

Mental illness might begin with some very mild symptoms, where it's something noticeable, however, most mind might not be aware of them, or might not recognize that as the beginning stage of mental illness, as these symptoms seemed to be something 'common' and nothing 'bad' or 'wrong' to many minds that are thinking, behaving, acting and reacting in the way that is under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness. And if without paying attention to be acknowledging that beginning stage of mental illness, as well as continuously empowering the mental illness out of the ignorance and egoism from oneself and others, it will eventually grow into a more serious and intense level of mental illness, and if there's still no awareness towards helping oneself to come out from such mental illness, it would come to a stage that it's too late to be doing something about it.

None should be discriminating towards other people or themselves who are being diagnosed with certain type and degrees of mental illness, not to say, there are many minds are not even aware of themselves are suffering from certain type and degrees of mental illness, but we should be compassionate towards the minds that are suffering from certain type and degrees of mental illness, however, being compassionate towards mental illness sufferer doesn't mean that people should be empowering their mental illness.

When the mind starts to think, behave, act and react in the way that hurt oneself and others, either wittingly or unwittingly, losing the clarity of thinking, reasoning power, self-awareness and self-control, affecting the relationship with some others and the surrounding environment, out of the disturbed suffering states of mind under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, being over-powered or over-whelmed by the desires of craving and aversion, sensitivity, annoyance, irritation, frustration, disturbance, disagreement, dissatisfaction, greed, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, resentment, pride a.k.a. low self-esteem, superiority and inferiority, fear, worry, stress, hostility, animosity, victimized, hurt, grief, sadness, unhappiness, physical/mental/emotional pain and discomfort, self-protectiveness, possessiveness, defensiveness and offensiveness, that are the symptoms of a mind that is unwell.

How people commonly deal with those who are suffering from certain type and degrees of mental illness, out of sympathy that is under the influence of ignorance and egoism, is by not mentioning anything about 'mental illness', or 'what the minds want to deny or runaway from, or don't want to confront with, that would be upsetting or offending the minds', not to say, 'seeking help to come out from mental illness' that most probably will trigger the minds react in the way of, "No! No! No! this is upsetting me. I don't want to hear or talk about it! This is hurting me. I don't like this. I don't want you to talk about this. You are hurting me! Why do you want to hurt me? Why are you attacking me? You are making up all these things. You are the one that is mentally ill. I am fine. I have no problem." Especially if the mind is being over-powered by pride and arrogance and defensiveness, it feels that it is being attacked or humiliated by such 'accusation'.

And that kind of 'sympathetic' way of trying to console the mentally ill minds and not wanting to be upsetting or offending the minds that are trying to runaway from certain unpleasant and disagreeable reality that they don't like and don't desire, that are painful or hurting to them, that they don't know how to understand and be able to let go, and that they don't want to confront with, by not mentioning 'mental illness', or 'seeking help', or 'maybe do something about it', as well as the practice of untruthfulness and hypocrisy while interacting with the minds that are suffering from mental illness for many years, doesn't help these minds to come out from such suffering.

Meanwhile in certain cases, people would tell these minds, "Hey! There's nothing wrong with you. You are not ill. You are fine. Look! You are all good and nothing wrong. You were hurt by those who are bad and wrong. You don't deserve all that. All those bad people who had hurt you deserve to be in painful suffering, not you. You deserve sympathy and empathy, love, accommodation and support as much as possible from all and everyone."

Out of 'such loving kindness' towards these minds, people will even try to justify, ignore, deny, or even cover up certain damaging behaviors of these minds that hurt themselves and others under the influence of such unattended and empowered mental illness. Especially, after random hurtful behavior, action and reaction out of the disturbed suffering states of mind, certain minds that still have some awareness towards their behaviors, actions and reactions are being hurtful, and they would be apologetic, and be 'loving' afterwards, for a while, but that also doesn't help them to come out from the suffering of mental illness, and they would be continuously behaving, acting and reacting in such hurtful, disturbing and damaging way from time to time, out of the existing, or suppressed, or empowered mental illness, that was being unattended, denied and empowered by oneself and those around them who would always justify and cover up such damaging hurtful behaviors, actions and reactions out of what they think and believe as 'love' and 'understanding'. It's not.

