The most dangerous place is in the minds functioning under the veil of ignorance and egoism

The most dangerous thing or place, is existing and happening in the minds that are functioning under the veil of ignorance and egoism, where the minds would be harming itself and/or others and the surrounding environment, either intentionally or unintentionally, via the arising or the presence of impure thoughts, ideas, intentions and desires, and externalizing or materializing these impure thoughts, ideas, intentions and desires through the physical body of sense organs and the organs of action and speech.

The world, or the existence and function of the perceptive minds, is just what it is, neither dangerous nor not dangerous. It depends on whether the minds are being conditioned by and functioning under the veil of ignorance and egoism, or not, that is determining the presence or absence of all kinds of dangerous or destructive thoughts, desires, aspirations, intentions, expressions and actions, that makes certain things, areas or situations being dangerous/threatening/damaging/unsafe/hurtful towards anyone and anything, or not.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (7)

In the beginning of the yoga practice, no doubt that many impure minds are being conditioned by worldly thinking, belief, values and practice to behave, act/react and expect in certain way, and hence, they needed to rely on certain 'intention', 'inspiration', 'aspiration' or 'encouragement' to ignite the interest and motivation to be practicing yoga, to set a goal/resolution to be the inspiration of one's practice. However, this is neither the entire practice nor the end of practice.

There's a very common values and practice among the many different types of worldly egoistic thinking, beliefs, values and practices, where many people believe that most human beings don't have initiative and discipline to be doing and achieving something, and so, people need to be 'pushed' or 'lured' to perform and engage in certain actions/activities. In order to 'attract' and 'encourage' people to be doing and achieving something, they needed to be given some kind of 'sweets', or 'advantage', or 'pleasant rewards', to motivate them to do and achieve something, or else people won't have self-initiative and motivation to do or achieve anything if without any 'nice rewards' in return. Most people are being brought up in such way, and hence, being conditioned to act and react and expect in such way. "Well done!", "Good job!", "I'm so proud of you!", "Yeah!", "Fantastic!", "Congratulation!", "Thank you!", "Your work is much appreciated!", "I'll give you something that you want, if you do this or achieve this," and so on. While some people even use discipline, punishment or threat to threaten the people to perform or engage in certain action/inaction. "I won't give you what you want, or I will 'hurt' you (or your loved ones), if you do this (or don't do this.)"

This is not yoga practice at all, but somehow, someone under the worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice had introduced this type of practice into the path of yoga.

The yoga students or yoga practitioners must inquire towards what is egoism, and how to eliminate egoism.

The one that needs to set a specific intention or goal, and constantly receiving some kinds of motivational praise and encouragement and rewards to be performing actions that would benefit oneself and/or others, as well as to keep going, is the ego. The one that would be threatened by certain threats to engage in certain action or inaction, being fearful towards not getting something that one desires or losing something that one loves, is the ego.

Either by temptation (something pleasant and enjoyable) or threat (something unpleasant and painful) to 'influence', 'attract', 'lure', 'make' or 'force' some others to do or don't do something, either out of good or evil intention, are merely the play of ignorance and egoism.

Many 'yoga teachers' were learning and being trained in the 'yoga teachers training course' to teach about 'setting intention, or goal, or resolution (Sankalpa)' in the 'yoga class' as part of the yoga practice, such as "I am strong", "I am pure", "I am good enough", "I am healthy", "I am whole", "I am positive", "I am this and that". And then, somehow it turns into "I can achieve this and that" or "All my desires will be gratified." It's not about right or wrong, however, most minds aren't aware of this practice doesn't help to eliminate egoism from the mind, but instead, it's empowering egoism and ignorance.

'Yoga teachers' are also being trained to be equipped with the knowledge or information about what are the mental and physical 'effect' or 'benefit' of the different yoga practices, and to teach 'yoga classes' by explaining all kinds of benefits and goodness of each practices or yoga asana/pose/position/movements (If you do this, you will receive certain pleasant rewards in return), as well as precautions and badness (If you do this, you will receive certain unpleasant rewards in return), to indicate that they are well-trained, well-informed and professional enough to teach yoga classes. They are also being trained to say 'positive' and 'motivational' words and sentences, in order to motivate/compliment/please the ego, or not saying anything that the ego doesn't like and doesn't want to hear in order not to demotivate/offend/displease the ego. All these are nothing but part of the worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice.

