Actions, reactions and the consequences of actions...

When we hit someone's face whether intentionally or unintentionally, do not expect zero reaction coming from that person whether intentionally or unintentionally, nor expect the person should react the way that we think one should be reacting, nor expect the person shouldn't react in the way that we think one shouldn't be reacting.

Nobody should hit another one nor should anyone deserved to be hit.

When there are actions and reactions, there will be consequences of actions.

One takes full responsibility for the consequences of one's actions and reactions.

Om shanti.

Go beyond the ego and its good and bad intention, and be free...

The ego is neither good nor bad. It's just being what it is, constantly acts and reacts upon the perception of names and forms of what the mind sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches and thinks.

Both good and bad intention that leads to good and bad actions is coming from the ego.

To go beyond the ego and its plays, we free the mind from both good and bad intention.

Contemplate what is intentionless. As when the ego is eradicated, there's no intention to be the cause of action. Actions are being performed out of compassion.

Actions that derived from good or bad intention bind us to good and bad karma.

Actions that are free from intentions, are not different from inaction, they do not generate good or bad karma.

Contemplate on this :-

Does the water bound by good karma, when we enjoy and consume the water for survival, drinking, cooking, washing, cleaning, gardening, and etc? Does the water bound by bad karma, when properties and lives are lost or damaged by flood, or tsunami?

Does the air bound by good karma, when we utilize the wind for generating electricity, and breathe in oxygen for survival? Does the air bound by bad karma, when properties and lives are lost or damaged by hurricane or tornado?

Does the earth bound by good karma, when we live on it, build home on it, and harvest minerals out of it? Does the earth bound by bad karma, when properties and lives are lost or damaged by earthquake or land slide?

Same as the sun and the space. Do they bound by good and bad karma while performing ceaseless contributions or actions of giving, providing and supporting everything to be existing, while somebody or something is damaged or destroyed by all these elements?

Nope.

Why? It's because they have no intention to be good or bad, they have no intention to be doing something good or bad.

They exist for everything to be exist. Everything will also cease existing because of them. It's just the law of impermanence of existence.

There's no good or bad karma.

And why are we, human beings with the thinking mind, with the egoism, are bound by good and bad karma coming from our actions? It's because we perform all our actions out of intention, or actions are being performed out of good or bad intention, to be getting something that we desire, or do not want to get something that we don't desire.

No one can give us an answer that will clear our doubts or ignorance, and free us from the binding of karma.

Contemplate and find the answer from our own self-realization.

Realize the truth, perform all actions out of compassion, without attachment towards the actions and the fruit of actions.

Be free.

Om shanti.

Non-attachment or non-expectation towards the fruit of actions?

Letting go of expectation towards the fruit of actions, is about performing all actions without attachment towards the actions and the fruit of actions, but allowing the fruit of actions to be what it is. This is different from the idea of "After I performed some (good or bad) actions, I do not want to receive anything (good or bad) in return", or "I do not want something in return that is beyond my expectation."

As all actions will definitely bring some pleasant or unpleasant consequences in return, regardless of whether we expect to receive something in return or not, whether we have attachment and expectation towards the fruit of actions or not, or whether the fruit of actions is the way that we think it should be or not. The fruit of actions will be there as it is. It won't become more or less, nor disappear.

Non-attachment and non-expectation towards the actions and the fruit of actions is about being undetermined, unaffected, uninfluenced and undisturbed by the actions and the fruit of actions regardless of whether they are desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, and pleasant or unpleasant. Without expectation that everything and everyone has to be in certain way after one has performed certain actions, without expectation that everyone should or shouldn't react in certain way towards one's actions and the fruit of actions. Allowing all and everyone to be what they are, as they are.

Those who know this, they can perform many actions in the world that they think and believe are beneficial for the well-being of the world, if they want, but they are not affected or disturbed by some others or something that they think and believe are damaging the world in certain way.

Om shanti.

'Good' actions = Good in return?

There are different types of 'good' actions. And thus the fruit, or the result, or the consequences of these 'good' actions are different from one another, or are not necessarily what we think they should be.

Such like, if we planted apple tree, apples will be the fruit of this tree. But, the taste, the fragrance, the texture, the appearance,the size and the shape of the apples are not necessarily what we think or expect it should be. As well as the time for the tree to have fruit can also be very different from what we think it should be.

Ever wondered why after we have done some 'good' actions, but the consequences of these 'good' actions were not necessarily 'good', or 'nice', or 'happy', as what we expected them should be?

Sometimes when we thought and believed that we did something 'good', based on what our mind believes what 'good' is, but it's not necessarily the truth of what things really are. And thus even though we think and believe that what we do is 'good', but the fruit, or the consequences of this 'good' action turns out to be 'not so good'.

Then there is something truly 'good', it doesn't matter if our mind is not aware of, or doesn't think that it is something 'good', and thus even though we don't expect anything 'good' in return through this action that we aren't aware that it's something good, or don't think it's good, but still the fruit of this action is something 'good'.