Many people are suffering from certain mental illness because they were being abused or hurt by those who are suffering from mental illness, and then, they also starting to be abusing or hurting others, or their relationships with everyone, either wittingly or unwittingly, under the influence of mental illness, or the disturbed suffering states of mind. Such 'console' out of 'sympathy and empathy' as well as 'untruthfulness, justification, cover up, denial and hypocrisy' under the influence of ignorance and egoism doesn't help the suffering minds to come out from the suffering of mental illness, but empowering the mental illness to the deepest.

Compassion towards the mental illness sufferer, is about allowing them to have the opportunity to see what is going on in their minds, without judgment, aversion or fear, to be aware of and acknowledging the presence of mental illness or the disturbed suffering states of mind, without attachment, identification, judgment or association, even if in the beginning, the minds would be upset or offended by the inevitable process of seeing and acknowledging the existing 'illness', or 'disturbs', or 'pain', that nobody would like to have.

Even if they might not want to confront with such unpleasant or painful process of acknowledging the reality of, "Yes, I am not well. My mind is not well. It's very upsetting and painful to deal with all these. But, it's okay. I just need to help myself to come out from such suffering. Because nobody can help me if I don't help myself," but at least, through such honesty, there's hope or opportunity for them to be opened to see what is going on in their mind, or not, and then to decide whether they want to continuing to be in such disturbed suffering states of mind, and continuously hurting oneself and others under the disturbed suffering states of mind, or, they want to help themselves to be free from all that, to stop hurting themselves and others either wittingly or unwittingly, out of such mental illness or disturbed suffering states of mind, by looking into what is going on in the mind, without fear or aversion, without judgment or identification, to know and understand what is the root cause of such disturbed suffering states of mind.

Only by knowing and understanding the root cause of the disturbed suffering states of mind, will enable the mind to be letting go what the mind thinks and believes as hurtful and painful and undeserving, effectively. Then the mind will not be determined or disturbed ever again even the past unpleasant and undesirable memories are still there, and there's no pain, fear or aversion towards mentioning or talking about those unpleasant and disagreeable experiences. That is truly coming out from the suffering of mental illness or the disturbed suffering states of mind. Not by ignoring, or denying, or pushing away, or sweeping under the carpet towards all kinds of past hurtful, painful, unpleasant, disagreeable and undesirable experiences and memories. Not by blaming oneself or others for what had happened. That doesn't need to involve the action of forgiveness towards or the presence of apology from those who are suffering from mental illness, and hence, behaving in the way that contribute to mental illness or the disturbed suffering states of mind in others. But just by understand. That is liberation.

"I was hurt. That's why I am hurting all and everyone now, either wittingly or unwittingly. I am hurting all and everyone is because I am mentally ill. I am mentally ill because I was hurt by those who are mentally ill." That is mental illness that goes on in a loop. This loop can be stopped, if there's a will to understand, and be free.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Can't help those who don't want to help themselves

Can't help those who don't want to help themselves or don't know how to help themselves, not even one's partner and family.

No matter how much love, adjustment, and tolerance, or compassionate loving kindness actions being shown upon the suffering minds that have no awareness towards the root cause of their suffering, but only blaming all and everything to be the cause of its painful suffering or disturbed state of mind, that don't have any initiation to help themselves to come out from suffering, but merely expecting and longing to be receiving sympathy and empathy, attention, acknowledgement, appreciation, agreement, praise and compliment from all and everyone in the way that it thinks and expects how it should be, to feel better, thinking and believing that, "I was, and I am the victim of other people's bad and hurtful behaviors that I didn't and don't deserve, and I deserve sympathy and empathy from all and everyone," these minds would still think and believe that somebody is doing everything that meant to be hurting them, or attacking them, or criticizing them, deliberately and intentionally. 

When people offer to share some delicious food with such minds, they react strongly, "Why do you force feed me? You want me to be fat, is it?"

And when people don't offer to share some delicious food with them, they react strongly, "Why are you so selfish?"

