Righteousness, criticism and condemn...

Righteousness can cause a lot of damage and generates disharmony in our lives and in the society. It initiates dispute, argument, anger, hatred and unrest in a family, in relationships, in friendships and in the society, as everyone has different thinking and beliefs, and everyone has the freedom of speech and actions. For what? Just because there are ignorant and selfish people out there who didn't behave correctly and righteously, and as a good citizen and human being, we are obliged to make sure everyone behave the way that we think they should behave? Does it worth to cause damage and disharmony in our lives for other people's ignorance and ignorant behavior?

If we are truly compassionate, we do not cause further disharmony in our lives while expecting the world to be a better place, the way that we think it should be. How can we expect everyone in the world should think and behave, the same as ourselves?

Those who are truly compassionate will just perform the necessary actions without getting involve in the ignorance of other beings. As even by criticizing and condemning what and who we think are ignorant, will not remove the ignorance from anyone. Or else, Buddha could have just go around criticizing and condemning this and that being as his duty and responsibility as a good human being, and all ignorant beings would be free from ignorance, and the world would have be free from all kinds of ignorant beings with ignorant behavior.

If we think we are right and being righteous, we should criticize and condemn others for what we think is wrong and bad, but then why are we getting so upset when other people criticize and condemn us for what they think is wrong and bad, but we think is nothing wrong or bad?

Take a look into ourselves. When we get upset and angry with something that we don't like, don't want and don't agree with, it is not coming from other people ignorance or ignorant behavior, but it is because we cannot have the reality the way that we want it to be. We are getting something that we don't like and don't want. We are not getting the thing that we like and want. It's the craving and aversion in us that initiate the dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration and anger in us. It is nothing to do with other people's ignorant thinking and behavior.

We can be peaceful as we are, and do what we can do to maintain peace and harmony in ourselves and in others, and not by generate further disharmony among us and everyone else who are free to be different.

Think about it and be happy.

When we are aware of our mind is too busy with all sorts of imprints from all the worldly inputs that the mind being exposed to, then maybe it's the time for retreating from the worldly affairs, names and forms, to take care our mind before it goes wild.

Have peace in oneself if we want peace in the world.

Om shanti.

Do not mistake anger and hatred as a form of compassion...

Anger and hatred towards bad beings and happenings or undesirable condition and situation is nothing to do with compassion. Anger and hatred exists in the mind is derived from ignorance and its side products of egoism, attachment, identification, craving, aversion and expectation.

Anger and hatred out of righteousness is merely violence unto oneself. We are not kind to ourselves if our minds are influenced by anger and hatred out of righteousness, even though we think we are showing empathy and sympathy towards others suffering. We are not any different from whom and what we are angry and hating about (for being ignorant), if our thinking and behavior is influenced by anger and hatred towards beings and happenings that we don't like and don't agree with, that we think they are the cause of ours and others suffering,

Being able to show sympathy or empathy towards other people's suffering doesn't guarantee that we are free from ignorance and impurities. We can still be disturbed and influenced by anger, hatred, dissatisfaction, disappointment, feelings of hurt, fear and worry towards names and forms that our minds don't like and don't agree with.

This is not the same as compassion, as compassion is being aware of the reality as it is, without being disturbed or influenced by the reality that our minds don't like and disagree with. With compassion, there won't be any impurities derived from the mind reaction towards any unpleasant or undesirable condition and situation. Compassion is free from discrimination influenced by the likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements of the impure egoistic and passionate mind.

Compassion exists side by side with wisdom. Without wisdom, we mistake anger and hatred towards bad and evil beings and happenings as a form of compassion.

With compassion and wisdom, we are aware of suffering and problems without being disturbed or determined by it. We are able to perform necessary actions to improve the condition and situation efficiently under a calm and peaceful mind without the violence of anger and hatred.

We don't have to be angry or hating towards bad and wrong doings to show that we are good and kind beings who don't accept or don't support bad and wrong doings.

Be free.

Righteousness, fearlessness, criticism and condemn...

There's nothing wrong when people make criticism and condemn towards other people and things that they dislike and disagree with. That is their freedom of thinking, actions and speech.

Letting go of the urge to criticize and condemn, no matter what our mind think and believe how right we are, and how wrong they are (those whom we dislike and disagree with), is one of the observations for yoga and meditation practitioners.

Some people might think that being righteous and supporting the freedom of speech means that they need to criticize and condemn anyone that they dislike and disagree with, to make a standpoint that they are good and right, and those whom they criticize and condemn are bad and wrong, as well as to induce the sense of righteousness in others, to get supports from others to also criticize and condemn what and who they dislike and disagree with, it doesn't matter if it will provoke anger, hatred and violence in other people and those whom they criticize and condemn, where they think that this is an act of righteousness and fearlessness. But this is not the right discrimination and fearlessness that we are talking about in yoga and meditation practice.

