Yoga is the union of the soul, the body, and the mind?

"What is yoga?" is very often being expounded as, "Yoga is the union of the soul, the body, and the mind," for the minds that believe in the existence of an individual soul/spirit, or "Yoga is the union of the body and the mind," for the minds that don't believe in the existence of an individual soul/spirit, as well as, "Yoga is the union of the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness", or "Yoga is the union of 'this' and 'that'."

Due to these words, many minds interpret and understand as "The mind attains union with the body where the passionate egoistic wishful mind can have complete control or influence over the body to be the way that it desires, defying selfless impermanent changes of decay, aging, illness, injury, pain, weakness, and death/disintegration/mortality," or "The individual consciousness attains union with the universal consciousness where the passionate egoistic wishful mind thinks that it will attain immortality and can have the superpower to control or desire everything to be the way that it desires, untouched by the nature's law of cause and effect, being the master of the selfless elements and energy, to be existing infinitely and unconditionally in a limitless 'pleasant desirable space', or 'perfect world', or 'infinite absolute existence', that is all desirable, pleasant, and enjoyable, where there is still the existence of an idea of 'I' in the form of thinking or a continuous stream of countless thoughts in the modification of the mind, that has such wishful desire waiting to be gratified, that doesn't desire to be here that is being perceived as imperfect and undesirable, while desire to be somewhere else that is perfect and desirable, by trying to be reuniting and be identifying with a higher and purer super powerful absolute entity or infinite existence for achieving all that."

The selfless thinking mind is merely part of the selfless function of the selfless body. There is no 'union', as the body and mind were never two separated 'thing', and it's merely a selfless and impermanent limited adjunct supported and powered by selfless elements and energy. Without the existence and function of the body, there's no existence and function of the mind. And, if without the selfless support of the supportive elements and energy for being what they are, the body and mind cannot and doesn't exist, not to say, to be functioning.

The presence of ignorance and the idea of 'I' in the modification of the thinking mind generates the sense of separateness or distinction between 'I' and what is not 'I'. While in many different kinds of belief, the minds believe that there's an immortal infinite individual 'soul/spirit' that is pure and perfect, of who all and everyone really are, residing in the mortal physical body that is impure and imperfect, and via the function of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind to be experiencing a worldly life existence perceiving names and forms of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations through the organs of the senses, and performing actions through the organs of actions, where the 'soul/spirit' (pure and immortal, and that is who I really am), body and mind (impure and mortal, and that is not who I am), are distinctive from one another. Under this belief, yoga is being interpreted as "The union of the 'soul/spirit', the body, and the mind," so that I am the one in control of the body and mind to be the way that I desire it to be, and not under the influence of the elements and energy, defying selfless impermanent changes and the nature's law of cause and effect.

Instead of expounding yoga as "Yoga is the union of this and that," but expounding yoga as it is, "Yoga Citta Vriti Nirodhah."

It is about the annihilation of the restless modification (thought activities) of the selfless mind, or Silence, devoid of thought activities/names and forms/desires/actions, or devoid of the idea of 'I', or devoid of the ignorant non-existing individual identification of a permanent independent individual identity/being/existence, where the selfless thinking mind attains self-realization towards non-separateness or oneness (which is nothing to do with "the union of this and that") upon the realization of selflessness and impermanence, where there is no 'I' existing, or there is not an infinite existence of a permanent independent unchanging immortal individual identity of anything, where all and everyone and everything are the same selfless and impermanent.

The only momentary existence, is in NOW, and it's constantly changing, where there is a beginning and an end of this selfless impermanent momentary limited conditional existence, where there's no infinite immortal 'I' existing to be under going selfless impermanent changes in any particular selfless impermanent names and forms, under the influence of the many different selfless elements and energy that are supporting and influencing all kinds of names and forms arising, changing, and passing away (forming, decaying, and disintegration), selflessly.

There is no 'I'. Who, or what is there to be attaining union with this or that? Who, or what is there to be desiring or not desiring this or that? All and everything are merely selfless and impermanent names and forms that exist momentarily in this space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything under the selfless and intentionless support and influence of the selfless elements and selfless energy.

Even though the thinking and acting mind is only existing and functioning momentarily in this world through the selfless body of the selfless senses, the selfless organs of the senses, and the selfless organs of functions and actions, but it can create so much actions and consequences of actions out of ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness, either intentionally or unintentionally, during its momentary existence, that give rise to so much unnecessary impactful damages and suffering unto oneself and others and the surrounding environment, that would be affecting all and everything in certain way.

That's why it is upmost important to free the mind from ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, even if the mind won't be able to create any ignorant actions and consequences of actions upon ceased existing, but the pleasant or unpleasant impact that it had been creating while momentarily existing and functioning will still be impacting the world that doesn't belong to anyone, in certain way, for certain extended period, after the selfless body and mind ceased existing.