Then people don't want to say much that would upset such minds, they react strongly, "Why you don't care for me?"

That's the power of mental illness where it's too late to do anything for such mind, as the mind has lost the very basic ability or will to help itself to be free from suffering.

It's okay, if the mind doesn't know how to help or love itself, but at least, there is the will of wanting to learn about how to help or love itself, then only it can start to see 'the teachers' and 'the teachings and practices' that are already there, that are always there, that enables the mind to learn how to help and love itself, and transform itself under its own initiation and effort to be inquiring and understanding towards what is going on in itself, of everything that the mind thinks it is experiencing or perceiving.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Prosperity is nothing if without looking after the mental health of the people

When the world is focusing largely on the importance of basic survival, living skills, livelihood, family, relationships, friendships, education, job, career, business, personal growth, community growth, all kinds of empowerment, economy growth, infrastructure development, township, modernization, convenience, comfort, architecture, history, welfare of the environment, welfare of the animals, prosperity, financial security, national security, politics, religion, culture, sports and fitness, health and beauty, enjoyment, entertainment, social medias, investment, medical health care, insurance, holiday travelling, property ownership, advanced technology, gadgets, lifestyles, old age retirement plan, and etc, many people have been neglecting towards looking after the mental health of oneself as well as all the others in the society.

Prosperity, financial security and national security is nothing, when more and more people in the society are losing their mental health, and most people are not even aware of themselves are losing their mental health.

There will be increasing unrest and disharmony in the world, if more and more people are losing their mental health, losing the clarity of thinking, reasoning power, conscience, self-control, or peace in oneself that affects the peace and harmony in the surrounding environment.

Physical illness or injury is nothing, it can't do much harm, as those with certain physical illness or injury most probably don't have the enough energy or attention to be engaging in many kinds of physical and mental activities, and especially if the minds still have very good mental health with the clarity of thinking and reasoning power that is free from the influence of any corrupted thinking and belief, that give rise to correct understanding and self-control, they don't, and wouldn't create additional unnecessary suffering or damages unto oneself and others, or into the surrounding environment. Even if they are under certain physical limitations due to certain physical illness or injury, but they can still make good use of the knowledge, creativity and skills that they have, to be performing certain wholesome mental activities for oneself and/or others within their limited energy level, under the presence of good mental health.

Meanwhile, people with certain mental illness, who have lost the clarity of thinking or self-control, where the reasoning power is under the influence of certain corrupted thinking and belief, that give rise to incorrect understanding and corrupted behaviors, actions and reactions, even if the mind can be highly intelligent and have been receiving higher education, where the mind is well-equipped with many different types of knowledge, creativity and skills, and they might have very good physical health and fitness condition, and have very high energy level, that enabling them to be performing many kinds of physical and mental actions that could create lots of unnecessary suffering or damages unto oneself and others, and into the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly.

This mental illness is not about depression.

Suffering from depression due to certain abnormal condition and function in the brains, does not necessarily mean that they don't have, wouldn't have, or couldn't have the clarity of thinking and reasoning power that is free from the influence of any corrupted thinking and belief, that give rise to correct understanding and self-control. One can be suffering from mild or intense depression, but still can maintain certain degrees of clarity of thinking and reasoning power that is free from the influence of corrupted thinking and belief, to be having correct understanding and self-control, if there's a will.

Similarly, most of the minds that are under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, and are suffering from the restless selfless modifications of the mind, might still can have certain degrees of self-awareness being aware of the presence of ignorance, egoism and impurities in their mind, being aware of the suffering of restlessness, and might have the will power to help oneself, to be doing something about it, or not.

The most serious and destructive form of mental illness, is when the mind is functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, that is suffering under the presence of impurities and restlessness, and is being over-powered by the ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, while being ignorant towards what is happening in one's restless and corrupted modifications of the mind, being ignorant towards the presence of ignorance, egoism and impurities in one's mind, void of any self-awareness and self-control, and generates lots of random ignorant damaging behaviors, actions and reactions under the influence of such ignorance and the disturbed suffering restless state of the mind.