Meanwhile, yoga practice is indeed about 'starving' and 'breaking' the ego to its annihilation, by the mind itself. That's why in the very few and rare traditional yoga schools, many worldly passionate egoistic minds would feel 'disturbed' and 'offended' by the teachings and the teachers' certain way of teaching and guiding the minds to be aware of and eliminate the ego. It's not the teacher being the one that 'breaks' the student's ego. The teacher is only guiding the student to be aware of what is going on in the mind, and out of the student's own awareness and will, it 'breaks' its own ego by itself. The egoistic minds need to be guided to look within, and see how the mind is behaving/acting/reacting, functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, and of course, it's not a pleasant process, and even could be extremely painful for certain passionate egoistic minds, but it's an inevitable process to free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

It's not about "Being afraid of offending/displeasing the ego, and they don't want to practice yoga anymore," but then the 'yoga practice' that the passionate egoistic minds love, that pleases them, that makes them feel good and meaningful, doesn't lead them towards what yoga is about, no matter how long they have been 'practicing yoga'.

The main reason that supports the idea of "Do not offend/displease the students/clients, keeping their ego happy and satisfied," is about not wanting to hurt 'the business' or 'the income' from running and teaching 'yoga classes', 'yoga courses', or 'yoga retreats'.

It's the mind's own responsibility and will, whether it will or will not practice yoga, as it is. If they don't want to practice yoga to eliminate ignorance and egoism, because they reject and couldn't allow the teachings and practices being what they are, not necessarily being the way that they like and agree with, it's their freedom and choice. The teachers don't have to manipulating/modifying the teachings and practices to 'attract' and 'lure' the minds to be practicing 'yoga' that is not what it is. The mind might think and believe that this is compassion, to treat the minds carefully, don't offend/hurt the ego, but it's not compassion, but mere ignorant egoistic loving kindness, sympathy and empathy. Just as how some children are being 'pampered' and 'ruined' by the 'loving' parents.

Life is uncertain, selfless and impermanent. Life doesn't change or modify or adjust itself into the way to adapt and accommodate the different desires of all and everyone. All and everyone learn how to respect life as it is, and learn how to adjust, adapt and accommodate life being what it is, as it changes selflessly, under the law of cause and effect. The Truth cannot be contaminated and doesn't change into something else to accommodate everyone's desire and don't desire, even if ignorant egoistic minds could 'manipulate' everything into something else under selfish intention and aspiration.

From the very beginning in the path of yoga, it's very important to be taught about what is self-inquiry and how to allow the mind to be opened, to investigate the truth of everything, without blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing, or blind-propagating anything that we learned from different types of teachers in life, including everything that we learned from the yoga teachers training courses, even when the mind is under the influence of ignorance and egoism strongly. If the mind will be offended and rejects, let it be, it's their freedom and choice for what they want and don't want.

All minds that want to learn and practice yoga, regardless of the degrees of ignorance, must develop the basic understanding towards "All the action and reaction in one's mind is the responsibility of the mind itself." Where, "It's because of you/him/her/them/this, that's why I behave, act and react in certain way, and it's because of you and your wrongful behavior, that's why I feel good or bad, I am happy or unhappy, I am pleased or hurt," is mere ignorance. The very basic foundation to be engaging in yoga practice, is to be aware of one's actions and reactions is one's own responsibility. The mind wants to be happy, none can make it become unhappy. The mind wants to be unhappy, none can make it become happy. The mind wants to be free, none can stop it from being free. The mind doesn't want to be free, none can liberate it.

