Physical, mental, and emotional freedom

It is understandable that why there are many people (minds) dislike or disagree with unrestricted unlimited physical, mental, and emotional freedom.

"I want my self, my body, my mind, my partner, my children, my family, my community, my country, and my world to be like this and not like that. I don't want my self, my body, my mind, my partner, my children, my family, my community, my country, and my world to be like that and not like this."

Above all, many 'good and righteous' people dislike and disagree with allowing all and everyone to be free to be what they are, to think/don't think, to believe/disbelieve, to feel/don't feel, to desire/don't desire, to behave/don't behave, to act and react/don't act and react, and be able to doubt, to question, to inquire, to learn, to experience, to make mistake, to reason, and to understand as they are, that they strongly think and believe that all and everyone should be taught/educated/molded, restricted (with rules and regulations) and disciplined (under all kinds of threats and violent painful punishments, if not temptations/rewards) to be good and righteous, or to have good manner and conduct, righteous values, and morality, is because they think and believe that the unrestricted unlimited physical (actions/activities), mental (thinking/ideas/values/activities), and emotional (expressions/activities) freedom will lead to immorality and all kinds of evil wrong doings.

Fear.

Possessiveness.

Desire and don't desire. 

Craving and aversion.

Control and interference towards the body and the mind and the others to be and not to be in certain way in accordance to one's desire and don't desire. 

That type of mentality (thinking, belief, values, desire, vision, and practice) and action taking itself, is deriving from a modification of the mind that is functioning under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness (lack of peace and devoid of correct understanding).

How can the minds that are lack of peace and devoid of correct understanding, that are being over-powered by fear, possessiveness, desire and don't desire, or craving and aversion, to be controlling and expecting all and everyone to be the way that they think and believe and desire as "A world, or a community that is free from immorality and all kinds of evil wrong doings, or hurtful damaging destructive behavior unto oneself, others, and the surrounding environment," when they themselves are thinking, desiring, and behaving in such hurtful damaging destructive way?

Immorality and all kinds evil wrong doings, or hurtful damaging destructive behavior, are not deriving from unrestricted unlimited physical, mental, and emotional freedom.

Unrestricted unlimited physical, mental, and emotional freedom is not the cause of immorality and all kinds of evil wrong doings, or hurtful damaging destructive behavior unto oneself, others, and the surrounding environment.

It is the presence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness in the modification of the mind.

Where the thinking and acting mind is unwittingly being over-powered and determined by or being the slave of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness in the modification of the mind, to think, to believe, to reason, to understand, to desire, to behave, to act, and to react in certain way and not in certain way.

The imposition of restriction and limitation unto all kinds of physical, mental, and emotional freedom for the selfless conscious living organisms to be doubting/questioning/inquiring/learning/experiencing/mistake making/reasoning/understanding/growing/maturing healthily, for them to be existing and functioning as what they are, not only that it doesn't help to eliminate ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness from the modification of the mind (the absence of peace and correct understanding), but it is stimulating and empowering all that, which is highly detrimental for the physical, mental, and emotional conscious and unconscious evolution of the selfless conscious living organisms towards 'what most minds would like and desire it to be' - to have minimal, or even, to be free from all kinds of undesirable and unpleasant physical, mental, and emotional painful suffering.

The history in the world, have been 'showing' that the world didn't and doesn't become 'better', under the presence of external 'control'/'restriction'/'limitation'/'discipline'/'threat'/'punishment' or 'reward' coming from others imposed unto others.

The idea, values, and practice of 'control'/'restriction'/'limitation'/'discipline'/'threat'/'punishment' or 'reward' exists in the family ties and connections, in all kinds of relationships and affairs, in the community, and in the many different types of organizations.

Responsible constructive beneficial behaviors are coming from the mind that is functioning under the presence of peace and correct understanding, or the absence of unrest and incorrect understanding in the modification of the mind.

Instead of controlling and expecting all and everyone to be and not to be in certain way, allow and respect all and everyone to be opened and to be free, not being constraint/restricted/limited in a particular shape or quality in accordance to one's desire and don't desire, to be free to doubt, to question, to inquire, to learn, to experience, to make mistake, to reason, to understand, towards all and everything.

To be matured, and be independent physically, mentally, and emotionally.

To be a responsible human being under the presence of peace and correct understanding, that looks after oneself and the surrounding environment, out of one's own conscious awareness/understanding/initiative/freewill/choice/desire/action.

The selfless universal consciousness that enables all and everything (conscious or non-conscious living organisms and non-living objects) to be manifesting/existing and functioning as what they are, selflessly and impermanently, governed by the nature's law of cause and effect, doesn't and never 'control' anything to be or not to be in certain way, or 'judge'/'reward'/'punish' anyone or anything for being what all and everything are.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Do not blind-believe, blind-follow, blind-practice, or blind-propagate anything from anyone and everyone.

Inquire towards the power of belief

All kinds of beliefs are not necessarily the truth of things, however, any kind of belief among all kinds of different beliefs is something so 'powerful' in the world of ignorance and egoism, as it is influencing the minds that are functioning under the veil of ignorance and egoism to think, reason, desire, and behave in certain way, that is influencing the general condition and situation in the world to be in certain way.

Power can be something constructive or destructive. Power can build or destroy. It's the same with all kinds of beliefs as well as all kinds of influential elements.

'Belief' becomes something very powerful (destructively), when certain minds with selfish greedy desires and ambitions used 'all kinds of beliefs' to manipulate, tempt or threaten, exploit, and control the thinking, the reasoning, the desire, and the behavior of many other minds, to gain certain power or advantage, that help them to achieve all their selfish greedy desires and ambitions.

'Power' or 'powerful' is neither something good nor bad. It depends on whether it is something that promotes peace and harmony among all kinds of diversities in this world that doesn't belong to anyone and anything, or not.

Just by 'believing in' something, even if that something doesn't really exist, can influence the thinking, the reasoning, the desire, and the behavior of the many minds in certain way, and hence, impacting the condition and situation in the world in certain way.

Even though any kind of belief is something 'powerful' as it is highly influential, just as all kinds of famous charismatic admirable respectable figure or influencer and inspirational event, but all these are not the most powerful thing in the world.

The minds that are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, they are not being determined or influenced by any kind of belief, or any kind of influential element. They don't need the existence of any particular belief to set as a guideline to live life in certain way. They don't need the existence of any 'leader' to lead them, or to make decision for them. That 'mental and emotional independence of not being determined or influenced by any kind of belief or influential element' is the most 'powerful' among all kinds of so called 'powerful influential elements' in the world, as the liberated mind is not being determined or influenced by any kinds of influential elements, regardless of whether it is some kind of influential belief, or famous charismatic admirable respectable figure/influencer, or inspirational event, or impactful experience, or condition, or situation. The liberated mind is not even being determined or influenced by the ceaseless selfless impermanent changes that are happening in the body and the modification of the mind that is existing and functioning under the selfless support of the selfless energy and elements.

The different minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, they are being conditioned and influenced by the many different kinds of beliefs that are existing in the world, to be thinking and believing that all minds cannot live life without believing in any kind of belief to be the guidance that leads to a particular way of living and behavior, where they believe all and everyone need to hold onto certain belief to live life and behave in certain way, that give rise to a sense of belonging, direction, refuge, purposefulness, meaningfulness, accomplishment, and personal/family/community pride.

All kinds of beliefs are neither good nor bad, but the mind is not free, if it is being conditioned and influenced by certain belief to think, reason, desire, and behave in certain way, regardless of whether the mind thinks and believes that the beliefs are something good or bad, and something agreeable or disagreeable.

The teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism, is to free the mind from all that, while respecting the existence of all kinds of beliefs being what they are, as there are many minds still 'need' to hold onto these beliefs to set as a guidance to live life, or else, they will be lost under the sense of purposelessness or meaninglessness, if without setting a specific direction or goal in life.

Before the mind attains mental and emotional independence transcending all kinds of beliefs, or before the mind attains self-realization transcending the selfless impermanent modification of the mind, where it still needs to hold onto certain belief to live life, think, desire, and behave in certain way, that give rise to the momentary sense of goodness, righteousness, positiveness, joyfulness, meaningfulness, refuge, or direction/goal, however, this mind also needs to understand that it cannot impose its own belief unto any other minds/people, where it expects all the others should also believe and follow its own belief to live life, think, desire, and behave in certain way, or the way that it thinks and believes is the good and right way, or the best way to be existing as a human being, while judging others who are different from oneself as bad and wrong, and be disturbed or offended by others who are different from oneself, that oneself dislikes and disagrees with based on one's own belief about how things and everyone should be like. One keeps one's belief only to oneself, and not impose one's belief unto any other, not even one's close family members or community, not to say, all the others that are not one's family members or community. Meanwhile, the mind can keep striving to be free from ignorance, to transcend its own belief or the modification of the mind, to attain mental and emotional independence or self-realization, if it wants.

The world is having so much unnecessary chaos or suffering, is due to there are many minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism impose each of their own particular belief unto all the others, and be disturbed and offended by the others whom they dislike and disagree with based on their own particular belief, while generate actions and reactions that are violent and hurtful unto the others who are different from them.

Inquire the truth of everything, and be free.

The essential practice of non-identification

The practice of non-attachment or non-grasping is being reflected in the practice of non-identification, or letting go the existing identification with all kinds of worldly identities/duties/responsibilities/ties and connections, even though one still have to keep the worldly identities to be living and moving in this world that is run by minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, as well as to be carrying out certain actions, duties, and responsibilities towards oneself and/or others in this selfless life existence.

