Any kind of purification or cleaning-up process is naturally and inevitably unpleasant or even painful

There are different kinds of purification or cleaning up process in the world of human beings.

There are endless 'rubbish' and 'messiness' being generated by human beings unto oneself and into the surrounding environment, that need ongoing cleaning/tidying up or cleansing activity, or else, all and everything will be 'drowned' by the excessive ceaseless and endless generation and accumulation of 'rubbish' and 'messiness', or ignorance and the consequences of ignorance, in the world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

There is the essential observation of maintaining internal and external cleanliness, or the engagement in internal and external purification/cleansing process in the teachings of yoga and buddhism.

Internal cleanliness is about the physical and mental purification process. 

Physical purification process to remove physical fatigue, laziness, idleness, under activity, over activity, energy blockage, stiffness, heaviness, sluggishness, inflammation, infection, illness, disease, and etc.

Mind purification process to remove the veil of ignorance, restlessness, cloudiness, murkiness, inattentiveness, passion, the idea of 'I', egoism of attachment, identification, craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation, and all kinds of impurities, to be free from the conditional restless impure egoistic thinking and behavior pattern under the influence of worldly passionate egoistic ideas, beliefs, values, desires, and practices, or to be free from the corrupted thinking and incorrect understanding and the consequences of that.

External cleanliness is about the cleanliness/tidiness and simplicity of the surrounding environment as well as the living space and the physical yoga practice space.

Not only the personal living space and yoga practice space need ceaseless ongoing effort for cleaning and tidying up regularly, but also the public space, community space, work space, all kinds of organization, political corruption, as well as natural disasters aftermath and/or ignorance inflicted events aftermath, and so on.

External cleanliness or cleansing process towards the surrounding environment individually and collectively doesn't mean interfering/controlling/influencing/manipulating/reforming/changing/forcing others to be the way that one desires, likes, and agrees with, to chase away/wipe out anyone or anything that oneself doesn't desire, doesn't like, or doesn't agree with.

It has to come from all minds themselves, to be self-initiated to reform/change/purify themselves to be free from the influence of ignorance and the consequences of ignorance, to be free from all kinds of corrupted thinking and incorrect understanding and hurtful damaging behavior, all by the mind itself, out of its own conscious awareness, freewill, desire, and effort.

One can only serve as a selfless intentionless desireless indiscriminate 'mirror' that enable others to be reflecting upon themselves, or not.

All kinds of purification or cleaning up process will naturally and inevitably give rise to some unpleasant and even painful side-effects or consequences.

Just like cleaning up the long time never been cleaned garbage container of intense stubborn stain and foul smell. It's extremely unpleasant and disgusting, but one needs to have the courage or indifference to confront all that during the process of cleaning up. And after that, one needs to have the consistent initiative and effort to clean up the garbage container regularly from time to time, and the cleaning process will become less and less unpleasant, and eventually, without any unpleasantness at all.

The process of eradicating any kind of impurities, or 'rubbish', or corruptions, or hurtful damaging behavior/activity in the physical body, in the modification of the mind, in the diverse community, in all kinds of organization, especially in the world of corrupted egoistic politics, and in the surrounding environment, regardless of personally/individually or communally/collectively, is an unpleasant and exhausting ongoing process. Just as the ongoing maintenance or cleaning process of the garden. Just as the endless maintenance of life existence to be attending ceaseless hunger and thirst and the elimination of waste products until the selfless impermanent life existence comes to an end.

The activation of the conscious mind purification process of eradicating the veil of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, and all kinds of impurities or restlessness, is the same as the engagement in selfless actions of cleaning up/reforming process of eradicating all kinds of corruptions/ignorance and consequences of ignorance in the world of human beings, which is an extremely challenging and prolonged ongoing process.

All kinds of corruptions in the world of human beings are deriving from the corrupted minds functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance.