There are plenty of such minds in the world in all levels and all fields. That's why the world is being what it is now, the consequences of the many corrupted understanding, thinking, beliefs, desires, behaviors, actions and reactions of the many corrupted minds that either have lost or are losing their mental health.

One can still be do something to help oneself to be looking after the mental health of oneself before it's too late, if there's a will, or there is the presence of the yearning towards liberation from all these ignorance and suffering, or corruptions, or disturbed states of the mind.

Depression, or any levels of mental illness, doesn't determine the mind as good or bad.

None should be discriminated because of the suffering of depression or the suffering of certain type and level of mental illness.

Nobody want to be ill. Nobody want to be ignorant. Nobody want to be in any kinds of suffering. Those who intentionally want themselves and others to be ill, to be ignorant, and to be suffering, are very ill indeed.

All are suffering, under the absence of good mental health, or under the presence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness or the corrupted and disturbed states of the mind, suffering from and being over-powered by pride, arrogance, attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, dissatisfaction, disappointment, hurt, fear, worry, greed, jealousy, hostility, defensiveness, offensiveness, anger and hatred, and have no idea towards what is going on in the mind.

It's merely whether the mind has correct understanding and self-control, or not, that contribute to certain unnecessary damages, unrest and disharmony in oneself and others and into the surrounding environment, or not.

Even those who think and believe that they are highly compassionate, empathetic or loving human beings, that their religion or belief is centered in love and loving kindness, and they want to show loving kindness to others whom they perceived as suffering beings, would also be empowering ignorance and egoism, empowering the mental and emotional dependency among one another to attain certain degrees of momentary relief but doesn't help to root out the cause of suffering, out of such ignorance and egoism.

What compassion, love, or loving kindness, when there's ill will towards those whom they dislike and disagree with, to be deserving and receiving all kinds of badness and painful suffering or be sent to 'hell' for undergoing punishment and painful suffering, while thinking and believing that oneself and those who are good, compassionate and loving, would be deserving all kinds of goodness and enjoyments, and will go to 'heaven' for enjoying all kinds of goodness?

Similarly, by gratifying the desire of craving and aversion via doing something and being with somebody that oneself likes and agrees with, might be empowering the momentary sense of confidence, goodness, happiness, positiveness and meaningfulness, that might give certain degrees of momentary relief, but it doesn't help to root out the cause of suffering or the disturbed restless states of the mind.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (25)

The teachings and practice of yoga, is about looking after the state of the mind, or, the mental health, to free the mind from the diseases of mind, which is ignorance, egoism and impurities.

Mental health plays upmost important role towards determining what type of condition and situation in the impermanent and selfless world of diversities. It's because even though there is inevitable basic suffering of restlessness due to the selfless impermanent nature of everything, but the condition and situation in the world is impacted hugely by the consequences of ceaseless actions and reactions of the minds in this world.

All minds ceaselessly act and react in the world, that bring along the consequences of actions and reactions into the world, which determining or conditioning the world being in certain way, either intentionally or unintentionally. The world is having more or less unnecessary man made suffering, on top of the inevitable suffering of restlessness due to the impermanent selfless changes in all beings, is all the outcome of ceaseless actions and reactions of the minds.

The more minds that are acting and reacting under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities either wittingly or unwittingly, the more unnecessary man made suffering deriving from ignorance, egoism and impurities are there in the world, and vice versa.

Behavior problems (ignorant egoistic impure actions and reactions) that inflict disturbance and pain in oneself and others, either intentionally or unintentionally, are the reflections of ill mental health. In yoga, it's the reflection of the disturbed, restless and impure modifications of the perceptive cognitive thinking mind functioning under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities.

Even though most minds are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, and are experiencing disturbance, restlessness and impurities, but if the mind has certain degrees of awareness and self-control, not being over-powered by the impurities in the mind, then one might not be generating too many unnecessary ignorant egoistic impure behaviors (actions and reactions) that would bring consequences that hurt oneself and/or others, and the surrounding environment. This can be referred as 'rather healthy' mental health, even if it's not completely be free from ignorance and egoism.

