Want to learn and practice yoga? (24)

In certain social and cultural thinking, belief, values and practice, people are being taught about the benefits of making as many friends as possible, while making as less enemies as possible, in order to make life easier and less difficult.

The parents told the young children, "At home, you depend on family. Outside, at school, at work place, in career, in business, in social status and wealth, you depend on friends and connections."

The main intention and aspiration for building and expanding one's social connections and personal friends circle, is about getting as much love, care, help and support as possible, while getting as less obstacles and hardships as possible, in order to be advancing and attaining higher and higher success in one's life, career, business, status, or wealth.

People have the idea and values of "Friends are being there to be caring, loving, helping and supporting one another physically, mentally, emotionally or financially, especially during difficult times, where it will make life more easy and less difficult."

'Personal friends' or 'social connections' are being seen as one of the important assets that one should be accumulating and appreciating in order to be successful, joyful and meaningful in life.

People are being conditioned to think and believe that, "Having very few friends, or not having many friends in one's life, or not having any personal friends at all, to be playing, enjoying and sharing life with, or to be supporting and interacting with physically, mentally and emotionally, is something terrible and miserable, bad and wrong. Where one's life is doomed to be lonely, dulled, sad, joyless and meaningless, if without many or any personal friends, or life is doomed to be more hard, miserable and suffering, if without many or any social connections."

The sense of self-esteem, self-worth, confidence, success, positiveness and meaningfulness that doesn't need to be there in any human beings, is very much being determined by the quantity and quality of the personal friends circle and the social connections or social networking. Many people spend a lot of time and effort performing certain actions in order to be pleasing some others for getting the liking and acceptance, to be making friendship or building social connection with some others.

Some people who don't have spouse or children, or don't want to have spouse or children will be comforting themselves or be consoled by others, "I (You) don't have spouse or children, but at least, I (you) have many friends." Most people cannot understand that how come someone can be alone by oneself, and still be peaceful and happy, free from loneliness or self-pity.

Similarly, in certain worldly spiritual, religious and political thinking, belief, values and practice, making as many connections, members, followers, supporters and contributors as possible, in order to achieve certain selfish desire, aspiration or ambition, to be preserving, expanding, protecting and empowering one's particular spirituality, or religion, or political/national existence, identity, ideas, values and movements.

In the teachings and practice of Yoga and Buddhism, it's about letting go such thinking, belief, values and practice that is about making many personal friendships as well as social connections with the selfish intention to be benefiting oneself in certain way, to achieve one's personal desires and ambitions, or to get rid of loneliness, boredom and meaninglessness, but it's about be truly friendly, helpful and kind towards all beings without any selfish intention or expectation, out of humanity and compassion, without discrimination of 'friends' or 'not friends', 'connections' or 'non-connections', 'my people' or 'not my people'.

Be kind, friendly and helpful towards all and everyone, and provide necessary assistance particularly towards those who are 'truly' in need of certain help, within one's reach and ability, without discrimination or expectation. Being kind, friendly and helpful but ignorantly providing 'requested help' to those who don't really need help at all, but merely to be taking advantage of 'friends' and 'connections' to enjoy certain conveniences and benefits for oneself, doesn't help the world to have less ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

Free from the idea and values of "Making as many friends as possible so that one will always have some friends to play with at anytime, because sometimes certain friends might not be available to be there for oneself, but at least there are many more other friends that might still be available to play with, or to be there for oneself whenever one needs help, or whenever one encounters any difficulties in life."

Many people might not be aware of that is what they have been learning and practicing from young, as well as passing down those selfish thinking, belief, values and practice onto their next generations, which they think is normal, and there's nothing selfish about it.

In social and cultural idea and values,

"Friends/connections are something good and positive."

"Friends/connections are there to make life easier and less difficult, more meaningful and less lonely."

"Friends/connections are there to help one's career and business to grow and be successful."

"Friends/connections are there to play with, to comfort, support and stand up for each other, and to protect one another."

"Friends/connections are there for helping one another to achieve everyone's aspirations and ambitions in life."

"You are not my friend, or you are not a good friend, because you are not there for me when I needed you, and you didn't keep in touch or stay connected with me for so long."

In certain spiritual, religious and political idea and values,

"You support me, I'll support you. You help me, I'll help you. You scratch my back, I'll scratch your back, and vice versa."

