Want to learn and practice yoga? (15)

The power of ignorance.

Being ignorant towards ignorance.

Ignorance isn't only existing in the minds that wittingly or unwittingly think, behave, act and react ignorantly in the way that inflict unrest, painful sorrow and suffering to oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment.

It's also being reflected in the minds that wittingly and intentionally want to be good and do good, while unwittingly attaching onto and identifying with 'purity', 'goodness', 'righteousness', 'positiveness', 'kindness', 'love', or 'meaningfulness', passionately attaching towards the actions of 'good, kind and loving' and the fruit of actions, and identifying as 'I am a good, kind and loving being', while being aspired to also 'influence' or 'motivate' other minds to also be good and do good, as well as attaching onto and identifying with 'purity', 'goodness', 'righteousness', 'positiveness', 'kindness', 'love', or 'meaningfulness'.

It's neither right nor wrong. It's just the power of ignorance.

That is what most people who are interested in yoga are learning and practicing when they learn and practice yoga under the many 'yoga teachers' who are teaching 'yoga' classes in such way, as that is what these 'yoga teachers' have been learning and practicing from their 'yoga teachers' who also teach 'yoga classes, yoga workshops, yoga courses or yoga retreats' in such way, where yoga is not about silence, oneness or non-separateness, but it's about empowering interaction, relationship and connection (the reflection of separateness), where yoga practice is not about developing dispassion and renunciation to eliminate egoism, but it's about developing mental and emotional dependency among one another and empowering egoism, where self-inquiry is not about inquiring towards Selflessness of the impermanent life existence of the selfless body and mind, but it's about being inspired to be attaching onto and identifying with "I am pure, good, righteous, positive, kind, loving and meaningful," as well as, "My actions are pure, good, righteous, positive, kind, loving and meaningful that benefiting other beings and bringing goodness and meaningfulness into the world, and together we are making the world a better place."

The 'yoga students' are being encouraged to be attached towards their 'yoga teachers' and all the others in the community, as the 'yoga teachers' are also being encouraged to be attached towards their 'yoga teachers' and all the others in the community. That's why the importance of renunciation, dispassion, seclusion and solitude for those who sincerely want to free the mind from ignorance, by moving away from the minds that are being conditioned by passionate egoistic worldly thinking, belief, values and practice.

The passionate egoistic minds, including many yoga practitioners and yoga teachers, attached towards what they perceived as 'goodness and positiveness', and propagating staying away from what they perceived as 'badness and negativeness', in order to be staying positive and be aspired for developing and attracting goodness and positiveness. As they think that is the goal of the yoga practice. That's their freedom.

The yoga teachings and practice is about transcending all kinds of dualism, freeing the mind from ignorance and egoism via the practice of dispassion, renunciation, seclusion and solitude by staying away from the worldly passionate minds and their conditioned worldly thinking, belief, values and practice which is about chasing after and attaching towards what they believed and valued as 'goodness' and 'positiveness', in order to allow the mind to go beyond and transcend 'goodness and badness' or 'positiveness and negativeness'. As it's too difficult for the mind to go beyond all kinds of worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, while being constantly mingling among the passionate egoistic minds. Once the mind is free from being conditioned by such worldly passionate egoistic thinking and belief, the mind can mix freely among the worldly passionate minds without being influenced by all those worldly passionate egoistic thinking and belief.

It doesn't mean that everyone shouldn't be good and do good, or shouldn't be motivated to be good and do good. However, minds that are not aware of the subtle attachment and identification in the minds towards all kinds of 'goodness' and 'positiveness', are not free from ignorance and egoism, even after many years of yoga and meditation practice, as well as teaching 'yoga' classes that is under the influence of worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice. Thinking that "I feel good and positive. I am good and positive. I will only attract goodness and positiveness. Everything is good and positive," is an important practice and meaningful achievement on the path of yoga.

When so called 'badness' is absent and 'goodness' is present, the minds are pleased and celebrating 'goodness', but when so called 'goodness' is absent while 'badness' is present, the minds are displeased and condemning 'badness' for all kinds of painful sorrow and suffering.

All kinds of 'war', 'discrimination', 'hatred', 'oppression' and 'violence' that are still happening in this era of advanced science and technology, are deriving from what the passionate egoistic prideful minds think and believe as carrying out duty and responsibility to be punishing and eliminating what they think and believe as 'badness' and 'wrongfulness', while empowering and protecting what they think and believe as 'goodness' and 'righteousness', where they are being recognized and glorified as 'Heroes' by their 'followers' and 'admirers'. They don't see it as 'ignorance' and 'actions under the influence of ignorance'. So as the minds that have passionate attachment and identification towards what the minds think and believe as 'goodness', 'positiveness' and 'righteousness'.

Think again, if the mind still have the idea of thinking and believing that oneself is "I am a good and unselfish being. I am not a bad and selfish being. I want myself and others to be good and do good. I don't want myself and others to be bad and do bad," and "I am a selfless being and I am performing selfless actions that benefit the world. I feel so positive and meaningful to see others are being benefited by my selfless actions," where performing all kinds of 'good' actions, including the yoga practice, and attaining the desired fruit of 'good' actions, is about developing and boosting the sense of goodness, meaningfulness, self-esteem, confidence, positiveness, worthiness and righteousness, which are the reflections of egoism.

Inquire towards the truth of everything. 

Everything is just what it is. All are selfless and impermanent. Be free from passionate aspiration to 'influence' or 'change' the world to be in certain way in order to boost the sense of goodness and meaningfulness in oneself and/or others.

Perform all kinds of actions void of attachment and identification, and free from the desire of craving towards goodness/positiveness and aversion towards badness/negativeness, and renounce the fruit of action.

There's no 'I'.

There's no "I am, or I want to be selfless, pure, good, positive, meaningful, kind and loving." Not to say, "I want to influence and motivate others to also be selfless, pure, good, positive, meaningful, kind and loving."

The selfless mind being free from the idea of 'I' and egoism doesn't need to be developing and boosting the sense of goodness, meaningfulness, self-esteem, confidence, positiveness, worthiness and righteousness.

The one that needs to be motivated to be doing and achieving something by constantly receiving positive words of encouragement and acknowledgement, in order to be developing and boosting the sense of goodness, meaningfulness, self-esteem, confidence, positiveness, worthiness and righteousness, is the mind that is under the influence of the idea of 'I' and egoism.

The passionate egoistic minds strongly think and believe that these are the upmost important values and practice in life, including yoga teachers whom themselves are not free from the idea of 'I' and egoism, while acting and reacting under the influence of worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, where they teach yoga classes that emphasized on developing and boosting the sense of goodness, meaningfulness, self-esteem, confidence, positiveness, worthiness and righteousness by constantly giving positive words of encouragement and acknowledgement to the yoga students while they are performing certain actions, experiencing certain obstacles/failures and achieving certain results/improvement/success, which is indeed empowering the idea of 'I' and egoism of the yoga students, as well as the yoga teachers themselves, who feel good and meaningful towards themselves, boosting the sense of self-esteem and confidence, for being good, kind and loving yoga teachers. It's completely moving away from the means of yoga practice to be starving and eliminating the idea of 'I' and egoism.

Yoga teachers are those that allow the students of yoga to be developing mental and emotional independence via the practice of renunciation, dispassion, seclusion and solitude, and to inquire towards selflessness and impermanence in all the names and forms, including the existence and function of the body and mind, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism. Somehow, many 'yoga teachers' nowadays are practicing and propagating the opposite of all that, where 'mingling' is highly important to develop connection and relationship, as well as mental and emotional dependence among one another, where 'yoga retreats' are not about being in solitude and silence to perform self-inquiry, but it's about mingling among the community and building connection and doing activities that boost the sense of goodness, positiveness and meaningfulness.

Swami Sivananda - "You are left alone now. Live alone. Walk alone. Eat alone. Meditate alone."

Buddha - "You come alone. You go alone."

That is compassion.

However, for the passionate minds, including many 'yoga teachers', "This is too 'harsh' and very 'wrong'," and "How can any beings be left alone? They will be suffering from loneliness. They are in painful suffering. They might hurt themselves or others. Everyone needs love, support, comfort and encouragement from one another, to stop hurting themselves or others." The sympathetic mind thinks and believes in such way. These minds don't reflect, "Ah! Ignorance. All minds need to be free from ignorance, and they will be free from suffering. And hence, they won't hurt themselves or others, upon liberation from suffering and ignorance."

"As yoga teachers, we need to constantly give encouragements and positive words of acknowledgement to the yoga students, as they need such ongoing encouragement and positive words of acknowledgement to be practicing yoga and progress," say the 'yoga teachers'.

Actually, from the beginning of teaching yoga, regardless of the degrees of ignorance in the student's mind, especially the minds that felt disturbed or hurt, and still feeling disturbed or hurt by something, the yoga teachers just need to guide the students to look into their own minds to see the play of ignorance and egoism in the mind, and find out the truth of 'disturbs' and 'hurt', and how to free their own minds from ignorance and egoism through self-inquiry, telling the students of yoga that they don't need to receive encouragement or positive words of acknowledgement to motivate them to perform their yoga practice and progress, and become independent mentally and emotionally. The 'yoga teachers' argue that, "We need to give some sorts of sweets to the students to motivate them to practice yoga, or give them some comforts to ease their suffering." And hence, keep giving them sweets and comforts with the intention of encouraging these minds to keep practicing yoga, but somehow, these minds will never be free from the root cause of suffering after years and years of practicing yoga under these yoga teachers who believe in giving sweets and comforts is 'loving kindness' and the best way of teaching yoga. And once they don't receive such sweets and comforts anymore, they won't have the motivation to be practicing yoga that is not so sweet or comfortable, but will free them from the addiction towards sweets and comforts that give them momentary relief, but doesn't stop them from perceiving/experiencing all kinds of disturbs and hurts due to ignorance.

It's like the 'loving and caring' parents who hold their children hands tightly 'all the time, day and night' afraid of their children might somehow fall and hurt themselves, while thinking and believing that the children need their 'loving and caring' guidance and encouragements 'all the time, until they die' in order for them to grow and prosper, and never want to let go their hands to allow the children to experience falls and hurts, learning how to stand up by themselves, and not to fall and hurt themselves anymore, and become independent as well as moving away from their parents or their home, to live an independent life without the need of their parents holding their hands all the time. The parents tell the children, "Make sure you let me know if you are hurt. I am always here for you. I will condemn and punish those who hurt you. I will protect you from hurt. I will look after your wounds with love and care, and I will heal you from any hurts." If the children never learn how to be independent to look after themselves, they will be suffering a lot when the 'loving and caring' parents are gone. "Oh! Mammy/daddy, someone/something is hurting me. I am hurt. Where are you, my loving and caring mammy/daddy? I need you. I am in suffering, and I think I want to hurt myself or maybe also hurt others because I am in painful suffering."