"Mind conquest/Self-realization is the greatest duty of mankind." - Saints and Sages, Gurus and Buddhas, all the practitioners and teachers of Dhamma.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Guiding the minds to perform inquiry towards the truth of everything

There are two parts in self-inquiry.

One is to be inquiring towards what is the 'I' that the mind thinks and acknowledges and identifies as 'I', to attain self-realization towards the truth of the selfless impermanent existence and function of the limited conditional physical body with the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind, of knowing Thyself - Selflessness and Impermanence.

One is to be inquiring towards the truth of everything to attain self-realization towards the truth of everything that come under different qualities of different names and forms - Selflessness and Impermanence.

This is not about finding out what is right or wrong, good or bad, true or untrue.

It's about seeing all and everything as it is, where all and everything are neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, upon the realization towards non-separateness/non-duality/oneness, upon the mind attain self-realization towards selflessness and impermanence in all and everything, including what was/is true or untrue, that gives rise to the right discrimination towards what is 'real' (permanent/unconditional) and 'unreal' (impermanent/conditional), while letting go and stop chasing after whatever that is 'unreal'.

Before self-realization, or the annihilation of the idea of 'I', the mind perceives the inquiry towards what is 'I' and the inquiry towards all kinds of names and forms as separated distinctive subjects, as the existence of the idea of 'I' in the mind generates the separateness/distinction between 'I' and everything that is not 'I'. Upon self-realization or the vanish of the idea of 'I', the selfless mind realized that these two subjects are not distinctive/separated from one another. There's neither right nor wrong. It's merely part of the process.

The subjects of inquiry might be different, but the truth of all kinds of existence regardless of sentient living beings or non-sentient living beings and non-living objects, as well as all kinds of diverse ideas, beliefs, values, and practices, regardless of whether they are something true (factual) or untrue (non-factual), is the same.

One might come in contact with the teachings or the dhamma about selflessness and impermanence through various books, medias, and teachers, but just by reading, hearing, studying, or possessing the knowledge/information about selflessness and impermanence without attaining direct experience or self-realization towards selflessness and impermanence doesn't liberate the mind from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, as well as the suffering/unrest/disturbance/painful sorrow deriving from all that.

The liberated minds cannot take away the ignorance of the others by telling others what they themselves have realized through their own effort, practice, self-inquiry, direct experience, and/or self-realization, but they can provide guidelines for the others that would lead them towards performing self-inquiry towards all kind of doubts, or questions, or ignorance that they have, via their own effort, practice, and self-inquiry, to attain direct experience or self-realization, and be free.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Be free from selfishness, possessiveness, pride, discrimination, petty-mindedness

Selfishness, possessiveness, pride, discrimination, and petty-mindedness, or greed, is not distinctive from self-destruction. It hurts others, and it will hurt oneself.

When a mind, not to say, the minds of a group of community, is being over-powered by selfishness, possessiveness (of claiming ownership and authority towards certain space and nature that don't belong to anyone), pride (towards their particular identity and possession), discrimination (towards the others that the mind(s) perceived as 'foreigners' or 'not one of us'), and petty-mindedness (of unwilling to be sharing the space and nature that don't belong to anyone with all and everyone, or unwilling to look after the general physical and mental welfare of the others, but depriving and destroying the general physical and mental welfare of the others), and under the influence of all these names and forms, the mind(s) generate desires, thoughts, actions and expressions that project the aspiration of either unwelcoming, pushing away, chasing out, and hating towards 'the others', or charging/taxing all others for their existence and all kinds of basic needs for survival in this space that doesn't belong to anyone, it all will come back unto oneself (themselves).

How people (the minds) desire to 'build' their 'living space' that doesn't belong to them or anyone (either full of peace, openness, kindness and harmony that give rise to prosperity for everyone, or full of unrest, selfishness, unkindness and disharmony that give rise to desperation and suffering for everyone), that's the 'living space' that they will be living in.

All kinds of basic survival needs that are available for all kinds of names and forms to be existing and surviving here in this space that doesn't belong to anyone, are coming from the selfless universe or the selfless nature, absolutely available for all and everyone to be existing and surviving here in this space that doesn't belong to anyone, unconditionally and limitlessly, provided that each and everyone needs to be exerting certain effort or energy to be maintaining and looking after their own existence and survival. All and everyone still needs to find food and water, and eat the food and drink the water, which requires certain effort or energy, where the energy is also coming from the selfless support of the selfless universe or nature, unconditionally and limitlessly, until the end of the existence of any particular name and form.

However, the many ignorant selfish possessive discriminating greedy minds thought that they could just claim ownership and authority towards the space and all kinds of basic survival needs that don't belong to anyone as much as they can, keeping for their own existence and survival, while at the same time, either forbidding others from existing and surviving in this space that doesn't belong to anyone, or restricting others' existence and survival by charging/taxing others for being existing and surviving in this space that doesn't belong to anyone.