And then, there is 'pure good' actions and 'impure good' actions.

When we perform some 'good' actions with the 'good' intention to be doing something 'good', or, there's identification of 'I' am a 'good' person, and 'I' am doing something 'good', and we have expectation towards the result or the fruit of our 'good' actions should be something 'good' in return, or, there's expectation towards those who will be benefited from our 'good' actions that they should be benefited by our 'good' actions, and there's attachment towards the reactions from other people especially those who are benefited from the actions, expect that they should be showing some acknowledgment, gratitude or thankfulness to us, or, we have discrimination towards who we like to be 'good' to, or, there's selfish motivation behind all these 'good' actions, such like to attain some good and happy feelings, or to be acknowledged as good people and to generate some good impressions to our self-image, or to gain some commercial benefits from performing all these 'good' actions, or, there is desire of "I want to do good", then even though they are 'good' actions, but they are 'impure good' actions. And thus, the fruit, or the consequences of these 'good' actions are not purely good as what we think it should be.

If we have the desire of "I want to do good." to motivate us to be performing good actions, then if out of certain circumstances that we might not be able to perform the 'good' actions that we wanted to do, we (the ego) will be very disappointed, dissatisfied, frustrated, or unhappy.

And so, the 'pure good' actions are actions that are free from the influence of the egoism. They are actions that are being performed without attachment towards the actions and the fruit of the actions, thinking that this is an 'good' action and the fruit of this 'good' action should be something 'good' in return, and without the identification as the doer of the actions, nor there is identification of the 'enjoyer' of the fruit of the actions. There is no discrimination of who should be benefited from the actions. There's no attachment towards the reactions from anyone, especially those who are benefited from the actions. There's no 'good' intention to be doing something 'good', nor expectation that somebody will be benefited from this 'good' action, nor expectation for some appreciation or gratefulness from anyone, nor expectation towards the fruit of the actions should be something 'good' in return. There's no selfish motivations that motivate us to be performing some good actions.

'Pure good' actions are being performed not because of the ego's desire of "I want to be good and do good", or "I want to do good actions that I like to do". Although there's nothing wrong with the ego wants to be good and do good. It's very good indeed. But there will be some unpleasant reactions from the ego when its desire of "wants to be good and do good" is not being gratified the way that it wants to be gratified.

All actions are being performed out of compassion, without expectation towards the result, but allowing the fruit, or the result, or the consequences of our actions to be what they are, as they are.

There's no discrimination of good beings or bad beings. There's no influence of likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements from the ego.

There's no success or failure. There's no good or bad. There's no gain or loss. There's no superiority or inferiority. There's no pride and arrogance. There's no disappointment and dissatisfaction. There's no sense of achievement or accomplishment. There's no fear and worry.

It is beyond meaningfulness and meaninglessness. We are not determined by whether we did some good actions, or whether how many good actions we can perform, to attain meaningfulness in life. Or else, if we are not able to perform some good actions (the way that we think it should be done), or we think we didn't do any good actions or did very few good actions, we will be feeling meaningless in life. We judge ourselves as not good human beings, and feel bad, shameful and guilty about ourselves for being not good, or not good enough. This is not the teachings nor the practice of yoga and meditation.

In the teachings and practice of yoga and meditation, we just do our best without attachment, judgment, expectation and renounce the fruit of actions (whether there will be pleasant or unpleasant consequences that may or may not arise).

There's no attachment towards the actions and the fruit of the actions. There's no doer or enjoyer of the actions.

Sometimes even though the actions are 'pure good' actions, but the fruit of actions may be delayed to be ripened due to certain circumstances, it is not necessarily that it will bring immediate fruit of the actions. And even if we need to go through many unpleasant experiences, obstacles and difficulties before we see the fruit of 'good' actions, it doesn't mean that we have done something 'wrong' or 'bad', or we didn't do good, or we were not good enough.

Be free.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

If we are truly practicing yoga and meditation, if we are truly compassionate, we will wish all beings will have peace and happiness, even though when we think some people didn't perform any 'good' actions that we think they should be doing, or we think some people have done some 'bad' actions that we think they shouldn't be doing, we will only wish them peace and happiness, and not out of our own anger and hatred, we are hoping that they will be 'punished' one day, or hope that they will be 'suffering' from the consequences of their actions and inactions.

Have peace in ourselves, be free from ill-will and ill-thinking.

The consequences of other people's actions and inactions will be there as they are. We don't need to have ill-will and ill-thinking, wish that there will be punishment or suffering for other people for their actions and inactions that we think is not good or is bad.

If out of anger and hatred we have ill-will and ill-thinking, we wish that there will be punishment or suffering for other people for their actions and inactions that we think is not good or is bad, then we are not any different from these people whom we think that they are not good, or are bad... Why generate such 'bad' karma to ourselves for some other people doing something that we think is not good or is bad?

Be happy.

Om shanti.