"You disagree with me and go against me, or you disrespect and disobey me, I'll punish and hurt you."

"The friends of my enemies are my enemies. The enemies of my enemies are my friends."

In the teachings and practice of Yoga and Buddhism,

Regardless of whether staying or not staying in touch/connected, with or without personal friendship/connection, agreeable or disagreeable, one just be kind and friendly to all, without discrimination, without selfish intention or expectation.

The best help to all humanity, is helping and guiding all, without discrimination, to be free from ignorance and egoism, which is the root cause of suffering arising in oneself and inflicting unto others, and not empowering the ignorance and egoism in the minds.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (23)

OCD can be seen in the world of 'controlling and regulating everything in certain way and particular order' as well as in the world of yoga.

The mind feels good and right, positive and meaningful, and is satisfied, if it does everything in certain way and particular order, and if the surrounding environment is in a specific way and order that is agreeable to the mind.

The mind feels bad and wrong, negative and meaningless, and is dissatisfied, disturbed or anxious, if it doesn't or couldn't do things in certain way and particular order, and if the surrounding environment is not in a specific way and order that is agreeable to the mind.

This OCD of the passionate egoistic minds with the desire to be 'controlling and regulating everything to be and not to be in certain way' which can be seen in family, community, political, governmental, religious, spiritual, cultural thinking, belief, values and practice, where it's not only about egoistic survival instinct, possessiveness, ownership, protectiveness, selfishness and greed, but it's also about the urge to be in control of everything to be in certain way accordingly.

The teachings of yoga about dispassionate, desirelessness and letting go, respecting everyone and everything to be what they are, as they are, and all are impermanent, not controlling or regulating everyone and everything to be and not to be in certain way, is being seen as 'weakness', 'negativity', 'regression', 'anti-progression', 'non-productivity' or 'inappropriateness' for the worldly passionate egoistic ambitious minds.

This OCD also exists in the world of yoga, in the yoga asana practice, in the chanting, prayers and rituals practice, in the meditation practice, in the yoga practice space, or in the yoga class.

The mind is being conditioned by the worldly egoistic superstitious thinking, belief, values and practice, to behave, act and react in certain way accordingly, as well as unwittingly being determined by certain neuronal and hormonal changes and imbalance, and spontaneously bringing such obsessive compulsive disorder into all its activities, including the yoga practice.

There are certain disciplines or observations in the teachings of yoga which are in accordance to general knowledge and common sense that can help to discipline, purify and quiet the modification of the mind effectively to a certain extend, but somehow, some minds (both practitioners and teachers) with OCD are bringing and adding their OCD behavior into the practice of yoga as well.

Certain observations that are in accordance to general knowledge and common sense are practical, such as not to eat or drink too much before the practice or before doing any kind of physical activities, or not to consume any elements that are over-stimulating or depressing the state of this particular mind, as different minds react differently towards different elements, or performing sufficient warming up before attempting certain more challenging physical activities, or allowing the body and mind to take their time to develop the skill, strength and flexibility, or not to continue the practice or physical activities and to make adjustment or take complete rest when there's sudden painful sensation or injury occur in the body, or not to push the body and mind beyond its limitation, or not to perform certain physical/verbal practices under unsuitable condition and situation that causing certain inconvenience and disturbance to oneself and some others in the surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, paying too much importance onto the correct or perfect physical alignment, physical hands on adjustment, the capability of performing certain yoga asana poses or some other yoga practices, particular timing, day, month, year, position, direction, routine, diet, food, taste, symbolical object, sight, colour, shape, touch, sound, smell and visualization that the mind relates to yogic/mystical/holistic atmosphere, auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, good and bad, right and wrong, positive and negative, or meaningfulness and meaninglessness, as well as intense attachment towards good health and fitness condition and longevity, or extreme cleanliness and tidiness, and vice versa (certain minds get irritated/annoyed by spotlessness and tidiness), where it became a form of intense craving and aversion towards the presence and absence of certain names and forms, where the mind 'needs' to have certain names and forms in particular way and order in the yoga practice or in the yoga practice space and the surrounding environment, to feel good, right, positive, meaningful, satisfied and comfortable, or else, if certain names and forms are not present or absent accordingly, it feels bad, wrong, negative, meaningless, dissatisfied and anxious, then that is the sign of OCD. It's nothing to do with the teachings and practice of yoga.