Similarly, the practice of non-attachment is being reflected in the practice of letting go the desires of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation.

They all are different names and forms, but they are non-separated and non-distinctive from one another.

The thinning-out and the annihilation of the ego (the idea of 'I') and egoism, is about weakening and starving the idea of 'I', attachment, identification, desires of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation, until all these names and forms are completely vanished from the selfless modification of the mind.

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A 'mind that is functioning under the idea of I and us' would react and feel greatly disturbed and hurt by something that the mind recognized as something offensive/humiliating/disrespectful/hurtful that is happening unto 'me/I/us/mine/ours', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is happening unto some others but not 'me/I/us/mine/ours'.

The mind that is identifying with a particular 'nationality', 'ethnicity', 'spirituality', 'culture', 'belief', 'community', 'family', 'relationship', 'title/status', 'specie', 'gender', and etc, will be determined and disturbed greatly by something unpleasant, undesirable, disagreeable, and hurtful that is directing towards that particular nation, ethnic, spirituality, culture, belief, community, family, relationship, title/status, specie, or gender, while it will be either being undetermined and undisturbed, or less determined and less disturbed by the similar thing that is happening unto other nations, other ethnics, other spiritualities, other cultures, other beliefs, other communities, other families, other relationships, other titles/status, other species, or other genders, that it doesn't identifying with.

A 'member of a family' would react and feel greatly disturbed and offended by something that the mind recognized as offensive/humiliating/disrespectful/hurtful that is happening unto 'my family', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is happening unto some other families but not 'my family'.

A 'member of a community' would react and feel greatly offended by something that the mind recognized as offensive/humiliating/disrespectful/hurtful that is directing towards 'my community', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is directing towards some other communities but not 'my community'.

A 'mind that is identifying with a particular ethnicity/nationality/spirituality/culture/belief' would react and feel greatly offended and disturbed by something that the mind recognized as offensive/humiliating/disrespectful/hurtful that is directing towards 'my ethnic/nation/spirituality/culture/belief', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is directing towards some other ethnics/nations/spiritualities/cultures/beliefs that is not 'my ethnicity/nation/spirituality/culture/belief'.

A 'mind that is identifying as a human being' would react and feel greatly offended by something that the mind recognized as offensive/destructive/damaging/hurtful that is happening unto 'human beings', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is happening unto some other beings/things but not 'human beings'.

A 'mind that is identifying with all living beings' would react and feel greatly offended by something that the mind recognized as offensive/destructive/damaging/hurtful that is happening unto 'any living beings', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is directing unto something that is not 'all living beings'.

A 'mind that is identifying with all are one in this universe, and this is our universe' would react and feel greatly disturbed by something that the mind recognized as offensive/destructive/damaging/hurtful that is happening unto 'our universe', while it doesn't react or feel the same if there is the similar thing that is happening unto some other universe but not 'our universe'.

A 'mind that is identifying with goodness and righteousness' would react and feel greatly disturbed and offended by something that the mind recognized as 'badness' and wrongfulness', that is contradicting with what the mind thinks and believes and categorizes as 'goodness' and 'righteousness'.

It is not any of the names and forms that has the quality or intention to be something 'disturbing or non-disturbing', 'disagreeable or agreeable', 'good or bad', 'right or wrong', 'positive or negative', and 'meaningful or meaningless'. It is how the mind thinks, reasons, understands, identifying/non-identifying with, values, desires, behaves, acts, and reacts towards all and everything upon perceiving/experiencing/coming in contact with all kinds of names and forms.

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Inquire towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence.

There is no 'I' existing to be identifying with any names and forms.

One will not be determined or disturbed by all kinds of activities and their consequences deriving from the minds functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, while one performs one's existing duties and responsibilities, and necessary actions that will benefit all and everyone and everything, without attachment, identification, desires of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation, and devoid of all kinds of impurities and restlessness, of selfishness, possessiveness, discontentment, greed, separateness, discrimination, pride, superiority, inferiority, offensiveness, defensiveness, unhappiness, disappointment, hurt, anger, hatred, cruelty, or violence.

The minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, are similar to the wild animals. Wild animals are neither something good nor bad. They are just being what they are. They can be very calmed, contented, happy, and 'cute' at certain time, and they can be extremely disturbed, restless, violent, and hurtful at some other times. There is neither right nor wrong. It is just the truth of what things are, and being what they are.

Most minds are being conditioned by the world of ignorance and egoism to be developing and empowering a strong identification with certain identities under certain names and forms, that empowers pride, possessiveness, selfishness, protectiveness, separateness, discrimination, superiority, inferiority, submissiveness, blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing, blind-propagating, non-questioning the leader/authority/authorization/parent/elder/teacher/teachings/belief, non-inquiring the truth of everything, story telling, lies, white lies, hypocrisy, slander, manipulation, temptation, threat, bully, exploitation, violence, force, cruelty, fear, insecurity, discontentment, greed, hoarding, endless desires and ambitions, and etc (the absence of peace).

There are many minds don't like and don't want peace, where they enjoy unrest/restlessness, and want to create unrest and empower restlessness. That's their freedom of likes and dislikes, desire and don't desire. 

The minds that embrace and appreciate peace, they don't need to be determined and disturbed by the likes and dislikes/desires and don't desires or the restlessness of the other minds.

The mind that understands, it is not being determined or disturbed by the ignorance and the consequences of ignorance of the others.

The empowerment of the ego and egoism, or the development and empowerment of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation, is something common and normal in most family upbringing, school education, tribe, community, organization, work place, friends circle, social networking, business, commercialism, gangs, politics, spirituality, belief, or any kind of management/leadership/authorization, for them to survive, sustain, and expand, to be in control, or to be in power.

Yoga and buddhism practice is all about freeing the mind from all that.

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The minds that are free from ignorance and egoism, they have the clarity of thinking and reasoning, correct understanding, truthfulness, desirelessness, respect towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence governed by the nature's law of cause and effect, self-awareness, self-management, self-control, self-independence, unconditional peace, and unconditional non-discriminating kindness/generosity/accommodation towards all and everything of all kinds of diversities in the world that doesn't belong to anyone.

They don't interfere with all the others being what they are.

They don't claim ownership and authorization.

They don't need to control others to be or not to be in certain way.

They are not being influenced by others to be or not to be in certain way.

They just stay away from the minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism as much as possible, not wasting energy into dealing with ignorant affairs, while conserving energy to be performing actions that might help to bring more peace, wisdom, and kindness into the surrounding environment.

Be free.

What make the yoga practice appears to be difficult or unpleasant?

The presence of certain physical and/or mental weakness, illness, injury, limitation, inability, and disability, doesn't make the yoga practice difficult or unpleasant.

Cannot, or don't know how to perform certain, or many, or all of the yoga poses, breathing exercises, concentration exercises, or some other forms of yoga practice, either being limited by certain limitation physically and/or mentally, it doesn't make the yoga practice difficult or unpleasant.

Cannot understand some, or many, or all of the teachings of yoga, due to the limitation of intellectual reasoning or language barrier, also doesn't make the yoga practice difficult or unpleasant.

It's the presence of intense mental blockage that make the yoga practice appears to be difficult, or unpleasant, or even wrongful and painful to the mind, especially in the beginning of the purification process, where more and more impurities are being exposed, or appearing to the surface of the mind. Such as -

Deep ignorance and egoism.

Intense impurities and restlessness.

Intense ego, or idea of 'I'.

Deep rooted pride and arrogance.

The over-powering sense of superiority or inferiority (intense high self-esteem or low self-esteem).

Closed minded.

Intense clinging, craving, or longing.

Obsession towards certain names and forms.

Intense superstitious.

Intense physical or mental addiction towards certain names and forms.

Intense attachment towards worldly knowledge, ideas, thinking, belief, values, and practice.

Intense passion.

Intense anger, hatred, bitterness, vengeance, and resentment.

Intense selfishness, possessiveness, separateness, prejudice, greed, and desire of craving and aversion.

Intense personal and group identification towards particular quality of names and forms.

Intense attachment towards the physical and mental condition, ability, and achievement.

Intense judgment, comparison, competition, and expectation towards oneself and/or others.

Unable and/or unwilling to let go the past and/or the future.

Unable to accept the reality as it is, or the selfless impermanent changes, as they are.

Reluctant to learn.

Reluctant to surrender or let go the urge to 'control' and/or to 'be in control' towards everything to be and not to be in certain way.

Reluctant to make adjustment, adaptation, and accommodation.

Reluctant to forbear or withstand even the slightest unpleasantness or difficulty.

Lack of patience, determination, and perseverance.

Lack of self-discipline and self-management.

Lack of minimal degrees of self-independence.

Expecting everyone and everything to be exactly the way that 'I' like it to be, or the way that 'I' think how it should be.

Intense resistance or aversion coming from the mind towards what it dislikes, unfamiliar with, uncomfortable with, and disagrees with.

Hypersensitivity.

Intense defensiveness and offensiveness.

Laziness (idleness).

Hyperactivity (restlessness).

Unable or unwilling to observe the middle path or to let go extremity.

Chasing after pleasurable enjoyment or indulgence of the senses.

Chasing after love, attention, agreement, liking, acknowledgement, recognition, acceptance, validation, sympathy, empathy, name, fame, admiration, glorification, status, respect, power, wealth, and etc.