Does this mind see what is the play of ignorance? Most minds that are in painful suffering or unhappiness have the tendency of want to 'hurt' themselves, as well as hurt others or the surrounding environment out of painful suffering or unhappiness in oneself? How ignorant is that. "You are bad and wrong, and your badness and wrongfulness is hurting me. And because I think I am hurt by you and your badness and wrongfulness, I am now hurting myself and others." Why such thinking and behavior? Ignorance. Being hurt by what the mind thinks and believes as 'other people's badness and wrongfulness', is ignorance. And then, out of the perception of "I am hurt by what I think and believe as 'other people's badness and wrongfulness'," and hence, I want to hurt myself and others, is deeper ignorance.

And more ignorant is that, those who are 'loving and caring' think and believe that providing support of 'healing' and 'protection' to the suffering minds is the solution to prevent the suffering minds from hurting themselves and others, instead of guiding the mind to free itself from the root cause of suffering, where it cannot be hurt by anything and it won't hurt oneself or others, and it doesn't need any healing or protection at all?

There's nothing wrong with the mind that reacts towards the teachings here as, "This is so negative. I don't want this type of yoga," but then, that is the opportunity to look into this mind, to see why this mind reacts in such way, instead of pushing away, "Nope. I don't want to hear this negativity. I need to stay away from negativity like this."

Whenever the mind reacts towards something and judges, "This is right, positive and meaningful," and "This is wrong, negative and meaningless," that's the moment for contemplation towards the reactions of this mind. Just as many minds think and believe that 'non-attachment', 'renunciation', 'aloneness' or 'solitude' is something 'negative' or 'wrong', being conditioned deeply by worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice. There's nothing wrong, and it's the freedom of the mind for what it thinks and believes, or doesn't think and doesn't believe, but that is what ignorance is about.

The truth of selflessness and impermanence, is just what things are. It is not a belief or value. It is neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, neither positive nor negative, neither meaningful nor meaningless. Whenever the mind reacts with this is good or bad, right or wrong, positive or negative, meaningful or meaningless, while chasing after and attaching (clinging and craving) towards goodness, righteousness, positiveness and meaningfulness, know that it's ignorance.

The minds that know this, that are working on eliminating ignorance and egoism from the mind, don't need to receive any encouragement or hearing 'positive words of acknowledgement' to be practicing yoga and progress. Neither will they be discouraged if there's no encouragement or 'positive words of acknowledgement' from anyone at all or if hearing some 'negative words' from somewhere. These minds won't be disturbed or hurt by anything. They don't need to receive 'healing' from anyone or anywhere, as they don't need to be 'healed', as there's no hurt. They don't need to practice yoga asana, breathing exercises or relaxation in order to influence and calming the restless state of the mind, as the mind is undisturbed by all the perceived names and forms regardless of what the worldly egoistic minds perceived as goodness or badness, positiveness or negativeness.

The practice of non-attachment and non-identification, or dispassion and renunciation, doesn't mean that everyone should stop being kind, helpful, loving and caring towards one another, especially those who are in need of certain kind of physical/mental assistance for doing something, but the mind is okay if one is alone, when there's no others being there to provide mental or emotional support, or the specific help that is needed.

It's everyone's freedom for what they want to practice or don't practice and teach or don't teach, how they want to act and react, and what they realize and don't realize. There's neither right nor wrong. It's just whether the mind is free from ignorance, or not.

All these is suffering

'All these is suffering' is the truth of the selfless impermanent existence of the body and perceptive thinking mind governed by the law of nature, of cause and effect/actions and the consequences of actions, especially in a world occupied and operated by human beings under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

Minds that are enjoying many good things in life, would disagree with the truth of 'All these is suffering', and these minds want to believe that life in the world of human beings is wonderful and meaningful by focusing on the good things. There's nothing wrong with that. Just that even the good things are impermanent. There's no suffering if the minds know and respect the truth of impermanence, being free from attachment towards the good things and without aversion towards the not so good things.

Even when the mind is free from suffering by knowing and respecting the truth of impermanence, being free from attachment, identification or expectation, but the existence of the selfless physical body couldn't escape the inevitable suffering of restless maintenance for survival, hunger and thirst, and all kinds of discomfort, pain, illness, decaying, aging, weakening and limitation.

There is no real freedom or satisfaction that can be found in this world of human beings that is not just being governed by the law of impermanence and selflessness, but it's also being governed by 'laws' created by human beings out of ignorance and egoism with all kinds of rules and regulations trying to 'control' everything to be in certain way, or 'keeping things in certain order', or even under the name of 'civilization' and 'development' for improving the over-all welfare of human beings, the existence of human beings need to be 'documented', 'legalized', 'decriminalized', 'authorized', 'recognized', 'certified', 'qualified', 'approved', 'allowed', 'granted with such and such rights', and etc, which inevitably generating all kinds of 'illegality', 'criminalization', 'unauthorized', 'undocumented', 'non-recognition', 'non-certified', 'unqualified', 'disqualified', 'disapproval', 'disallowance', 'non-gratification of such and such rights' and etc, that empower all kinds of unnecessary corruption, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, violence and 'tormentation'.

The 'authority' isn't just generating 'profit' from receiving fees by issuing all kinds of 'legally approved documentation' to the people who 'need' to be 'legally documented to be residing and making a living in a particular area on earth that doesn't belong to anyone' as well as from penalizing those who didn't or couldn't attain 'legally approved documentation' for some reasons, or those who were being issued with 'legally approved documentation' but there is penalty being issued as well due to the many different kinds of ridiculous rules and regulations.

From the moment of birth, all human beings are 'not free'. In fact many wild lives in nature are more free than human beings, just being governed by the law of nature.

All human beings are being 'regulated', 'restricted' and 'controlled' by 'the authority' that claimed 'authorization' over the many different areas on earth. 'The basic freedom of existence' doesn't exist for being existing on earth, not to say, 'trying to live a life of a selfless impermanent body and perceptive thinking mind' to be 'living', 'moving around', 'acting', 'expressing', 'making a living or trying to survive to maintain life' on this space of the universe that doesn't belong to anyone or any so called 'authorization and authority' that exists under the name of 'an organization to carry out duty and responsibility for serving the community and maintaining welfare development and keeping order in the world'. Even in one's birth country, everyone also needs to attain legal 'documentation', 'permission' or 'approval' for everything by appealing to 'the authority' and paying some monthly or yearly renewable fees/taxes until one dies.

Human beings think and believe that at least they are free in their own birth country as a rightful citizen of that country, where they can live and do anything freely, but it's not. Whether residing and doing something in one's own country, or in some other countries, everyone must 'possess' or 'obtain' legal documentation/permission/approval from the authority by paying some sorts of charges, just by being where one is. Or else, naturally one is being illegal and will be criminalized/penalized and facing the risk of losing 'the rights/permission of being at a place on earth' that was being 'granted by the authority' before.

"As a citizen of this country, you can live and do anything here as long as it's legally permitted and approved under the law of this country created and authorized by 'the authority'. And of course you need to pay some fees in order to obtain the permission and approval from 'the authority' for legalizing anything you want to do. But, be very careful. Your citizenship could be revoked and stripped-off from you, at any time, if you offend the authority."

Upon seeing the truth of impermanence and selflessness, minds attain liberation from suffering through non-attachment/non-association/renunciation towards 'all these' (the mind stuff, or the modification of the mind, or the mind perception of a worldly life existence) upon the realization of 'All these is suffering' and being unattached towards the inevitable suffering of the selfless existence and function of the decaying physical body.

The past enlightened Buddhas and yogis didn't claim that "Oh! Life existence in the world of human beings is wonderful and meaningful" upon enlightenment. This realization of 'All these is suffering' is not negative at all, but it appears to be something negative for the minds that want to believe that they have the power to create 'the desired reality that they preferred' even if it's just temporary and needed to be maintained restlessly, by ceaselessly keep creating what they think is wonderful and meaningful in life.

Whether with or without a government body to be 'the authority' that was being given the so called 'lawful' power to run any country, there will always be some human created/related problems deriving from ignorance and egoism. By having or not having 'the authority' of a government body to run a country, couldn't guarantee that there will be less or no problems. The existence of human created/related 'problems' is due to the human beings' perceptive/cognitive/assertive intellectual egoistic thinking minds are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, as well as due to the basic survival instinct that exists in all living objects.

Whether human minds are free or not free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, is nothing to do with the presence and absence of education, accumulated knowledge, intelligence, talent, skill, belief, values, status, title, documentation, legalization, authorization, recognition, certification, qualification, approval, possession of such and such rights, accomplishment, privilege, and etc.

Whether the minds are being kind and compassionate, or not, and being peaceful or in painful suffering, is nothing to do with the presence and absence of 'courses and certifications of kindness and compassion' or 'courses and certifications of peace or suffering', that allowed or disallowed the mind to be kind and compassionate, being peaceful or in painful suffering, or not.

Buddha didn't attend a 'legally authorized enlightenment course' and didn't carry a 'certification of enlightenment', or obtained 'permission from the authority to be legalized/authorized to practice and teach Dhamma', or issued different types of 'certifications/qualifications of enlightenment' to respective practitioners that had gone through self-discipline and self-inquiry towards the truth and attained different levels of realization.

Practicing yoga, realizing yoga and teaching yoga, or being dispassionate, unattached, fearless, peaceful and silent, or being patient, accommodating, forgiving, kind and compassionate, are nothing to do with all kinds of worldly authorization and legalization of 'One must gone through certain type and amount of learning and training via authorized/approved courses and obtained such and such recognized certification/qualification in order to be legalized/recognized/approved/allowed for existing, living, moving around, and making a living to survive or doing something in this world'.

A talented artist might or might not become better and better in its creativity through certain type and amount of training, but it's nothing to do with 'certification of creative arts'.

A writer who loves to write, a dancer who loves to dance, a singer who loves to sing, might or might not becoming a better writer, dancer, or singer through certain type and amount of training, but it's nothing to with 'qualification and certification of writing, dancing and singing'.

"Without training and certification of writing, or dancing, or singing issued/sanctioned by recognized/authorized organization, one wouldn't be eligible to obtain 'permission'/'approval' from 'the authority' or cannot be legalized/approved/allowed and will be criminalized/penalized/imprisoned for getting involve in activity of writing, dancing, or singing," and "Without training and certification of authorized yoga courses, one wouldn't be eligible to obtain 'permission'/'approval' from 'the authority' or cannot be legalized/approved/allowed and will be criminalized/penalized/imprisoned for practicing, realizing and teaching yoga," is like "Without training and certification of friendship or loving kindness, one cannot be legalized/approved/allowed and will be criminalized/penalized/imprisoned for being a friend or to love and be kind to oneself and others." Such is the world being occupied and operated by human beings under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

There are minds that think and believe that they can 'buy' all the freedom of existing, being, living, making a living, moving around/travelling/migrating and doing anything that they like in anywhere of the world, for as long as they have the money to keep paying 'the authority' for getting all the required legal documentation/permission/approval done and without any intentional/unintentional offense towards the respective 'authority' in different places, would disagree with 'All these is suffering' while they are enjoying 'the privilege' that they still have and even until the end of their life existence. And that's their freedom.