It's like the air or oxygen. It doesn't belong to anyone. Similarly, the sun, the earth, the space, the land, the water, the nature or natural resources that exist selflessly and unconditionally for the existence and life maintenance or survival of all kinds of names and forms, don't belong to anyone.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Inquire towards boundaries, nationalities, authorization, documentation, qualification and certification

Most of the people in the world are friendly and welcoming towards people from other countries and different cultures, especially in terms of promoting the tourism industry where foreign tourists come into their country only to spend money as well as promoting their country 'positively'. 

 

Though unfriendliness and non-welcoming attitude also exist in many countries coming from certain close-minded people towards foreigners of certain nationalities and financial status out of the sense of superiority/inferiority, discrimination and intimidation, while at the same time, they would be friendly and welcoming towards some other foreigners of certain nationalities and financial status that they think are more superior than the others, especially those who are not trying to work in their country for making a living, but are bringing in foreign currency into their country, spending lots of money in their country as tourists or retirees.

 

Many people also would feel being intimidated by other people especially foreigners who are more intelligent, more skillful and more hardworking than them. Anyway, different kinds of discrimination exist in everywhere in this world of ignorance and egoism.

 

In another term, if foreigners are coming into their country to make bigger cake or more cakes for the locals, but without sharing the cake(s), they are most welcome by the locals. If foreigners are coming into their country to share the cake(s), even though they are there to help make bigger cake or more cakes for everyone, they are not welcome. This is the ignorant mentality of most human beings out of survival instinct and selfishness. They don't have the wisdom to understand that foreigners are there to help make bigger cake or more cakes for everyone, and they should be sharing the cake(s) with everyone else. But they think, "This is our cake. You are here to share (steal) our cake(s), and we would have smaller cake or less cakes for ourselves," while at the same time, ironically they also want to think and believe that they are generous people who like to share with others.

 

There's another group of foreigners involving in social media are most welcome in any country, provided if they can 'keep one eye opens, one eye closed', where they ignore anything or don't criticize any subject that is being perceived as 'offensiveness and hostility towards certain people/organization, especially of a particular race/culture/religion/social class/authorization, even if it's something true, but only to do and say things that would glorify and promote the country in the way that would please those of a particular race/culture/religion/social class/authorization. These people on social media would think and believe that they are doing something 'positive' or 'great' to promote only the 'positive' things of certain countries while ignoring/burying the 'negative' things, but they are actually glorifying and empowering 'discrimination' and 'corruption' in the world, either wittingly or unwittingly, by misleading people's understanding about what is actually happening in any country that is openly restricting freedom of expression/action/speech.

 

Can't blame these people who make a living on social media as they need to 'protect' themselves and their livelihood by creating contents via social media to make a living. Even the locals are being brought up in the way to 'keep one eye opens, one eye closed' in order to 'not getting into troubles' and to make a living in 'peace' under oppression and discrimination. People rather give in to oppression and discrimination than to regain their stolen freedom of existence, freedom of expression/thinking/action/speech and freedom of living, being manipulated to think and behave in certain way. 

 

The one great advice from the past Gurus for the truth seekers, is that in order to counter all these ignorance, is through the practice of dispassion and renunciation from worldly affair.

Despite the imperfection of some political conflicts/corruptions, petite crimes, prejudice, intimidation and discrimination deriving from certain amount of close-minded prideful people, which is very common in everywhere in the world, many people would like to live in peace and harmony with all the different races/cultures/beliefs, and to respect each other’s different ethnicity, culture and belief. Most people are wishing for positive over-all improvement and prosperity for their country to become an environmentally and humanely beautiful and peaceful place for everyone (citizen or non-citizen) to live in and visit. Unfortunately, all these are just some hopeful imaginations and almost impossible to be materialized, if the country doesn't have a non-discriminative and non-oppressive good government run by wise and compassionate open-minded human beings to lead and facilitate everything wisely and compassionately.

 

Those who are wise and compassionate are not interested in 'controlling' and 'regulating' all and everyone to be or not to be in certain way, but would facilitate all kinds of necessary support and convenience that allow all and everyone to learn how to be independent financially, physically, mentally and emotionally, and become self-initiative and responsible peaceful human beings to be looking after themselves and others in the surrounding environment, as well as to be looking after the over-all well-being of the environment and the world, or not. Allowing all and everyone being what they are, as they are, governed by the law of nature, or the law of cause and effect. There's no need an authorization/authority to be there to 'control', 'restrict', 'regulate', 'oppress', 'prosecute', 'judge', 'criminalize', 'penalize' and 'punish' anyone for anything.