On the other hand, one might be constantly and ignorantly generating ignorant behaviors and the consequences of ignorant behaviors that would hurt oneself and/or others, either intentionally or unintentionally, if without awareness or self-control, being over-powered by ignorance, egoism, disturbance, restlessness and impurities to act and react, either wittingly or unwittingly. This can be referred as 'ill' mental health.

It's normal that when the condition of the world is good, or when life is good and easy for many people, there might be less behavior problems, as there are less disturbed restless minds under desperation for basic survival, even though behavior problems will still always be existing in the world of human beings arising from ignorance, egoism and impurities (ill mental health), even when the world or life is under good condition, or there's no urgency or desperation for basic survival.

Under the presence of desperation in the mind deriving from survival instinct due to the suffering of hunger and thirst and life threatening situation, some people might steal or hurt some others in order to survive, or to relieve their hunger and thirst and to get out from life threatening situation, however, there are minds that are not under such desperation, as they are living under good and comfortable condition, free from the suffering of hunger and thirst and life threatening situation, but out of ignorance, egoism and impurities, there is boundless greed, or endless desire and aspiration, towards possessing and hoarding resources not only for survival, but more so for gratifying the boundless desires of craving and aversion, to be indulging in continuous unlimited higher and higher pleasurable enjoyment of the senses, and hence, one would steal/rob, exploit and hurt others, in order to seize and possess more and more resources (possessing higher and higher wealth and power that enabling them to hoard more and more resources which provide them with higher and higher pleasurable enjoyment and satisfaction), even when one has more than enough basic survival needs for oneself, and is free from the suffering of hunger and thirst and life threatening situation in the present as well as until the end of this life.

These mind are nothing but the slave of the ego, the intellect and the senses, even though they amassed huge amount of knowledge, wealth and power.

That is the reflection of seriously ill mental health, where the mind would sabotage or hurt anyone and anything, intentionally, in order to gratify the endless greed/dissatisfaction or the desire of craving and aversion.

Greed is a form of serious and yet very common mental illness in the world.

Greed towards hoarding resources for survival and enjoyment, love, support, family ties, friendship, relationship, connection, companionship, agreement, acceptance, acknowledgement, appreciation, recognition, praise, achievement, success, fame, wealth, power, status, knowledge, superiority, pride, enhanced physical and mental abilities, actions and the fruit of actions, desirable experiences, pleasurable physical/mental/material/emotional enjoyments and comforts, agreeable and comfortable condition and situation, the sense of satisfaction, goodness, happiness and meaningfulness, and so on.

Anger, hatred, offensiveness, defensiveness, violence, jealousy, dissatisfaction, possessiveness, irritation, annoyance, discrimination, racism, oppression, authorization, punishment, and so on, are the reflections of ill mental health. The mind is sicked.

That's why the existence of the teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism, and/or certain religions, which the main teachings and practice is about the subjugation of greed and desire, however, either in the world of yoga and buddhism, or in many religions, there are many minds are being ignorant towards ignorance, (even when they are preaching about the liberation from ignorance and suffering arising from ignorance,) where there is greed or desire and aspiration towards 'achieving' or 'creating' a world that the ignorant egoistic impure minds think, believe and desire how it should be, by converting, interfering, oppressing, controlling, disciplining, influencing, manipulating and conditioning all and everyone, to think, believe, behave and live life in certain way, that they think is 'the right way', where different minds have different understanding and belief towards what is 'the right way'. And hence, there are disagreements, arguments, offensiveness, defensiveness, possessiveness, protectiveness, conflicts, fighting, wars and violence, in the name of upholding everyone's own version of 'the right way' and to be creating a world the way that they desire.

There's nothing to be ashamed of for being suffering from ill mental health. Many people are suffering from certain degrees of mental illness but might not be aware of it. While those who are aware of it, might be seeking certain ways that give momentary relief from the suffering of mental disturbance/unrest/hurt/fear/worry/stress/depression/unhappiness/dissatisfaction/disappointment/low self-esteem/shame/guilt/regret, which might not necessarily be something 'healthy' in the long run. There's neither right nor wrong, as it's everyone's freedom for what they want to do with their body and mind. While many people are not interested in and don't want to go through 'the prolong yet not so easy and unpleasant way' but could be thoroughly freeing the mind from the suffering arising from ignorance, egoism and impurities.