Human beings would want to think and believe that 'laws' and 'authorities' are made to protect human beings and the world from 'bad' and 'wrongful' things, to make the world a better place for everyone, but unfortunately in some countries, 'laws' and 'authorities' are made to profit and protect the authority and give rise to many unnecessary difficulties to the people for just trying to live a life on earth that doesn't belong to anyone. There's no freedom of existence or living, not to say, freedom of expression, action and speech. Or, one can express, do and say anything, as long as it's agreeable and complimentary to 'the authority'.

'Laws' and 'authorities' in most countries legally discriminate all human beings by scanning/analyzing 'the eligibility' of the people for accepting/processing/approving/granting certain 'authorized documentation', which mainly is about 'nationality', 'financial status', 'social status', 'title', 'educational level', 'certification and qualification', 'talent and skill', 'achievement', 'health condition', 'submissive mentality towards the authority', and etc, where all these have nothing to do with whether someone is free from ignorance and suffering, or not, and being kind and compassionate, or not. Even highly educated knowledgeable intelligent people who want to protest against certain kinds of 'discrimination' and 'prejudice' might not be free from ignorance and egoism, where they don't see 'many of the discrimination' that were being generated by 'laws' and 'authorities' that they support very much, where these 'documentation qualified' people think and believe that the world or a country needs to be governed by 'an authority' to keep things in order by 'legalizing and criminalizing' everything, to keep those 'documentation unqualified' people away from the world or their country.

In most countries, wisdom and compassion deriving from inquiring into the truth of everything that bring peace and harmony into the society is not important and could be seen as a potential risk of jeopardizing the 'profit' and 'power' of the authority, but, how much 'profit' and 'power' the authority can get from the people's financial contribution, as well as maintaining certain degrees of separateness, unrest and disharmony among the society that can keep the authority in power, is the upmost priority.

In Dhamma, all are one same nature of selflessness and impermanence. There's no discrimination towards those who are and are not free from ignorance and egoism, or who are and are not kind and compassionate, not to say, all kinds of different names and forms, of 'nationality', 'financial status', 'social status', 'title', 'educational level', 'certification and qualification', 'talent and skill', 'achievement', 'health condition', 'submissive mentality towards the authority' and etc, to determine or judge anyone is deserving or non-deserving the teaching and practice of Dhamma, and be eligible or non-eligible for attaining liberation from ignorance and suffering.

Many human beings are being conditioned to put upmost importance onto 'the eligibility' of 'nationality', 'financial status', 'social status', 'title', 'educational level', 'certification and qualification', 'talent and skill', 'achievement', 'health condition', 'submissive mentality towards the authority', or even 'religion', 'ethnicity' and 'body and facial appearance' to determine or judge themselves and others as deserving or non-deserving to be existing and living on earth, might not agree with this. That's their freedom.

The worldly minded people put upmost importance onto "Are you qualified (enough)?" while in truth, there's a certain 'qualification' existing in all and everyone regardless of whether one is qualified (enough) for anything in this world of ignorance and egoism, which is, "All are qualified for the suffering of restlessness, of the selfless impermanent changes of decaying, weakening, aging, sickness and death. All are born to be qualified to die, regardless of who you think you are and whether you are highly qualified for something in this world, or not."

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Approaching a teacher asking to be accepted as student of yoga

Traditionally, when someone is interested in finding a teacher to learn, study and practice yoga and meditation under the guidance of this person (the teacher), one needs to approach the teacher humbly asking to be accepted as a student of yoga under this teacher, serving the teacher without asking/expecting "What am I getting from learning yoga under you?" or "What can you (the teacher) give me in return for offering fees/donations to you to be learning and practicing yoga from you and serving you?"

The teacher will then observe and test this person to see whether this person is fit to be a student of yoga. Once the person is accepted to be a student of yoga, this person will live closely to the teacher for many years, where in the first few years are merely doing some random 'work/service' in daily life, such like housekeeping/cooking/gardening/cleaning/washing serving the teacher (very important/efficient initial purification to eliminate worldly habits of egoism and impurities) before being initiated into the practice. There's high degree of segregation/non-physical contact among the teacher and the student. It's not like nowadays, most people are looking forward to be touching and hugging as the way to show friendliness, love and care.

The teacher doesn't advertise/boast about "I am a certified/qualified/experienced/internationally recognized/affiliated yoga teacher" and "What kind of benefits/certification/qualification/result/achievement you will get if you attend my classes/courses learning yoga from me." but instead, "It's a hard-work. There will be lots of unpleasantness/pain and hardships/obstacles that you need to deal with by yourself. You have to walk the path alone by yourself. You need to be determined, persevered and vigilant to discipline your own mind until you attain self-realization." And the students of yoga will be determined to finish their learning under the teacher no matter how much difficulties and obstacles arise during the physical/mental/emotional purification process, while developing discipline and independence in their own practice, as one day, they will have to leave the teacher, or the teacher will leave.

It's not about to be 'qualified' as 'yoga teachers/masters', be 'affiliated' with 'yoga alliance' to be 'conducting yoga classes' to teach 'yoga classes' or 'conducting yoga courses' to be 'training yoga teachers to teach yoga or conduct yoga classes/yoga courses to other people'. As a 'yogi' who knows yoga doesn't need to be 'trained' to be 'qualified' to be 'certified yoga teacher' and 'affiliated with' such and such 'yoga organization/alliance' to be 'recognized/authorized' to teach yoga to anyone. It's neither about 'correct/proper physical alignments', 'teaching techniques', 'effects/benefits of the yoga practice', 'healing', 'connecting', 'sharing', 'hugging' and 'touching'.

Nowadays, this tradition is no longer be seen/practiced/appreciated. One of the reason would be the existence of 'sincere teacher of yoga' and 'sincere student of yoga' is very rare now.

In this modern commercialized world of 'higher education and higher quality of life with worldly social values and practice', the 'yoga teachers' have to 'advertise' or 'boast' about their 'certification/qualification/recognition/affiliation/experiences/achievements' and 'to be presenting' something 'unique, enjoyable, innovative and attractive' to attract people to be interested to come to attend the 'yoga classes' or 'yoga courses' conducted by them, while gratifying the people's desire of craving and aversion, by giving them what they want/like and don't give them what they don't want/like, to make them feel treasured, appreciated, valued, pampered, satisfied and empowered. Both the teacher and the students also want to develop and maintain an inter-dependent 'connection/relationship' where the students ceaselessly need to receive attention, love, care, support, acknowledgement, advice or feedback from the teacher, while the teacher wants to 'be close' to the students, 'be there' for the students, 'be connecting' with the students, or 'be loved/needed/glorified/supported/respected' by the students.

Because most egoistic impure minds are being conditioned deeply by the worldly thinking behavior pattern, almost all of the 'yoga enthusiasts' or the 'prospect/potential students/clients' of the 'yoga school/yoga studio/yoga centre' will have some kind of 'request' or 'expectation' towards the 'yoga school', 'yoga studio', 'yoga center', 'yoga classes', 'yoga courses' or 'yoga teachers' to meet up their 'requests' and 'expectation' in terms of the 'quality' of the 'professional profile/image', 'qualification', 'certification', 'recognition', 'affiliation', 'organization', 'experience', 'achievement', or 'result orientation', and above all, "How much and what do I get from paying this amount of 'fees'/'donation' to the 'yoga school'/'yoga studio'/'yoga centre'/'yoga teacher' for attending the 'yoga classes'/'yoga courses'."

Many of the untrained worldly egoistic impure minds will have doubt/insecurity towards their own 'determination' being determined by whether they will like/enjoy 'the teacher's over-all presentation/image/charm/professionalism/credibility/teaching style' or 'the classes' or 'the practice', or not, where they are unsure/unwilling to pay fees in advance which might be 'non-refundable' if they want to 'give up' when they experience discomfort or difficulty, or when they 'don't like/enjoy' the 'teacher/classes/practice', while the truth of the purification process deriving from performing 'serious/intense/persevered yoga and meditation practice to eliminate ignorance/egoism/impurities/restlessness' is inevitably 'unpleasant' and 'painful' physically/mentally/emotionally for all egoistic impure minds. Even before the students come to the 'yoga school/yoga studio/yoga centre' to begin learning and practicing yoga under the teacher, the test/obstacle derived from the purification process already started. All kinds of obstacles manifest in the form of physical/mental/emotional discomfort and doubt.

Unfortunately, there are quite many stories of 'impure yoga teachers' existing in the world 'taking advantage' of the attention/love seeking 'yoga students', where people looking forward to be 'touched', creating many forms of 'corruption', and then there are 'impure yoga students' who didn't get what they like and want from the teachers and they criticized and bitched about the teachers with the intention to hurt/damage the teacher's reputation, that makes it even harder and more challenging for 'yoga enthusiasts' to 'surrender' all doubts/insecurity, to be opened to approach a teacher to ask to be accepted as 'student of yoga' and to 'serve' the teacher without attachment, identification and expectation, to be effectively purifying and eliminating egoism and impurities, to free the mind from restlessness and the veil of ignorance.

There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad. It's just how things are in this world.

Anyway, 'sincere teachers of yoga' and 'sincere students of yoga' will meet each other in due time and due cause. There's no 'attachment', 'identification' or 'expectation' towards each other. The students/practitioners 'serve' the teacher humbly for years, surrendering the ego and worldly passionate desire/ambition/thinking/belief/social behavior pattern, and developing self-discipline. After learning/receiving the teachings from the teachers, the students retreat into seclusion and solitude, working diligently and independently towards purifying and silencing the modification of the mind, to perform self-inquiry upon the truth of everything, to attain self-realization and total annihilation of the mind or the mind perception of an impermanent and selfless worldly life existence of countless 'births' and 'deaths' of names and forms (thoughts/feelings/emotions/relationships) arising and passing away, of ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering.

 "You are left alone now." - Swami Sivananda

The yoga class

Teaching yoga or practicing yoga is nothing to do with money, 'fees', or 'donation'. No one can sell or buy yoga, or peace, or compassion, or wisdom, or liberation from suffering with any amount of money, or 'fees', or 'donation'.

Meanwhile, running 'yoga classes' or 'yoga courses' that involve a lot of expenses/maintenance/labour/management/coordination requires money in the form of 'fees' or 'donation' for it to be happening. It doesn't necessarily mean that if the money received is in the form of 'donation', it means 'non-commercialized yoga' or 'authentic yoga', or if the money received is in the form of 'fees', it means 'commercialized yoga' or 'inauthentic yoga'. Such a simple understanding, but due to ignorance, many minds/people do not understand this.

Yoga classes/courses based on 'donation' without requesting a specific fees are not necessarily pure and authentic, or it's being free from any form of 'corruptions'. While yoga classes/courses required specific amount of fees are not necessarily impure, inauthentic, or corrupted.