 

Mentally healthy human beings wouldn't behave in the way that hurt themselves, or others, or the environment deliberately, even if there's no authority being there to 'control' or 'regulate' anyone and anything. Those who would behave in the way that hurt themselves, or others, or the environment, either intentionally or unintentionally, are due to ignorance and mental illness. Having an authoritarian authority to 'control' and 'regulate' the world doesn't stop those who are ignorant and mentally ill for being what they are and behave as they are. Under the 'control' and 'oppression' of an authority that is run by human beings that are not wise and not compassionate would only generate and empower deeper ignorance and more mental illness sufferers in the world.

The separateness and discrimination of 'foreigners' and 'locals' or 'citizens' and 'non-citizens' shouldn't be existing in this world at all, where all beings (human or non-human beings) are equally same momentarily existing and occupying this world and all are subject to the law of impermanence and selflessness. But survival instinct and possessiveness/protectiveness/control born out of ignorance and egoism in human beings created all the different boundaries separating and discriminating, controlling and restricting, legalizing and criminalizing all and everyone under certain law and order created by 'the authority' of human beings. There's no real freedom or peace to be found in this world run by human beings under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

 

Real independence of a country is not just about free from being governed by the foreign power of another country and having their own democratic elected government, but it's about the people, especially those who run the government, or the leaders/facilitators/law makers, are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, where the country is free from being governed by a 'corrupted' government that is run by a group of corrupted human beings under the influence of ignorance, egoism, greed, pride and selfishness.

The political history in the world particularly during a pandemic outbreak, reveals all kinds of ignorance and selfishness in many ways.

It's the same as in the world of Yoga and Buddhism. Those who appoint and identify themselves or some others as the authority/authorization of Yoga or Buddhism to be claiming 'ownership' or 'authorization' over Yoga or Buddhism, to be 'controlling' and 'regulating' the activities of Yoga and Buddhism in the world, to authorize or sanction this and that, under the name of 'protecting the purity or authenticity of Yoga or Buddhism', or 'maintaining a higher quality in Yoga or Buddhism practice or dissemination', then obviously they have no idea what is Yoga or Buddhism. Even an enlightened being wouldn't appoint and identify oneself or anyone as "The authority of Yoga or Buddhism."

Authority of any kind doesn't exist in the truth of the universe governed by the law of nature, of cause and effect, where all and everything are subject to the truth of Impermanence and Selflessness. Not even the selfless almighty 'God existence' that many human beings believe in, is self-appointed or self-authorized as the highest authority of the universe to be busy authorizing or non-authorizing this or that, to be governing, discriminating, monitoring, regulating or controlling this or that for being existing, changing, decaying and ceased existing under the law of nature.

Unfortunately, many human beings are being brought up in the way to live a life that is based on the sense of belonging and pride towards a national identity, personal identity, gender identity, sexual orientation identity, ethnic identity, cultural identity, educational identity, religious identity, spiritual identity, social class identity, body image identity, financial status identity, community identity, political identity, 'authorized/approved/recognized' identity, 'respect deserving' identity, and so on, that doesn't eliminate but empowers ignorance and egoism.

Those who want to think positive and be optimistic towards developing and hoping for a 'better' world, will only end up in great disappointment. Free from positive or negative, optimism or pessimism, one can do one's best for what one thinks and believes as beneficial for oneself while living in this world and/or for the over-all welfare of the world, but without attachment or expectation towards the actions and the fruit of actions, and allowing the world being what it is, full of ignorance and egoism and the consequences of that. 

Performing beneficial actions for oneself and/or the world, but without any intention of controlling, changing or expecting anything and anyone to be or not to be in certain way, is the essence of Yoga or Buddhism.

There are some human beings are truly selfless and compassionate serving the community of diversity and helping the less fortunate human beings or non-human beings, non-discriminatively. They might not be involving in any form of yoga practice, but they are the 'yogis', who perform selfless service to benefit the world without being determined or disturbed by the ignorance and selfishness in the world. There are people who are also doing something to help others, but with particular intention to convert others to take up or believe in their particular religious belief and practice, or to be getting other people's support towards a particular political party or social group, that is nothing to do with 'selfless service'.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Oneness, non-separateness, selflessness, compassion

Oneness, non-separateness, selflessness and compassion are one.

Without the realization of oneness/non-separateness/selflessness, compassion is absent or unavailable in the egoistic thinking mind, even though the egoistic mind wants to practice 'compassion' or be 'compassionate'.

Due to ignorance, the thinking or the idea of 'I' that 'exists' as a distinctive individual being, generates the sense of 'separateness' between 'I' and all and everything that are not 'I'.

There's an 'I' existing and identifying as the performer of actions and the receiver of the fruit of actions.

There also arise many different forms of 'relationship', 'friendship', or 'connection' between 'I' and 'all and everything that are separated/distinct from I', or between 'God' and 'I'.