This is pure ignorance, whether intentionally or unintentionally provoking and inducing anger, hatred, violence and disharmony between us and other beings who are different from us, whom we dislike and disagree with, whom we think they are wrong, and we are right, based on what our own particular thinking and belief about what is right and wrong.

It is the tendency of the assertive ego to criticize and condemn - 'I' am good and right, and what is oppose to what 'I' think and believe as good and right, is bad and wrong. As a righteous and good being, 'I' should criticize and condemn what 'I' believe is bad and wrong.

 

It is the ego that doesn't want to let go of the urge to be self-righteous, to be a critic, to be the one who has the right thinking and righteousness to teach other people a lesson, to punish other people for their wrong doing based on what our minds believe what things are, about how people should and shouldn't think and behave.

If we want to help the world to be a more peaceful and harmony place, why are we constantly generating unrest and disharmony into the world by constantly generating criticism and condemn through action and speech that will induce anger and hatred among all beings who are different from one another?

It's purely the play of ignorance and egoism.

If we want to help to promote and maintain peace and harmony in the society, it's by stop sharing intentional information (resources from somewhere) that will provoke disharmony, doubts, anger and hatred among the different diversities in the society. Meanwhile there are many people are unaware of themselves are being used by some people, or politicians, or social medias, to achieve what they want to achieve for their personal ambitions and desires.

As yoga and meditation practitioners, while living among the society, if possible, one can learn to observe, unattached and uninvolved with the egoistic 'games' that the worldly people are playing in order to gain their personal interests and benefits.

That was what the Gurus and teachers in the past had advised anyone who wants to practice yoga and meditation, that they must stay away from vain talks, gossips, criticism, condemn, slandering, back-biting, boasting, and so on.

Using the time and energy that we spend on criticism and condemn to be performing our yoga and meditation practice will be more helpful for promoting and maintaining world peace.

Om shanti.

Be ourselves, but also be opened, let go of self-righteousness...

If we identified with and attached to certain ideology, ways of thinking, ways of living, ideas, beliefs, actions and reactions to live our life, to be who we are, about how we as "human beings" should behave, but we also expect other people or other living beings in the world to be agree with and live up to the same ideology or beliefs as we do, then we are not just generating affliction and unhappiness (Such like anger, hatred, fear, worry, dissatisfaction, disappointment, feelings of hurt, and etc) in ourselves, but also generating unnecessary conflicts with other people.

Sometimes, or, most of the time, while we are looking for freedom of thinking, action and expression to be what we want to be, we are not aware that we are "violating" other people's or other living beings' freedom of thinking, actions and expression, if ourselves is strongly attached to our own ideology and being self-righteous.

We get offended, feel insulted or humiliated, or feel hurt easily by other people or other living beings who have different ideology than us, who think, behave, act and react differently from us, which is contradicting with our own points of view and beliefs.

We'll get angry and upset easily, hurting ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally, disturbing the equilibrium of the body and mind, as well as we might be hurting other beings, if we don't have awareness and self-control over our own anger, irritation and frustration whenever our egoistic minds come in contact with something (names and forms) that our mind strongly dislike and disagree with, based on what our minds believe what things are, or how things should be like.

And that's where anger and hatred begins, where arguments and clashes begin, where wars and violence begin...

Have our own ideology, be ourselves, as we are, but also be opened, let go of self-righteousness.

Allow and respect other people or other living beings to be what they are, to be different from us... It doesn't mean that we have to agree with other people's thinking and behavior that we cannot agree with, nor are we supporting other people to behave the way that we think is "wrong" or "not right" based on what our minds believe what is right and wrong...

Have peace in ourselves, before we can "expect" or "hope for" peace in the world, if we think we are so right and so good human beings.

Be in harmony with ourselves and with others. Let go of expectation towards other people or other living beings that they should behave in certain ways that our mind can agree with, no matter how "great" we think our ideology is...

Learn how to love unconditionally before we can "expect" or "hope for" peace and harmony in our relationships with anyone.

This is yoga practice.

Om shanti.

How the mind reacts based on what the mind believes what things are...

If we think we are good and righteous people that we can judge another person's behavior as right or wrong based on what our mind believes what things are, and we think and believe that 'bad' people should be punished as what they deserved, and seeing 'bad' people being punished by somebody else, or by ourselves, will make us feel so good or better, then this is not in accordance with the teachings of Yoga or Buddhism about non-violence, wisdom and compassion anymore. As it will make us not any different from those whom we think that they are ignorance, and cause suffering onto us, or other people out of ignorance.