Uncontrollable lust.

Blind-believing, blind-following, blind-agreeing/disagreeing, blind-practicing.

Chasing after perfection, fairy tales, rituals, miracles, super extraordinary power, and transcendental mystical experiences.

Being over-powered by the worldly practice of politicking, hypocrisy, and untruthfulness.

Boundless desires, ambitions, or aspirations.

And so on.

The practice of non-attachment and independence

There is nothing wrong to enjoy and appreciate the presence of agreeable companionship, support and interaction from some other beings, however, the mind that is endowed with non-attachment and independence, can also enjoy and appreciate aloneness or solitude under the absence of agreeable companionship, support or interaction from some other beings, where the mind has no problem, or unhappiness, or suffering, upon the absence of agreeable companionship, support and interaction from some others.

One's peace and happiness doesn't come from the presence of agreeable companionship, support and interaction from some other beings.

One is peaceful and happy as one is, regardless of whether with or without the company, support and interaction from some other beings.

That is indeed the basic foundation of the yoga practice.

All kinds of enhanced physical health, fitness, ability, skill, stamina, strength and flexibility through performing some kinds of yoga practice regularly don't determine that the mind is practicing yoga, or realizes yoga, if without the basic essential non-attachment and independence.

It's the freedom of everyone whether they want to be free, or not

Freedom is the fundamental over-all physical, mental and emotional well-being or health, peace and happiness in all sentient living beings.

Not being free, is the greatest suffering of all sentient living beings.

Without freedom of existence, living, surviving, thinking, reasoning, understanding, learning, inquiring, movement, action (including inaction), expression, agreeing/disagreeing, working/resting, or merely the freedom of being oneself as it is, being existing momentarily in this space that doesn't belong to anyone, there's no peace, but only constant unrest of dissatisfaction and disharmony within and without.

Even though most minds want and appreciate freedom, however, there are certain minds don't want freedom, as well as, there are certain minds might want to have all kinds of freedom for themselves, but they don't want some others to have any freedom or certain kind of freedom. That's everyone's freedom of thinking and what they desire and don't desire, even if it's insanity, where the mind is suffering under the absence of awareness or conscience.

Apart from the inevitable 'non-freedom' or 'limitation' due to the limitation of selfless impermanent changes of the selfless impermanent existence and function of a selfless impermanent limited and conditional physical body with the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking faculty, of being inter-dependent on many elements and energy to be existing and functioning and changing selflessly, all sentient living beings are not free, mostly it's because of the existence of certain man made 'restriction' on restricting many kinds of freedoms in the world that doesn't belong to anyone.

There's nothing wrong with the existence of certain non-harming but beneficial and reasonable man made rules and regulations for all and everyone to follow, that are essential for maintaining certain order in the common space being shared by many different sentient living beings, to avoid unnecessary accidents or selfish ignorant damaging effects, to be looking after the over-all well-being of all and everyone and the surrounding environment. Such as certain basic traffic rules or basic safety regulations on all kinds of food consumption and production, drinking water, air quality, sanitation, healthcare, medical treatment, work, building construction, factory production, electricity usage, transportation, and etc. However, there are many other unnecessary man made rules and regulations that made into 'laws' deriving from passionate egoistic ideas and desires under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, that are not necessarily promoting the over-all well being of all and everyone, but are indeed greatly impacting and harming the over-all well-being of freedom, peace and harmony in all and everyone, just for being existing and living in the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone, where most minds are imperfect, and will never be perfect as it's the nature of all and everything for being imperfect.

Prosecuting and punishing anyone who is imperfect by nature, it's like prosecuting and punishing someone with some physical or mental defects or disabilities, for their defects or disabilities. It doesn't make sense, and it doesn't change the imperfection to become perfect.

It's the freedom of everyone whether they want to be free, or not.

And it's everyone's freedom for what they think, believe, understand, feel, desire and practice, or not.

However, for those who are interested in learning and practicing yoga and/or buddhism, it's about inquiring towards the truth of everything, including 'what is freedom', 'what is limitation', 'Why there is the perception or experience of not being free', 'what and why is the lack of freedom or the absence of freedom', 'what and why is the unnecessary restriction on many kinds of freedoms', 'what and why is the abuse of freedom', 'what and why is the abuse of the restriction on freedom', as well as all kinds of 'what', 'why' or 'how' towards all kinds of names and forms, ideas, activities or affairs that the mind comes in contact with, as the main purpose or the existence of the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism in this world of selflessness and impermanence, is all about attaining liberation, or freedom, or independence, from what is causing the perception or experience of 'not being free', or 'suffering', or 'unhappiness', regardless of whether it's the inevitable 'limitation' of selfless impermanent existence, function and changes, or it's the many unnecessary man made 'restrictions' deriving from ignorance, egoism and impurities.

The greatest freedom, or liberation, or independence in the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism is the minds are being free from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, void of selfishness and greed, possessiveness and dissatisfaction, anger and hatred, pride and arrogance, superiority and inferiority, separateness and discrimination, corruption and violence, oppression and invasion, bully and exploitation, petty-mindedness and fear, offensiveness and defensiveness, or unrest and disharmony, where there's no need of any man made rules or laws to be 'controlling', or 'regulating', or 'restricting' others to be and not to be thinking, believing, feeling, desiring, behaving, expressing, acting or reacting in certain way, but it's coming from everyone's own freewill or conscience out of correct understanding void of ignorance, that lead to freedom, peace and harmony in oneself, that contribute to less unrest and disharmony while more peace and harmony into the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone.

Such as, how can there be a man made 'law' to be enforcing everyone must 'vote' under the system of democracy that is all about 'respecting' the freedom or the rights in everyone, where those who don't want to get involve in the 'democratic voting system' due to great disappointment towards the imperfections that exist in the system of 'democracy voting system', would be 'prosecuted', 'criminalized', 'penalized' and 'punished' under such man made 'law'? How can there be restriction or prohibition towards the freedom of expression or the rights to protest against something that the mind disagreeing with or doesn't desire? How can there be man made 'punishment' towards what the minds want or don't want to think and believe? How can there be man made 'law' to be restricting or prohibiting someone being what or who they are, or living life in their own way in the world that doesn't belong to anyone, or to be 'enforcing' all and everyone must be performing certain 'action', or else, one would be 'prosecuted' and 'punished' if one doesn't desire to be performing certain 'action'?

The peaceful way to be free from all those unnecessary 'madness' that keep 'growing' in the world that doesn't belong to anyone, is out of one's freewill and self-effort, to free one's mind from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, that have been contributing to and empowering all kinds of 'madness' in the world that doesn't belong to anyone.

It's not about 'controlling' or 'restricting' all others to be or not to be in certain way, without working on self-inquiry and self-realization to free one's mind from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, out of one's freewill and effort. None need to be controlling or restricting anyone else, if the minds are free from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, deriving from one's freewill and effort to be free from all that.

That is the 'non-violence' way to promote peace and harmony in oneself and in the world, that the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism is about.

Most minds don't want and don't like 'violence'. Many minds still have certain degrees of awareness, sanity and conscience. It's never too late, to free one's mind from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, unless the mind has come to the stage of completely lost without any reasoning power to inquire the truth of anything.

In this present moment, the mind is free, if without passionate egoistic attachment, or identification, or desire of craving and aversion, towards any qualities of names and forms, if the mind is void of desire, possessiveness, selfishness, separateness, discrimination, disturbance, discontentment, greed, dissatisfaction, disappointment, offensiveness, defensiveness, pride, arrogance, superiority, inferiority, fear, anger, hatred, violence, and so on.

There will be greater chances of freedom, peace and harmony, if the world is free from possessiveness and greed, if none try to 'possess', 'control' and 'regulate' the world to be and not to be in certain the way that each and everyone desire and doesn't desire differently. How can there be freedom, peace and harmony when everyone tries to possess, conquer and restrict one another to be in power to 'possess', 'control' and 'regulate' the world to be the exact way that 'I' or 'we' desire?

It's not easy, but it's possible, if there's awareness, and if there's a will.

If this is not possible, let it be. It's everyone's freedom to be what and how they are.

Inquire the truth of everything.

It's all about liberation, freedom, or independence

The teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism is all about attaining liberation, freedom, or independence. They all are the same thing under different names and forms.

It's liberation from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.

It's freedom from the idea of 'I' that generates the sense of separateness that gives rise to attachment, possessiveness and fear, or the corrupted thinking and limited understanding, or the disturbance and suffering deriving from being limited and conditioned by ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, of not knowing Thyself, or being ignorant towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence.

It's mental and emotional independence upon the annihilation of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, that is highly important for peace and harmony in the minds, that is about not being influenced or conditioned by passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, and hence, being undetermined or undisturbed by the presence and absence of all kinds of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, desirable or undesirable, and enjoyable or non-enjoyable experiences, relationships, interactions, affairs, conditions and situations, that also leads to less a mind generating unnecessary unrest and disharmony into the world of diversity.

Since it's all about liberation, freedom and independence, that's why there's no authority, authorization, judgment, or punishment on the path of yoga and/or buddhism, to be controlling anyone to be or not to be in certain way, but it's coming from everyone's own freewill and desire to be observing self-discipline, self-control, self-effort, self-purification and self-inquiry to be attaining self-realization, out of their own freewill and desire to be free from ignorance and the suffering deriving from ignorance, where the selfless minds be self-initiated, to learn, practice, evolve, and realize, at their own cause.