Ignorance can only be eradicated by the mind itself, out of its own conscious awareness, freewill, initiation, effort, yearning for liberation, determination, and perseverance. 

Yoga and buddhism practice is all about the purification/eradication/elimination/cleansing process of annihilating the veil of ignorance in the mind, by the mind itself.

Collective duty cannot happen if without looking after individual duty. By looking after individual duty of reforming one's own conditional thinking and behavior pattern that has been conditioned by the worldly passionate egoistic restless ideas, beliefs, values, desires, and practices, to be free from the influence of the veil of ignorance, to have the clarity of thinking and correct understanding, and naturally, that engagement in looking after one's own individual duty itself is not separated from the collective duty, where there is less a corrupted mind generating corruption or corrupted thinking and destructive hurtful behavior into the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, as well as, there is more a peaceful mind contributing peace and harmony into the surrounding environment.

It is greatly unpleasant and even painful for the mind especially in the beginning, and it might continuously be unpleasant and painful from time to time, until the mind developed the basic essential fundamental qualities/elements/disciplines, independence or self reliance, and correct understanding, that will eventually lead the mind towards the complete annihilation of the veil of ignorance, or the ultimate liberation from ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

Similarly, the cleaning up or reforming process of the long time built up political corruption that exists in many areas or countries, that ceaselessly inflict and promote fear, violence, anger, hatred, unrest, destructive hurtful bullying behavior, selfishness, possessiveness, greed, manipulation, exploitation, discrimination, and separateness among the diverse individuals and diverse communities in the world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything in order to gratified certain selfish agendas, aspirations, and desires of certain human beings, that affects the life existence of all and everyone locally and globally, is highly challenging, exhausting, and unpleasant.

There are many minds have been broken by the ongoing prolonged political corruptions where the many minds are being conditioned by the many corrupted political ideas/beliefs/values/desires/practices/cultures to be thinking, believing, reasoning, understanding, feeling, desiring, behaving, acting, and reacting in the way that hurt oneself and others and the surrounding environment, that not only impacting all and everything locally, but also globally.

From the corrupted thinking and behavior in oneself, it expands to the family ties and connections (corrupted parenting method and family interaction/behavior), to the community (corrupted education/information/aspiration/vision/organization/government/policy/law making/leadership and social interaction/behavior), and to the world of many diversities and the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything (the sense of pride/superiority and inferiority/possessiveness/selfishness/nationalism (this is our country/land and space that belongs to us)/patriotism/globalization/gangsterism/bully/discrimination/hatred/interference/invasion/offensiveness/defensiveness/power greed/wealth greed/status greed/enjoyment greed/expansion greed/reproductive greed/exploitation/manipulation, and so on, that give rise to all kinds of unnecessary evitable painful suffering in the world and damages to nature or the surrounding living environment).

The mind purification process, or conscious mind evolution of changing the conditional thinking and behavior pattern, can only be happening in oneself, by oneself.

All minds need to reform oneself, and naturally/eventually, there will be less and less corrupted minds in the world contributing any kind of corruption, or ignorance and consequences of ignorance into the world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

If there is fear or aversion towards the inevitable exhausting and unpleasant side-effects that arise during the process of cleaning up, where one is reluctant to be engaging in the individual and collective cleaning up process, but then, one will have to deal with all kinds of harmful effects of the ceaseless accumulation of impurities/corruptions/'rubbish'/'messiness'/ignorance and consequences of ignorance that are detrimental to the overall welfare of oneself and others and the surrounding environment, where there won't be any suitable conducive internal and external environment, for anyone or anything to be existing and functioning as what all and everything are.

Just as, there are many minds are reluctant to cut off 'ties and connections' with some 'bullies', and rather accepting all kinds of continuous endless 'bullying behaviors' of 'the bullies', empowering 'the bully and its bullying behaviors', because the minds think and believe that they cannot be independent, and that they have to rely on the bullies for 'something that they want'.

Inquire the truth of everything. 

Want to reform the system of the world?