The real 'teachers' won't be offended, if the students are offended and rejecting the teachings and practice of yoga, not to say, if the students are practicing non blind-following, non blind-believing, non blind-practicing and non blind-propagating, and be initiative to purify the intellect and reasoning power, to discipline and quite the mind, to develop self-inquiry, to investigate and reflect the truth of everything, to attain direct realization towards the truth of the teachings. It's not like certain 'teachers' and 'teachings' that demand their followers to be blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing and blind-propagating their teachings, while prohibiting their followers to question or investigate towards the truth of the teachings, or else, one is considered sinful, and would be condemned and be punished, if one questions or investigates the truth of the teachings.

Letting go the intention or aspiration of trying to influence, change or control the world to be in certain way, even if it's out of 'good and positive' intention to be creating a 'good and positive' world. It doesn't mean that one doesn't perform or stop performing any actions that would benefit the world in certain way, if without 'intention' or 'aspiration'. The sun, the earth, the wind, the water and the space don't have any intention or aspiration, but their selfless existence and intentionless action is allowing everything else to be existing and changing.

Without the intention or aspiration to influence, control or change the world to be or not to be in certain way, just do one's best utilizing one's opportunity, knowledge, experience and ability to be performing selfless actions that could benefit the world in certain way, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison, or expectation.

Reflect and realize the ONE nature of everything, which is selflessness and impermanence.

There's no "I am strong", "I am pure", "I am good", "I am positive", "I am deserving", "I am meaningful", "I am healthy", "I am this or that", not to say, "Gratifying all my desires, where everything is the way that I desire it to be."

Inquire the truth of everything, including all the teachings here.

Existence in now

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be free.

Life and Death

Some wish to live

Some wish other people don't die

They spend time, effort and money trying to escape sickness, old age, decay and death

Some wish to die

Some wish other people dead

For different reasons

It's everyone's freedom of wish

It's neither right nor wrong

It's neither good nor bad

It's neither positive nor negative

The liberated mind goes beyond life and death

There's no craving or aversion towards life or death

There's no desire or intention to live or continue existing

There's no desire or intention to die or cease existing

Allowing nature to be what it is, as it is

Allowing one's life or other's life to flow to where it is, as it is

Allowing one's life or other's life to stop at where it is, as it is

May all be free from suffering

Be free from craving and aversion towards life and death

Pride and arrogance

One of the significant characteristics of the ego is pride and arrogance.

The ego is being proud and arrogant about one's worldly identity, personal thinking and belief, cultural practice, spiritual practice, religion, family background, origin, nationality, race, standard of living, lifestyle, conducts, way of doing things, social circle, social status, profession, career, special talent or skill, position held in a community or company or organization, intelligence, accumulated knowledge and experience, qualifications and achievements, social image, physical appearance and condition, physical and mental ability, relationships, contributions, self-righteousness, and etc, thinking that 'I' am better and more superior than other people, as well as this ego has the urge to interfere with other people's thinking and belief, way of doing things, lifestyle, conducts and everything thing else that are different from oneself, that the ego thinks they are less good and more inferior than all the qualities that it possessed and identified with.

The ego thinks that it is better, more intelligent and experienced, and more successful than other people, that it has a 'duty' or 'responsibility' to interfere with other people's choice of way of living and conduct that is different from its own. It thinks that it is instilled with some kind of 'authority' or 'aspiration' from 'something higher above all human beings' to 'guide' or 'inspire' other people's life by 'helping' them to 'change' everything about them that the ego thinks is less good and inferior than itself.

If other people don't agree with, or follow, or show interest in the 'kind' advice or suggestion from this ego, it will feel disturbed, offended, disappointed, disrespected, or humiliated. "I am giving you 'something very good', how come you don't appreciate?"

Meanwhile, this prideful and arrogant ego doesn't like it when other people try to interfere with it's thinking and belief, way of life and conduct, or giving advice, suggestion or opinion to this ego that they think is 'better' or 'more superior'.

Those who are free from pride and arrogance will allow other people to be prideful and arrogant, to give their advice, suggestion or opinion, but one is undetermined by it. One will consider the advice that is useful, but ignore the advice that is irrelevant.