If the space and surrounding environment at a specific time is too dirty and having too much disturbance, then it's not suitable to perform certain physical yoga practice at that time in that space, or else, it might do more harm than good to the body and mind, but one can still be practicing yoga of non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment and non-expectation, remain equanimous, being undetermined and undisturbed by the unsuitable condition and situation at that moment. But, if the mind is being disturbed and disappointed for not being able to perform certain physical yoga practice at that time in that space, due to the presence of certain unsuitable condition and situation, then that is not yoga practice, even if the mind is able to perform certain physical yoga practice regularly under suitable condition and situation.

There's nothing wrong with those who have OCD. It's merely one of the different mental states, however, being conditioned by OCD to be doing certain things in particular way and order, for the mind to feel good, right, positive and meaningful, is not part of the yoga practice at all. In fact, it's about freeing the mind from being conditioned in such way, not to be determined or disturbed by any particular way and order, or the presence and absence of any names and forms.

To minimize any unnecessary injury while performing the yoga asana practice, one just needs to have awareness and common sense to be aware of the physical condition, ability and limitation in the present moment, and not forcing or pushing the body beyond its limitation in that moment, and be able to perform all the practice under correct understanding and attentiveness, in a relaxed non-competitive, non-comparison, non-judgment and non-expectation state of mind, without thinking of need to be able to be performing the yoga asana practice in accordance to so called correct/perfect physical alignment, without the need of any physical hands on adjustment from somebody to get into any particular position that one would like to be able to perform. Without the aversion or the unnecessary tension of, "I don't want to have any injury."

Understanding that sometimes, even after doing one's best to minimize the risk of unnecessary injury, but still, there's some inevitable discomfort and pain might occur in the physical body after certain practices or physical training, and it's okay. It's the same as in life. After one did one's best to live life in certain way, but still, sometimes life is not being the way that one would like it to be, or life is not as easy and comfortable as one would like it to be, and it's okay.

There are some people think and believe that they can't do the yoga practice, or they are unease, disturbed and anxious, or anticipating something bad is going to happen to them, their life, their relationship or the world, if they are or are not, facing a particular direction, doing certain things in certain timing, looking at certain sights, smelling certain smells, hearing certain sounds, consuming certain kind of food, using certain props, positioning the body, hands, fingers and feet in certain way, performing certain rituals, having certain symbolical objects and images, or being in a so called 'auspicious mystical spiritual yogic atmospheric space'. There's nothing wrong and it's everyone's freedom, but it's not part of the yoga practice.

Similarly, in everyday life, many people growing up under certain parenting method, where they are being conditioned or trained by their parents or care takers to become 'highly sensitive' towards the presence and absence of certain sights, sounds, smells, tastes or sensations since a baby, where they would be 'affected' and 'disturbed' by either the presence or absence of certain lights, colours, sounds, smells, food, temperature or textures, that are conditioning their everyday life routine which 'has to be in certain way', such as the sleeping pattern or sleep quality. Some people couldn't sleep, or couldn't sleep well being conditioned or affected by the surrounding environment or the atmosphere very much, such as whether there is certain light, sound, smell, temperature or texture that either make them feel 'comfortable' or 'uncomfortable', 'relaxed' or 'agitated', just because they have been being conditioned to be only able to fall asleep or sleep better, if the surrounding environment is being set into a particular way. People thought that all human beings are being born that way, and that's how they should bring up their children. But, it's about the body and mind is being conditioned to be in certain way. It's mainly the body and mind is being conditioned, trained and empowered to develop attachment that turns into CRAVING and AVERSION towards the presence and absence of certain names and forms, that are affecting their sleeping pattern or sleep quality.

Quite some people are interested in yoga, not for eliminating ignorance and egoism in one's minds, but with the intention and expectation to be developing certain mind power to be influencing and controlling life, or the world, or other minds, to be and not to be in certain way. Even if it's about good intention of wanting everyone and everything to be good, in the way that the mind thinks and believes as good and righteous, it's not yoga practice. Discrimination starts from there, where the minds don't like, disagree with and interfere with some others who are being different from them and their thinking, belief, values and practice. They want to convert and change others to be like them, under the name of "We want you to be good," but they are hurting others out of their 'good' and 'righteous' intention and action.