There's no force, or threat, or temptation, or implanting fear into the minds to 'make' the mind to be learning and practicing yoga and/or buddhism.

It is not a belief, it's just the dhamma or the teachings and the practice, as it is, and hence, there's no believe or disbelieve, there's no believers, followers or worshipers, there's only students or practitioners. Upon self-realization towards selflessness and impermanence, there's no separation or distinction between the teachings, the teachers and the students, or the dhamma, the practice and the practitioners. It's all the selfless mind itself.

There's no blind-believing, blind-following, blind-practicing, or blind-propagating, it's about freewill and self-effort to be inquiring the truth of everything, including all the teachings and practices of yoga and/or buddhism that the mind comes in contact with, that are not necessarily dhamma as it is, as there might be misinterpretation, or being mixed with certain worldly passionate egoistic ideas, desires, belief and practice, under the influence of ignorance.

It doesn't matter if the minds don't have any interest at all towards the teachings and practice in the present moment.

It doesn't matter if the minds have some interest and effort towards learning and practicing the teachings and practice in the present moment, but then stop learning and practicing for any reason.

It doesn't matter if the minds are learning and practicing yoga and/or buddhism that is not necessarily yoga as it is, or buddhism as it is.

It doesn't matter if the minds are misunderstanding or misinterpreting towards the teachings and practice, or misusing the teachings and practice for certain selfish purposes, intentions or desires.

It all has to come from the mind's free will and self-effort whether to be interested, to learn, to practice, to evolve, and to realize, or not, at their own cause.

And more importantly, not only that all are impermanent, but all are also selfless.

The selfless mind that is not interested now, might be interested at another time. The selfless mind that has stopped practicing, might be resuming the practice again. The selfless mind that is misunderstanding, or misinterpreting, or misusing the teachings and practice under the influence of ignorance, might be free from the influence of ignorance at its own cause, and attains correct understanding towards the teachings and practice.

The dhamma, or the truth being what it is, can never be 'determined', 'disturbed', 'contaminated', 'changed', 'disrespected', 'offended', or 'hurt' by anyone or anything, under any selfless impermanent changes, conditions or situations, upon some selfless minds misinterpreting, misunderstanding, misusing, mistreating, criticizing or condemning the dhamma. The dhamma doesn't increase or decrease upon some selfless minds realizing the dhamma, or none realizing the dhamma.

There's no judgment, bad karma, sin, or punishment. There's only cause and effect, actions and consequences of actions.

There's no disciplinary authorities constantly watching and judging oneself, one's thinking, one's behavior, one's learning, one's practice, one's evolution all the time.

One is free being what it is and how it is.

One is free to be ignorant, or not. Suffering, or not. Be aware, or not, Be interested, or not. Learn, or not. Practice, or not. Realize, or not. Be happy, or not. Be peaceful, or not. Be free, or not.

One is also be responsible for one's ignorance and consequences of ignorance, one's desire and doesn't desire, one's actions and consequences of actions.

None can remove or annihilate ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness for another.

None can give liberation, freedom, or independence to another.

Only through the selfless mind, by itself, alone.

From freewill of wanting to be liberated, to be free and to be independent, that leads to liberation, freedom and independence.

Of course, there are also certain minds don't like, disagree with and don't desire liberation, freedom and independence, either it's about themselves or it's about others, or both. That's everyone's freedom of thinking, belief, values, practice and desire. There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad.

All are impermanent.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Inquire towards what we have been told to learn, believe, follow, practice, admire, aspire and become

Inquire towards everything that we have been told about this and that by everyone, including our parents, care takers, or elders, not to say, what we have been told by relatives, friends, community, famous people, successful people, wealthy people, inspirational people, powerful people, all kinds of teacher, all kinds of leader, all kinds of group, all kinds of social media influencer, content creator, advertiser, movie maker, story teller, book writer, news reporter, philosopher, researcher, activist, and etc.

Find out what are the intentions behind all kinds of saying, guidance, advice, teaching, motivational speech/story, inspirational speech/story, or sentimental speech/story, including all the teachings of yoga and/or buddhism coming from the many different lineages and teachers.

Regardless of whether it's something out of good or bad intention, it makes no difference in the path of self-inquiry and self-realization.

As if it's out of bad intention, there are things that are not necessarily incorrect or completely untrue.

Even if it's out of good intention, there are things that are not necessarily correct or completely true.

There are many made up stories and/or distorted/corrupted/incomplete/manipulated/misinterpreted/exaggerated/add on information in many things that we have been told by everyone everywhere, regardless of whether there is good or bad intention behind them, in order to be achieving certain agenda/desire/ambition.

That's why the importance of open mind (non blind-believing, non blind-following, non blind-practicing, non blind-propagating, non blind-agreeing/disagreeing), mind purification (the observation of renunciation, dispassion, seclusion, solitude, silence, the elimination of egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, renouncing the fruit of action, and etc), self-introspection and self-inquiry to attain direct self-realization.

Many loving parents, would have certain good but yet selfish intention to be molding/conditioning/educating/training their children to be in certain way that they think and believe as good, right, positive, successful and meaningful, and they won't feel comfortable to encourage or allow their children to investigate the truth of everything, particularly what they think and believe is the best for the children, that they want their children to learn, to believe, to follow, to value, to respect, to uphold, to practice, to be proud of and to propagate, so that their children will be influenced by and following those advice/teachings/belief/guideline to think, judge, behave, desire, act and react, and live life in certain way, to become the person that the parents think and believe is the best, where there are many things are not necessarily true, or completely true, in the process of influencing, molding and leading the children and/or the next generations to become what they think is the best.

The wise parents or teachers will only guide the children or students towards developing the essential independence for looking after themselves and being responsible for their own thinking, desire, action and reaction, and the consequences of their thinking, desire, action and reaction, and developing the ability/basic skill to investigate the truth of everything independently without the influence of any particular ancestral/cultural/social/spiritual/religious belief and disbelief or values and teachings, allowing them to be free to be growing, failing, doubting, exploring, learning, understanding, investigating, realizing and becoming what they are, as they are, without intention or expectation to be influencing, molding or expecting the children or the students to be or not to be in certain way.

When the children or the students come to the parents or the teachers, and ask, "Is this true, or not true?" The parents or the teachers don't tell them, "This is true." or "This is untrue." But telling them, "Go and find out the answer by yourself."

Just as teaching the basic skill of how to bake to people, but not giving them any specific recipes and telling them "This is the best way of baking" and "These are the best recipes," or "That is how and what you should or shouldn't be baking," while allowing everyone to explore, learn, experience and realizing many different ways of baking and finding many different recipes, failing and learning, and eventually, discovering their own ways and recipes, and/or what is best to them.

There's nothing wrong with the minds that think and believe in something that they think is right and good or very good, they will have the good intention of to be inspiring, influencing and desiring all the others to also like, agree with and appreciate that. That is what happening in the world of egoism, where people have the tendency to inspire, motivate, invite and convert as many people as possible to also take up and believe in something that they think is right and good or very good. Meanwhile, the selfless yogis are free from such intention or aspiration to be inspiring, influencing or converting all the others to also like, agree with or appreciate yoga, but merely being what they are, as they are, while allowing and respecting all and everyone whether they will be interested in yoga and appreciate yoga, or not, and whether they want to be free from ignorance and egoism to realize unconditional peace, or not.

Out of good intention, many yoga practitioners or yoga teachers who love yoga very much, who have been benefited a lot from their sincere regular yoga practice, but somehow, they are not free from ignorance and egoism yet, and hence, they would have the tendency of hoping their community/family/spouse/partner/friends/children would also be interested in yoga and practice yoga. Especially those who have children and they love their children very much, might have the natural tendency of desiring and expecting their children will also pick up yoga, love yoga, and will become great yogis.

It's okay and there's nothing wrong, if the children/spouse/partner/family/friends/community of the yoga practitioners have no interest or very little interest towards yoga, or even, have great aversion towards yoga.

It's everyone's freedom of how they want to think, judge, feel, desire, act and react towards everything as they are, and how everyone want to teach and bring up their children. There's neither right nor wrong with the different thinking that have different agreement and disagreement. However, if the mind feels annoyed, intimidated, threatened or offended upon coming in contact with something that it disagrees with, that is contradicting to its belief, values and practice, then it reflects what egoism is about.

Be free.

The most powerful thing in the world, and beyond that

It's unpleasant, disturbing, and even can be life threatening upon coming in contact with difficult situation where one is being discriminated, bullied and threatened with violent abusive behavior, bullying and threats by those who are under the influence of deep ignorance. It's an unfortunate and painful experience, and truly unnecessary event to be happening onto anyone.

One doesn't need to become and behave like those ignorant human beings, where the mind thinks and believes that in order not to be discriminated, bullied and threatened by anyone, one needs to be more powerful than all the others by being more violent, aggressive and cruel than everyone else.

Real power is not coming from being violent, aggressive and cruel to be over-powering all the others, or being charming, persuasive and influential to be captivating all the others to become submissive towards oneself, and to act and behave in accordance to one's commands/desires.

Power is not about the ability of in control of all and everything.

It's about having self-awareness and self-control of not harming oneself or others. One doesn't need to become a bully or a nasty person just because one has been or is being bullied and ill-treated by some others who are ignorant. That's power. Being able to reject or walk away from violent fighting against one another that would cause unnecessary damages towards one another and the surrounding environment, is wisdom. That's power.