People would perceive 'yoga classes' based on 'donation' or 'small amount of fees' that they think is 'appropriate' or 'acceptable' as 'authentic yoga' conducted by 'compassionate' yoga teachers, while 'yoga classes' required 'certain amount of fees' that they think is 'inappropriate' or 'unacceptable' as 'inauthentic yoga' conducted by 'money minded' yoga teachers.

Yoga students come to the yoga teacher to study yoga and seek guidance from the teacher and they give some fees/money to the teacher to support the teacher's living is nothing to do with 'commercial' or 'inauthenticity'. It's like grown up working children give their parents some money regularly to support their parents' living, there's nothing wrong and nothing commercial. It's a form of love, kindness, generosity, sharing, gratitude and gratefulness, even though the parents bring up the children out of love, without expecting anything in return. If the children grown up and are working, but only want to keep all that they earn for themselves, for they own living enjoyments and social expenses, and they refuse to support their own parents' living, or those who are grown up but are lazy to work or spent all their earned money on non-essential things and enjoyments, couldn't support their own living and need to depend on other people's charity for living, not to say to support their parents' living, then that is something 'absurd'.

Many people who only want to pay very little 'fees' to attend 'yoga classes' or who prefer to attend 'free yoga classes based on donation' would think and expect that 'yoga teachers' should all be beggars to beg for donation, food, clothing and shelter on the street while giving 'yoga classes' for free or on donation basis. This type of 'yoga classes' is most probably unwittingly empowering 'ignorance' and supporting 'corruption', supporting people who would spend money generously on their personal worldly indulgence/enjoyment/social life activities, but would think and believe that it's 'wrong' or 'inappropriate' to pay certain amount of fees to attend 'yoga classes' or 'yoga courses'.

There are some people who already have a good financial support for their living, where they don't need to depend on receiving any 'fees' or 'donation' from teaching or running 'yoga classes' as a form of charity coming from them to other people. That's very good, but not many people are having such financial-free living condition. Many people need to somehow 'make a living' to support themselves and also maybe some other people under their care. If the basic living necessity is not available, people need to be spending time and energy to 'make a living' in order to 'survive', not to say to have the spare money, time and energy to 'organize' charity yoga classes for people who want to enjoy cheap or free yoga classes.

Meanwhile, there are those who think and believe that they are 'highly spiritual beings', would perceive receiving 'money' in the form of 'fees' for conducting 'yoga classes' or 'yoga courses' as a form of 'evilness', 'wrongfulness', 'impurity', 'corruption', 'greed', 'down fall', or 'non-spiritual', that 'yoga classes' or 'spiritual activities' shouldn't be 'tainted' by 'money' or 'fees'. They don't mind receiving 'donations' from anyone, but they don't want to get involved in 'money matters' personally. They don't want to be physically touching any money or keeping any money under their names, or keeping any money close to their body or their 'spiritual practice space', but they need some other people who look after them to handle the money in the form of 'donation' that support their living and all kind of expenses.

Many good people who try to be good and do good and work very hard to make an honest living in this world are not exempted from the suffering of poverty or hunger/thirst and exploitation by others. People want to enjoy cheap goods, enjoyments, conveniences and services, and that's how all kinds of exploitation started in this world of commercialism.

People who are busy in life need the existence of the convenience and service of shops/eateries, which rely on the people who devote their time, effort, attention and money into running shops/eateries to provide the convenience and service to the people while taking the risk of running business. The existence of shops/eateries also need to depend on other people who work or run business that provide everything from farming and harvesting to transportation and providing all kinds of shop, kitchen and dining equipment, that allow the shops to put goods on their shelves for people to buy and allow the eateries to put meals on the table for the people to consume. Even though it's a business or work involved with money transactions, but still it's a form of 'convenience and service' that benefits many people. If nobody interested in taking the risk of running a business and devoting their time, energy and money into starting a shop/eatery, or if nobody is involving in farming/harvesting/transportation/providing shop, kitchen and dining equipment, or food production is not available due to any natural/technical cause, people won't be able to enjoy such convenience and service. It doesn't mean that any form of 'business' involved with money transaction is 'non-giving to the society' or 'non-compassionate'.

Compassionate actions are not necessarily have to be free from any involvement with 'money'. Even when there are some good and kind people want to help other unfortunate people in this world, they also need to gather money in the form of donation/contribution/funding from somewhere in order to help other people. Selfless actions are also not necessarily have to be free from the involvement of 'money', it's about non-attachment and non-identification towards one's actions and the fruit of the actions. It doesn't mean that when people are working and getting some monthly salary for living, or people who run business and getting some yearly profits for living, that their action of contributing their time, energy, attention, knowledge, skill or talent into their work or business is nothing to do with 'selfless service'. If everyone doesn't work or run any business, this society that builds on social economy that provides all kind of conveniences and services will collapse.

Any kinds of work, or duty and responsibility towards oneself and others, or business, can turn into a form of selfless service even when there are involvement of 'money', if people know what is performing actions without egoism. Volunteering work doesn't necessarily means 'selfless service' when it's done with attachment and identification. Non-expectation also doesn't mean that 'not receiving anything in return'. As all actions will bring the fruit of actions as it is, whether people have expectation, or not. Those who are free from expectation, they allow the fruit of actions to be what it is, it's not about 'I don't want any fruit of actions after I performed actions'. That is ignorant understanding influenced by egoism of 'I want to give without getting anything in return as it's not selfless service anymore if I am getting something in return'.

People don't really need to attend any 'yoga classes', or 'yoga courses', or 'yoga retreats' to be learning and practicing yoga, or to be peaceful, compassionate, wise, forgiving and be able to let go what the world categorize as 'bad', 'wrong', or 'hurtful'. People can be attending many yoga classes and yoga courses regularly for many years, or teaching yoga for a long time, but still, the mind is not free from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, still being determined by worldly idea, thinking, belief and practice, and are under the influence of the desire of craving and aversion towards dualities and qualities of names and forms very much, as the mind still couldn't go beyond the mind perception of the duality of 'good and bad', 'right and wrong', 'positive and negative' and 'happiness and unhappiness, and hence, unwittingly chasing after what the mind categorizes as 'goodness', 'rightfulness', 'positiveness' and 'happiness', while rejecting what the mind categorizes as 'badness', 'wrongfulness', negativeness' and 'unhappiness'. The mind couldn't see things as they are, or allow everything to be what they are, as they are. That's nothing wrong, as the mind misunderstood the teaching of yoga about 'positive thinking'. Many yoga enthusiasts, including 'yoga teachers', think and believe that it's about influencing/making/changing everything to become 'positive' or 'good'. But actually it's merely about when the mind is over-powered by 'negative thinking', then the mind can cultivate positive thinking to counter negative thinking, and when the mind is free from negative thinking, there's no need of positive thinking, as everything is just what they are, neither positive nor negative, neither good nor bad.

Although there's nothing wrong with sincerely looking for a teacher to learn and practice yoga, to seek guidance of how to free the mind from ignorance and its by-products of egoism, impurities and restlessness - the root cause of suffering.

It's everyone's freedom for what they want to think, believe, behave, act and react.

Contemplate on this, and be free.

Yoga retreats run by Yoga Now Malaysia in Langkawi

The teachers at Yoga Now Malaysia welcome anyone who is sincerely interested in learning and practicing yoga with them by participating in their yoga retreats or workshops, however, there might be people who want to join a retreat or workshop at Yoga Now Malaysia might not understand what the teachers teach in the yoga retreats or workshops here, assuming that the retreats or workshops to be in certain ways that they expect it to be, and they might not like the kind of retreats or workshops run by Yoga Now Malaysia, where they would feel regret or disappointed for joining a retreat or workshop here that is not what they anticipated what it is.

Everyone has the freedom to like or dislike something. The teachers respect everyone as they are for what they like and don't like.

Yoga Now Malaysia don't discriminate anyone by filtering everyone before accepting the retreat or workshop requests from anyone, but in order to avoid some people who might not understand what the teachers teach in the retreats and workshops, or what kind of retreats or workshops are running by Yoga Now Malaysia, but they sign up for a retreat or workshop without proper understanding of what the teachers teach in the yoga retreats or workshops here, and end up quitting the retreat or workshop half way, generating disharmony in themselves and wasting the time, energy and effort of both parties, it would be better if people understand a little more about what the teachers teach in the yoga retreats and workshops before they sign up for a yoga retreat or yoga workshop run by Yoga Now Malaysia in Langkawi Island.

The yoga retreats and workshops are for those who sincerely want to learn and practice yoga that is about freeing the mind from the cause of suffering - Ignorance and its by-products of egoism, impurities and restlessness. Some people might think and believe that they sincerely want to learn and practice yoga, but they don't really want to practice yoga that is about yoga. They only love certain part of the yoga practice and the commercial retreat activities that they know, that they like, which they enjoy, that make them feel good, healthy, happy and meaningful. And there's nothing wrong with that if people just want to do some yoga exercises and enjoy some social/community activities that make the minds feel good and meaningful.

The retreats and workshops teach yoga that allow people to know what is going on in their minds to know the root cause of all kinds of disturbs, dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hurts, unhappiness, painful sorrow, fear, worry, loneliness, meaninglessness, or suffering, and work diligently to free their own minds from the root cause of all kinds of disturbs, dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hurts, unhappiness, painful sorrow, fear, worry, loneliness, meaninglessness, or suffering. It's not a pleasant process for most egoistic prideful minds upon coming in contact with the truth of what is going on in the mind as the ego is going to be eliminated/destroyed through the realization of the truth, where the truth is the opposite of everything that the ignorant egoistic mind used to think and believe what things are. There will be intense resistance coming from the egoistic prideful mind.

Those who never practice yoga before, and those who have been practicing yoga but they come with an open mind will appreciate the retreats and workshops as they are and will learn something invaluable for the rest of their life. Those who come with closed mind and expectation, or have doubt and hesitation towards the teachers or the retreat or workshop, will not be able to allow the retreats or workshops to be what they are and couldn't learn anything. And there's nothing wrong with people have doubts or hesitation towards the teachers that they never met before, and towards the retreat or workshop that they never attended before. But when the doubt and hesitation is too over-whelming, it will affect their perception towards everything.


Yoga Now Malaysia is a simple home based small yoga studio situated in a small village that run flexible dates retreats and workshops which are subject to availability and the teachers run retreats and workshops even if there's only one person attending. Most of the retreats and workshops have only one person joining and occasionally there might be a few people over-lapping with one another during the same dates. The retreats are not fixed dates retreats with a group of people.

There is only one room available at Yoga Now. For those who want to stay at the accommodation at Yoga Now, they need to know that it will be only themselves staying there regardless of whether there are other people joining a retreat or workshop during those dates, or not.

People who truly want to learn and practice yoga should have no problem with living alone and being the only person in a retreat. As yoga practice or Sadhana is about live alone, eat alone, walk alone, meditate alone.

This is the first determination - learn to be by oneself.