'Yoga practitioners' and those who identifies themselves as 'yoga teachers' who are sincere in the path of yoga, are not being here to 'interfere' or 'change' or 'influence' or 'advise' everyone to also practice yoga and follow the way of life of yoga, it doesn't matter it's out of loving kindness or goodwill or good intention. 'Yoga teachers' or 'yoga practitioners' are just being here to sincerely perform their own practice to be free from ignorance and egoism and realize selflessness and unconditional peace. At the same time, 'yoga practitioners' or 'yoga teachers' who have the opportunity to 'share' their own practice and realization or insights with other people can disseminate the teachings of yoga without the sense of 'duty', attachment, identification and expectation, and selflessly guide those who are interested in yoga onto the path of yoga, without pride and arrogance of oneself being a 'yoga practitioner' or 'yoga teacher', and towards one's actions and the fruit of one's actions.

It's everyone's freedom whether one performs actions out of egoism, pride and arrogance, or being free from egoism, pride and arrogance.

Beware of the characteristics of the ego. Such like, "I am doing something good and meaningful.", "I am contributing to the society or the world.", "I am a good being and I 'want' other people also to be good beings.", "Yoga is so good, everyone should also practice yoga.", and so on.

Be free.

Without any intention, just do our best and allow the fruit of action to be what it is...

No need to have good intention to do good and not to do bad, although we do good and try not to do bad.

Without any intention to be sharing yoga with anyone, we are sharing yoga with someone.

Without any intention to perform action that will benefit somebody, somebody is benefited from our actions.

If the yoga school or yoga class will become bigger without any intention to make it any bigger than what it is, let it be.

If the yoga school or yoga class will become smaller without any intention to make it any smaller than what it is, let it be. 

If we are teaching yoga to many people without any intention to be teaching yoga to many people, let it be.

If we are teaching yoga to less people without any intention to be teaching yoga to less people, let it be.

If we will stop teaching yoga to anyone without any intention to stop teaching yoga to anyone, let it be.

Be free from greed, desire, longing, craving and aversion.

Be free from intention and attachment.

Without any intention, just do our best and allow the fruit of action to be what it is...

In the end, it's about - May all be free, be peaceful, be happy.

Om shanti.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contemplate on this :-

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

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

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

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

Nope.

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

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

There's no good or bad karma.

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

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

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

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

Be free.

Om shanti.

Transcend egoism, identification, intention, attachment, actions and inactions...

The ultimate liberation is free from suffering that accompany the phenomenal of birth and death, forming and deforming, or names and forms that are subject to impermanence, perceived by the egoistic mind through the function of the physical body, sense organs, and the senses.

Suffering (Of birth, impermanent changes, hunger, thirst, dissatisfaction, separation from the things and beings that we like, come in contact with the things and beings that we don't like, pain, injury, old age, sickness, death) is the natural process of the existence of life, or the function of the body and egoistic mind. When the mind is liberated, free from ignorance and egoism, all these physical impermanent experiences are no longer being perceived as "suffering". There are just being what they are. All these phenomena is neither suffering nor not suffering.

It is when the egoistic mind generates aversion towards names and forms that the mind perceives as "suffering" that actually is what generating suffering. When the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, and realize the truth of names and forms, seeing everything as they are, then the mind will no longer generates aversion towards names and forms that the mind used to perceived as "suffering", and this itself is liberation.

And then there are other mental suffering of impurities that derived from ignorance and egoism, that generates identification and attachment towards qualities of names and forms, such like irritation, frustration, anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, fear, worry, disappointment, doubts, restlessness, possessiveness, pride, arrogance, aggressiveness, animosity, offensiveness, defensiveness, depression, feelings of hurt, and etc. When the mind is liberated, free from ignorance and egoism, all these mental defilement will be disappearing from the mind.

When the mind is still influenced by ignorance and egoism, the circle of birth and death with the existence and function of the body and mind that is subject to impermanence is being perceived as "suffering". When the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, the circle of birth and death or the existence and function of the body and mind is just being what it is. It is neither suffering nor not suffering.

If the mind is not free from ignorance and egoism, the egoistic mind will feel that there is suffering, and it wants to be free from suffering. Then there is the path to transcend suffering.

Life existence of the body and the mind is the product of the elements of fire, wind, water, earth and space, and life experience is fueled or powered by Karma.

