Doing something good for the world of ignorance, is extremely difficult and exhausting, if without non-grasping

In order to do something really good (constructive) for the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, effectively, it is inevitable to be getting involve in the world of politics, that is inevitably running the world of human beings, even if the mind knows and understands that there are many destructive minds with destructive ideas and conducts are existing in the world of politics.

The world of politics (to be gaining influential power of influence and control or authorization towards all and everything to be and not to be in certain way in accordance to one's desires and don't desires) is indeed the creation of the minds functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, being supported and given power by the minds that are also functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

The many different types of politics (the many different political parties, or associations, or organizations, or authorities, or individuals), that exist under many different ideas/visions/aspirations/desires/agendas (the power of governance, or leadership, or influence to maintain certain 'order' in the family, or the relationship, or the community, or the world of diversity, to be complying with specific ideas/visions/aspirations/desires/agendas), is neither good nor bad.

Just like the existence of all kinds of tools, or educations, or advance technologies, or business, or economy (income generation and consumption), or money transaction (goods exchange), or good quality of living, or leisure activities and enjoyments, and etc, are neither god nor bad, it depends on the presence and absence of ignorance in the minds.

However, when the world of politics (the power of governance/leadership/influence/regulation/authorization) is run by the minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, that are full of destructive ideas/visions/aspirations/desires/agendas, then naturally, it appears to be something hurtful and destructive towards all and everything.

And if the world of politics is run by the minds that are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, it can bring many constructive evolution or transition (experience, affair, happening, condition, situation, interaction, relationship that promotes peace and harmony) to the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

Just as schools and educations are neither good nor bad. It depends on whether the teachers who conduct the teachings and the available curriculum are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, or not. Where the proper education taught by the selfless compassionate teachers that are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism can bring constructive changes individually, communally, and environmentally, and vice versa.

The difficulty, is that - 

The minds that are interested in the path of self realization to be free from the veil of ignorance, in order to realize unconditional peace in oneself, as well as having the good intention to be doing something good (constructive) for the world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, that can promote peace and harmony among the many diversities that are momentarily sharing the space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, will be naturally and/or eventually distancing themselves from the world of politics, as the engagement (without non-grasping) in the world of politics with the intention of doing something good (constructive) for the world of ignorance and egoism, is extremely difficult and exhausting, that not only hinders the process of the annihilation of the veil of ignorance, but empowers the veil of ignorance (the continuous disturbed restless state of mind) in oneself, due to continuously dealing with and hammering by all kinds of madness or destructive hurtful ideas and conducts/actions/reactions coming from the other minds (that oneself wants to help to be free from all those madness or destructive hurtful ideas and conducts), if under the presence of grasping, or the absence of non-grasping.

Meanwhile, the minds that are interested in politics, to be gaining or having the influential power/control/authorization/influence/possession/manipulation towards all and everything in the world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, they are not interested in the path of self realization to be conquering one's own restless egoistic impure modification of the mind, to be free from the veil of ignorance, but merely interested in conquering and influencing and controlling all the other minds in order to achieve their own particular boundless ideas, desires, visions, aspirations, or agendas.

Such destructive hurtful thinking and behavior pattern exists in anywhere and everywhere, not only in the world of politics, but at all levels, in all fields, in all kinds of affairs, in family ties and connections, in relationships, in community, in social interactions and activities, at home, at school, at work place, in public area, in business, in non-profit charitable organization, in cultural, spiritual, and religious organization, and even within oneself alone without engaging with any others, and so on.

However, even if the minds are not interested in politics to be gaining or having the power/control/authorization/influence to be controlling/regulating/influencing anyone or anything, but merely want to be doing something really good (constructive) to the world of many diversities, to help to liberate the many ignorant egoistic minds from their own madness or destructive hurtful ideas and conducts, to promote peace and harmony among the world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, these minds need to be 'utilizing' the existing world of politics, not for gaining power of control/authorization/influence, but merely to have the opportunity and possibility to introduce or initiate constructive ideas and changes into the world of ignorance and egoism that is running/functioning under the existing egoistic politics, effectively.