And hence, there is the notion of 'I love you', or 'I give you love', or 'I receive love from you', or 'God loves me', or 'I am grateful for god's blessing towards me', or 'I am a kind and compassionate being', or 'I am being kind and compassionate to other beings', or 'I am sharing peace and loving kindness with all other beings', or 'I am connected with all and everything', or 'Have love and faith in God and receive blessings/heaven/good karma/merits', or even 'Be fearful towards god/punishment/hell/bad karma/sin'.

The mind is not free, even though there's nothing wrong or bad with all these thinking/belief/ideas/perception in the mind generating the 'self-existence' that built on the identification with all these 'thinking', 'belief', 'ideas', 'qualities', or 'actions and the fruit of actions' as 'I'.


Upon the realization of oneness, non-separateness, or selflessness/egolessness/'I'lessness, all the separateness vanished.

'I' doesn't exist. There's no 'I' being there to be identifying with any ideas or qualities.

All kinds of mind perception of 'living beings and non-living beings', 'purity and impurity', 'superiority and inferiority', 'good and bad', 'right and wrong', 'positive and negative', 'meaningfulness and meaninglessness', 'happiness and unhappiness', 'friends and not friends', 'family and not family', 'praise and condemn', 'gain and loss', 'deserving and non-deserving', and so on, vanished.

Regardless of all the different qualities of names and forms, all and everything are one/non-distinctive, ceaselessly forming and deforming, coming and going, arising and passing away, under the influence of one same nature of impermanence and selflessness.

Just like 'the space'. Intentionlessly allowing all and everything to be there as they are. It never increase nor decrease and it never change into good or bad, no matter how many knowable and unknowable objects of names and forms forming and deforming, coming and going, arising and passing away endlessly in 'the space'. 'The space' is uncontaminated or undetermined by all the different qualities of names and forms that are impermanent and selfless.

Time doesn't exist in 'the space'. 'The space' is unconditioned/unlimited by causation, or cause and effect. 'The space' is beyond existence and non-existence. There's no beginning or ending. Timeless. Limitless. Attributelessness. Ageless. Changeless.

All the objects of names and forms that are momentarily existing in this present moment in 'the space', whether gross or subtle, regardless of knowable or unknowable, all are conditioned and limited by existence and non-existence, beginning and ending, forming and deforming, arising and passing away.

It's the impermanent changes of names and forms that generate the notion/false impression of time. There is no past nor future in timelessness. Time, past and future exist in the thinking mind deriving from perceiving/experiencing all the impermanent changes. It's a false impression existing in the thinking mind due to ignorance, and its by-product of egoism that generates attachment towards the impermanent and selfless physical body and modification of the mind, also gives rise to the idea of an existence of 'I' which lead to the sense of separateness of 'I' and 'all the others that are not I'.

All kinds of fear, affliction, suffering, misery, hurts, sorrow, grief, disturbs, unrest, loneliness, meaninglessness, incompleteness, clinging, longing, dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, ill-will, ill-thinking, protectiveness, self-esteem, pride, animosity, hostility, and so on, arise/exist due to the sense of separateness, the by-product of ignorance and egoism as part of the modification of the mind. And thus, all the different kinds of yoga and meditation practice are mainly to annihilate the modification of the mind - Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha. All the other physical and mental health and fitness benefits deriving from performing regular yoga practice are just some side-effects.

Though there's nothing wrong if the yoga practitioners are not working on annihilating the modification of an egoistic thinking mind, and merely focusing on the attainment of physical and mental health and fitness benefits of the yoga and meditation practice, but there's no freedom, being bound by the false impression of an existence of 'I' and 'all that I experience', even though the body and mind might be receiving and enjoying all the momentary physical and mental health and fitness benefits from the regular yoga and meditation practice for a prolonged period of time, that are also subject to impermanence.

If the mind doesn't realize this, then even when everything is good now, and the mind is happy and contented with all the goodness that is present in this moment, but yet, this happy feeling and contentment will also pass away, if there's attachment onto all the goodness to feel good, happy, blessed, assured, confident and meaningful, as all the goodness will also pass away.

No matter how strong the mind believes in positive thinking and optimism, all 'beloved parents' will pass away. 'Relatives and friends' will pass away. 'Family, siblings, cousins, spouse, children' will pass away. 'Good people and bad people' will pass away. 'Happy and unhappy feelings' will pass away. 'Wise and ignorant beings' will pass away. 'Living beings and non-living beings' will pass away. 'Saints and sages and all kinds of hero' will pass away. 'Great minds and mad minds' will pass away. All and everything will pass away, except 'the space', is still what it is.