There's not much can be done if the brain (the hardware of the thinking faculty) is damaged by certain injury, virus or disease, causing permanent damage to the power of awareness, understanding, reasoning and self-control, being unable to be aware, to understand, to reason, or to have self-control over one's behavior. That's why it's highly important to be doing something for looking after the mental health before it's too late.

It will be worst, if some, or all of the world leaders who have so much authorized power to impact the world in certain way are suffering from ill mental health, there will be more and more unnecessary man made long lasting damages, difficulties and suffering in this world. Even if there's only one leader that is suffering from ill mental health but already can be creating certain short term and long term damages to the world using the authorized power within a few moments, to make certain decisions and perform certain actions out of selfish greedy desires and aspirations, not to say, if there are more than one mentally ill leader in the world that has more than a few moments of authorized power to be creating different types of damages to the world that would last a long time, even after their departure from this world. All kinds of damages cannot be undone, but everyone's life existence in this world are being impacted by the consequences of ignorant and egoistic actions and reactions deriving from the many world leaders that are suffering from ill mental health.

In yoga, having ignorant companionship (Kutsanga) is worst than having no wise companionship (Satsanga). One should embrace solitude (Asanga) if without any wise companionship. Similarly, most people in this world of civilization emphasized on the importance of having a leader to lead the people, to make things happen, however, having one or some mentally ill leaders in the world is worst than having no leader at all.

Many people would think and believe that being a listener and companion to be comforting the disturbed unhappy minds, by giving them what they want and expect to experience, what they like to see and hear, that makes the minds feel better and happier, is looking after the mental health of the disturbed unhappy minds. That might give momentary relief to the suffering minds, but it doesn't remove the root cause of suffering or all kinds of disturbance and unhappiness. It doesn't stop the minds from continuing perceiving the suffering of all kinds of disturbance, unrest, hurt, loneliness, unhappiness, painful sorrow, fear, worry, dissatisfaction, disappointment, craving, aversion, greed, anger, low self-esteem, and so on. In fact, it empowers the egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation in the disturbed unhappy minds, which only leads to deeper suffering upon coming in contact with undesirable experiences and not coming in contact with desirable experiences (the suffering of restlessness to keep gratifying endless desires of craving and aversion, in order to feel good, right, happy, satisfied, deserving, successful, strong, positive and meaningful.)

Yoga practice is indeed rooting out the cause of suffering. It might not be something agreeable for the worldly passionate sympathetic minds that act and react under the influence of passionate egoistic worldly thinking, belief, values and practice, that empowers ignorance and egoism. That's their freedom of thinking, action and reaction.

The passionate egoistic disturbed and unhappy minds think and say, "I was hurt, and I am still feeling hurt (even after 10, or 50, or 100 years later). I am disturbed and unhappy. I deserve to be receiving sympathetic reactions and treatments from others. If not, I feel disappointed, unattended, unnoticed, unacknowledged, unloved, unsupported, sad, lonely and meaningless."

The passionate sympathetic minds think and say, "These disturbed unhappy minds will hurt themselves, and maybe others as well, if we are not being there for them, to comfort them, to relief their suffering." That's exactly the problem. Why do disturbed unhappy minds have such tendency to hurt itself and/or others out of suffering and unhappiness, that they 'need' some others to be there for them, to comfort them, so that they won't do anything to hurt themselves and/or others? Ignorance and egoism. A healthy matured independent mind that is free from ignorance and egoism won't hurt itself and/or others under any unpleasant/undesirable/disagreeable experiences, conditions and situations, even if without anyone being there to be listening or comforting this mind for anything. It doesn't need any kind of sympathetic reactions or treatments from anyone to feel better and happier about itself and life existence.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Ignorance

There's nothing wrong when the mind is being affected and disturbed by something that the mind perceives as unpleasant, undesirable or disagreeable, as the mind is not free from ignorance and egoism yet.