As most minds are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance and egoism (both the leaders and the supporters/followers/members), where the world is inevitably running/functioning under the existing egoistic politics/governance/leadership/authorization, where majority of the human beings are not mentally and emotionally independent (being conditioned by the surrounding environment/the parents/the family/the community/the leaders/the cultures/the spirituality/the religious beliefs/the commercial values to be mentally and emotionally dependence), where they need to be motivated and acknowledged by something or some others, that they need to be somebody with specific identities and qualities, and that they need to depend on the existence of leadership of having some leaders to think and make decision for them and be responsible for the consequences of the decision making and action taking, or to organize and regulate their life existence, conducts, desires and don't desires, belief and disbelief, ways of thinking, ways of living, and activities.

But all these 'selfless and noble' actions through the engagement or involvement in the world of politics to bring 'constructive' changes into the world of ignorance and egoism, effectively, have to be done under the presence of non-grasping, or under the absence of grasping, or else, one will be hammered and drowned by the over-whelming continuous boundless madness or destructive hurtful ideas and conducts (ignorant actions and reactions) of the many minds that oneself wants to help to be free from all that.

Without the egoistic intention/desire/vision/ambition to change (by influence, or control, or manipulate, via temptation/reward and threat/fear (lies and story telling), with rules and regulations and prosecutions and punishments) the world to be a better place for all and everyone, but merely make use of the existing knowledge/talent/possibility/opportunity constructively, to be performing possible actions that might or might not help to bring constructive changes in the world, significantly or insignificantly, while allowing the fruit of action to be what it is.

Look after oneself before one can truly look after all the others, effectively.

Stay away from egoistic politics (the destructive power of hurtful ideas, activities, control, manipulation, and influence that promote mental and emotional dependence), when the mind is not free from the influence of ignorance and egoism - Not harming oneself and others.

Get involve in selfless politics (the constructive power of beneficial ideas, activities, supportive facilitation and selfless service, right education, and correct understanding that promote mental and emotional independence), when the mind is free from the influence of ignorance and egoism - Promoting wisdom and compassion or peace and harmony in oneself and others.

Turning a supposedly extremely difficult and unpleasant path into a path of wisdom and unconditional peace.

The light is just being what it is.

The light doesn't bend itself to illuminate every corner behind all kinds of obstacles.

The light doesn't enjoy or suffer regardless of whether it illuminates everywhere, or not.

But under the absence of obstacles or under the presence of reflective objects, the light illuminates everywhere, intentionlessly, indiscriminately, and unconditionally.

The light is always there, as it is. It is up to everyone to either move away from or remove the obstacles that hinders them from seeing the light, or not being in the dark.

Some prefer to be in the dark without the presence of light, and that is their freedom of choice and desire.

Without the existence of light, none can come in contact with or experience the light.

Without the presence of wisdom and peace, none can come in contact with or experience wisdom and peace.

Wisdom and peace exists in all and everyone regardless of whether they realize it, or not.

Be the selfless reflector of wisdom and peace, and let others whether to reflect upon and realize it, or not.

 

Go beyond the worldly egoistic conditional ancestral/cultural/spiritual/religious/communal/political/national/philosophical/commercial thinking and belief, values and practice, that give rise to and empower all kinds of dualities and all kinds of madness, of selfishness, possessiveness, sense of belonging and ownership, self-esteem and self-worth, superiority and inferiority, deserving and undeserving, hurtful ideas/desires/behaviors/actions/reactions, fear, greed, hypocrisy, control, manipulation, exploitation, cruelty, self-righteousness, and violence.

Be the selfless reflector of the truth of selflessness, or the dharma/dhamma.

Be the selfless reflector of all kinds of diversities (the many different qualities of names and forms), that allows the selfless minds to reflect and see themselves, or not.

Perform action, and let go.

Just give, and let go.

Just be kind, and let them be. 

Inquire towards egoistic reactions

The ego is pleased upon coming in contact with names and forms that it likes and agrees with.

It is displeased upon coming in contact with names and forms that it doesn't like and disagrees with.

It is happy and satisfied when it gets and experiences what it desires, and when it doesn't get or experience what it doesn't desire.