Certain degrees of self-control to discipline one's mind, in order to be eliminating ignorance and egoism from one's mind, is the yoga practice, but it's not about controlling and disciplining other minds, not to say, to eliminate ignorance and egoism in other minds, in order to control the world to be and not to be in certain way.

Stay away from many of those who claim to have yogic supernatural healing power, to remove ignorance, egoism, impurities or suffering in other minds. If that's possible, the world is already be free from all kinds of suffering and ignorance, or the consequences of ignorance. Learn from nature. Nature is the authentic Guru. It teaches the truth of selflessness and impermanence. Those who respect nature, without interference towards everything being governed by cause and effect, are void of suffering. Only those who want to go against nature, to be in control of everything to be or not to be in certain way, will perceive suffering.

If the mind is aware of certain imperfection or impurities in itself, but without attachment or identification towards the imperfection or impurities in itself, without being over-powered or influenced by those imperfections or impurities to be doing something that hurt oneself and/or others, that's already the practice. In the end, it's the realization of there's no 'I' to be identifying with the perfections and imperfections of the body and mind.

The minds that aren't aware of the OCD in themselves, while bringing OCD into their yoga practice and their yoga classes, such as intentionally focusing on developing positive mind power to be influencing life and the world to be in certain way, to be healing certain hurt and painful sorrow, and to be achieving and gratifying the boundless worldly desires in the minds, might mislead the yoga students who attend those yoga classes to be thinking and believing that those are part of the teachings of yoga and the yoga practice, empowering greater ignorance and egoism.

The world has so much ongoing suffering deriving from fighting, violence, cruelty, wars, discrimination, oppression and intimidation, is all because there are minds, especially those who hold the power of authorization, desire to control, influence, change and make the world to be and not to be in certain way, according to their own respective inspiration, aspiration, intention and ambition. If none trying to control, influence, change and make the world to be and not to be in certain way, even if it's for what the mind thinks and believes as 'good' and 'right', there won't be such suffering deriving from fighting, violence, cruelty, wars, discrimination, oppression and intimidation.

If none is under the influence of ignorance and egoism, there's no ignorance and consequences of ignorance in the world, but merely living in peace and harmony with everything under the nature law of selfless impermanent changes. Free from craving towards reversing decaying and aging, strength, limitlessness, illness-free, desirable/pleasant/agreeable experiences, goodness, positiveness, longevity, or even endless existence. Free from aversion towards decaying, aging, weakening, limitation, illness, undesirable/unpleasant/disagreeable experiences, badness, negativeness, death or decomposition. There's no fear, worry, dissatisfaction, disappointment, greed, anger, hatred, jealousy, hurt, grief, or painful sorrow. None is intimidating, discriminating, oppressing, controlling, prosecuting, punishing or hurting one another.

However, the world has too many minds under the influence of ignorance and egoism, including the minds that want to be good and do good, and want everyone and everything in the world to be good, and hence, there are all kinds of ceaseless ongoing suffering.

Those who can let go, can do one's best to bring certain goodness into the world, but without intention or aspiration to control or change the world, without being determined, or disturbed, or broken, or exhausted by the ignorant condition and situation in the world.

Those who practice yoga as it is, they don't need to be healed from hurt or painful sorrow, but learning and realizing the truth of hurt and painful sorrow, and through the practice of non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment and non-expectation, the mind is no longer being determined, or disturbed, or hurt by all kinds of unpleasant, undesirable or disagreeable experiences. There's no need positive mind power to heal anything or anyone.

Anyway, 'healing' is one of the big money making business in this world. Even if without money transaction or profit gain from the idea and action of 'healing', it's still something born out of ignorance and egoism.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (21)

Opening the thinking faculty, or the perceptive cognitive assertive mind, is highly essential on the path of yoga for enabling the mind to perform self-inquiry or investigation towards the truth of names and forms.

Somehow, there are people of certain cultures/beliefs/spiritualities in the world are very fearful or superstitious towards 'open-mind'.