'The space', or nameless/formless/attributeless/timeless/ageless/changeless/birthless/deathless infinity, is 'the silent witness' of all the impermanent changes, without 'egoism' of performing actions/receiving the fruit of actions, interference, judgment, comparison, discrimination, or expectation. Intentionless. Selfless. Egoless. 'I'less.

"You are left alone now." - Swami Sivananda

Go beyond the mind perception of an impermanent and selfless worldly life existence

The life existence of the mind perception of a worldly life of names and forms is only existing in this present moment, where the past and the future doesn't exist in this present moment, and it is impermanent and selfless.

'The past' is just some scattered fading memories of pleasant and unpleasant, desirable and undesirable, agreeable and disagreeable past experiences. It exists only as a form of memory.

'The future' is just some wild imagination, anticipation, speculation, projection and expectation. It only exists as a form of thought activity.

When the mind is under the influence of ignorance and egoism, it attached onto the past memories of pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable, agreeable/disagreeable experiences and the anticipation/projection into the future, and be affected, disturbed and determined by 'the past' and 'the future' that doesn't exist in this present moment, which is unnecessary if the mind is free from ignorance and egoism.

The past and the future doesn't exist in this present moment, but there is a connection between the past actions/reactions and the present moment now, and between the actions/reactions in this present moment now and the ceaseless impermanent changes, which is the consequences of actions (cause and effect.)

The entire life existence of this impermanent and selfless existence and function of a physical body with the restless egoistic thinking mind is being what it is due to the law of cause and effect. This 'life' doesn't exist if the parents didn't plant the 'seed'. The entire limited momentary existence of this selfless body and mind is nothing but ceaseless impermanent changes following the seed being planted. The present moment is nothing but the consequences of the past actions, which is the only element that relates the past actions with the present moment, and yet, the past doesn't exist in this present moment. All the consequences are just what they are, in the present moment, as they are, and changing selflessly under the law of cause and effect.

The only existence is this present moment now, as it is, not necessarily the way that the egoistic thinking minds would like it to be, as the result of the ripened consequences of actions plus all the egoistic actions and reactions in this present moment that give rise to further consequences of actions, ceaselessly and restlessly, and even so, the consequences of actions are not necessarily exactly the way that the minds think and believe what it should be. The consequences of actions are just what they are, as they are, and not being the way according to any wishful thinking and belief, that anyone would like it to be.

For example, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we planted an apple tree (the past actions) that gives the fruit of apples (the consequences of actions.) Even though after some time we realize that we don't really like apples, we cannot change the apple tree to be orange tree or banana tree. We have to accept that this is an apple tree that gives the fruit of apples. Even though we don't like apples, but the apple tree will still give the fruit of apples. We might prefer the fruit of oranges or bananas, and we can try to plant orange and banana trees, but we can't make the apple tree to give the fruit of oranges or bananas. Sometimes the apples from this apple tree are more sweet, and sometimes are less sweet, while some other times are sour and bitter. Although we might not like the taste of apple as it is especially when they are sour and bitter, but since these are what available to us, we can make use of the sour/bitter apples to cook them into something that is more palatable, or give them to other people who would enjoy the apples as they are, or feed them to the animals. More importantly, we don't turn the apples into a weapon to hurt other people. Sometimes, for some reasons, the trees don't give any fruit at all, or the trees die before giving any fruit.

If the future exists, we can bring the future into this present moment and we would be able to control the future to be exactly the way that we would like it to be. There won't be any uncertainty/anxiety/fear/worry/dissatisfaction/disappointment/regret/guilt/unhappiness/suffering, everything will turn out to be exactly the way that we desire it to be. We want forever youth, pleasant sensations, happy feelings, good health, good relationships, good and easy life condition free from difficulties and hardships, desirable life span with only pleasurable enjoyments and happy experiences, without any painful sickness/injury, suffering or unhappy experiences, without coming in contact with happenings, objects or beings that we don't like and don't agree with, without separation from the beings and things that we like and love. But we can't, as the future doesn't exist. Without intention to be controlling 'the future' to be the way that we like it to be, the consequences of actions derived from the actions and reactions in this present moment now, will be what they are, as they are.

If the past exists in this present moment, then we can bring the past into this present moment and undo any past actions/experiences that we don't like and don't want, to alter the consequences of actions to be something different. But, we can't undo any past actions/experiences that we don't like and don't want. Without intention to be changing the consequences of past actions that channeling life in this present moment being what it is, but the realization of selflessness allows the mind to be undetermined by life being what it is, transcending all the pleasant and unpleasant, desirable and undesirable consequences of actions.

Those (the minds) who are not aware of this, they always hope or try to control life in this present moment and in the future to be in certain ways that they desire and not to be in certain ways that they don't desire.

Those (the minds) who are aware of this, they deal with the consequences of actions of all kinds of pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable experiences, or what we identify as 'life', as it is, without craving or aversion, allowing life to be what it is, and make use of the present moment to silent the modification of the mind to transcend the mind perception of an impermanent and selfless life existence carved by cause and effect.