It is unhappy and dissatisfied when it gets and experiences what it doesn't desire, and when it doesn't get or experience what it desires.

It wants unrestricted freedom of expression and opinion for itself, to agree and disagree with something.

It allows limited freedom of expression and opinion for other people, to be restricted to express certain expression and opinion that it likes, desires and agrees with, that doesn't contradict its thinking and belief, but not allowing any kinds of expression or opinion that it doesn't like, doesn't desire and doesn't agree with, that contradicts its thinking and belief, especially if it's about other people's expression and opinion towards itself and everything that relates to itself.

It only welcomes agreement towards itself, while rejects and disallows any form of disagreements towards itself.

It feels offended, insulted, belittled, disrespected and hurt by other people's expression and opinion towards itself and anything that relates to itself, if those expressions and opinions are something that it doesn't like and disagrees with, even if those expressions and opinions are the truth, but it's inconvenient truth for the ego where it thinks it's going against itself, that is threatening something about itself, particularly when it's related to power and fame.

It feels satisfied, happy, pleased, respected and flattered by other people's expression and opinion towards itself and anything that relates to itself, if those expressions are what it likes and agrees with, even if those expressions are not really the truth, but it's convenient untruthfulness for the ego where it thinks it's favourable to itself, that is empowering something about itself, particularly when it's related to power and fame.

If the minds are not aware of this defilement in themselves when it is not too serious, when the minds still have certain awareness and self-control over the egoistic reactions, it would turn into a form of mental illness, where the minds are unable to reason or inquire the truth of anything, but living in a self-imagined 'perfect desirable reality' that is built according to what it likes and desires, and would be highly defensive and offensive towards the presence of any names and forms that it thinks and believes has the potential of contaminating, intimidating, threatening and damaging the 'perfect desirable reality' that it built for itself.

Yoga and Buddhism's essential practice is about mind purification of removing the defilement in the mind, to free the mind from ignorance and impurities. No doctor, or surgeon, or medicine, or Guru, or 'God', can remove the defilement in the mind but the mind itself. All minds are under the influence of certain degrees of defilement. Those who are fortunate to have awareness towards the defilement in the mind, and have self-control without being over-powered by the defilement, while be initiative to do something to eliminate defilement from the mind, is considered mentally healthy and matured. If the mind doesn't have awareness, and doesn't do anything about it, the defilement could expand to a greater degrees where the mind would be over-powered by the defilement, then it becomes a form of mental illness.

Those who are unfortunately suffering from mental illness, are losing the basic ability to process the thought activities, to reason and understand, where they cannot and don't know how to deal with certain or all the mind perception of names and forms, being confused and have no self-control over certain or all kinds of action and reaction. Those who are overly sensitive and easily being offended by this and that, who can't deal with and don't allow the presence of certain names and forms that they dislike and disagree with, where they think and believe that the presence of certain names and forms that they dislike and disagree with is the cause of all the disturbance in their minds, are indeed suffering from certain degrees of mental illness. Healthy minds have the basic ability to reason and understand, have self-control over actions and reactions, while allowing all kinds of likable and dislikable, agreeable and disagreeable names and forms being there as they are, without being determined or over-whelmed by all the names and forms being what they are.

The mind that is being determined by other people's perception or opinion towards itself, where it attaches onto and identifies with a personal and public self-identity and self-image that gives certain power and fame to itself that is being supported by some other people, will reject and disallow any forms of personal and public expression or opinion that appear to be disagreeable towards itself, or going against itself, as this mind doesn't want other people to come in contact with any personal and public expressions and opinions about itself that it thinks and believes will be threatening its power and fame relates to its particular public identity and image, and it wants to 'determine' how other people think and judge about itself, by 'controlling' and 'restricting' what type of personal and public expression and opinion to be exposed to other people, where it doesn't allow other people to be given the opportunity of coming in contact with all kinds of expressions and opinions as they are, to have the freedom to reason the truth of those expressions and opinions, and to make their own judgment towards any expressions and opinions, but this mind wants to control what people come in contact with, to 'make sure' that people only be exposed to expressions or opinions that will be in favour of its public identity and image, to secure its power and fame to be the way that it likes and desires. This mind is suffering from fear of losing the power and fame that it likes and desires.