The most powerful thing in this world is the nature law of IMPERMANENCE. None, and nothing, can escape impermanence. The so called most 'powerful', 'wealthy', 'knowledgeable', 'successful' person and the champion of all champions in the world, will also have to bow down to IMPERMANENCE.

However, there's something beyond that, which is the knowledge and effort of transcending or going beyond IMPERMANENCE.

One can transcend or go beyond IMPERMANENCE, upon the attainment of the real liberation/independence/freedom in the mind, or SILENCE (selflessness/desirelessness), or the realization of unconditional peace from within, despite all kinds of inevitable impermanent changes and all kinds of 'difficulties', 'ridiculousness' and 'chaos' that are existing in the world, being free from ignorance and all kinds of incorrect thinking, desires or impurities deriving from ignorance, while having the correct understanding/wisdom/knowledge towards the modification of the mind, or the play of ignorance and egoism, and respecting the law of selflessness and impermanence in all kinds of names and forms, that enables one being undetermined and undisturbed by all kinds of impermanent changes, ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in the world, without the idea/urge/desire/action to be interfering with or controlling the world and all the others to be or not to be in certain way in accordance to one's commands or desires by intimidation or captivation, while being unattached towards all and everything or the duality of 'goodness and badness', transcending the mind perception of a worldly life existence of the limited adjuncts of a selfless impermanent body and restless modification of the mind.

Independence

The most precious independence is the liberation from ignorance and impurities (corrupted thinking and understanding leading towards corrupted actions and reactions that give rise to all kinds of suffering and restlessness in oneself and others).

Attaining all kinds of independence are nothing, if the mind is functioning under the influence of ignorance and impurities leading towards corrupted actions and reactions that generates damaging consequences to oneself and others.

Being free from the influence of ignorance and impurities, all kinds of independence that are available to oneself will be benefiting oneself and others.

All by oneself

Teaching yoga is not by telling the students of yoga about what and how they should and shouldn't perceive, think, believe, analyze, understand, judge, feel, act and react, or whether it is right or wrong, or whether it is good or bad, to think, feel, understand, behave, act and react in certain way.

There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, regardless of what and how the mind thinks, feels, understands, behaves, acts and reacts, throughout the yoga journey of mind disciplinary, mind purification, self-inquiry and self-realization, as the mind learns, purifies, inquires, reflects, evolves and realizes under the influence of ignorance and egoism, even if the mind has been ignorant, and has to go through falling, mistake making and suffering, for countless times.

It's whether the mind develops self-initiative and complete independence without attaching or depending on any forms of external 'teacher', 'answer' or 'blessing', to be aware of ignorance and egoism in itself, to free itself from worldly egoistic conditional thinking and behavior pattern, to free itself from the influence of ignorance and egoism, through self-effort, self-discipline, solitude, renunciation, determination and perseverance, or not, that allows the mind to be aware of what is going on in the mind itself, being the greatest teacher of itself, without attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, or not.

The greatest teaching from the existence of a teacher, is being the Dhamma or the teaching itself, while allowing the students to learn, purify, inquire, reflect, evolve and realize at their own pace and cause.

As long as the mind is still reluctant or not knowing how to look within, still has egoistic dependency, attachment, clinging, longing and expectation towards 'teacher', 'guidance', 'answers', 'blessing', 'acknowledgement', 'appreciation', 'acceptance', 'love', 'kindness', 'goodness', 'positiveness', 'righteousness', 'meaningfulness', 'achievement', 'compassion', 'companionship', 'connection', 'community' and so on, in order to clear one's doubt or ignorance towards this and that, to feel good and meaningful towards oneself, the world, life existence and one's involvement in certain kind of spiritual practice or pure and clean living, then even though this mind has been learning and studying about all kinds of teachings from many books and/or from many different teachers of different lineages and schools, or has been practicing certain spiritual teachings and performing certain spiritual practices regularly for a prolonged period of time, or has been accumulating virtues and merits from performing many generous kind acts, or there is a teacher (or many teachers) who is (are) the embodiment of Dhamma being very close to oneself, it still doesn't and won't remove the ignorance and egoism from this mind. And there's nothing wrong or bad about that. The mind just needs to take as much effort and practice as it needs, to free itself from the influence of ignorance and egoism, to attain self-realization via self-inquiry.

The mind that is independent, that knows non-attachment and non-identification, that knows non-craving and non-aversion, that knows non-judgment and non-expectation, that knows how to look within and how to reflect upon everything that it perceives, or knows how to be opened and inquires towards the truth of everything, it doesn't need any external teachers other than itself (the existence and function of the selfless and impermanent perceptive, cognitive, assertive, egoistic thinking faculty) and everything that it perceives through the senses (the selfless and impermanent modification of the mind, either under the influence of ignorance and egoism, or free from the influence of ignorance and egoism).

Independence and the practice of renunciation and solitude doesn't mean that one doesn't or shouldn't have family and friends, or one doesn't or shouldn't receive any help from anyone if there's a need for help, but there's no attachment towards the presence and absence of family and friends or help from anyone, to feel good and meaningful, or not, towards oneself and life existence.

One of the obstacles on the journey towards the elimination of ignorance and egoism to know Thyself, or "Who/What am (I)", or the mind perception of an impermanent selfless worldly life existence, to be transcending imperfection and the suffering of the restlessness of selfless impermanent changes (ceaseless births and deaths that are selfless and impermanent), is the subtle attachment towards the perceived 'existence' of 'I' and 'others that are not I', the worldly condition, the superior qualities of names and forms, goodness, kindness, meaningfulness, happiness, the sense of belonging, the sense of 'origin/identity/ancestry/birth place/nationality/race/gender/sexual orientation/family ties/connection', the sense of worthiness, and etc, that based on worldly egoistic thinking and belief, values and practice. The most effective way to free the mind from such 'stubborn' egoistic attachment, is the observation of dispassion, renunciation and solitude. But then, one of the obstacles towards the practice of dispassion, renunciation and solitude, is the sense of appropriateness and inappropriateness, and the sense of duty and responsibility, under the influence of the worldly egoistic thinking and belief, values and practice.

Out of 'loving kindness' and 'duty and responsibility' towards 'the world' and everything that is related to 'the world', the mind is constantly being distracted and occupied by worldly affairs and the engagement in aspirations/activities of 'trying to make the world a better place' or 'trying to reduce and eliminate badness or to promote and reserve goodness'. It doesn't mean that the actions of 'trying to make the world a better place' or 'trying to reduce and eliminate badness or to promote and reserve goodness' is useless or wrong. Just that, minds that are under the influence of passion and attachment towards achieving 'a better world', are like those whom themselves are restlessly floating on the rough ocean that they love and care for very much, while trying to 'save' the others who are struggling in the ocean to stay afloat as well, while trying to 'calm down' or 'conquer' the rough ocean to be something different from what it is.

While the minds that are free from passion and attachment, are like those who are already got out from the rough ocean resting upon a solid ground, being free from the restless struggling to stay afloat on a rough ocean, while having the related tools that allow them to 'guide' as many others who are still restlessly struggling to float on the rough ocean to also get out from the rough ocean finding a solid ground to rest upon, if they want, without trying to 'calm down' or 'conquer' the rough ocean being what it is, as it is.

However, most minds are reluctant to get out from the ocean of restlessness due to passionate attachment towards the ocean, while trying to make the ocean to be the way that they would like it to be.

Freeing the thinking faculty from any kinds of conditional way of thinking and belief. Quieting the modification of the mind and inquire towards the 'selflessness' and 'impermanence' of this thinking faculty, as well as in all kinds of impermanent names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses. Seeing names and forms as they are. All (subject and object) are selfless and impermanent. All is one same selfless impermanent changes of name and form regardless of the different qualities they appear to be. This is the practice. All the other practices are merely preparing the mind for this practice.

The mind perception of a worldly life existence or the world of selfless impermanent names and forms is just what it is. It's neither meaningful nor meaningless. If this mind is still being determined by the sense of meaninglessness and still looking for the sense of meaningfulness in certain names and forms or through certain actions/reactions of oneself and others, or if this mind still perceives, thinks and believes that 'This is meaningful' or 'That is meaningless', then keep practicing, until this mind sees beyond 'meaningfulness' and 'meaninglessness'.

The widely misuse of 'Gratefulness' and 'Contentment'

'Gratefulness' is a natural reflection of 'Contentment' (and vice versa) in oneself arising from within oneself, regardless of whether there's a reason for it, or not. It's neither something good nor bad, as it doesn't change the truth of names and forms being what it is, even though the presence of the sentiment or the thought of 'gratefulness' and 'contentment' in the mind can help certain people to get through certain challenging difficulties in life more easily.

But, nowadays, 'Gratefulness' or 'Contentment' has become something that is widely being misused by many people trying to 'advice' or 'threaten' other people, either wittingly or unwittingly, out of certain intention, expecting other people to be grateful or content, by telling other people, "You all should be grateful and content for the good things that you already have, and shouldn't be difficult or complaining about anything else." Some people believe in and tell others, "If you don't know how to be grateful, all your good karma will be gone, and bad karma will come to you."

Some even propagate, "Just by being alive and still breathing in this present moment, people should be grateful and content. Why are people complaining about non-functional government, selfish politics, poverty, corruption, discrimination, unjust, prejudice, crimes, violence, or some other forms of human imperfections?" or "You have a good and comfortable life, you should be grateful for the privilege that you have, why do you want to be busybody minding about other people's suffering and get yourself into 'troubles'?"