Meals are not provided. Everyone needs to look after their own meals and there are many existing restaurants about 3 Kilometres away that cater to all budgets and tastes. Yoga Now Malaysia is not a hotel or guesthouse. There's no room service or housekeeping for the accommodation at Yoga now. The teachers will clean up the accommodation thoroughly before the guests check-in and after the guests check-out. But, during the retreat, people who stay at the accommodation at Yoga Now need to be self-initiated and self-reliant to look after the cleanliness and tidiness of their living space. Those who arrange their own accommodation somewhere else also need to arrange their own transport between their accommodation and the yoga studio to attend the retreat sessions.

Some people say that they don't want to join the retreat because there's no food or transport included, they feel that it's very inconvenient and troublesome. While some even say that they initially wanted to join the retreat at Yoga Now Malaysia, as they have heard or read about the food used to be provided at the yoga retreats at Yoga Now Malaysia was very good, but then they don't want to come for the retreat when they found out that food is not included anymore. It shows that learning and practicing yoga with the teachers from Yoga Now Malaysia is not a priority, but food and all kinds of conveniences are more important to them.

Yoga Now Malaysia doesn't advertise anywhere and doesn't have any signboard. Upon confirmation of the yoga retreat, directions to the yoga studio will be given to those who need to arrange their own transport to the yoga studio. They need to be self-reliant to follow the directions that Yoga Now gave them and not depending on taxi drivers to bring them here, as taxi drivers don't know where the yoga studio is even when people give them an address. Address doesn't mean anything to the taxi drivers, as it is a house in a village where there's no street/road name. People who followed the directions would have no problem finding the yoga studio, only those who refused to follow the directions but depend on the taxi drivers would have problem finding it.

Those who really sincerely want to learn and practice yoga with the teachers from Yoga Now Malaysia, food is not that important and there's nothing too much troublesome and inconvenient that would stop them from coming to learn and practice yoga with the teachers.

This is the second determination - learn to be self-initiated and self-reliant.

The retreats or workshops don't teach any particular style of yoga, or any particular kind of yoga practice designed specifically for particular type of rehabilitation of physical injuries or illnesses, neither it's for any kind of 'healing' or 'detoxification'. It's also not a fitness yoga camp to attain physical fitness/strength/flexibility/ability to do some yoga poses. But everyone do their best to perform the practice without attachment or expectation, and allowing the result or the fruit of practice to be there as it is, while learning how to be aware of what is going on in their own minds. And eventually, they become their own teacher, when they developed awareness, openness, correct understanding, self-reliance and self-discipline, then everyone and everything and all the pleasant and unpleasant experiences are there to teach us something.

In the yoga retreats or workshops here, people learn to allow their mind to be opened, to inquire the truth of everything, including all the teachings of yoga, regardless of whether they like or dislike, agree or disagree with some of the teachings and practice, and whether they want or don't want to practice some of the teachings and practice.

They learn about not to blind-believing, not to blind-following, not to blind-practicing, not to blind-agreeing or not to blind-preaching/sharing about anything that they read, or heard from somewhere and someone, even from this yoga retreat or workshop that they attended, but to purify and quiet the mind, to inquire or investigate the truth of everything, and realize the truth by themselves, to be free from ignorance.

They learn to perform inquiry towards the yoga teaching of "The body is not I, I am not the body. The mind is not I, I am not the mind." and let go of attachment and identification with the impermanent and selfless body and mind as who they are. All kinds of problems and suffering that people think they have, started with the ignorant egoistic attachment and identification with the impermanent and selfless existence and function of the body and mind as 'I'.

They learn how to unattached towards any particular thinking and belief in the mind that influenced them how they judge and react towards everything that the mind comes in contact with, or experiences, or perceives, which is not necessarily the truth of things. Quite many people do not like this teaching or practice of letting go the attachment and identification towards their particular thinking and belief that they have been identifying with as who they are, for a long time.

This is the third determination - learn how to unattached and unidentified with particular thinking and belief or any qualities of names and forms to be who they are, developing awareness, openness, correct understanding, self-reliance and self-discipline, and becoming their own teacher.

In the yoga retreat or workshop, people learn to develop awareness, self-discipline, self-reliance and self-control, to take full responsibility for all their actions and reactions and the consequences of their actions and reactions. How the mind reacts towards all the mind perception of names and forms is it's own responsibility, whether the mind reacts and feels good or bad, happy or unhappy, satisfied or dissatisfied, positive or negative, like or dislike, agreement or disagreement, want or doesn't want, pleased or displeased, loved or unloved, pleasant or unpleasant, motivated or demotivated, calm or disturbed, peaceful or peaceless, enjoy or suffer.

They learn to take full responsibility to look after themselves, the well-being of the body and the mind, and be free from clinging onto and longing or craving for love, care, support, encouragement, praise, compliment, acknowledgement, achievement, agreement, friendship, companionship, relationship, connection, or interaction, being immersed in solitude and silence, being in the present, being free from boredom, loneliness, unhappiness, low self-esteem, unworthiness, guilt, regret, pride, arrogance, craving, aversion, longing, the sense of meaninglessness and all kinds of dissatisfaction, disappointment, hurts, anger, hatred, jealousy, fear, worry, offensiveness, defensiveness, agitation, depression, painful sorrow, or suffering.

This is the fourth determination - learn to take full responsibility towards one's actions and reactions and the consequences of one's actions and reactions, and look after the well-being of one's body and mind.

They learn how to observe any physical injuries or illnesses that they have and the existence of any kinds of 'hurts' or 'disturbs' or 'painful sorrow' or 'suffering' in the mind by letting go of egoism, without generating attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, and learn to see the truth of impermanence and selflessness. Once the mind realizes or sees the truth of impermanence and selflessness, there is no need of any kinds of 'healing'. All the good and bad condition of the physical body, and all the different states of the mind of all kinds of thought activities of reactions towards all the mind perception of names and forms, and all kinds of pleasant and unpleasant life experiences, are just what they are, that they are neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative.

They learn to perform all their actions, practice, duties and responsibilities without attachment and identification, and allowing the result or the fruit of actions to be what they are, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison or expectation. Being undetermined by the actions or the fruit of actions.

This is the fifth determination - learn to free the mind from egoism of attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, while do one's best to perform any necessary actions, duties and responsibilities.

All the yoga practice in the retreat sessions are to purify and quiet the mind, to free the mind from egoism, impurities and restlessness, to prepare the mind for meditation, to allow the mind to reflect or inquire upon the truth of everything and be free from ignorance, and thus be free from the by-products of ignorance - All kinds of disturbs, dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hurts, unhappiness, painful sorrow, fear or suffering.

This is the sixth determination - learn how to free the mind from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, to allow the mind to see the truth of names and forms - Impermanence and selflessness.

Yoga practice is about letting go of the past good or bad/happy or unhappy/pleasant or unpleasant/desirable or undesirable/agreeable or disagreeable experiences, to free the mind from continuously being disturbed or determined by the past good or bad/happy or unhappy/pleasant or unpleasant/desirable or undesirable/agreeable or disagreeable experiences. And without attachment towards all the good or bad/happy or unhappy/pleasant or unpleasant/desirable or undesirable/agreeable or disagreeable experiences in the present moment now, being undetermined by all the mind perception of names and forms through the senses, and remain equanimous without clinging/craving towards the pleasant experiences, without aversion towards the unpleasant experiences. Also to free the mind from attachment and the desire of craving and aversion towards the future that doesn't exist and being determined by the imagination/anticipation/projection/expectation towards the future.

And hence, the yoga teachers are not interested to be engaging in worldly social conversations and won't be asking the guests about their past of what were their thinking and feelings/what they did or didn't experience, or talking about the past experiences and projecting into the future, or what was/is their physical condition, ability and limitation, or how they think and feel in the present, to allow the guests to stop feeding or empowering the attachment and identification towards the past experiences and all the impermanent and selfless qualities of names and forms that are not who they are, and be aware of all the modifications of the mind in this present moment without attachment or identification, without desire of craving and aversion.

This is the seventh determination - learn how to be in the present, free the mind from being conditioned and determined by the past experiences or the future imagination. And without attachment towards all the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in the present moment as even this present moment is impermanent.

Yoga practice is about silencing the ever restless mind, or the annihilation of the modifications of the mind. It's not important whether the physical body is in good or bad condition, or whether life is good or not good/easy or difficult, or what the body can do or cannot do, or whether the body is comfortable or uncomfortable, or whether the body suffers from certain injuries or illnesses, or not. It's to go beyond the attachment and identification with the body and mind, but looking after the well-being of the body and mind out of compassion, not out of egoistic desire of "I want my body and mind to be like this, and I don't want my body and mind to be like that." and with the correct understanding of performing the yoga practice within one's ability in the present and without forcing the body to go beyond its limitation. Allowing the practice and the fruit of the practice to be what it is. Allowing the body to be changing or improving naturally, without attachment and expectation. Without clinging onto or craving for injury-free/illness-free or good condition of the physical body, without aversion towards injury/illness or the bad condition of the physical body.

No matter how much limitation of physical movements and discomforts due to the existing injury or illness, one be determined to attend all the sessions even without much physical practice/movements, but just being aware of the limitation and discomforts without generating attachment, identification, craving and aversion, remain equanimous. And that's already a great practice, greater than doing many yoga asana poses/exercises in the sessions that people enjoy doing, that make them feel satisfied and happy, but full of attachment, identification, judgment, comparison, expectation, craving and aversion.

This is the eighth determination - develop patience, perseverance, determination, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation and accommodation.

Not that the teachers don't care about the students, when they don't ask about the students' well-being, as it is not important at all about how is the physical condition (injuries/illness/ability and limitation) or the state of the mind (happy or unhappy/positive or negative), when one truly understands what is yoga and is truly practicing yoga. And more importantly, it's to allow the students to be unattached towards and undetermined by the impermanent and selfless condition and function of the body and mind, and learn to be independent, to observe what is going on in their body and mind, to realize the truth of impermanence and selflessness, to look after the well-being of their body and mind by themselves, to realize wisdom and unconditional love from within, be free from clinging and craving for receiving love, help, support or kindness from others, allowing others to show love, help, support and kindness to oneself, or not, without being determined by other people's actions and reactions, where they don't need to rely on a teacher, or anyone to be there for them, to be practicing yoga, to be doing something beneficial for themselves or others, to feel loved and supported, to feel being helped or looked after, to be motivated, to be acknowledged, or to feel meaningful.

There's no need to have somebody there to comfort oneself, to be listening to one's 'problems' or 'complaints', as there's no 'problem' or 'complaint' when one knows yoga, when the mind is free from ignorance and egoism.

This is compassion and liberation, although many people might not understand or agree with this. It's normal that most people who attached strongly onto the worldly passionate thinking and belief couldn't understand this teaching and practice particularly and have strong disagreements towards this teaching and practice, unless they go beyond all the worldly passionate thinking and belief. And that's their freedom of thinking, actions and reactions.