A society that doesn't have the freedom of expression and opinion, that doesn't allow freedom of reasoning, that is being exposed to certain 'limited' and 'filtered' information, expression and opinion, with the intention to 'determine' and 'control' what people should and shouldn't be exposed to, in order to 'control' what people know and shouldn't know, that 'influencing' how people think, judge and believe, is unhealthy and detrimental to the long term over-all well-being of that society.

A healthy society that will make a country or the world strong and prosper, is when people are 'mentally matured', where people are being educated to develop the power of reasoning, to be exposed to all kinds of expression and opinion, and to have the freedom or opportunity to reason and make their own judgment towards what they want to agree and disagree with towards all kinds of information, expression and opinion. And that is the basic freedom or basic human rights, where people are free to reason and make their own judgment, regardless of whether people are agreeable or disagreeable towards certain information, expression and opinion based on their particular interest, thinking and belief.

A democratic country can be run by any leadership that is agreeable by the majority of the people, not by 'determining' or 'controlling' people's knowledge and judgment to be in favour of oneself to be in power, but by allowing the people to have the freedom to be exposed to all kinds of information as they are, to have the freedom to reason and make their own judgment, to agree and disagree, and to choose the leadership that serves the people unselfishly and non-discriminatively. It's not democracy, if the authority of a democratic country is afraid of losing power, that wants to keep in power, and will do whatever it can with the power that it has, to 'control' and 'determine' what the people know and shouldn't know, and what they agree and disagree with, in order to attain the support from the majority to keep in power.

A healthy society is made of mentally matured people who are free to agree and disagree with anything, who are free to reason everything, and free to express their thinking and opinion, while respecting everyone's freedom to have their own different opinions of agreement and disagreement towards everything based on their particular thinking and belief, without interference towards other people's different opinions, especially towards certain opinions that oneself disagrees with.

Everyone doesn't need to be determined by other people's freedom of expression and opinion, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements towards oneself and/or everything.

Everyone doesn't need to agree with everything, while doesn't need to feel offended by something that oneself disagreeing with, and doesn't need to be offended by other people's freedom of expression and opinion of dislike and disagreement towards oneself, or towards one's particular thinking and belief.

There will be less anger, hatred and violence, but more peace and harmony in the world of diversity, if the world is occupying by human beings that are mentally matured and open-minded, even though there will always be many disagreements among human beings about many things due to the different thinking and belief and desire.

In another term, it's called 'sportsmanship'. All the people who involve in leadership in the world should first be endowed with the quality of 'sportsmanship' before being given the power to lead a government that is supposed to be serving the people, and not about 'controlling', 'oppressing', 'punishing' and 'prosecuting' the people who express their opinion of disagreement towards certain things, while doesn't allow freedom of knowledge and reasoning by 'controlling' and 'restricting' all kinds of expression and opinion, in order to control what people know and don't know, and what people should and shouldn't think and believe, in order to get enough support to keep in power.

Peace and harmony in the world or within a country, is not achieved by 'controlling' and 'unifying' what people should and shouldn't know, and 'determining' what people should and shouldn't think and believe, under the intention of promoting peace and harmony by having less disagreements in the world, but it's by allowing all kinds of agreements and disagreements to be existing in the world as they are, while respecting everyone's freedom of expression and opinion based on everyone's different knowledge, thinking and belief, without interference or oppression towards all kinds of disagreeable expressions and opinions deriving from different thinking and beliefs, that contradict one another.

When people are living under an oppressed society, where many people are suffering from certain degrees of mental illness, and are not mentally matured or open-minded, as people are being brought up in the way of being highly defensive towards their own particular identity, and being highly sensitive and offensive towards other people's freedom of expression and opinion, where people have no freedom of expression and opinion about anything, because people would be prosecuted under specific law and orders for their freedom of expression and opinion of agreement and disagreement, where people are being forced to have certain degrees of fear and tension most of the time dealing with many highly sensitive, defensive and offensive mentally-ill people around them, then how can that society be healthy and prosper?

