Live in the present moment removes the veil of ignorance

One of the ways for the mind to be free from ignorance and suffering, is the observation as well as the contemplation or self-inquiry upon 'Live in the present moment' or '活在當下'.

By contemplating upon 'Live in the present moment' as well as practically living in the present moment will remove the veil of ignorance, allowing the mind to realize or understand all the other teachings of yoga and/or buddhism.

'Live in the present moment' is universal, non-spiritual, non-religious, non-philosophical, non-harmful, non-intimidating, non-discriminate, non-limited, and non-conditional.

It is natural and effortless.

 

All and everyone only exist in the NOW.

None can exist outside of NOW. 

All and everyone has to live in the present moment.

One cannot and doesn't live outside the present moment.

There is no option for choosing to live before or after NOW. 

However, in the NOW, the mind awareness can wander to the past memory and future imagination, and holds onto the past memory and future imagination, and hence, existing/functioning/living under the presence and influence of unnecessary craving, clinging, longing, aversion, disturbance, dissatisfaction, disappointment, hurt, resentment, bitterness, guilt, regret, pride, shame, fear, worry, anticipation, expectation, and wishful thinking, in NOW.

 

The basic practice of observing the natural breath coming and going, is all about 'being in the NOW' and 'Live in the NOW'.

If you hold onto the incoming breath, you will suffer.

If you hold onto the outgoing breath, you will suffer.

If you hold onto not breathing in and not breathing out, you will suffer.

The moment you let go, and allow the breath to be what it is, ceaselessly coming and going, and eventually it will stop coming and going, there is no suffering.

The moment you want to control the breath to be in certain way and you don't want the breath to be in certain way, suffering will arise. 

The breath doesn't belong to you (the selfless conscious mind awareness that is aware of the breathe coming and going), or anyone, or anything, and vice versa.

Similarly,

The moment you want to control life or the world to be in certain way and you don't want life or the world to be in certain way, you will suffer.

The life or the world, or whatever you perceive and experience, don't make you suffer.

It is your urge/desire/ambition to control anything and everything to be or not to be in certain way, that makes you suffer.

Life or the world doesn't belong to you, or anyone, or anything.

Whatever you perceive and experience don't belong to you, or anyone, or anything. 

 

There is no before or after NOW. It is always NOW. There is only NOW.

Everything in NOW, regardless of inside or outside this body and mind, is impermanent, constantly changing.

That realization towards Impermanence, will lead towards the realization of Selflessness, Limitation, Conditional, Non-self, Timelessness, Oneness, Non-separateness, Non-duality, Cause and Effect, and the truth of what is 'the endless loop of reincarnation, of ceaseless births and deaths transitioning under different realms'.

Non-attaching/non-grasping/non-holding onto/non-possessing/non-clinging/non-controlling towards the present moment (that is ceaselessly changing, while the changes can be modified and influenced in NOW under conscious choice/desire/intention), not to say, the past memory (that cannot be undone or changed) and the future imagination (that doesn't exist at all), regardless of pleasant or unpleasant. 

If there is attachment/grasping/holding onto/possessiveness/clinging/control, suffering manifest as it is.

If there is no attachment/grasping/holding onto/possessiveness/clinging/control, suffering doesn't arise.

What is 'I'?

What is 'suffering'?

What is 'fear'? 

Merely make use of what is available and do what is possible, in NOW, to be benefiting all and everyone unconditionally and indiscriminately, and let it go.

Perform action, and renounce the fruit of action.

Non-controlling, doesn't only limited to the ceaseless instinctive non-conscious non-by choice random autonomous physical and mental activities for essential life maintenance operated under the selfless survival instinct even under the absence of conscious mind awareness being aware of all those autonomous physical and mental activities for life maintenance are happening ceaselessly.

Non-controlling, doesn't mean non-action/inaction/actionless, or the complete absence of physical and mental action/activities under conscious choice/desire/intention.

Give effortlessly upon possibility to give, and let go - The absence of control

Give, and expect this and not that - The presence of control

That's why there is not only the unconscious autonomous physical and mental evolution/changes that is determined and influenced by certain underlying internal genetic inherited conditions/factors, but there is also the conscious mind evolution directing the impermanent changes in certain way under certain external factors/conditions/observations/practices/possibility/availability under conscious choice/desire/intention that can influence or override the internal factors.

The selfless conscious mind awareness can be aware of the presence of certain unpleasant physical or mental illness in the body and mind, or being aware of all kinds of mind stuff/modification/activities of the mind generating the different states of mind, while it is not being determined or affected by all that, or the objects of awareness.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Truthfulness

If all kinds of random impure egoistic thought activities in all the minds in this world are being exposed as they are, one will see that there's very little or even no truthfulness in all kinds of worldly ties and connections, social relationships and interactions, worldly affairs, dealings, and activities, except in silence, devoid of selfless restless modification of the mind, or when the mind is free from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness.

Truthfulness is just what it is. Neither good nor bad. Neither hurtful nor non-hurtful.