Karma derived from actions that are being performed under the influence of egoism with identification, attachment, intention and expectation.

We cannot avoid actions in this life existence for the body and mind to be functioning and surviving, or to maintain the basic needs of this physical body, not to say there are many other things in life that are beyond the basic needs for survival that motivate us to be performing actions, such like, desires of wants and don't wants. One of the characteristics of the egoistic mind is restlessness. It can't sit still in silence, or inaction. It wants to create and express, act and react. It wants to perform actions, or else it gets bored.

Even when we intentionally don't want to perform any actions, don't want to do or say anything, that itself is also an action of "do not want to perform any actions."

Actions bring along the consequences of actions, or in another term, all actions bear the fruit of actions.

Actions and the fruit of actions, or Karma (Which produces the seeds of life) is the fuel that keeps the circle of birth and death going.

If we know how to transcend all actions and the fruit of actions, know what is inaction in actions, we will be free from being bound by actions and the fruit of actions, or Karma, and this will stop fueling the circle of birth and death. The circle of birth and death will come to an end when the existing fuel (Karma) is exhausted.

When there are good or bad actions being generated, it will generate some pleasant or/and unpleasant consequences. And due to the reactions of the egoistic mind towards the pleasant or unpleasant consequences, there will be more actions being generated. And thus good and bad karma are continuously being generated, and the wheel of birth and death keeps rolling.

Whether we will be bound by our actions and the fruit of actions or not, it depends on whether the actions are free from egoism, identification, intention and attachment, or not.

Actions that are free from the influence of egoism, identification, attachment, intention and expectation, are not different from inaction, where there is no Karma (seeds of life) being generated.

When the mind realizes selflessness, there is no "I" perform actions, there is no "fruit of action" to be reaped by "I". All actions are being performed out of compassion without egoism, identification nor attachment.

Just like the elements of fire, wind, water, earth and space. They are performing "actions" ceaselessly, giving, providing and supporting everything in the world to be existing, but these "actions" are not bound by (good or bad) Karma. These actions are not different from inaction, as there's no Karma being generated although there are "actions" being performed. There are pleasant and unpleasant consequences being produced. But the elements are untouched or undetermined by the actions and the consequences of actions.

Everything is enjoying and benefiting from the contribution of the elements to be existing, as well as experiencing decay, destruction, deformation, also resulting from the same elements. But all these actions that brought some constructive and destructive consequences derived from all these elements are free from egoism, identification, intention or attachment.

The sun won't get good karma because everyone is benefiting from the sunlight to be existing, nor will the sun get bad karma because some people suffer skin burnt or skin cancer from excessive sunlight exposure. Nor does the water receives good karma from being one of the essential elements for life existence, nor does the water receives bad karma, when some people lost their lives or belongings through the element of water. All these elements exist for everything else to be existing, without egoism, intention, attachment, identification, discrimination, judgment, comparison, expectation, craving or aversion.

There's no such identification of "I am the doer of actions." nor  "I am giving something." nor "Someone is receiving something from I or being benefited by my actions." nor "I am the enjoyer of the fruit of actions."

And hence in the traditional yoga practice, there is this basic yet most essential teaching about "Eliminate the egoism, be free from identification, attachment, intention, expectation, and renounce the fruit of actions." is the way to ultimate liberation.

And this practice of "Eliminate the egoism, be free from identification, attachment, intention, expectation, and renounce the fruit of actions." has nothing to do with the impermanent and limited physical functions, conditions and abilities to be performing the yoga asana exercises (or not performing any yoga asana exercises at all), nor has anything to do with the impermanent states of the mind, the functions of the mind to perceive, to act and react, the thoughts activities, the intellectual thinking, the behavior patterns, the knowledge, the information, the beliefs, or the impurities that arise and passing away unceasingly in the mind. Above all, all these activities in the mind do not contaminate the true nature of the mind. The mind is just being what it is, it is neither good nor bad, neither pure nor impure.

It is being aware of the actions and reactions of the ego towards all the names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses, observe and witness all the egoistic activities in the mind without attachment, without association, without identification.