Those who don't understand, they have expectation towards everyone and everything to be in certain ways that they like and agree with. They expect the teachers should behave or treat them in certain ways. They expect the retreat should be run in certain ways. They feel offended, disappointed and hurt when people or things are not being the way that they want it to be, or when they are getting what they don't like and don't agree with, or when they are not getting what they like and agree with, and when something that they like has changed into something that they don't like, or is being disturbed, or is no longer existing or available. As long as the mind is still functioning under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, people would keep hurting themselves and others out of ignorance, egoism and impurities.

This is the ninth determination - to realize compassion or unconditional love, to stop hurting oneself and others out of ignorance, egoism and impurities.

All these practices and realization are nothing to do with the impermanent and selfless physical condition, physical appearance, physical ability and limitation; or the impermanent and selfless state of the mind; or how strong and flexible is the physical body to perform the yoga poses; or how many yoga poses the body can perform nicely and comfortably; or how long they can hold a particular yoga pose comfortably; or whether they perform the yoga poses in so called 'perfect alignment', or not; or whether they believe or disbelieve in God (existence); or whether they have or don't have a religion belief and practice; or what type of religion belief and practice that they have; or what type and style of yoga they are practicing; or how long they have been practicing yoga; or who are their yoga teachers; or what type of food that they eat or don't eat; or whether the minds think they are good or not good, positive or negative, happy or unhappy.

This is the tenth determination - to free the mind from being conditioned and determined by qualities and dualities and any thinking and beliefs.

It's important as part of the yoga practice for the fees must be paid fully before the start of the retreats or workshops. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. In case of sickness or emergency that one couldn't finish the retreat, one can replace the unattended retreat sessions on some other time in the future when retreat or workshop is available. The fees is about the retreat guests showing sincerity and determination to attend the yoga retreat or workshop, as well as to show appreciation and gratitude towards the yoga teachers and supporting the maintenance of the retreat centre to conduct such retreats and workshops to allow other people to learn and practice yoga to be free from ignorance and suffering. This is very important as part of the yoga practice of elimination of ignorance and egoism.

It's not about paying some money in exchange for some customer services or commercial products in return. It's about one gives before receive anything or even doesn't receive anything in return. It's not about one will 'give', after one received something that one likes and desires, and one will be reluctant to 'give' if one thinks one didn't receive something that one likes or desires.

The teachings and practice of yoga is available anywhere and anytime that is nothing to do with 'fees' at all, such like anyone who visit this Blog can learn and practice yoga from all the posts about yoga here if they want, for free, but the daily/weekly/monthly/yearly maintenance of the living space and practice space of a retreat centre that allow people to come to learn and practice yoga under the teachers needs to be maintained by fees/money, to pay rental, bills, business license fee, building permit fee and lots of maintenance to upkeep the entire place. Even when there's no retreat or workshop happening, when the teachers don't teach classes or receive any fees, the teachers are still 'working' everyday to upkeep the entire place. But people don't see this. They think that the teachers only 'work' when they are teaching classes. The teachers will be teaching as long as somebody sincerely wants to come to learn and practice with them. Sooner or later, even if someone wants to come to learn and practice yoga, the teachers will not be here anymore.

All the teachings, practice and realization are invaluable. It's not something that one can buy or pay with some money and one will be free. But the fees in the form of money has its important function. Some people are not aware of they are exploiting the yoga teachers when they negotiate the fees with the teachers to get discount so that they can spend the saved money on something else, or thinking that the yoga teachers shouldn't receive any fees as they believe that teaching yoga should be something charitable or as a service, expecting that all yoga teachers should have some full time or part time job or business, or beg for donations from the public to support their living and perform selfless service to teach yoga for free or at very low fees. That's how people started to exploit yoga teachers thinking that that's the way it should be. Even some yoga teachers would think like that. But it's not. What they don't understand is that the fees is not about paying for the teachers for their actions of teaching yoga, but it's for many things that allow the teachers to be available here to teach yoga to other people at a particular time and space. If the teachers or the time and space are not available due to some reasons, then even though somebody want to pay some fees to the teachers, the teachers also cannot be here to teach yoga to anyone.

The retreat guests need to have certain degrees of determination and open mind to surrender all the doubts and hesitation towards paying non-refundable fees before the start of the retreat or workshop to be determined to finish the retreat or workshop regardless of any physical or mental discomforts/dislike/disagreement/aversion towards some of the teachings or practices and also due to the physical/mental/emotional purification process that may arise during/before/after the retreat or workshop, without forcing the body beyond its limitation, without hurting the body. If it's too tired or sicked to perform any physical practice, one doesn't need to do any form of physical practice, but still be practicing yoga by being present in the retreat sessions. But many people don't get this. They would want to quit as soon as there's some tiredness, dislikes, disagreements, discomforts or sickness.

Usually when there's doubt or hesitation towards paying the fees before the retreat started is due to there are a lot of 'what if' over-powering people's mind, and they afraid of they might regret or don't like the retreat and will loose their money if they want to quit and won't get any refund for quitting. They prefer to play safe by trying out without payment, and if they like it then they will pay. Or else they won't pay if they don't like it. But this type of petite mentality is one of the hindrance in the yoga practice. One should be determined to finished something that one started no matter how challenging it appears to be by putting aside all the impulsive likes and dislikes, craving and aversion.

Not about asking anyone to be compared with myself, but just to let people know that it's possible to be determined to finished everything that we have started no matter how much challenges and obstacles and difficulties are there. Initially, I didn't have enough money to pay for the yoga teachers training course when I paid the deposit to sign up for the course, but I never asked for any discounted rate or special rate from the Ashram, and somehow I managed to earn enough to pay for the fees and flight ticket and other expenses as well as supporting my parents' living by working hard. My body was sicked for more than three weeks during the one month course when I was attending the first yoga teachers training course at Sivananda Ashram in 2005, but I never missed any classes, or quit. Neither did I expect to be receiving sympathy, empathy, attention, love and care from anyone. I looked after myself and knowing that it's part of the purification process and it's impermanent. And the next year, after came back from the advanced teachers training course and attended my first silent Vipassana meditation retreat, my whole body and face suffered from some kind of serious skin rash for more than one and half year. Again, it didn't bother me at all. When I was young, the so called 'astrologer' said that I will never be a champion no matter how hard I try, but I managed to be a champion twice, and be qualified to represent Malaysia for competing in world championship in Sport Aerobics Competition. It's all about determination, perseverance, discipline, focus, patience, forbearance, hardworking and independence.

For those who have developed a strong foundation of correct understanding towards the teachings and practice, where they have become their own teacher, then naturally and effortlessly, they are dispassionate towards a worldly passionate way of life and would renounce worldly social affairs, desires, relationships, connections, activities and interactions, immersing into the practice of silence, solitude and seclusion, to be focusing in their own practice to attain complete annihilation of the modification of the mind.

This might be the last but not least determination - to attain complete annihilation of the modification of the mind.

Everyone has the freedom to decide what they want or don't want to practice after learning about the teachings and practice of yoga in the retreats or workshops, there's nothing wrong if they don't want to practice some of the teachings or practice, but more importantly, they learn to allow their mind to be opened, to be undisturbed by something that their mind dislikes, disagrees with, and doesn't want to practice, but at the same time, allow the mind to be opened to inquire or investigate the truth of everything that the mind agrees or disagrees with, being aware of whatever the mind agrees or disagrees with are not necessarily the truth. That is already getting into the practice, even if they dislike, disagree with and don't want to practice some of the teachings or practices of yoga. Then in everyday life, dealing with many people and things that are not necessarily that they like or agree with, but they are not disturbed by what they don't like and don't agree with, and have peace.

That is true compassion towards oneself and others, where one stops hurting oneself or others out of all kinds of impurities of dissatisfaction, disappointment, offensiveness, defensiveness, frustration, unhappiness, depression, pride, arrogance, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, hurts, regret, guilt, craving, aversion, impatience, intolerance, ill-will, animosity, unrest, fear or worry, under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

One is peaceful as one is, regardless of all kinds of mind perception of pleasant or unpleasant experiences, and all the impermanent changes of the different states of the mind, the mental achievement, ability and limitation; the physical achievement, ability and limitation, and the impermanent and selfless physical condition of aging, decaying, weakening, pain, illness and eventually stop functioning and decompose.

It's everyone's freedom for what they want to do with their life, body and mind, but also be responsible for all their decisions and desires, actions and reactions, and the consequences of their decisions, desires, actions and reactions.

Be happy.

Surrendering desires, intention, expectation

When someone wants to join a 'yoga course' or 'yoga retreat', it's normal that there's a desire, or intention, or expectation towards the experience or the fruit/result of such effort/action being performed.

It's mostly about "What will 'I' get or be benefited from doing this?"

"I am here to learn something that will lead me to freedom and peace."
"I am here to attain peace and happiness."
"I am here to be free from unhappiness and suffering."
"I am here to heal myself (my body, my mind and/or my soul.)"
"I am here to be unwind/relaxed to feel good/peaceful."

And that is also the reason why people keep going for courses and retreats again and again, but the mind is still desiring/expecting to learn 'something that will lead me to freedom and peace', or to attain peace and happiness, or to be free from unhappiness and suffering, or to be healed, or to be unwind/relaxed to feel good/peaceful.

Contemplate on the teaching of "The mind and the body is not I. I am not the body and the mind."

Contemplate on what is intentionlessness. Neither good intention to motivate good actions nor bad intention to motivate bad actions, but good actions are being performed while bad actions are being refrained.

Contemplate on what is "There's no 'I' perform actions, or 'I' receive the fruit of actions." even though there are ceaseless actions and the consequences of actions, or cause and effect arising and passing away being the by-products of the impermanent existence/life maintenance of the body and the restless egoistic mind.

It's the body and the mind performing the practice, and the body and the mind will be receiving the fruit/effect of the practice. And the body and the mind is impermanent and selfless regardless of being in good or bad condition/state. It's not 'I' am performing the practice and 'I' will be receiving the fruit/effect of the practice.

In many of the 'yoga classes', the 'yoga teacher' would ask the students to create a good/kind/positive/happy/meaningful 'intention' or 'aspiration' in their mind before and/or after the class to achieve something that they desire through their efforts of performing the practice or ritual. Such like, "I am awesome!", "I am positive!", "I am strong!", "I am healthy!", "I am good!", "I am enough!", "I am perfect!", "I am happy!", "I am compassionate!", "I am love or I am loved!", "I wish the world be good!", "I wish my children good health!", or "I wish everyone love, peace, joy and happiness!"

It's all about 'I' and what 'I' desire to be/to have, or what 'I' desire other people/the world to be/to have. That's why the mind doesn't progress any further after many years of 'practicing yoga' because the mind is still holding on strongly onto the idea of 'I' as well as 'intention' or 'expectation' that is about gratifying the desire of craving and aversion, because that is what they have been learning/practicing for many years by attending 'yoga classes' regularly. There is something that they desire and something that they don't desire that they hope to be gratified from performing some kinds of action, practice, or ritual. Hoping that everything will be good the way that they like it to be, that they think/believe it should be, and nothing bad.