Similarly, what is going on in the mind, of all kinds of random impure restless thought activities/desires/actions/reactions/feelings/emotions/ideas/impurities/wild imaginations/subjective partial incomplete distorted memories of the past, is also neither good nor bad, neither hurtful nor non-hurtful.

However, truthfulness appears to be something hurtful, disturbing, unpleasant, inappropriate, or something contributes to disharmony among all and everyone, when the mind is under the influence of the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness, where all kinds of worldly ties, connections, and relationships cannot survive, or wouldn't be peaceful and harmonious, under the presence of truthfulness of what is going on in all minds that are functioning under the influence of the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness.

As all kinds of impure egoistic ties, connections, and relationships in the world of ignorance and egoism are largely existing or surviving on the absence of truthfulness, or the presence of untruthfulness, of hypocrisy, secrets, made up stories, fairy tales, manipulations, or lies, powered by survival instinct, possessiveness, selfishness, desire, greed, pride, and fear.

Only the minds that understand what is going on in themselves, that are free from ignorance, that are not being determined or disturbed by all kinds of mind perceptions or experiences that are pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, and desirable or undesirable, can accept all minds as they are, being truthful or untruthful, without attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, and expectation, and thus, can be in peace and harmony while engaging in worldly ties, connections, and relationships with other minds, regardless of whether under the presence or absence of truthfulness or untruthfulness in all kinds of human's interaction and affair. It doesn't matter.

Minds that don't understand what is going in themselves, that are under the influence of ignorance, would be determined or disturbed by all kinds of mind perceptions or experiences, where they cannot accept all minds as they are, under the influence of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, and expectation, and would be peaceless or disharmonious while engaging in any kind of worldly ties, connections, and relationships with other minds, regardless of whether under the presence or absence of truthfulness or untruthfulness. The mind will be disturbed or hurt by either truthfulness, or untruthfulness, that it doesn't like, doesn't desire and doesn't agree with.

While truthfulness, or untruthfulness, as well as what is going on in the mind, is just what it is. It doesn't disturb or hurt anyone, or doesn't contribute to disharmony among all and everyone, when the mind is devoid of the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness.

All kinds of yoga and meditation practice served the purpose of eradicating the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness from the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind that is selfless and impermanent, that enabling the mind to know or understand what is going on in itself, or knowing Thyself, and hence, be free from ignorance and the ignorant thinking/understanding/behavior/action and reaction that hurt oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment.

Imperfection and all kinds of impurities in the minds are nothing wrong. It is neither good nor bad. It is merely what all impure egoistic minds are. However, the minds that are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, would be determined and disturbed by the imperfection or impurities in themselves and/or in others.

It's like the truth of this fleshy physical body under the 'beautiful' skin is neither good nor bad. If the physical body of all the flesh, bones, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, veins, nerves, internal organs, secretions, pus and waste products is being exposed without the protective outer layer of 'beautiful' skin, most minds will perceive the physical body without the skin as something 'disgusting', and react with feeling very disgusted and unpleasant. But the physical body is just what it is.

Inquire the truth of everything.

It has to come from the mind itself to be awakened from ignorance

None can remove the veil of ignorance for another.

None can make another to be awakened from ignorance.

The awakening from ignorance doesn't mean that the veil of ignorance is no longer existing in the mind, but it's merely the mind is being aware of and acknowledging the existence of ignorance in itself, that initiates the mind to make an effort for finding out more information or knowledge about how to be free from ignorance, that leads the mind onto the path of eradicating ignorance from the mind, through self-effort, self-independence, self-discipline, self-purification, self-inquiry and self-realization.

Those who have made the effort to come in contact with this blog or come in contact with the teachings of yoga and/or buddhism in some other forms, is deriving from their own awakening from ignorance, of being aware of the existence of ignorance in themselves, and it's their own effort of wanting to know Thyself, and to be free from ignorance.

All kinds of 'imperfect' teachings in certain names and forms, are merely for the mind to be reflecting upon, that stand as a reflective mirror for the mind to look into itself, to attain self-realization towards selflessness and impermanence.

It's neither easy nor difficult.

The keyword is - Never give up, never despair, keeps going until the mind is free. And even if the mind thinks that it is still not free by the end of life existence, and it's okay, remain equanimous, as even this is also selfless and impermanent. That alone, is liberation.

Inquire towards the truth of everything in accordance to logic and science, not according to what the mind believes or disbelieves, agrees or disagrees, likes or dislikes, desires or doesn't desire. Do not blind-believing, blind-following, blind-agreeing/disagreeing, blind-practicing, or blind-propagating, including all kinds of teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism coming from different minds from different backgrounds.

Anything that promotes and empowers ignorance, petty-mindedness, untruthfulness, selfishness, possessiveness, desires, fear, greed, envy, pride, superiority, discrimination, separateness, offensiveness, defensiveness, unrest, anger, hatred and violence in oneself and in the world of diversity, one must inquire the truth of it, and attain direct understanding towards why and how does it lead to the empowerment of all that.

