Looking for yoga?

It's common that people who are interested in yoga and have the desire to learn and practice yoga in order to know what yoga really is about, they will try to go to a 'place', or 'school', or 'ashram', or 'person', where they think and expect that it would deliver them what they are looking for. Some people might found what they were looking for. But for some others, they are disappointed as they couldn't find what they are looking for.

It is not whether a particular place, or school, or ashram, or person, has the power or quality to make people 'see' or 'find' yoga, or not. People might go to the same place, or same school, or same ashram, or same person, and some would 'find' yoga there, while others couldn't. This is due to whether our minds are being opened, or not.

Yoga could be 'found' or 'seen' in anywhere and everywhere, but, if we try to look for yoga in a particular place, or school, or ashram, or person, most likely we will be disappointed, because the mind is not opened. But, when we let go of any expectation towards 'finding yoga' in a particular place, school, ashram, or person, and stop trying to look for yoga in a particular place, school, ashram, or person, but, just allowing our minds to be open and observe what is going on in our own minds, in this present, from moment to moment, observing all the impermanent changes of the states of mind, actions and reactions, thoughts and feelings that ceaselessly coming and going which are not in the control of 'I' of how 'I' would like it to be, we will start to 'see' yoga here and there, anywhere and everywhere. There's no separation from yoga. There's no 'I' am looking for 'yoga', or, 'I' found 'yoga'.

The eyes serve as a tool to 'see' lots of names and forms of different shapes and colours, but it can't 'see' itself. And yet, it was never being separated from itself.

Reflection from observing beetles...

There were many big and small beetles in our home especially during rainy season. Very often I found them dead in a large quantity in a specific place in the house.

One thing that makes me reflect about these beetles is, how come they could not come back up on their feet by themselves after they turn upside down. And they are often being upside down. Some of them eventually died out of hunger and thirst, I guess, or attacked and eaten by other insects, if they couldn't turn around by themselves for a long time.

Whenever I saw them lying on the floor on their back struggling to turn around to come back up on their feet, but they couldn't do it by themselves, I would give them a little help.

I wonder why they are being designed in such way that they couldn't come back up by their own effort, until somebody come to help or rescue them, or maybe a breeze that is strong enough to give them a blow to turn them around, or maybe a leaf fell on them and they could grab on to the leaf to get back on their feet. Or else there were many times when I saw them on the floor, they were already being attacked and eaten by other insects, mainly ants. This allows me to reflect on the truth about everything is impermanent. Everything will come to an end in its natural cause.

I think one thing is for sure, these beetles are here for us to know about compassion and to practice compassion (at least for me, it is). Without any discrimination whether they are friendly or unfriendly insects (I think some people might be afraid of them, or being disturbed by them especially when they appear in a large quantity in the house), without prejudice or expectation, just help them to get back on their feet, and without expectation that they will be grateful and say "thank you", or will give us anything in return. There is no language communication. There is no selfish desires. Merely give help to them just because we can. It's not because they are our friends, nor they are very nice to us, nor they will bring us some benefits. Even though sometimes their thorny feet might sting us when we try to pick them up. Just give help, and let go (non-attachment).

This is just my little reflection from observing them.

Om shanti.