Life might not always being the way that we would like it to be, but we can accept life as it is, without clinging/craving/aversion towards something that is here (pleasantness and unpleasantness), without craving for something that the mind likes and desires but is not here, without aversion towards something that the mind dislikes and doesn't desire that is here or not here. In the meantime we can make use of life as it is (regardless of easy or difficult condition/situation that exists in this present moment) to be doing something beneficial to ourselves and others in certain ways depending on how we look at it. Such as growing up without proper emotional, educational and financial support. Some people would see it as a harsh condition and use it as an excuse to do things that hurt themselves and others. While some others would turn it into great strength to overcome any difficulty or challenging condition and situation to be doing something great for themselves and others.

In the end when the mind realizes selflessness, life is undetermined by the separateness of 'I' and 'my life', or the quality of good and bad/meaningful and meaningless/positive and negative, and it doesn't belong to 'I' or 'God'. It's just life as it is, as a product of cause and effect. There's no 'I' and 'my life'. There's no 'good, meaningful and positive life' and 'bad, meaningless and negative life', or "I or 'God' want my life to be or not to be in certain ways."

Existence in now

Contemplation on existence/the mind perception of an impermanent and selfless life existence in the present moment.

Existence only existing in now. There's neither past nor future. It's the thinking/thought process of recollection of memories and wild imagination of the mind that generates the 'shadow' of now, either behind of now (the past) or in front of now (the future). Suffering arise when the mind sees/takes the 'shadow' of the selfless mind perception of names and forms as 'I' (the existence of an individual being of 'I', where this countless ever changing 'I' is not even I.)

All kind of restlessness, peacelessness, anxieties, tension, hurts, regrets, guilt, offensiveness, defensiveness, possessiveness, meaninglessness, depression, insecurity, frustration, anger, greed, dissatisfaction, disappointment, hopes, fear and worry, are due to being ignorant towards existence, thinking and believing that 'I' am existing with an individual identity from the past until now and into the future, that 'I' have a past and a future, and 'I' had/am/will be physically/mentally/emotionally existed/existing/continuing existing along with all the relationships with everyone and everything, and hence, there's clinging/attachment/identification towards the present experiences/relationships, thinking/remembering about the past experiences/relationships and imagining/anticipating the future experiences/relationships, craving towards pleasant/desirable experiences/relationships and aversion towards unpleasant/undesirable experiences/relationships.

This very moment is the only existence of this body and the thinking mind that is functioning under the charity of 'the space', 'the sun', 'the earth', 'the water' and 'the air/wind', it's not 'I', and it is changing. Within this moment, along with the function of this body and the modification of the mind, countless rounds of birth and death happening, new cells replacing old cells, the bodily system growing, changing, cease growing and start decaying, different states of the mind arising and passing away, thoughts/memories/imaginations/sensations/feelings arising and passing away, physical and mental pleasantness and unpleasantness coming and going, 'heaven' and 'hell' and all kind of 'realms' interchanging in the mind, ceaseless actions generating ceaseless reactions of cause and effect, and all kind of names and forms forming and deforming ceaselessly.

Those who realized this, allowing the impermanent/momentary function of the body and the modification of the mind perception of a worldly life existence to be what it is, as it is, remain equanimous and at peace, being free from attachment, identification and desire of craving and aversion, being undetermined/undisturbed by the mind perception of a pleasant/unpleasant or desirable/undesirable reality of a worldly life existence that is impermanent.

Those who haven't realized this, continuously and restlessly chasing after the objects of names and forms of higher and higher quality of pleasurable living, performing actions out of the intention/aspiration of creating a 'perfect' world the way that 'I' think it should be that allows 'I' to live life the way that 'I' like it to be, accumulating relationships and gratifying desires of craving and aversion, to chase away bottomless 'shadow' of boredom, loneliness, unhappiness, meaninglessness and emptiness, to feel good, happy and meaningful.

It's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, it's everyone's freedom for what they want to do with their life, body and mind. The conditions and situations of the world are the consequences of the actions born out of every individual human being's intention/aspiration/ambition of desiring/wishing/hoping/demanding/building/protecting/frustrating/hating/fighting/killing for a desirable 'perfect' world and a 'good' life that they think how it should be, that they want it to be.

Be free.

No complaints, no unhappiness on the path of yoga...

At the beginning of our practice, before we realize selflessness and compassion, we need to inquire towards what is selflessness and compassion. We also try to practice what we think is selfless compassion. After we realized what is selflessness and compassion, all and everyone are selfless and merely the manifestation of compassion, where the thoughts, actions and speech are part of the manifestation out of selfless compassion. We are no longer trying to practice selfless compassion, but this life existence is indeed selfless and compassionate. All and everything are not separated from selflessness and compassion.