Showing concern and going against towards the existence of all kinds of unnecessary suffering in the diverse human society resulting from non-functional bias and corrupted system and leadership run by human beings under the influence of survival instinct, selfishness, greed and self-righteousness deriving from ignorance and egoism, is nothing to do with being ungrateful or discontented towards 'All the good things that we already have.'

Being at peace, being grateful and content in the present moment now with or without particular reason, while being undetermined or undisturbed by all kinds of suffering and difficulties resulting from ignorance and corruptions in the world, accepting the perceived reality in the present moment now as it is, regardless of whether it is pleasant/desirable or unpleasant/undesirable, as the mind is void of egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment or expectation, it doesn't mean that one is void of selfless actions, or one is keeping quiet, agreeing, supporting, encouraging, ignoring, or denying towards all kinds of ignorance and corruptions that are existing in this world of selflessness and impermanence.

Meanwhile, performing selfless actions showing concern and going against towards the existence of many unnecessary suffering resulting from ignorance and corruptions in this world of selflessness and impermanence, it doesn't mean that one cannot be peaceful, or should be disturbed and determined by all kinds of suffering and difficulties mentally or emotionally, or is being ungrateful or discontented, or is under the influence of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment or expectation. The teaching and practice of non-attachment, non-identification, desireless, non-judgment and non-expectation doesn't mean that one should just stand there not moving away from being abused by some abusers while encouraging more abuse to be happening.

The poison itself has no intention to be poisonous, or not. Knowing something is poisonous and still want to take the poison as the mind strongly believes in "I am fit and healthy, I am protected from being harmed by anything," and suffer from it, is pure ignorance. It's nothing to do with non-attachment or non-judgment.

The 'neither right nor wrong' in the teaching and practice of non-judgment, is about non-attachment towards or going beyond the conditional qualities of names and forms that are subject to selflessness and impermanence, it's not about approving wrongfulness, or seeing everything as all good, right or positive and nothing bad, wrong or negative. The truth of names and forms are neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, but the egoistic intention of human's impure mind that put into the selfless intentionless names and forms can generate beneficial or harmful consequences.

Those who know this, they can be doing their best, performing necessary actions in the world that might help the world to have less unnecessary suffering and difficulties due to ignorance and corruptions, without attachment, identification, desire, judgment or expectation towards their actions and the fruit of their actions, or towards the world of selflessness and impermanence governed by the nature's law of cause and effect, while being undisturbed and undetermined by all kinds of ignorance and corruptions. 

There is no such thing as "Be grateful and content for all the good things that we already have, that we are still alive and still breathing, and need not be concerning or complaining towards all kinds of ignorance and corruptions in the world," as that is merely something created out of the egoistic selfish intention of certain ambitious people who want less obstacles hindering them from achieving their selfish greedy ambitions, may it be something political, religious, spiritual, ethnical or cultural under a particular thinking, belief, values and aspiration.

For example, a good and functional and humble 'authority' will not and don't need to tell the people to be grateful and stop complaining about anything, by oppressing freedom of expression. It's only a corrupted and non-functional and arrogantly defensive 'authority' will 'tell', or 'remind', or 'threaten' the people to 'be grateful', as they don't like and would disallow any complaint and criticism towards their shortcomings, as they are too arrogant to acknowledge shortcomings in them, not to say, to consider other people's knowledge and different opinions that could help them to be more functional.

The world's history is formed by actions and the consequences of actions. The history of human beings is made by human beings, either intentionally or unintentionally, and our actions in the present moment now, determining what kind of history we are making.

Everyone has the freedom to perform certain actions, or not, out of their own free will and understanding, while all actions, including inaction which is also a form of action, will bring along the consequences of actions, regardless of whether the fruit of action is being the way that the minds think and believe how it should be, or not.

In yoga practice, one needs to know how to free one's mind from being conditioned and influenced by any particular political, religious, spiritual, ethnical or cultural thinking, belief, values and aspiration, allowing the mind to inquire the truth of names and forms as it is, and hence, be able to make the best decision and perform the best action that would bring more benefits than harm or more peace/kindness than unrest/hatred into the world, as there's no perfect decision or perfect action and perfect fruit of action can be found in this world of selflessness and impermanence.

Yoga practitioners, especially yoga teachers or yoga community leaders, who understand this, will not try to influence or dictate other people's decision and action based on one's particular physical condition and ability/limitation, or based on one's particular political, religious, spiritual, ethnical or cultural thinking, belief, values and aspiration, but allowing all and everyone to free their own minds from being conditioned by any particular influences, to inquire the truth of everything as it is, to make their own decision independently and perform necessary action out of their own direct understanding through self-inquiry.

There's nothing wrong and it's okay to have pleasant and unpleasant thoughts, feelings and emotions, arising and passing away in the perceptive thinking mind. More importantly, it's having the core understanding towards selflessness and impermanence, be free from egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment or expectation towards all kinds of names and forms arising and passing away, selflessly and impermanently. The modification of the mind is just what it is. Unconditional peace is there as it is, undetermined by the selfless impermanent modification of the mind/actions and the fruit of actions/conditions and situations in the perceived world of names and forms, neither arising nor passing away, neither appearing nor disappearing, neither increasing nor decreasing.

One can be dispassionate and renounce from worldly affairs, activities and relationships, but it doesn't mean that one wouldn't be performing selfless actions that would help the world to move forward, without attachment or expectation towards the world has to be or not to be in certain ways. This is nothing to do with generating good karma or avoiding bad karma, not to say, the presence or absence of gratefulness or contentment. Unless the mind is still being disturbed and determined very much by the condition and situation in the world, then one can completely retreat from performing any actions in the world, to be looking after one's mind before one can serve the world efficiently, in peace.

What to renounce and embrace in renunciation?

What to renounce in renunciation?

Renounce the idea of 'I', 'my' and 'mine'.

Renounce action and the fruit of action. It doesn't mean non-action or irresponsible towards the consequences of action, but performing action without attachment, identification, intention and expectation, and allowing the fruit/result of action being what it is, as it is.

Renounce egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation.

Renounce qualities, names and forms.

Renounce past pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable, enjoyable/non-enjoyable, happy/unhappy experiences and future imagination/anticipation/projection.

Renounce day dreaming and building castle in the air.

Renounce scheming, plotting, planning.

Renounce petite mindedness and stinginess.

Renounce worldly social relationships, connections and interactions.

Renounce worldly affair, habit and activity that empower egoism and ignorance.

Renounce worldly ideas, values and objects.

Renounce worldly thinking and belief.

Renounce superstitious belief and practice.

Renounce healing and gratification of desire through superstition practice or superhuman power.

Renounce novel, magazine and news reading, TV and movie watching, and theater visiting.

Renounce self-righteousness based on particular social, cultural, tribal, racial, religious or political thinking and belief, values and practice.

Renounce physical/mental/emotional intoxicant and addiction.

Renounce pride, arrogance, greed, jealousy, envy, admiration, blaming, fault-finding, slandering, back-biting, gossiping, flirting, dissatisfaction, disappointment, offensiveness, defensiveness, anger, hatred, violence, fear and worry.

Renounce debates, discussions and arguments.

Renounce possessiveness, selfishness and protectiveness.

Renounce worldly passionate greed and ambition, desire and lust.

Renounce spiritual greed and ambition, students recruiting, ashram building, cult forming, follower and disciple hoarding.

Renounce the outgoing tendency of the mind.

Renounce interference towards others' diverse way of living, thinking, belief, values, practice, judgment, action, inaction, reaction, non-reaction, behavior, and so on. What others do with their life, their energy, their body and mind, is their own freedom and responsibility.

Renounce the urge to change or control the world and everything to be the way that I like it to be, or the way that I think how it should be.

Renounce extremity of laziness/idleness and restlessness, over fasting and over eating, rigidness and slackness, austerity and indulgence, and etc, without comparing with one another, as what is extreme for one might be moderate for another, and vice versa.

Renounce chasing after sympathy, empathy, love, attention, support, recognition, acknowledgement, accreditation, appreciation, praise, compliment, agreement, approval, friendship, companionship, enjoyment of the senses, name, title, entitlement, fame, respect, authorization, power or wealth.

Renounce intention, aspiration and inspiration.

Renounce self-idolization, self-glorification, self-boasting, self-flattering.

Renounce duality of what the worldly social/cultural/religious/political thinking and belief categorized as good/bad, right/wrong, positive/negative, happiness/unhappiness, meaningfulness/meaninglessness, success/failure, praise/condemn, respectfulness/disrespectfulness, deserving/undeserving, and so on.

Renounce the sense of confidence, self-esteem, self-worth and meaningfulness.

Renounce the sense of humiliation, guilt and shame.

Renounce the sense of being hurt, intimidated, belittled, insulted, disrespected, bullied, piteous, ill-treated, and etc. Understanding that all kinds of human beings action and behavior that resulting in hurting/disturbing/violating some others are deriving from ignorance and mental illness/corruption, and hence, need not be determined by the products of ignorance existing in the world. Being ignorant is not a crime, or sin, or punishment deserving, but it would lead to many ignorant actions and reactions that bring along further ignorant consequences, and all minds perceiving this impermanent selfless worldly life existence of names and forms are under the influence of ignorance, unless the mind realizes ignorance in itself and be initiated to be free from ignorance.

Renounce grief and sorrow.

Renounce the sense of boredom, meaninglessness and loneliness.

Renounce clinging towards the world of impermanent selfless names and forms of the mind perception of worldly life existence.