When people are not living under an oppressed society, where most people are free from mental illness and are mentally matured and open-minded, where people have the freedom of expression and opinion about anything, where people won't be prosecuted under the law and orders for their freedom of expression and opinion of agreement and disagreement, then people can develop the power of reasoning and can learn from each other's different knowledge and opinion about everything, and the society can grow healthily and prosper.

Even so, it's everyone's freedom if someone wants to filter it's own expression and opinion, if one thinks that is necessary, for some reasons, out of one's free-will, and not out of legal restriction under an oppressed society. Such like, people can choose not to have any intentional violence or hypocrisy in their expression of thought, action and speech. It's part of the yoga practice for having self-control and self-restraint over one's thoughts, actions and speech, to restrain the outgoing tendency of the mind, turning the mind inward for self-introspection and contemplation, to not interfering with all the names and forms being there as they are, to allow the perceived reality to be what it is, not necessarily the way that the mind would like it to be.

Everyone has the freedom to restrict and filter their own expression and opinion, or not. Everyone has the freedom of how to react towards other people's expression and opinion, but none can interfere with other people's freedom of how they want to react towards all kinds of expression and opinion. People can be highly sensitive, defensive and offensive, if that's what they want to be. It's everyone's own responsibility towards one's own action and reaction.

Inquire the truth of everything.

A better world?

The world is being divided into many different countries that are being run by different bodies of 'government'. Unfortunately, many countries are having troubles due to failed government policy or leadership.

People think and believe that a country needs to have a government to keep things in order and to progress, just like people think and believe that all communities need to have their own respective leader to lead them. Swami Sivananda said, "The world would probably run smoother if all leaders are taken out from the world."

If the government or the leader is free from the influence of any particular cultural or religious belief and practice, and just perform their duty as what a government or a leader should be doing (serving the country and its people), then the country or the community will progress and prosper in many ways. The society of diversity will also have more peace and harmony.

Once the government/the leader is governing/leading the country/the community under the influence of certain ideas/values based on a particular cultural or religious belief and practice, then this country or this community will have many problems.

Similarly, education should just be education, where it should be free from the influence of certain ideas/values based on any particular cultural or religious, or even political belief/point of view and practice.

Unfortunately, that is what's going on in many countries and communities. There are so much discrimination, oppression, hatred and violence due to failed government policy and leadership.

Admirable leader?

It's common for most minds being unwittingly attracted to and generate admiration towards others with certain qualities of names and forms that one desires, likes and agrees with, that inspires oneself in certain ways, that appears to be admirable and inspirational for oneself. Most minds also want to equip oneself with certain qualities of names and forms to be able to inspire others, that would attract admiration from others.

For the minds that are free from ignorance and egoism, there's neither admiration towards any qualities of names and forms that appear to be higher quality, superior, admirable or attractive, nor there's longing to be attracting admiration from others by possessing certain qualities of names and forms that appear to be higher quality, superior, admirable or attractive. Though without any intention, or expectation, or longing to make oneself being admirable or inspirational to attract any admiration from others, or to inspire anyone, one allows others to perceive and react towards oneself the way that they perceive and react.

Many people would think and believe and promote that if someone wants to be doing something in this world to make the world 'a better place', one should do one's best to be a highly admirable/inspirational person who can inspire and be admired by as many people as possible, in order to become 'an admirable leader' to be propagating one's vision to 'attract'/'recruit'/'leading' many people to also 'follow'/'adopt'/'practice'/'perform action according to' one's vision to make the world 'a better place'. As most people would be 'blindly' listening to and following those whom they admired or attracted to very much, regardless of whether it's something true, or not true.

In the path of yoga and Buddhism, it's not like that at all. In any circumstances, none should be encouraged to 'admire' anyone, to 'follow'/'adopt'/'practice'/'perform action according to' any teachings or visions from anyone who portrays certain qualities of names and forms that the mind desires, likes, and agrees with, that the mind admires or falls in love with, but everyone must investigate and inquire the truth of everything, including all the teachings of yoga and Buddhism, to attain self-realization, to free the mind from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance.