The difference between a mind that is free from being influenced by ignorance and a mind that is under the influence of ignorance, is whether the mind is aware of and understands that this disturbance is due to this mind itself is still not completely be free from ignorance and egoism yet, and hence, this mind will continue to work diligently to annihilate ignorance and egoism from itself, or, the mind firmly thinks and believes that this disturbance is due to all the unpleasant, undesirable and disagreeable happenings, actions/reactions and behaviors that this mind believes and judges as bad and wrongful deriving from the ignorance of other people in the world.

Loving kindness?

Many people who think and believe themselves are 'unselfish kind and loving beings' would react and feel disturbed or angered or hurt by other people's behavior that they perceive or acknowledge as 'selfish', 'unkind', 'unloving', 'disturbing', 'hurtful', 'bad', or 'wrong', and they would express their 'concern' by expecting these 'unkind and unloving beings' would somehow be criticized or punished for being unkind and unloving, or be disciplined or trained to be (more) kind and loving.

But, 'loving kindness' is about how one's mind behaves or reacts with 'loving kindness' towards other people's behavior that one's mind dislikes and disagrees with, that one's mind perceives and acknowledges as 'selfish', 'unkind', 'unloving', 'disturbing', 'hurtful', 'bad', or 'wrong', without being disturbed or angered or hurt by other people's behavior that one's mind dislikes and disagrees with, without expectation towards how other people should and shouldn't behave according to one's particular thinking and belief, understanding that all forms of 'unkind' and 'unloving' behavior as well as one's mind's reaction of being disturbed, angered and hurt by other people's 'selfish', 'unkind' and 'unloving' behavior and the expectation towards how other people should or shouldn't behave according to one's particular thinking and belief, are all deriving from ignorance.

Loving kindness is really not about "How human beings should behave in the way that is loving and kind" or "Other people whom one's mind thinks and believes as unkind and unloving need to be (more) kind and loving" at all, but it's about "This mind being kind and loving, where this mind understands towards ignorance and the consequences of ignorance, of egoistic actions and reactions, and how this mind reacts with loving kindness towards other people's unloving and unkind actions and reactions under the influence of ignorance. Being undisturbed and unhurt by all the disagreeable/undesirable/unpleasant names and forms or experiences that the mind perceives through the senses. Without expectation towards other beings should or shouldn't behave in certain way. Without expectation towards the world must be in certain way, or not to be in certain way."

When the mind is disturbed, angered and hurt by other people's unloving unkind actions and reactions, loving kindness is absent in this mind as well, then how could this mind criticize other minds for being unloving and unkind, and expect other minds to be loving and kind?

Non-attachment and dispassion is true loving kindness, but somehow this observation is being perceived and acknowledged by the world of egoistic minds as a form of 'lack of loving kindness', 'unconcern', 'uncaring', 'selfish' and 'wrong'.

It's everyone's freedom for what they think and believe, for how they act and react. In yoga, it's never about 'how the others behave', but it's about 'how this mind behaves'.

Contemplate on this, and be free.

Ignorance?

Ignorance is not so much about not knowing much or knowing very little. Ignorance is about not knowing the truth of what is going on in the mind, or Selflessness and Impermanence. The truth is nothing to do with how much or how little the mind thinks it knows or doesn't know about this and that.

Acquiring and knowing lots of knowledge doesn't necessarily mean that one is free from ignorance. It is possible that one acquires and knows a lot of knowledge but is ignorant of the truth.

Without inquiring the truth of the acquired knowledge and blind-believing in the acquired knowledge, is ignorance. One who is proud and arrogant towards one's acquired and accumulated knowledge, will feel disturbed by other people who don't know what one knows, which one thinks and believes is true and correct. And hence, one wants to make other people to 'know' or to 'believe in'/'agree with' what one knows that one thinks and believes is true and correct, and will again feel disturbed when other people disagree with one's knowledge, or doubting/questioning towards what one knows.

No one should blind-believe in anything, but to inquire the truth of everything and realize the truth by oneself. Buddha didn't get disturbed by other people who disagreed with or didn't believe in what he knows or realized. Buddha didn't expect or didn't want people should believe in whatever he realized and said, or told and taught to other people. Instead, he taught everyone to inquire the truth of everything without blind-believe in anything, including whatever he realized and said, or told and taught to other people.