Renounce ignorance and the consequence of ignorance.

 

Renounce blind-believing, blind-following, blind-practicing and blind-propagating.

Renounce physical, mental and emotional dependency, unless one is suffering from physical, mental or emotional illness/malfunction/disability.

Renounce worldly egoistic freedom or satisfaction deriving from the gratification of passionate egoistic desire of craving and aversion, by attaining/experiencing what I like and want or desire, and not getting/experiencing what I dislike and doesn't want or doesn't desire.

Renounce political involvement, power accumulating, leadership or grouping.

Renounce any form of 'legal' and 'illegal' gangsterism and its similarity, such like worldly authorization is one kind of 'legally approved' and 'supported by most people' gangsterism which seizes power, possession and control over certain land, space, resources and the people on earth, and then collect money in the form of tax from the people with the excuse in return with providing public services, certain kinds of benefit, legal documentation/recognition/privilege/rights and certain degree of protection, while generate separateness and discrimination in the society to create fear and hatred among each other, creating the best situation for the authority to be in business by keeping in power to dominate the society and exploiting natural resources and manpower, by harassing, oppressing, torturing, persecuting and prosecuting anyone who appear to be 'illegal', 'disrespecting', 'disobeying', 'going against' the authority.

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

What to embrace in renunciation?

Embrace dispassion, solitude and seclusion in silence.

Embrace quieting and purifying the mind.

Embrace living/being in the present.

Embrace fearlessness.

Embrace open-mindedness and generosity.

Embrace patience, perseverance, determination, forbearance, tolerance, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation and accommodation.

Embrace calmness, clarity, correct understanding, contentment, simplicity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, non-violence, non-possessiveness, non-authorization, non-separateness and non-discrimination.

Embrace non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation.

Embrace selfless compassionate kindness that is void of attachment, identification, intention and expectation.

Embrace self-inquiry and investigation towards the truth of everything, being uninfluenced by personal likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements deriving from worldly social/cultural/religious/political thinking and belief.

Embrace physical, mental and emotional independence as much as possible unless due to deform, injury, sickness or old age, one has no choice but has to be dependent on some others physically or mentally for certain things in this limited impermanent and selfless life existence.

Embrace right discrimination or wisdom that removes the veil of ignorance and leads to non-separateness and non-discrimination.

Embrace peace and harmony.

Embrace tranquility.

Embrace nature and the law of nature.

Embrace the truth of impermanence and selflessness.

Embrace everything as it is, not necessarily the way that I think how it should be and the way that I desire it to be, respecting the perceived names and forms, conditions and situations as they are, not necessarily pleasant or desirable, without being determined or disturbed by pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable perception of names and forms or experiences.

Embrace the yearning for liberation.

Embrace true freedom or liberation, being free from ignorance, egoism, impurities and suffering.

Embrace unconditional peace, being free from ignorance, egoism and impurities, being undetermined, unaffected, uninfluenced, undisturbed by the mind perception of different qualities of impermanent and selfless names and forms perceived through the senses.

Embrace self-effort, self-control, self-discipline, self-introspection and self-realization.

Embrace oneness, non-separateness, namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness.

Embrace annihilation of the modification of the mind.

Embrace silence.

Learn how to free the mind from all kinds of disturbs or hurts

When a mind/person feels disturbed, unhappy, angered, disappointed or hurt by something, usually the impulsive reaction will be expecting some kind of sympathy or empathy from other minds/people, and looking forward to be comforted, loved, looked after, acknowledged, or supported by other minds/people. And most minds/people would also think and believe that that is how people should react towards other people's state of minds that are disturbed, unhappy, angry, disappointed or hurt, to be there to be listening to what they think is disturbing their minds and comforting these suffering minds/people by showing them love, care, acknowledgement and support, to be sharing and lessening their 'unhappiness' or 'suffering', in terms of generating a 'loving kindness' society/community. There's nothing wrong with that and it might give the troubled/disturbed/unhappy/angry/disappointed/hurt minds certain degrees of relieve, to feel better, but it doesn't help them to be free from the root cause of the suffering from disturbs, unhappiness, anger, disappointment, or hurts. Instead, most probably it might be unintentionally empowering or feeding the attachment, clinging, craving or expectation in people’s mind.

Just like giving sugary fizzy drinks to the unhappy kids might make them feel happy, but they would crave for more sugary drinks to make them feel happy. As once the craving is being gratified, it would only intensify the craving. And if their craving is not being gratified, they would be more unhappy. That's not freedom at all.

There's clinging, craving and expectation towards receiving sympathy, empathy, love, affection, care, acknowledgement, or support from others, even though there's nothing wrong with receiving sympathy, empathy, love, affection, care, acknowledgement, or support from others, as this is what most worldly minds/people believe and expect the society/community/family/relationship/friendship should be, but the mind is not free. If for some reasons, the mind doesn't get what it thinks and believes it deserves to be getting from others, it will be more disturbed/unhappy/angry/disappointed/hurt and would do things that would hurt itself and/or others. This is not freedom.

As well as most egoistic minds would want to feel that they are needed by others to feel good and meaningful about themselves and their life existence, that they are capable to give and show love, care, affection, sympathy, empathy, acknowledgment and support to others who 'need' them. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, just that these minds would feel bad or meaningless if for some reasons they think that they are not needed by some others, or when they think that other people do not appreciate what they give. This is not freedom.

Only those who can go beyond worldly thinking and belief can penetrate the real meaning of this teaching and practice. It doesn't mean that everyone in the society will become 'cold', 'heartless' or 'lack of sympathy/empathy', but the minds are free from clinging, craving or expectation towards receiving the 'deserving' love, care, affection, sympathy, empathy, acknowledgment and support from others to feel loved, cared, worthy, comforted, acknowledged or supported, to feel good and meaningful, by knowing what is going on in the mind and be free from ignorance and egoism, and thus, be free from all kinds of disturbs, unhappiness, anger, disappointment, or hurts. One doesn't need anyone to be there to be listening to one's 'troubles', 'unhappiness' or 'hurts', to be 'comforted', as there's no trouble, unhappiness or hurt existing in this liberated mind. One also can give and show sympathy, empathy, love, care and support to others without the attachment, identification, craving, intention or expectation in order to attain good and meaningful feelings towards oneself or one's life existence. That is true freedom and compassion.

Yoga practice such like cleansing technique, breathing exercises, yoga asana exercises, chanting, prayer, or concentration practice, can also give the effects of relieving certain degrees of disturbs, unhappiness, anger, disappointment or hurts in the minds, but again, it doesn't stop the mind from continuing be disturbed, unhappy, angry, disappointed, or hurt by something that they don't like, don't want and don't agree with, that they think is bad, wrong, disturbing, unhappy, frustrating, disappointing, or hurtful, if the mind is not free from ignorance, egoism and impurities.

Those who truly want to learn and practice yoga, it's not about doing some forms of yoga practice to be getting some conditional and impermanent physical/mental/emotional benefits or getting some momentary relief from what they think is painful suffering, but they learn how to free the mind from the root cause of all kinds of suffering, of disturbs, unhappiness, anger, disappointment, or hurts.

Naturally, the society will have more physical/mental/emotional healthy minds/people, where the minds/people realized unconditional love from within, know how to look after themselves and love others unconditionally, being free from clinging, craving, aversion or expectation.

But not many minds/people would understand and appreciate the greatness of this freedom. Most minds/people believe in and want a society/community/family/relationship/friendship that builds on 'needing each other' all the time to feel love, good, happy and meaningful, and to feel less lonely or to escape loneliness. That's how people are being taken advantage by others who have selfish intention being in a relationship or friendship. Even in the world of yoga, some yoga teachers or so called 'gurus' take advantage of the yoga students for their vulnerability when the students longing or expecting to be receiving comfort, sympathy, empathy, kindness, love, care, affection, acknowledgment, or supports from the yoga teachers or 'gurus'.

It's everyone's freedom for what they think or don't think, believe or disbelieve, want and don't want. People don't have to practice yoga of freeing the mind from ignorance, egoism and impurities, but just want to do some yoga practice regularly and engaging in social/community activities, to attain some momentary physical/mental/emotional benefits or relief, to attain some kinds of conditional and impermanent good, positive, loving, happy and meaningful feelings.

Work diligently to free the mind from ignorance, egoism and impurities, if one wants to attain or realize this freedom.

Look after one's mind

If one knows how to look after one's mind, one doesn't need a hero to save oneself from the consequences of one's ignorance.

If everyone knows how to look after one's mind, the world doesn't need heroes to save the world from the consequences of ignorance.

Real teachers teach people how to look after one's mind, to be free from ignorance and egoism, there won't be hurts that need to be healed. There won't be consequences of ignorance.

Give help to those who can't look after themselves physically or mentally, without identification, intention or aspiration of "I am contributing to the world."

While allowing the others who can look after themselves to learn how to look after themselves, to free one's mind from ignorance and suffering.

Teaching yoga to others and performing one's self-practice

Yoga teachers who teach yoga to other people must not neglect one's self-practice.

Usually, one needs to perform one's practice to attain self-realization, being free from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering, then naturally, one can disseminate the teachings to others and guide others to perform the practice, which is nothing to do with attending yoga teachers training courses to learn how to teach yoga to other people or attaining yoga teachers training certification to qualify one to teach yoga to other people. 