Upon the annihilation of egoism, the mind is free, or liberated. Free from being conditioned by egoism and ignorance, as well as impurities that arise due to egoism and ignorance. As egoism and ignorance is the cause of suffering. It is the ego who acts and reacts, and generates Karma. Due to ignorance, there is wrong identification with the ego as an individual being who is the doer of actions and the enjoyer of the fruit of actions.

When the body is in "good" condition and perform some "good" actions, and the mind is at peace, free from the influence of impurities, it won't make the true nature of the mind become "good", "pure" and "peaceful". When the body is in a "bad" condition and perform some "bad" actions, and the mind is not at peace, being influenced by impurities, it won't make the true nature of the mind become "bad", "impure" and "not peaceful". The true nature of the mind is unaffected, undisturbed, uncontaminated, uninfluenced, or undetermined by all these impermanent qualities of names and forms that is experiencing by the mind through the function of the body, the sense organs and the senses.

The body and the egoistic mind is influenced and determined by the pleasant and unpleasant consequences of the actions of good and bad, but the true nature of the mind is not determined nor contaminated by the good and bad actions as well as the consequences of actions.

When we (the mind) realize our true nature, and stop identifying with the body and the egoism which is not who we really are, we are as free as we are.

When we say, "I am more or less peaceful..." or "I feel or don't feel peace..." by doing or not doing something, or by eating or not eating something, or by experience or not experience something, that is just the impermanent conditional peaceful/peaceless state of the mind that is influenced by the qualities of names and forms. This is not the unconditional peace of the true nature of the mind upon the realization of the truth of who "we" really are, being free from ignorance, egoism, attachment and impurities.

As real peace or unconditional peace is never increase nor decrease. It is beyond the impermanent and limited existence, conditions and functions of the body and the egoistic mind, beyond the thinking and beliefs, beyond the qualities of names and forms, beyond impermanence...

The mind is purifying itself to go beyond the identification with the existence, functions, conditions and abilities of the body and the egoism, go beyond the thinking and beliefs in the mind, go beyond intention and expectation, go beyond attachment towards actions and the fruit of actions. And be free.

We take full responsibility for the consequences of actions, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Without expecting the result either to be the way that we think it should be, or expecting the result not to be something that we think it shouldn't be.

Allow the result, or the fruit of actions to be what it is.

It is the attachment towards the qualities of names and forms, where the egoistic mind generates craving and clinging onto what the mind perceives as "good', "positive", "happiness", and generates aversion towards what the mind perceives as "bad", "negative", "unhappiness" that makes the mind experience restlessness, unpeacefulness, or suffering.

When the mind is free from attachment, there's no craving and aversion, there's no restlessness, unpeacefulness, or suffering.

This is liberation within this present moment through this life existence.

Every single moment there are countless circles of birth and death happening in the body and the mind. All the cells are regenerating and dropping off the body. All the thought waves, thinking and feelings, arising and passing away. At one moment, the body is in certain condition, in another moment it changes to a different condition. At one moment the mind is peaceful and kind, in another moment the mind is disturbed and evil. Which part of the body is "I"? And which state of the mind is "I"? One moment we are in the realm of heaven, and another moment we are in the realm of hell. Countless circles of birth and earth in this present moment. And the stillness beyond the body and the mind, untouched by these circles of birth and death that is conditioned by Karma, is liberation.

If this is not the liberation that you are looking for, then continue in your pursue for what you think is liberation. It's your freedom.

Om shanti.

How to stay detached in any relationships without intentions and expectations?

A question came to me after the yoga class. A student asked how do we stay detached in relationship and how to not having any intentions and expectations in the relationship?

The simplest answer is, simply by not having any selfish intentions (reasons) to be in the relationship and let go of any expectations (conditions of wants and don't wants) from the relationship or from the people who are in the relationship with us. Let the relationship being what it is, not because we want it to be the way that we want it to be, but to accept it as the way it is at the present moment now, from moment to moment. Everything will change due to impermanence. Allow changes to happen and accept the changes as it is.