There's nothing wrong, and it's very good to have good and positive thinking/thoughts than to have bad and negative thinking/thoughts, but it can become a great obstacle on the path of yoga. Even though the mind and the body is getting the momentary effects/benefits of performing the practice regularly, the mind is not free because the mind is still under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

Surrendering any desire/intention/expectation and all that is related to the idea of 'I' and 'my', just do the best while performing actions/practice and allowing the fruit of actions/practice to be what it is, is the teaching and practice of yoga. This is real 'non-attachment' or 'renunciation'.

Some people said, "I don't really know why I am here. I have no intention to be here. I don't know what to expect. But somehow, I'm here." And that 'allows' their minds to be open towards any possibilities, without being bound/limited by any particular desire, intention, expectation, aspiration, anticipation, imagination, or projection.

Once the mind realized selflessness/desireless/non-craving and non-aversion, there's no need to repeatedly attending 'yoga classes', or 'yoga courses', or 'yoga retreats' with the intention/expectation to learn something that will lead one to freedom and peace, or to attain peace and happiness, or to be free from unhappiness and suffering, or to be healed, or to be unwind/relaxed to feel good/peaceful, because this mind is free and peaceful as it is.

There's no "I need to learn something that will lead me to freedom and peace."

There's no "I need to attain peace and happiness."

There's no "I need to be free from unhappiness and suffering."

There's no "I need to heal myself (my body, my mind and/or my soul.)"

There's no "I need to be unwind/relaxed to feel good/peaceful."

Meanwhile, it's not as easy as it says for the mind to be free from ignorance and egoism, or be free from disturbs or suffering, and hence, most minds still need to go to someone/somewhere to learn and practice yoga.

The world of yoga

People asked us how come we don't run/teach yoga classes and teachers training courses?

Yoga practice is about taming/quieting the restless mind to free the mind from suffering of restlessness and impurities derived from ignorance and egoism by realizing selflessness (birthlessness, deathlessness, attributelessness, namelessness, formlessness) through the practice of dispassion, renunciation, silence, self-inquiry, concentration, meditation, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison and non-expectation that require a high degree of open-mindedness, right discrimination, intense yearning for liberation, will-power, perseverance, independence, self-control and discipline.

After one learned about the teachings and practice from someone who has direct experience of the teachings and practice, one implements these teachings and practice in everyday life, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism, which is nothing to do with attending regular 'yoga classes' or attending 'yoga teachers training course' to become 'certified professional yoga teacher' to teach/conduct 'yoga classes'.

Most people don't really interested to learn and practice yoga when they are interested in joining 'yoga classes', as they wouldn't/couldn't let go the thinking and belief which they think and believe is who they are (the main hindrance towards the realization of selflessness.) They just want to do some physical exercises to keep fit and be healthy, to feel good and look good. And it's nothing wrong. Everyone has the freedom for what they want and don't want, and what they think and believe.

Most 'yoga classes' are existing mostly as one of the healthy leisure activities for health and fitness enhancement by doing some yoga asana, relaxation and breathing exercises, just like any other personal/group fitness training exercise classes, which is a very healthy activity. It's very good that people would love to do some form of physical exercise regularly for maintaining good health and vitality to enjoy a higher quality of life. And some highly talented people even transformed yoga asana practice into amazing acrobatic performance, it's very inspiring for people to take up some physical fitness training to look good and feel good, and not spending time and energy in unhealthy/unwholesome activities.

The initial objective of 'teachers training courses' is about oneself learning and practicing the teachings of yoga to purify one's mind, to awaken/realize the teacher within to become one's own teacher, to discipline one's mind to be free from ignorance and egoism. It's not about training people who are interested in 'teaching yoga classes' or 'running yoga courses' to become 'certified professional yoga teachers' and issue/authorize them with 'recognized certification' to conduct yoga courses/teach yoga classes according to the different types of teaching style from different types of yoga school. It's training one's own mind to be it's own teacher. Upon self-realization of yoga/oneness/selflessness, one might or might not share the direct experience with others.

'Yoga retreats' are also being 'transformed' into self-pampering/indulgence of the senses getaway that empowers the egoistic desires of carving and aversion, or being 'transformed' into 'mystical healing' camp. Even so, it's neither right nor wrong. That is what most minds like and desire. It really doesn't matter. In the end, yoga is still what it is, whether people are learning and practicing and teaching yoga as it is, or not. The truth won't be affected/contaminated by any add-on/take-out elements, although the creative worldly minded can transform the teachings and practice of yoga into something that they prefer.

Most of the serious yoga practitioners don't really run/teach 'yoga classes', or 'yoga courses', or 'yoga teachers training courses' although they might be teaching yoga to many others. Sharing the teachings and practice of yoga with others doesn't necessarily has to be in the form of conducting yoga classes/courses/retreats. Some might have been teaching 'yoga classes' in the beginning, but after some time, they renounced the worldly social life and activities to concentrate on their own practice, upon realization that renunciation from worldly affair/interaction/activities/relationships is the greatest compassion towards oneself and all beings. Everyone is responsible for their own practice to look after their own mind, to discipline/quiet/purify their own mind, to deal with the consequences of their own ignorance, to become their own teacher, to free their own mind from ignorance, egoism and impurities via their own effort.

Meanwhile, 'yoga teachers training courses' are no longer about learning and practicing yoga to become one's own teacher to be self-independent, to perform self-inquiry, to silent/annihilate the mind to attain self-realization, but the identity and qualification of a 'yoga teacher'/recognition/authorization/certifications/association/commercial value/career value are the drive for conducting/participating yoga teachers training courses.

This is the world of yoga, and there's nothing wrong or bad with it.

Many people think that they like and love yoga, but not really. When come to serious yoga practice, most people would turn away or justify that it is not yoga (the way that they think it should be.) And there's nothing wrong, as all minds take their own pace and own path to evolve and realize.

In the silent meditation retreat that doesn't charge any fees (donate as you like, or even nothing), quite many people would want to runaway or quit after a few days observing silence, for not being able to talk to other people, can't have physical/eye contact with other people, not able to express as they like, can't do what they usually like to do, can't eat what they usually like to eat, no stimulating entertainment for the mind, sleeping on hard bed in basic accommodation, and they have to sit for meditation for more than 10 hours a day, while lots of physical/mental/emotional discomforts arise and random thoughts bubbling up to the surface of the mind. Some people would stay until the retreat finishes, but they don't really observe silence throughout the entire retreat, such like they are still talking/whispering/making signs/interacting with their friends and keeping their phones with them, even though it's not allowed. But, there's nothing wrong with that either, as it's how most worldly minds would behave, out of loneliness, boredom and meaninglessness derived from being refrained from their usual worldly stimulation/activities.

Most minds would 'cheat' to be comfortable and not to be uncomfortable. It's not about what's right and what's wrong. And it's not about how good is one's yoga practice and meditation experience, but it's the ability to confront/deal with all the things that the mind doesn't familiar with, doesn't like and doesn't agree with, while not coming in contact with the things that the mind familiars with, likes and agrees with, being free from craving and aversion, be able to forbear difficulties and unpleasantness equanimously, and free the mind from restlessness/impurities out of ignorance and egoism, that matters most.

The mind won't evolve/progress and keeps running round and round in the loop of worldly ideas/thinking/belief, if it keeps swaying in between craving and aversion, running away from difficulties and unpleasantness and what it doesn't like (the mind perception of the qualities of bad, negative, wrong, meaninglessness and unhappiness,) and chasing after what it likes and desires (the mind perception of the qualities of good, positive, right, meaningfulness and happiness,) even after many years of attending 'yoga classes' and 'yoga retreats' or doing yoga asana and breathing exercises regularly, or possessed many 'yoga certifications' and given 'yoga classes' to many people.

Be free.

Sadhana advice from Swami Sivananda (2)

Excerpt from Essence of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda

In one sense from the highest viewpoint, all the leaders of the world are wasting their time, life and energy. Had they directed their energy and mind towards Yoga and transcendental Atma Svarajya, they would have become great divinities on this earth and done more spiritual good to the world. These great men would have taken to Nivritti already, had they really understood the glory and necessity of Nivritti Marga, had they come in contact with great sages, had they a real grasp of the purpose of life, goal and the nature of the Svarupa of the Atman, mind and the world.

A little comfortable living, a little bread with butter and jam cannot relieve the sufferings of the people, cannot give salvation or Absolute Independence and Freedom to them, cannot remove ignorance, the root cause of all human miseries and of births and deaths. Wise men, with great talents, should attempt to give spiritual food to the people and make their lives lofty, worthy, sublime and grand and make them immortal.

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.

Poor worldlings! One would think that they have taken a contract with Brahma that they will procreate children in this world and take care of it!

The world is unreal. All are born to die only. All are illusory in this world.

Egoism deludes people. Though the world is nothing, it deceives the worldly man into thinking that it is everything. It is associated with 'mineness'. This egoism is born of Avidya (ignorance). It springs from conceit. Vanity fosters it. It is the greatest enemy ever known. The secret of renunciation is the renunciation of egoism. Ahamkara or ego is the direst of diseases. He who is free from egoism is ever happy and peaceful. Desires multiply and expand on account of egoism. This inveterate enemy has spread about man the enchantments of wives, friends, children, relatives, whose spells are hard to break.

This world is a manifestation of this mind only. All pains are generated through the mind only. If this mind is annihilated through discrimination and Atmic enquiry, all pains, along with this world will vanish.

Desire is the cause of rebirths and all sorts of pains, miseries and sorrows of this earth.

The body has a tendency to rot. Egoism lives in this body as the master with avarice as the mistress. The body is in reality a pot of filth. The shining skin is subject to wrinkles in old age. Fie and shame on them who have mistaken this body for the immortal Pure Soul and rely on it for their happiness and peace!

This body appears only in the present. A thing, that has neither past nor future must be considered as non-existent in the present also. If you think over this matter more deeply with Suddha-Buddhi or pure intellect, you will find Atyanta-Abhava or complete non-existent of the world.

"Nothing on this earth belongs to me! This body even is not mine." This is true wisdom. "He is my son. She is my daughter. She is my wife. That bungalow is mine. I am rich. I am a Kshatriya. I am a Brahmin. I am lean. I am fat." This is foolishness of a superior order. This body is the rightful property of fishes, jackals and vultures. How can you call this as yours?

In this scientific era - the age of the so-called modern civilisation - greed, passion, selfishness are increasing day by day, nay, hour by hour. One nation wants to devour another nation. Man has lost his manliness. The son drags his father to the courts for the division of property. The wife divorces her husband and marries another, if he happens to be more rich, more beautiful and younger. The younger brother poisons his elder brother to take possession of the estate. You see cruelty, dishonesty, injustice and atrocity everywhere. No one keeps his promise. The father has no faith in the son. The wife has no faith in the husband and vice versa.

There is no end of craving (Trishna) in the life of a worldly man. That is the reason why a worldly man is ever restless despite his wealth and comforts. There is always dissatisfaction with his lot. He is ever discontented. Before one craving is satisfied another craving is ready to occupy his mind, and this craving agitates the mind and makes a constant demand for gratification. He forgets his real divine nature and plunges himself in the ocean of Samsara (worldliness).