 

While most people who have attended yoga teachers training courses and are teaching yoga classes to other people are not necessarily be free from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering. As those who are free from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering, they don't need to attend 'yoga teachers training courses' to learn how to teach yoga, to attain some 'internationally recognized certificates' to conduct 'yoga classes' for them to disseminate yoga to other beings. And hence, even though one is teaching yoga classes because one has learned some knowledge on the yoga practice and possesses teacher training certification to teach yoga classes, one must take importance in one's practice, to look after one's mind, and be persevered and determined to silent the mind, to free the mind from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering.

Quite many people who teach yoga classes think that they don't really need to perform their own practice, as they think that they have been performing the yoga practice while teaching the many yoga classes for many times/hours everyday. Or, their body and mind are already too exhausted from teaching many classes everyday as well as engaging in many daily worldly activities or social interactions. Yoga teachers need to know how to conserve energy to focus on one's practice.

When the yoga teachers demonstrating the yoga practice while teaching classes, it's not the same as performing one's practice in silence.

When teaching classes, the teachers turning the mind outward paying attention onto teaching others by talking and giving instructions while demonstrating the yoga practice and disseminating the teachings, and are observing or supervising the yoga students' practice and 'assessing their performance', even though, yoga practice is nothing to do with 'good/bad performance' at all.

During self-practice in silence, the body and mind retreat from worldly affairs, activities and interactions, one is fully immersed and relaxed into the yoga practice and paying full attention onto one's practice by turning the mind inward, withdrawing the senses from the sense objects, which is what yoga practice is about.

It's the same for the yoga students. After attending yoga classes following the instructions of the yoga teachers to learn about the yoga teachings and how to perform the yoga practice for some time, one must also develop one's self-practice in silence, turning the mind inward while immersing and relaxing into the yoga practice, withdrawing the senses from the sense objects, without listening to instructions or looking at the yoga teacher demonstrating the yoga practice, without talking, discussion, debate or asking questions, without judgment or assessment towards the practice, not to say, it's needless to be assessed by other people towards one's performance about 'whether I am good or not good'. Completely unattached towards one's actions and practice or the result/fruit of actions and practice, just doing one's best and allowing the result/fruit of actions and practice to be there as it is, which is what yoga practice is about.

Learn to be alone and independent

If one wants to practice yoga and meditation, one needs to learn to be alone and independent, as well as allow others to also learn to be alone and independent, learning to look after oneself.

Somehow quite many people think and believe that 'aloneness' of solitude and seclusion is something 'wrong' and 'selfish'. Many people, including health professionals and yoga teachers, would think and believe that it's 'abnormal' and 'unhealthy' for the body and the mind if someone is being 'isolated' from other human beings for a prolonged period of time, that people would get sick and die due to loneliness and without any 'physical touch/contact' or 'mental connection/interaction' with other human beings. So they believe, and so they become. It's everyone's freedom for what they want to think and believe.

For yoga practitioners, one must inquire the truth of everything. Do not blind-agreeing, blind-believing, blind-following, or blind-sharing any information of anything coming from anyone or any source.

Look into the history, of those who had been observing serious prolonged solitude and seclusion, voluntary being isolated from other human beings in the society to cut-off social activities, communication and interaction, to minimize mind inputs of worldly ideas, habits, thinking and belief, to quiet the restless modification of the mind, they were able to conquer their minds and attained the knowledge that liberates the mind from ignorance and suffering. These liberated minds were no longer be influenced or determined by all the others in the society of all kinds of thinking and belief and behavior.

Yoga practitioners who truly want to be free from ignorance and suffering, must inquire the truth of all those worldly thinking and belief coming from someone and somewhere, while letting go the worldly habit of minding other people's worldly affair, allowing others to learn to be independent to look after their own minds, or not.

No doubt that all living beings must depend on nature to provide the source of energy in the form of food, water and air for survival, and human beings living in the modern society are limited by necessary dependence on some others for certain things. Such as those who don't farm or cook, will have to depend on those who involve in farming, transporting, food processing, handling and cooking, to allow food to be available to them. Or, people who don't know how to build a house need to depend on house builders to build houses for them. Or, babies, toddlers and young children need the attentive care and guidance from others who are physically/mentally/emotionally matured. Or, those who have physical or mental limitation or illness, also need to depend on other people to look after their everyday living and to rehabilitate. Or, most people depend on clean treated running water, gas and electricity supply to their home for modern living convenience. Or people who are critically sick need to depend on health professionals who have the knowledge of medicines and treatments for all kinds of critical illness, and depending on the availability of the medicines or treatments to counter that particular illness.

Otherwise, most people could be physically, mentally and emotionally independent most of the time for most of the things in everyday life, but people just wouldn't, where people are either reluctant to look after themselves physically, mentally and emotionally even when they could, but they rather depending on other people to be there for them physically, mentally and emotionally, or people have fear and aversion towards the sense of lovelessness, companionlessness, loneliness, boredom and meaninglessness.

Survival instinct, love seeking, companion seeking, loneliness, boredom and meaninglessness are some of the significant reasons why people don't like or don't agree with 'aloneness' and 'independence'. Meanwhile there are selfish greedy people in the world also don't like the society to be 'independent' as that means they can no longer easily 'manipulate' or 'control' the society to get what they want.

It's common that many people want to think and believe that all human beings somehow NEEDING each other in life. People like to think and feel, "My children need me", "My family needs me", "My friends need me", "My partner needs me", "My students need me", "My pets need me", "My country needs me", and so on. Or "I need my children/my family/my friends/my partner/my students/my pets/my country being there for me, or else my life is empty, lonely, bored, joyless and meaningless."

It makes the egoistic minds feel good and meaningful about themselves when they think they are needed by other people or beings, that they can contribute something to other beings. If everyone is physically, mentally and emotionally independent and doesn't really need anyone to be there for them physically, mentally and emotionally, then this 'craving for needing one another in life' will not be gratified. People are no longer be able to attain that kind of good and meaningful feelings coming from the perception of "I am needed by some others. I am a useful being. I can contribute to the family/society/country/world/humanity." But, this is only because of ignorance and egoism.

The mind can be free from the idea of "I am needed by some others" or "I want to be there for some others" and be free from the craving for attaining good feelings and the sense of meaningfulness coming from being needed by others, but still being kind and generous and helpful to those who really need physical, mental and emotional care and support from others, unconditionally without discrimination of 'superiority or inferiority', 'people whom I know or don't know', 'people whom I like or don't like', or 'people whom I agree with or disagree with'.

And then there are those who become physically, mentally and emotionally frustrated, exhausted and restless deriving from pushing oneself beyond one's limitation to look after other people who want to or need to depend on the others physically, mentally and emotionally. This is because the egoistic mind would feel bad, guilty and regret if they think they are not always there or couldn't be there for people who want to or need to depend on them. And if their body and mind breakdown due to over exhaustion from looking after others, themselves need to be looked after by some others. If one can't even look after oneself properly, then how can one look after the others efficiently?

When the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, it can truly serve the world efficiently, selflessly and unconditionally, under a pure, calm, dispassionate, desireless and selfless mind.

In the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre/Ashram, most people see the sequence of the teachings of Swami Sivananda as SERVE, LOVE, GIVE, PURIFY, MEDITATE, REALIZE. That is also what Swami Sivananda taught and had written in most of his books.

SERVE, LOVE, GIVE is when the mind turning outward performing selfless actions in the world (Karma Yoga) to serve the purpose of purifying the mind via the elimination of egoism through selfless service. While PURIFY allows the mind be free from impurities and restlessness to meditate and realize the truth of selflessness. MEDITATE is when the mind turning inward ceased all actions or studies in the world, stands as the silent witness towards the mind perception of a world of names and forms. And REALIZE is the fruit of meditation.

SERVE, LOVE, GIVE are supposed to help in the elimination of egoism while performing karma yoga/selfless service, however, it's because most minds are not free from ignorance and egoism, that's why they need to be purified. While SERVE, LOVE, GIVE under the influence of ignorance and egoism could actually empowering ignorance and egoism, and would generate more impurities and restlessness into the mind than to purify the mind, which in fact, hindering the mind to meditate and realize.

And so, the more efficient way might be first taking care of PURIFY (by turning the mind inward via dispassion, renunciation, solitude, seclusion and silence), MEDITATE and REALIZE, and then this mind that is free from ignorance and egoism can truly SERVE, LOVE, GIVE through performing selfless actions or Karma Yoga in the world, efficiently, selflessly and unconditionally. At this point, even though the body and mind is performing actions in the world, but the mind is unmoved/unaffected/undetermined by the actions and the fruit of actions. This mind is void of restlessness or exhaustion. This is INACTION in ACTIONS that doesn't bind the mind to karma.

In fact, meditation practice being done with the correct understanding and attitude is the best mind purification, as during the time of sitting quietly by oneself, moving the body and mind away from worldly interactions and activities, turning the attention inward, withdrawing the senses from the sense objects, witnessing/observing the mind activities without association/identification with the modifications of the mind, without craving, aversion, judgment and expectation, without intention, the mind is being purified naturally and efficiently.

PURIFY, MEDITATE, REALIZE is indeed the mind SERVING, LOVING, GIVING the mind itself, and thus, purifying itself. Upon the realization of Selflessness, this mind can truly SERVE, LOVE, GIVE to others.

And hence, the importance of silence, solitude and seclusion, aloneness and independence for those who truly want to practice yoga and realize yoga.

One must look after one's mind before one can truly benefit the others.

Those who disagree with this don't have to take up this teaching. Be free.