One can be highly knowledgeable and intelligent, but might not necessarily is happy or has peace, being restless, be disturbed, offended and hurt by the perceptions of names and forms that one dislikes and disagrees with, or doesn't desire. One doesn't know what is going on in one's mind or doesn't know the cause of restlessness and suffering.

Being proud and arrogant towards oneself being knowledgeable, and be disturbed or offended or hurt by what one doesn't desire, doesn't like, and disagrees with, is ignorance.

The one who is free from ignorance, doesn't expect and couldn't make other people be free from ignorance, but allowing everyone to realize the truth through self-inquiry and self-realization, and be free from ignorance, or not.

Being a 'good' and 'righteous' person who do 'good' and do the 'right' thing is not necessarily peaceful and be free from ignorance, egoism, disturbance, restlessness, impurities and suffering.

Being highly knowledgeable, knowing lots of information and facts about this and that, and have been reading many books about this and that also doesn't guarantee that one is peaceful and be free from ignorance, egoism, disturbance, restlessness, impurities and suffering. If one isn't free from ignorance and egoism, if one isn't free from anger, hatred, jealousy, feelings of hurts, pride, arrogance, desires of craving and aversion, fear and worry, one has no peace and might cause harm to oneself and others, whether intentionally or unintentionally, even if one acquired and have been accumulating and memorizing lots of information and facts about this and that, and can do many things with the knowledge that one has. One is not free at all.

One needs to know about one's mind, or know Thyself. The highest knowledge that would bring peace and harmony to oneself is the knowledge of knowing oneself, where there is no 'I' existing to be good or bad, to be right or wrong, to be positive or negative, to be happy or unhappy, to enjoy or suffer.

Practicing yoga is not about trying to acquire superhuman power to have all our wishes come true and changing the world to be the way that we like it to be, but it's to reform one's mind by purifying and eliminating the ignorance, egoism, restlessness, and impurities in one's mind to acquire the knowledge of oneself.

Teaching yoga to other people is not about trying to reform other people's mind, but only disseminating the teachings and practice of how to know Thyself/how to inquire the truth of everything/how to be free from suffering/how to realize unconditional peace, while allowing other people to be initiated and interested to reform their own minds, or not, through their own freewill, effort, and determination.

Be free.

Divert the attention of the mind away from what it thinks is troubling it...

For those who haven't developed a strong foundation of non-attachment and detachment, then whenever they feel that their minds are being disturbed by something, they can try to divert the attention of the mind away from what it thinks is troubling it, by focusing on something else. It can be anything that draws the interest of the mind, like watching a movie that they like to watch, or doing some form of mental or physical activities that they like.

But this is only a momentary relief for the mind to stop thinking about what is troubling it, to stop feeding these thinking, and eventually let these thoughts to eventually die out by themselves. The mind might sway back and forth between different attentions, swaying back and forth between happiness and unhappiness, being restless. It also won't guarantee that the mind won't be disturbed by the same kind of names and forms again, or be disturbed by some other kinds of names and forms. The mind will be forever restless, no peace.

For those who have developed a strong foundation of non-attachment, their minds won't be disturbed by anything. They just let all the perceptions of names and forms to come and go as they are, from moment to moment.

For those who haven't developed a strong foundation of non-attachment, occasionally their minds might generate attachment towards certain names and forms, and be disturbed by these names and forms, but they know what is detachment, or how to let go. They are aware of this disturbance in the mind without association, and they are able to observe the disturbed state of the mind without generate judgment or expectation, just accept the reality as it is, that the mind is being disturbed in this present moment now, have self-control not being over-powered by the disturbed state of the mind to perform actions and speech that will generate more disturbance in oneself or into the surrounding environment. They don't need to runaway from or ignore the disturbance in the mind by diverting the attention of the mind onto something else. But they observe without being determined or over-powered by the disturbed state of the mind, and allow the disturbed state of the mind to pass-away eventually.

Keep practicing. Strengthening the practice of non-attachment and detachment, or letting go.

Om shanti.