We will be in disappointment and frustration if we have selfish intention for us to be in any relationships, such like want to have some friends to be there to share thoughts and feelings with us and to be there for us when we need help and support, or want to have a life partner to help us to fulfill our own ambitions or cravings to have a family and children, to share financial and responsibility matters, or want to escape loneliness by having one or many companions, and etc. This is incorrect mentality engaged with selfish intention to be in relationship with anybody and this will only bring us and the people who are in the relationship with us lots of tensions and unhappiness.

We will tend to have expectation towards the relationship and the people who are in the relationship with us. We expect something good and constructive from being in the relationship, such like having somebody there to listen to us, to support us, to share with us, to love us, to appreciate us, to agree with us, to pamper us, to make us laugh, to make us happy, to chase away the loneliness and emptiness in us, to attain intimate care, personal attention, support, respect, reliance, sense of self-worth and meanings of life existence, and etc.

We also expect the people who are in the relationship with us to be trustworthy, to have certain type of personality, to be nice to us, to love us the way that we like it to be, to be there for us whenever we need help and support, to be there to listen to us and share with us, and to be agreeable with our thoughts, actions and speech.

When the relationship and the people are not up to our expectations, we will be so frustrated, upset and unhappy, especially when they don't treat us or behave the way that we want it to be.

This is because we don't really love the people who are in the relationship with us. We only love the image that we created for them or projected onto them that comes from our own mind. We only love the things about these people that reflect what our own mind and ego like about. We are looking for satisfaction that comes from fulfilling our craving for love, care, intimacy, attention, companionship, approval, agreement, respect, appreciation, praise and support, which we hope to get from the people who are in the relationship with us.

We are actually fell in love with the people's thoughts, actions and speech that are agreeable with what our mind likes and dislikes. If the people say and do things that are agreeable to what our mind likes about, we will be delighted to be with these people and are attracted towards the personality and characteristic in them which we like. We thought that we have fell in love with these people, but actually we are just falling in love with the things or the qualities that we like about them. And all these things and qualities are subject to impermanence and changes.

When all these things changed into something that are not agreeable with what our mind likes, and are no longer the same as it used to be, we will stop loving these people and will have dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration and unhappiness in us. Sometimes the qualities in the people didn't change, but our own mind's likes and dislikes had changed. We don't like the things that we used to like before and are liking something else.

We are only in love with the things that we like and want. We don't really love the people as they are, and accept them as they are at the present moment now, from moment to moment. Such like if we love so much about somebody's appearance, physics, personality and the way that they present themselves, and we will be so disappointed and frustrated when all these things have changed into something else that are different from what it was and that we liked.

We always look at the qualities in the people to determine whether we love them or not. If the people say things that we like to hear, do things that we agree with, and treat us the way that we want it to be, then we will "love" these people. And when the people say things that we don't like to hear, do things that we don't agree with, and didn't treat us the way that we want it to be, then we will not "love" these people anymore.

This is not love. This is selfishness. We only love ourselves for what we like and how we want to feel. We are looking for some sort of satisfaction that come from the relationship hoping that it will chase away the discontentment in us. Or hoping that it will fill up the incompleteness in us to make ourselves feel more complete.

True love is unconditioned and unlimited. It is accepting and loving the people as they are, how they are, where they are and what they are, at the present moment now. We love them as they are, whether they treat us the way as we want it to be or not, whether the things that we like about them have changed into something very different or not, and whether they say and do things that we agree or not agree with.

True love is out of compassion, not out of selfish intention. It is without attachment, without expectation, without craving and aversion. It is not influenced by what the ego likes and dislikes, wants and doesn't want.

We need to be selfless to know what is love.

We need to be truly compassionate to know how to really love ourselves and love others unselfishly.

When we complain about the people whom we love, that they don't love us, we should ask ourselves, do we really love these people? Or are we loving the qualities of what our mind likes about them and are in love with the perfect image of the people that we created for them, and are having selfish expectations towards these people of what they can give us and how they should treat us or behave the way as we want it to be?

If we truly love somebody, there won't be any disappointment and dissatisfaction, even when these people don't love us at all, don't agree with us, are not in a relationship with us, don't like us, don't support us and don't care for us. We will still love them unconditionally, without possessiveness, without judgment or expectation.