These different cultures/beliefs/spiritualities have a common element, where they all have the great aspiration, duty or mission of attracting/recruiting/converting as many people as possible to become their 'submissive', 'faithful', 'obedient' and 'contributive' members/followers/supporters, where the teachings, values and practice involved certain 'superior authorization', 'submissiveness towards the authority', 'non-disagreement and non-questioning towards the teachings and practices', 'blind-following', 'blind-believing', 'blind-practicing', 'blind-propagating', 'one big family-hood/brother-hood protecting each other from outsiders/non-followers', 'obligatory contribution', 'sinfulness', 'shamefulness', 'guilt', 'fear', 'threats', 'self-punishment', or 'fearful punishment from the superiority or authority', under the so called 'loving kindness' of 'We love you', 'We only want you to be good' and 'All these are for your own good'.

Most people are being taught from young that all and everyone need to develop and empower a self-identity and self-image that attached and identified towards certain names and forms that they 'inherited', 'possessed', 'be given' and 'belonged to', that rely on receiving love, agreement, acceptance, approval, acknowledgement, praise and support from 'the authority' or 'the superiority', or from all the others in the family/relationship/community/world, in order to feel love, good, happy, confident, proud, deserving, positive, successful and meaningful about oneself and life existence.

All these 'ideas', 'values' and 'practices' exist in different kinds of cultures/spiritualities/beliefs influencing the way of living, action/reaction and aspiration in the family, the relationship, the community, the school, the career, the business, the leadership, the political institution, and so on, with great ambition to be creating and empowering a personal and community world that they desire based on certain ideas, values and practices.

Non-attachment and non-identification is indeed 'unintentionally' going against all kinds of egoistic ideas, values and practices that exist and survive largely on the intense attachment and identification from everyone towards all those ideas, values and practices. The elimination of egoism in human beings is the highest threat towards their existence in the world.

'Open-minded to be inquiring towards the truth of everything' is being described by certain people as something 'wrongful', 'evil' and 'sinful', and it's 'punishable', where they relate 'being open-minded' to 'engaging in immoral and irresponsible way of living and behavior', where 'rebellious' people want to be experimenting as many 'things' as possible in the world without reasoning whether it would cause certain harmful and damaging consequences onto oneself and others as well as the surrounding environment. They propagate that 'inquiring or questioning the truth of everything, particularly towards their own belief, teachings, values and practices' means "Disrespectfulness, unfaithfulness, humiliation, ungratefulness and offensiveness towards the superiority or authority that 'love' and 'care for' all and everyone very much". But more importantly, is that they need to maintain and increase the amount of 'obedient'/'submissive' members/followers/supporters/contributors, and don't want to be loosing their 'army' and 'rice bowl' that give them 'the superior status and power'.

In certain culture/spirituality/belief, people believe and propagate that 'open-mind' is something extremely 'dangerous', as they propagate that 'the soul' would 'fly away' from the body upon the mind is opened, where 'the soul' might not be able to come back into the body. Not sure whether they are afraid of a soul-less body or a body-less soul.

Meanwhile, in certain cultural belief and practice, during a funeral, one needs to burn the left behind clothing that belonged to the dead person who was their beloved family member, so that the dead person can have some clothing to wear when they are in another world (so thoughtful and loving, BUT), however, one also needs to cut some holes in all the pockets of the clothing that are going to be burnt, so that the dead person won't be taking the wealth and prosperity in the family with him/her to the other world, while at the same time, one also needs to buy many different kinds of expensive paper made 'material objects and enjoyments' to be burnt as well, so that the dead person can have and enjoy all those 'things' in the other world (so that the dead person won't get too upset about all the pockets of the clothing are being cut deliberately).

There's a threat about if one didn't follow everything that supposed to be done during the funeral of one's beloved family member, then the dead person (particularly one's loving father or mother) will come back into this world to haunt or hurt oneself and the entire family. And most people from that culture, including some highly educated ones, would just blindly follow all kinds of 'practices', spending lots of money in funerals, and they will pass down such 'practices' to their next generations, as they don't want to risk loosing their wealth and prosperity, as well as they don't want anything 'bad' to be happening to themselves and their next generations, if they don't follow all kinds of 'practices' accordingly, or, they simply don't want to 'offend' or 'upset' any others in the family and community of that culture. This includes some 'yoga practitioners' and 'yoga teachers' who inherited or adopted any kind of culture, who might still attaching and identifying towards, and be determined by certain culture/spirituality/belief, and either wittingly or unwittingly, bringing certain ideas, values and practices from their culture/spirituality/belief into the world of yoga as well.