The mind reacts based on what the mind believes what things are, but it is not necessarily the truth of what things really are.

The story below is to explain sometimes what we see, or perceive, and understand, and react in accordance to what our mind believes what things are, or how we should be reacting, is not necessarily the truth of what things really are. And no matter what, we shouldn't react with violence to fight against violence, no matter how much we 'disagree' or 'angry' with other people's violent behavior that we think and believe as 'wrong' and 'bad'. As that makes us not any different from those whom we think and judge as wrong and bad.

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

A and B was fighting. B got knocked out in the fight.

C, who happened to know B, saw this, and 'understood' that A had hurt his friend, B.

C reacted by getting 'angry' with A, and wanted to get revenge for B, and attacked A physically. A was hurt by C.

H, a foreigner who didn't know A, B or C, came in trying to stop C from hurting A, as he thought C shouldn't hurt A, but it turned into a fight with C, as C thought that H was one of A's affiliates, since H was trying to 'help' and 'rescue' A.

By then, another passer-by, D, who didn't know what had happened, came and saw that A and B were injured on the ground, and it 'looked like' H was hurting C, and maybe A and B as well. D reacted out of righteousness, and wanted to stop H for his 'wrong' behavior, and attacked H physically.

E, F and G came along right after D. What they saw and 'understood' was that H seemed like the 'bad' person and was hurting so many people, while they believed that D was the righteous brave man who fought the 'bad' guy to stand up for the other 'victims'. They were cheering when they saw H was being punished and hurt by D, as they think H should be punished for his 'wrong' behavior, and they also joined in to beat up H as well.

Here was what had happened in the beginning before A and B started fighting each other.

B started to attack A physically out of an argument. A fought back out of self-protection, and unintentionally B was hurt physically. H happened to be there and witnessed what was happening.

Then C showed up when B was injured by A out of self-protection, not knowing what happened before that, and reacted immediately in anger to beat up A.

E, F and G were locals who have prejudice and discrimination towards foreigners like H. They think and believe that all these foreigners are 'bad' people who commit crimes in their country.

H, a foreigner who couldn't explain what had happened in the locals language, came forward trying to stop C from hurting A, whom H thought was the 'victim' of the whole scenario, and got into the fight with C, until D came along with E, F and G who were being righteous, thought that H was the 'bad' guy hurting so many people, and joined together to attack H.

The teaching in this story is -

Do not react out of anger or righteousness recklessly before knowing the whole truth, nor react out of the conditioned prejudice discrimination coming from our mind towards other people, as what our mind perceives, thinks and believes are not necessarily what things really are. We must be free from violent thinking, action and speech, in order to help other beings to be free from committing violence, as violence cannot resolved by violence, but will generate more violent reactions or consequences. How can we expect the world to be free from violence when ourselves react violently towards violence?

When our behavior is causing suffering onto other beings, it is because of ignorance. Nobody can remove ignorance from another being. We cannot change or control other beings to be free from ignorance. It has to come from each individual's own realization, and remove ignorance from oneself. We cannot change the world to be free from ignorance, but each being has to free oneself from ignorance, then the world will be changing naturally.

When we are free from ignorance, we are being compassionate towards all beings including ourselves. As we won't hurt ourselves anymore, and won't be hurting other beings out of ignorance.

Ourselves is free from being conditioned by ignorance, and other beings also will be free from being affected or disturbed by the ignorant behavior from us if we are conditioned by ignorance.

Om shanti.

Righteousness that is associated with anger and hatred is different from compassion...

Do not mix up compassion with the feeling of righteousness that is very much associated with extreme aversion, negativity, disappointment, anger and hatred towards something that our mind disagrees with, especially what our mind believes is "bad" and "wrong". As they are not the same.

If we are truly compassionate, there is no aversion, negativity, disappointment, anger or hatred.

Next time when we think we are very loving and kind hearted beings, and believe we are good people, but we are also being very angry and hating some other people who we think, believe, judge and criticize them as "bad" and "inhuman" people, then know that we are not in the compassionate 'zone', but we are in the righteousness 'zone'. There's nothing wrong with being righteous, but we are hurting ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically, as well as unintentionally inflict unnecessary tension and unhappiness onto other people while we react out of anger and hatred.

Being compassionate will allow us to perform whatever actions or inactions that need to be performed for the best benefit of everyone without discrimination, intention or expectation. There is no attachment towards the actions, and the fruit or the result of the actions. There is no disappointment nor unhappiness. Just give, and let go.

Sometimes, in certain situations, the best action could be inaction. We need to have a calm and clear mind that is free from aversion, negativity, disappointment, anger and hatred, for us to know what is the best action that needs to be done.

Om shanti.