If we realized the nature of selfless compassion in all and everything, there won’t be any unhappiness in us. It’s because nothing can make us happy or unhappy, if we realized we all are selfless and compassionate. There is no anger, hatred, frustration, discontentment, disappointment, hurt, resentment, fear and worry, when selfless compassion is present. It’s because there is no egoistic attachment and passionate desire in all kinds of actions and the result/consequence of actions. There is no selfish intention or expectation in all the selfless compassionate actions. If there is tiny intention or expectation in the action, then this action is not really selfless and compassionate, and it will bind us to the result of the action. There is still some egoistic attachment and desire there. There will be discontentment and disappointment if the result is not being what we want it to be, or there will be pride and arrogance if the result is being what we want it to be.

In this present moment now, if there are still some complaints and unhappiness in this mind, if there's still unhappiness about something that the mind perceives through the senses of what it sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches, feels and thinks, then it is because this mind hasn't realized its nature of selfless compassion. The mind is still under the influence of ignorance. There's attachment from the thinking mind towards the modification of the mind, and there's desire of craving and aversion towards all the names and forms that it perceives through the senses. The egoistic mind (under the function of the intellect and the ego) ceaselessly reacts towards all the names and forms which also disturbs, or affects, or determines the mind for how it thinks and feels.

It is not the things that the mind perceives that generate happiness or unhappiness. They cannot make the mind happy or not happy. It is the delusive identification with the body and the mind as 'I', and the attachment towards all the names and forms that make the mind thinks that it is being disturbed by all these names and forms, and determining whether it is happy or not happy due to what it thinks it is experiencing. If there is no attachment, and if the thinking mind knows that it's just the body and the mind, but it's not 'I', then it won’t be affected by whatever names and forms that are being perceived through the senses, and it won’t be affected by whatever condition that the body and the mind is experiencing in this present moment now, or what they experienced in the past.

Without the mind, there's no perception of anything, no names, no forms, no attributes.

What is good? What is bad? What is happiness? What is unhappiness?

If the mind realized selflessness, there is no identification with the body and the mind as 'I', there is no likes or dislikes. There is no craving or aversion. There is no good or bad. There is no happiness or suffering. Everything is just being what it is. All the different qualities of names and forms are just what they are, when the mind realizes selflessness. There is no self-interest, self-protection, self-arrogance, selfish intention, selfish expectation. There is no separateness or discrimination of good beings and bad beings, and there is no separateness of all and everything in the universe.

There is no “my family and friends” or “not my family and friends”. There is no people that I like or people that I don’t like. There is no superiority and inferiority. Everyone is equally selfless and impermanent. All the separateness of “you and I”, “he and I”, “they and I”, is gone and disappeared. There is no friends or not friends. There is no loneliness, no craving for love and attention from “somebody” who is separated from “I”. When everyone and everything is not separated from “I”, how can there be loneliness?
 

Out of selfless compassion, this mind will be compassionate towards all beings including itself is also one of the beings. There's no difference.

That’s why yoga is all about knowing who we really are, or what the mind really is, and we/the mind will be free. We all are selfless and compassionate in our true nature, the real and infinite existence. We are not affected or determined by any names and forms that the mind can perceive or understand through its function. We are not disturbed or determined by the good and bad karma that is generated by this body and this mind. We are not affected by the births and deaths of the mind perception of a worldly life existence.

It doesn’t matter in this present moment now, if we are still haven't realized selflessness yet. No judgment. Forgive and accept the imperfection and ignorance being there as it is, and keep practicing until we, or the thinking minds, realize selflessness.

Let go the identification with the selfless mind and the impermanent states of the mind. Learn to be the witness or the observer of the modification of the mind. We will soon realize that we are not the mind. We are not the body either. There's no 'I', but merely the selfless impermanent existence and function of the mind and body. This selfless body and mind is subject to impermanent changes, forming, decaying, and deforming. The infinite selfless compassion exists even before this body and mind exists and will continue to exist when this body and mind stops existing. There's neither beginning nor ending. All manifestations are manifested from the infinite Self. We can negate all kinds of selfless impermanent names and forms that we can perceive through this perceptive mind, but we cannot negate the one that is negating everything, (there's no "I" in all and everything, where all and everything is not "I"), which is what I am.

Everything that has a beginning will have an end. Everything that exist will cease existing. Everything may go through forming and deforming, existence and non-existence. But the infinite birthless and deathless Self is beyond existence and non-existence. Everything can be non-existing after some time, but the Self is always here. Without the Self, nothing exists. Just like without the sun, the air, the water, the earth and the space, nothing can exist. Everything exist because of all these elements. All these elements exist because of the Self.

There is no gain and no loss. Everything come from zero, and will go back to zero. What is there to be proud of or mourned about?