Anything that is against ignorance, petty-mindedness, untruthfulness, selfishness, possessiveness, desires, fear, greed, envy, pride, superiority, discrimination, separateness, offensiveness, defensiveness, unrest, anger, hatred and violence in oneself and in the world of diversity, one must also inquire the truth of it, and attain direct understanding towards why and how does it lead to less ignorance, petty-mindedness, untruthfulness, selfishness, possessiveness, desires, fear, greed, envy, pride, superiority, discrimination, separateness, offensiveness, defensiveness, unrest, anger, hatred and violence in oneself and in the world of diversity.

Meanwhile, allowing the world being what it is, even if they are one's beloved family and friends. Full of ignorance and the consequences of ignorance. Let it be. Everyone is free to think, believe and practice what they want to think, believe and practice, or not. It's everyone's freedom and responsibility towards themselves.

It's pointless to be arguing or reasoning with the minds that are under the veil of ignorance, and it will only be causing unnecessary damages to oneself to fight against ignorance, just like continuously punching and kicking the concrete wall.

Similarly, those who are suffering from certain degrees of mental health issues need to have certain degrees of awareness and initiative coming from themselves to be reaching out or looking for help.

Be free.

Being undisturbed or unhurt by the ignorance and ignorant behavior of others

Upon knowing Thyself, of knowing what is going on in the selfless mind, being undisturbed or unhurt by the presence of unpleasant, disagreeable and undesirable experiences in the present moment and the flashback memories of the past unpleasant, disagreeable and undesirable experiences, as well as being compassionate and understanding towards the presence of ignorance and ignorant behavior, it doesn't mean that one should be justifying and empowering the ignorance and ignorant behavior that are existing in one's life, in one's family ties or relationships and interactions with some others, or in the world. It also doesn't mean that one should become like them or behaving like them.

Inquire towards the many thinking, beliefs, ideas and sayings in the world that are justifying and empowering the ignorance and ignorant behavior in oneself, or in others.

"If someone is throwing a stone at you, you shouldn't shield yourself or move away."

"If someone is hurting you, you should keep silent, shouldn't retaliate, shouldn't move away, and should encourage them to hurt you more."

"Someone hits you on one side of the face, you should tell them to hit you on the other side as well."

"You deserve all these hurtful behavior and ill treatment from others, because it's your bad karma or sin, and you should be thankful and be grateful for that, because it's reducing your bad karma or sin."

"I should treat you with the same hurtful behavior that you had treated me."

"Everyone should be unattached, letting go and move on, and should not be disturbed or hurt by any kinds of hurtful behavior or ill treatment, and so, it doesn't matter if there are continuous and even more ignorance and hurtful behavior or ill treatment among one another in one's life and in the world."

"Family should stay together no matter what happens, even if there is presence of abusive behavior and ill treatment. Family should never stop loving and supporting and 'protecting' each other, even if everyone is continuously hurting one another, because we all are imperfect human beings. One is selfish and guilty, or it is very wrong and not good, if one abandons the family that is being hurtful and abusive."

That is pure ignorance.

If the house is on fire, and the fire is out of control couldn't be extinguished by all means, there shouldn't be any hesitation to leave the house immediately. There shouldn't be any hesitation such as whether to leave the house, or not, or there's strong attachment or intense love and affection towards the house, or even, the idea of one should let oneself be burnt down together with the beloved house, to show how much one loves the house, til death do us part.

If someone strongly thinks and believes that someone in the family or in the relationship is hurting oneself or is trying to hurt oneself all the time, then there shouldn't be any hesitation to just leave that family or relationship.

If there's some hesitation, or fear, or reluctance, or confusion occur in the mind, and hence, it doesn't want to leave the family or reluctant to let go the relationship that oneself strongly thinks and believes 'for sure' that oneself is a victim of the hurtful or abusive behavior of someone in the family or in the relationship, while keep thinking and feeling that oneself is constantly being hurt or abused by someone physically, mentally and emotionally, expecting that maybe one day that person will stop hurting or abusing oneself, but then, one also keeps blaming someone for causing disturbance or hurt in oneself, and keeps complaining to some others about something wrong and hurtful is happening to oneself, for years and years, and still oneself doesn't want to leave that 'hurtful' and 'abusive' situation for 'certain reason' of 'hesitation', or 'fear', or 'reluctance', or 'confusion'. Then know that, that is pure ignorance in oneself.

Upon being aware of the finger is accidentally being cut by the knife, one would either retract the hand immediately or let go the knife immediately, or both, without any hesitation, so that the cut doesn't go any further or deeper. If oneself is aware of the cut, with or without the sensation of pain, while continuing to keep cutting into the finger further with the knife, then that is something very 'wrong' with oneself. And it's more 'wrong', if one blames the knife for causing serious damage or injury to one's finger, while continuously cutting into one's finger with the knife repeatedly for many times, for years and years, and continuously blaming the knife for causing ongoing injury to one's finger. Mere madness.

Inquire the truth of everything.