Human beings, regardless of one's gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, belief and nationality, whom themselves, or who are aware of some others, have been experiencing certain kinds of discrimination whether coming from within their own 'group' or coming from some other 'groups', who have 'good' intention and aspiration of getting involve in different types of activism/protest with the intention/aspiration to reform the highly corrupted system of the world, who want to promote peace and harmony in the world, who really want the world to be free from all kinds of discrimination among the enormous diversities in the world, people need to work on reforming oneself first, by conquering one's human nature that is under the influence of ignorance and egoism as well as the basic survival instinct, which is the mother of all kinds of corruption and discrimination either existing within the same 'group', or among the different 'groups'.

All kinds of activism and protest are useless, if people think and believe that there are something wrong/incorrect with the world or with certain people's thinking, beliefs and behavior, and trying to reform the world or certain people's thinking, beliefs and behavior to be in certain way that they desire and agree with, that they think how it should be, but without reforming themselves first.

Once everyone knows how to reform oneself, free from being the slave of ignorance, egoism and survival instinct, there is no need of any kind of activism and protest to be existing, to go against 'this' or 'that' in any society, anywhere in the world.

Many people think and believe that education is the most important thing in the world for developing a healthy society and prosperity, and it's true, but it depends on what type of education.

If it's just education to have the knowledge, skill and qualification to be able to find a job/do a business, to make a living in the world of capitalism and consumerism, that supports the world economy and prosperity, as well as education that is under the influence of certain 'morality practice', 'spiritual practice', 'religious belief' or 'political interest', that is feeding egoism which empowers 'personal/social identification' which generates all kinds of separateness/comparison/discrimination between 'I' and 'the others that are not I', that encourages 'greed', 'selfishness', 'possessiveness', 'the sense of belonging', 'pride', 'heroism', 'nationalism', 'loyalty' and 'patriotism', where it doesn't want or allow the people to question the truth of everything, or be able to think and live life independently, that would 'threaten' the 'existence', 'power' and 'profits' of all sorts of 'authority', it won't stop/eliminate all kinds of corruption and discrimination in the world.

The education should be emphasizing on self-control, self-discipline, self-inquiry, self-investigation, self-realization, self-reliance, physical/mental/emotional independence and open-mindedness, of how to be free from ignorance, egoism and impurities - the root cause of all kinds of humanity problem in the world, besides developing the knowledge and skill to be making a living in the world of capitalism and consumerism, or to be able to live a self-contained/self-sufficient way of life that doesn't need to depend on the society of capitalism and consumerism, or the economy/prosperity of the world.

The education on self-control, self-discipline, self-inquiry, self-investigation, self-realization, physical/mental/emotional independence and open-mindedness, of how to be free from ignorance, egoism and impurities, is universal. It has nothing to do with any particular 'morality practice', 'spiritual practice' or 'religious belief', as ignorance, egoism and impurities also exist in so called 'morality practice', 'spiritual practice' and 'religious belief', not to say, in 'political interest'.

Corrupted education is sort of like 'parents' who want to 'mould' their children to be in certain way, to 'train' their children to be obedient and don't question anything about their 'authorization' and 'whatever they want their children to listen and follow'. If the children behave according to their 'rules', or achieve 'what the parents want them to achieve', which pleases them, then they would give their children some 'praising' and 'rewards', but if their children don't behave according to their 'rules', or don't achieve 'what the parents want them to achieve', then they would give their children some 'disciplinary' and 'punishment'. And the parents want the children to become 'somebody' that they want them to become, and expect the children to 'give' the parents what they desire to be getting from the children. "Do something and be somebody that make us feel proud." The 'corruption' of the entire society, of the 'authority', of the 'system' in the world, is deriving from this kind of 'family relationship'.

Beware of anything that sounds like this, "Just obey. Do not question my authorization. This is the Truth and you must believe in this Truth. It's sinful and punishable if you disbelieve in this Truth or have any doubt towards this Truth."