Only when we know how to love ourselves and be compassionate towards our own self, able to accept ourselves as we are and forgive our own imperfection, then we will know how to love other people unselfishly, unconditionally, unlimitedly, and will be ready to be in any relationships that will flourish and bring positive progress in our personal growth and spiritual evolution.

All relationships are there to help us to learn about our own self of who we really are and how to accept ourselves and other people as we are, at the present moment now, from moment to moment.

It doesn't matter if the relationships turn out to be very sweet or turn out to be very sour and bitter. We will learn the greatest lesson in life existence about what is unconditional love, selflessness, compassion and non-attachment. Relationships are like a mirror for us to take a look at our own self. We will see our own self in the relationship about whether we are pure or impure, whether we are selfish or selfless, whether we are patient and tolerant, whether we are compassion, and whether we are free from craving and aversion, judgment and expectation.

When the relationship is sweet, we appreciate it without attachment, without craving and clinging. When the relationship is sour and bitter, we observe and accept the truth as it is without attachment, without aversion and let it go peacefully.

Real relationship does not build on the intention and expectation of hoping that the relationship can satisfy our endless craving for love and satisfaction. It is not based on what our mind likes and doesn't like, what our ego wants and doesn't want. It should be free from any selfish intentions and expectations.

Without intention, we give and share. Without expectation, we give and share. Without discrimination, we give and share. Without selfish desire, we give and share. Without attachment, we give and share. Like the sun, the air, the water, the earth and the space. All relationships should build on these selfless compassion, and not build on what the ego wants and doesn't want, and are not being influenced by the craving and aversion in the mind.

Non-attachment doesn't mean that we don't get into any relationships and keep away from everybody, or retreat from the world, or don't care for anything.

It is about being in the relationship without judging ourselves, the relationship and the people who are in the relationship with us, and not let the relationship to determine our confidence and happiness. Knowing that true confidence and true happiness are not coming from any relationships nor attaining all the names and forms in the world. True confidence and true happiness is there when we know who we really are and when we know the truth of what is real and unreal.

It is about being in the world but not being disturbed, nor affected, nor influenced by the world.

It is about not being attached to whatever our mind perceives through the senses of what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think.

It is about not being attached to what our body can do and cannot do. Not being attached to the condition and limitation of the physical body. Not being attached to the state of the mind. Let the mind be the mind, we are not the mind, the mind is not us. We are the awareness that is witnessing, or knowing, or being aware of what the mind is experiencing at the present moment now.

It is about non-identification with the doer of the actions of giving or receiving.

It is about intention-less and non-expectation.

It is about selflessness and compassion.

It is about non-judging and non-comparing.

It is about being at the present moment now, letting go of the past and the future. Not to let the past experiences or memories and the future imaginations to influence us about the present moment now.

It is about letting go of the selfish ego and letting go of fear and worry. We perform all our duty and responsibility without expectation for the fruit of action but surrender to the universal consciousness to take care of the result.

It is about knowing the truth and are able to accept the truth as it is without judgment, comparison and expectation, without craving and aversion.

May all be happy whether being in a relationship or not being in any relationships at all. The most intimate and important relationship in this life existence is being comfortable with our own self. When we know how to be comfortable with our own self and are compassionate towards our own self, then only we can be comfortable in any relationships with other people or animals, or have a harmonious relationship with nature or with everything else in the entire universe.

When we are comfortable with our own self and accept ourselves as we are, then only we will be comfortable being anywhere, doing or not doing anything, and be comfortable with everyone and everything in the world.

At the end, there is no relationship at all. Relationship dissolves when there is no more separateness of us and the entire existence of names and forms. Everything and everyone is not separated from "us". There is no more craving for love. There is no fear and worry. There is no bad beings or good beings. There is no more loneliness or emptiness. We are full and content. We are love and peace.

If we know what is performing all actions towards ourselves and others without intention, without expectation and renounce from the fruit of action, we will be free from the binding karma of cause and effect, birth and death.

Be happy.