If you place the worldly-minded persons in the company of saints, Yogins and Sannyasins, in solitary places with charming sceneries, they can never live in peace. They will feel as if they are fish taken out of water.

Sages compare a worldly-mined man to a street-dog, or a pig that eats filth, or a worm that revels in rubbish. The comparison is very very apt, indeed!

O worldly-minded persons! Wake up from the deep of dark ignorance! Open your eyes now. Stand up and acquire the knowledge of the Self. Approach the Brahmanishtha Guru. Attain Absolute Independence of Kaivalya. Merge yourself in the State of Satchidananda.

A worldly man kills himself by clinging to things unreal. That man who does not struggle to attain Self-realisation, although he possesses knowledge of the scriptures, human body, youth, energy and other conveniences, commits suicide. His lot is very miserable. What greater fool is there than this man who neglects the goal of life? That man who does not care to make enquiry of 'who am I?' 'what is the goal?' 'how to attain the goal?' is really a great fool, although he may be endowed with high secular knowledge.

Imagine for a moment that your skin and flesh are inverted and exposed. Then some one will have to stand always with a long hill-stick to drive off cows and jackals. Why do you have Moha (infatuated love) for this dirty body? Why do you apply perfumes? Are you not a big fool? Get Jnana. You are the Atman, ever pure and Effulgent.

Birth is suffering; disease is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow, grief, pain, lamentations are suffering; union with unpleasant objects is suffering; separation from the beloved objects is suffering; unsatisfied desires are suffering. O man! Is there any real pleasure or happiness in this world?

Why do you cling onto all these mundane objects? Why do you stroll about here and there like a street-dog in search for happiness in this earth-plane? Search within. Look within and introspect and rest in the Supreme Abode of Peace and Immortality now. Realise now and be free.

Lust invariably leads to extreme suffering on the impediment of senses in old age.

Nobody has been benefited in this world by this Maya. People invariably weep in the end.

The worldly man never comes to the senses although he gets severe knocks, kicks and blows from different corners. The strolling street-dog never stop visiting the houses even though pelted with stones every time.

The whole world is a ball of fire though there are the so-called charming sceneries of Mayaic illusion. The whole world is a huge furnace wherein all living creatures are being roasted.

Lord Buddha says: "On the whole, life is a sorrow." Patanjali Maharshi in his Yoga Sutras says: "Sarvam Duhkham Vivekinah" - "All indeed is pain to a person of discrimination." Just as a fish in its desire to eat flesh does not see the hook that lies beneath, so as man in his passionate desire to get sensual pleasure does not see the noose of death.

Pleasure is not in the objects; it is in the imagination or inclination of the mind. Mango is not sweet but imagination makes it sweet. Woman is not beautiful, but imagination renders her so. An ugly woman appears very beautiful to her husband because his imagination is beautiful. There is a grain of pleasure in objects, but the pain that is mixed with it is of the size of a big mountain.

Sensual pleasure is tantalising. There is enchantment so long as man does not possess the desired object. The moment he is in possession of the object, the charm vanishes. He finds that he is in an entanglement. The rich but childless man thinks he will be more happy by getting a son; he worries himself day and night to get a son, goes on pilgrimage to Ramesvaram and Kasi and performs various religious ceremonies. But when he gets a child, he feels miserable. The child suffers from epileptic fits, and his money is given away to doctors. Even then there is no cure. This is Mayaic jugglery. The whole world is fraught with temptation.

The cause of pain is love of pleasure. The cause of death is love of sensual life. Death is a horrible thing to him who is intensely attached to sensual life. Words like cremation, murder, death, corpse, burial, make the sensualist shudder at heart; for he is extremely attached to the body and the objects of the senses. "How to part with the sensual objects?" is his great cause of misery. Pity!

The body is the first Mayaic knot or tie. Wife is the second knot round the neck. Son is the third knot round the waist. Daughter is the fourth knot round the knee. Grandson is the fifth knot round the ankle. He who has cut asunder these knots or ties and who has no Moha is really a strong and powerful man (Dhira).

All hope of happiness in this world terminate in pain, despair and sorrow. Pleasure is mixed with pain. Beauty is mixed with ugliness. Kindness is mixed with anger and harsh words. There is no real prop in this world to lean upon. Sensual indulgence brings diseases, exhaustion, weakness, and loss of vigor. The sensual objects destroy the whole man, and he has no help from any quarter of this earth. Fair sex infatuates. Money and power fill the mind with hollowness and vanity! There is often war between nations. There is no peace anywhere. Trust not this illusory world.

Go wherever you may, to Gulmarg or Pahalgaon in Kashmir, to Darjeeling or Simla, to Vienna or the Alps. It is all the same. You will not find any real rest. The charming scenery may soothe the retina for a second. Raga, Dvesha, jealousy, passion and greed are everywhere. You will finds the same earth, the same sky, the same air and the same water. And you carry with you the same mind. Imagination and change of places have deceived not a few.

Friends! Is there not a higher mission in life than eating, sleeping, drinking and talking?

An ignorant worldly man says, "I have to do my duties. I have to educate my four sons and three daughters. I have to please my boss. I have got heavy duties in the office. I have to remit money to my widowed sister. I have a large family. I have six brothers and five sisters. Where is the time for me to do Sandhya Vandana and Japa and study religious books? There is no time for breathing even. I have no leisure. Even on holidays I have to work. Even on Sundays I have to worry myself with work. I bring office-papers to my house and work at night till the small hours of the morning. I do not want Yoga. This office-work and the maintenance of my family is itself a great duty or Yoga."

Do you call this duty? It is mere slavery. It is a work of a coolie. It is mere bondage. The man is in fear every moment. Even in dreams he meets his office-mates and his boss and posts figures in the ledger. This is not a right sense of duty. He takes tea, eats food, and sits at the table for writing, sleeps and procreates. His whole life passes away like this. This is not duty. This is gross delusion. This is foolishness. This is selfishness. This is work for gain and satisfaction of lower appetites. Anything done under compulsion and expectation of rewards is not duty. You must not take as duty works done from attachment, greed or passion.

You have travelled in many countries, fed your dear relatives, and amassed immense wealth. Yet, of what avail are these, O friend? You have not realised the Blissful Brahman.

Desire for name and fame, infatuated love for the body, desire for vast erudition, are stumbling blocks in the attainment of the Self-knowledge. He who wants to free himself from Samsara should annihilate the desire for these mundane things.

Who are you? Who am I? Where from have we come? Who is mother? Who is father? Think deeply in these. Leave off this world, which is a dream, and seek the One, Eternal, Undivided Essence of Brahman.

Friends! Is there any limit to the number of fathers, mothers, wives, sons, daughters, uncles and aunts you have had in the countless incarnations in the past? And yet the clinging to these false relationships has not gone. Discrimination has not yet dawned. What a great pity it is!

The attraction for external objects ceases; but there yet remains the internal craving or sense of hankering or thirsting, which is called Trishna.

You have spent eight hours in sleep, and the rest of the day in idle gossiping, telling lies, deceiving others, in selfish activities, in amassing wealth. How can you expect spiritual good, how can you expect immortality and peace, if you do not spend even half an hour in the service of the Lord, in singing his names and in divine contemplation?

Will your son or daughter or friend or relative help you, when you are about to die? Will they accompany you to share your miseries? Have you got one sincere, unselfish friend in all this world? All are selfish! There is no pure love. But that Lord, your real Friend of friends, Father of fathers, who dwells in your heart, will never forsake you, though you may forget Him. Adore Him in silence, that God of gods, that Divinity of divinities, the Highest of the high. May He bless you with His love, Wisdom, Power and Peace!

The Rishis and the Seers tapped the source through living the Truth. They had deep penetration into the Truth through the eye of wisdom or intuition in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. They did rigorous Tapas and intense meditation. They disciplined the outgoing senses and led a virtuous life. They were absolutely moral and righteous. They developed all the qualities of the heart. They practised dispassion and renunciation. They had no attachment for mundane things. They kicked off ruthlessly all wealth, relatives, wife, family, children, position and status. They embraced poverty, purity and austerity. They lived in forests. They ate fruits and roots. They breathed pure air. They lived on the banks of the Ganga amidst Himalayan scenery, which had, and has, high spiritual vibrations. They did not live in Mount Road or the Mall.

All the things of this world pertaining to men are attended with fear; renunciation alone stands for fearlessness. Shun honour, respect, degrees, name, fame, power, position and titles. They are absolutely worthless. They will not give you eternal satisfaction. They will only intensify your vanity. They are all intoxicants of the mind. They bring misery and mental disturbance.

In the Vishnupurana it is said: "If the deluded fool loves the body, a mere collection of flesh, blood, pus, faeces, urine, muscles, fats and bones, he will verily love hell itself! To him who is not disgusted with the nasty smell from his body, what other argument need to be abduced for detachment?" It is needless and useless to say more.

Knowledge of the Self or Brahma Jnana is more precious and important than the kingdom of all the worlds.

If you do not possess Viveka, if you do not try your extreme level best for the attainment of Salvation, if you spend your whole lifetime in eating, drinking, sleeping, marrying, divorcing and propagating the race, how are you better than an animal? As a matter of fact, they are better than you! You will have to sit at the feet of the animals and learn a few several lessons from them. Even animals possess self-restraint to an astounding degree. O man! where has your self-restraint gone?

O man! Never say; "My body, my son, my wife, my house, my property, my garden, etc." Attachment is the root cause of the innumerable miseries and troubles of this world. Discipline your mind well, realise the illusory nature of all that appears here in this world.

Renunciation comes only to those who were once kings in their previous births, who developed discrimination between the real and the unreal in their previous births, who have done meritorious actions in their previous births, who led the life of a Sannyasin in several births. Only those who have tremendous will-power, spiritual strength, dispassion, discrimination, and who thirst for salvation can renounce the world. Renunciation demands superhuman strength. Renunciation or Sannyasa is stern stuff.

After all, what is this world? It is like a footprint of a calf when compared to the Infinite Brahman or the Absolute. It is a small bubble in the ocean of Existence. It is less than an atom. The worthless nature of the joys of this world is already known to a Viveki or a man of discrimination or an aspirant or an ordinary worldly man even in whom there is not even an iota of spiritual awakening or a little opening of the eye of wisdom.

The Upanishads emphatically declare: "Yo Vai Bhuma Tat Sukham - Naalpe Sukhamasti!" You cannot have real happiness in this world. The real 'Santi', is Peace which the mind is hankering after is only to be found in the 'Bhuma'. Bhuma is unconditioned, beyond time, beyond space and causation. Bhuma, the Great, is freedom, - freedom from the trammels of flesh, freedom from the tricks of the mind, freedom from the plays of delusion. Bhuma is perfection, beyond all limitations. Bhuma is Brahman, the eternal Absolute! You will have to remember all this constantly. You will have to write this and read this, talk of this and preach this, meditate on this and live in this, 'Yo Vai Bhuma Tat Sukham.'