In yoga and Buddhism, it's all about attaining self-realization towards the truth of everything. It's not a sin or punishable if one is ignorant towards the truth or is doubting the truth of something. The Truth is not a belief. The Truth doesn't need anyone to believe in it nor doesn't like anyone disbelieve in it or has doubt in it.

"Do not blind believing, blind following, or blind practicing anything, even if it's coming from your parents, elders, school teachers, religious teachers, best friends, members of the society, famous philosopher, or popular political leaders. Inquire and investigate the truth of everything, including all the teachings here." There's no 'authority' to 'discipline or punish' anyone for being ignorant under the influence of ignorance.

It's about being aware of the ignorance in oneself.

It's needless to be looking for a great teacher here and there.

None can teach, or discipline, or liberate anyone who isn't aware of ignorance in oneself, while those who are aware of ignorance in oneself, then the impermanent and selfless modifications of one's mind, as well as one's actions and the consequences of one's actions, is one's greatest teacher towards knowing Thyself, and be free from ignorance.

Compassion is not something that can be obtained from receiving, learning, training or education. Compassion manifests as it is upon the annihilation of ignorance, egoism and impurities, upon the realization of selflessness.

Compassion is not about giving people whatever they like and want and desire, and don't give them what they don't like, don't want and don't desire, in order to make them feel good, satisfied, meaningful and happy, or so that people won't feel bad, dissatisfied, meaningless and unhappy, though that is what most people understood as 'compassion' - give people happiness/convenience/comfort and take away their unhappiness/suffering/discomfort.

Compassion is there as it is, when the mind is free from egoism of attachment, identification, expectation, judgment, or desire of craving and aversion, 'respecting' the law of nature - Cause and Effect, Impermanence and Selflessness, 'respecting' the world as it is and everyone as they are (existing and functioning under the law of nature), 'allowing' everyone to take their own pace and effort to know their own minds, to know Thyself, realizing what is actually going on in their own minds, to realize selflessness, being free from ignorance, egoism and impurities, transcending the mind perception of a worldly life existence of impermanent and selfless names and forms, be able to deal with all kinds of pleasant/unpleasant, agreeable/disagreeable, desirable/undesirable experience, condition and situation independently and equanimously, being free from suffering deriving from ignorance and egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation.

Reform ourselves first, if we truly want to see reformation in the society...

Free ourselves from ignorance first, if we wish the world to be free from ignorant beings and happenings.

Have peace in ourselves first, if we want a peaceful world.

We cannot expect everyone else, except ourselves should be changing, so that we can have a better society that is free from ignorant beings and happenings, so that we can have a peaceful world to live in.

Out of pride and arrogance, we think that we are better human beings than others. We think that we are 'good' people, and we are angry with all the 'bad' people in the society. Thinking that everyone else except ourselves, are contributing and being responsible for the problems in the society or in the world.

The restlessness in us that comes from dissatisfaction, discrimination, anger and hatred towards other people's ignorance are in fact polluting the society and the world, not any less than those who we think they are responsible for all the 'problems' that we have.

Reform ourselves first, if we truly want to see positive changes, or reformation in the society.

If we, or every beings know how to 'clean up' and 'control' ourselves, the world will start to change. It is not about 'changing' others, or 'clean up' others, or 'control' others...

In tradition, whether in Buddhism, or Yoga teachings and practice, is all about 'reforming' or 'transforming' ourselves. We retreat ourselves from the world, or worldly affairs, to concentrate on our own 'reformation', remove ignorance and egoism, until we are free, and have peace. Being undisturbed, unaffected, uninfluenced, and undetermined by all the qualities of names and forms in the world, then only we can 'help' to bring certain awareness into the world to 'help' other beings to be free from ignorance and egoism, and attain wisdom, or correct understanding, and thus will have correct thinking, actions and speech. And so, the society will start to change or reform.

Om shanti.