If the minds are free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance through self-inquiry and self-realization by disciplining/purifying/silencing one's mind, then there's no need of anybody to be setting an intention/aspiration to be 'an admirable leader' to be attracting/recruiting/leading many others to 'follow'/'adopt'/'practice'/'perform action according to' a particular vision of making the world to be in a particular way that one desires, that one thinks and believes is 'the way to a better world', but without the need to be following any leaders, everyone who is free from ignorance will naturally stop generating unnecessary 'problems' or 'unrest' into the world, to be performing action, to live life, act and react selflessly in this world out of wisdom and compassion, without any intention, or aspiration, or desire, or ambition to make the world to be in any particular way, but allowing the world to be what it is, while accommodating and respecting everyone being what they are, having their own different ways of life/thinking/belief/practice/action/reaction.

It's never about training or being 'a leader with admirable charisma/quality' that would be 'attracting'/'recruiting'/'leading' many other people to be 'following'/'adopting'/'practicing'/'performing action according to' certain egoistic thinking and beliefs or visions about 'how the world should be like' and leading other people to be making the world to be 'the way that the mind thinks and believes how it should be', where there are many different egoistic thinking and beliefs or visions existing in the world that desire 'a world' that are very different from one another, where all kinds of corruptions, conflicts, clashes, discrimination, hatred, oppression, intrusion, violence and unrest exist due to different leaders desire/aspire to make the world to be the way that they think and believe how it should be, to be 'a world' that they desire.

"Even if all the leaders are taken out of the world now, the world will run on smoothly, probably more smoothly. Even if all the people retire into the forest, the world will go on." - Swami Sivananda

"Do not hoard disciples. Do not build ashrams." - Swami Sivananda

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was never a 'leader' 'leading' a group of 'followers' who 'followed' his path, teachings, or disciplines. He taught, "Inquire the truth of everything. Discipline one's mind. Purify one's mind. Silent one's mind. Liberate one's mind from attachment. When there's attachment towards 'this worldly life existence', one is not a 'practitioner'. Do not blind-believing, blind-following, blind-preaching, blind-practicing, blind-agreeing/disagreeing."

Without 'leader', what is 'follower' or 'disciple', and vice versa?

Wise leaders vs unwise leaders...

The wise leaders encourage the people to be wise, to be free from ignorance, so that they don't need to be troubled nor spend energy on dealing with ignorant issues derive from ignorance.

And everything runs smoothly by itself as the people act and react wisely, being free from ignorance. There is minimal problems. If there is any problems, the wise people will know how to solve all the problems by themselves and no need to trouble the leaders.

The unwise leaders encourage the people to remain ignorant, to be conditioned by ignorance, so that they will feel more superior and smarter than the people and the people will be depending on them. It makes them feel strong and powerful. But they have to be troubled all the time and have to spend tremendous energy to deal with ignorant issues derive from ignorance.

And everything becomes complicated as the people act and react ignorantly, being conditioned by ignorance. There will be many problems generated by the people, and they don't know how to solve the problems by themselves and have to trouble the leaders who seem to be "smarter" than them.

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

This is the same situation in the yoga classes, yoga teachers and yoga students.

In real yoga classes, the selfless teachers who are free from selfish desires will teach the classes in a way that will allow all the students to be self-independent, to be free from ignorance, and to be their own teacher. So that the students don't need to keep coming back for attending classes, and develop self-discipline to perform their own practice without supervision. As the students are free from ignorance, there is minimal problems being generated in their life. If there is any problems, the students will be able to solve all their problems by themselves, and no need to depend on the teachers to give them instructions, or to help them to solve their problems.

This is completely different from commercialized yoga classes.

The teachers/instructors with selfish desires will teach the classes in a way that doesn't allow the students to be self-independent, unable to be free from ignorance, and unable to be their own teacher. So that the students will be depending on the teachers to give them instructions to perform their practice, or in need of the teachers to help them to solve their problems. This makes the teachers feel more superior than the students, and being important as being needed by the students. And due to commercial reasons, the yoga business depends very much on the students to keep coming back for attending classes, to keep their business running and to be profitable maximumly.

Om shanti.