That's why 'open-mind' is being seen as something 'wrong' and 'evil' by some people of certain culture/spirituality/belief in the world. It's not good for many kinds of money making 'business' and 'superior status and power'.

That's why the importance of renunciation to move away from all kinds of worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, in order to allow the mind to be free from being influenced by all those ideas, values and practices, unwittingly.

Open-mind in yoga, is about unattached and unidentified towards any particular worldly egoistic social/cultural/spiritual/religious/philosophical/educational/political/commercial thinking, belief, values and practice, allowing the mind to see the truth of everything as it is, without being influenced by all those worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, to reason, analyze, judge, feel, act and react.

It's not about being curious, adventurous or fearless to be experimenting all kinds of experiences, things, elements, substances, practices and activities in the world, blindly and irresponsibly, without considering the side-effects of certain actions, that might cause certain harmful and damaging consequences onto oneself and others, and the surrounding environment. Instead, one should have right discrimination and self-control to not engaging in any activities that would be harmful to the well-being of oneself and others, and the surrounding environment.

It's about non blind-agreeing, non blind-disagreeing, non blind-following, non blind-believing, non blind-practicing and non blind-propagating.

It's not about being rebellious or skeptical, to be blind-disagreeing or blind-denying towards everything.

It's about allowing the mind to be opened to inquire or see the truth of everything as it is.

Inquire towards the truth of everything, including all kinds of information, knowledge and teachings accumulated from everywhere, regardless of agreeable or disagreeable based on one's existing thinking and belief, accumulated from the very beginning of learning and absorbing all kinds of inputs, coming from parents, caretakers, elders, school teachers, spiritual teachers and leaders, philosophers, political leaders, researchers, scientists, historians, famous people, community leaders, social medias, influencers, relatives and friends, including from the many different kinds of yoga teachers, yoga gurus, yoga schools, yoga courses or yoga books, as well as all the teachings here.

Some 'worrying' people say, "Oh, the world of ignorance needs such attachment and identification towards certain civilized belief, values and practice to lead and guide (more precisely, to control) all the ignorant beings to be good and do good (more precisely, conditioning everyone to be thinking and behaving in certain way). Or else, everyone will behave ignorantly (more precisely, want everyone to behave/don't behave in the way that 'I' and 'we' want them to behave/don't behave)." Really? Why not allowing everyone to be free from ignorance and none needs to be 'controlled' by anyone, instead of keeping everyone under the influence of ignorance and need to be 'controlled' by someone, so tiring? Did the world has less ignorant behavior and consequences of ignorance, after many thousands years of civilization under certain cultural belief, values and practice?

The minds argue, "Even in the teachings of yoga mentioning about the different types of students of different degrees of ignorance. There are many 'wet woods' that need to be 'controlled' by certain belief, values and practice, to behave and don't behave in certain ways, by oppressing their thinking and behavior, and planting fear in them so that they will be afraid of punishment and won't do anything that they shouldn't do, that we think is bad and wrong." Really? Wet woods will also have the opportunity to become dry wood if they are being away from moisture and be dried under natural element of heat or wind, but no, some minds deliberately want to keep them in moisture all the time, just because the minds with certain intention think that since they are wet woods, and hence, they should somehow always be keeping in wet environment and not allowed to be dried, and they would be threatened and punished by those minds, if they ever try to be dried. It's because wet woods are 'useful' for them, for helping them to achieve their certain ambition.

Those who would be 'disappointed', 'disrespected', 'humiliated', 'intimidated', 'offended' and 'angered' by others who question the truth of everything, by threatening everyone that they would be 'punished' by 'certain authority' for being open-minded to be questioning the truth of everything, particularly towards certain belief, teachings, values and practice, and they would act and react under the name of 'the authority' saying that "I am representing the authority to punish you for your bad and wrongful behavior", are nothing to do with Dhamma, or Teachers of Dhamma, or Yoga, or Buddhism, that is all about self-inquiry to be inquiring towards the truth of everything.

Intelligent successful inspirational and aspirational people/influencers - "Gain more knowledge and experience, and stay updated and connected with the world by reading as many books, newspapers and magazines as possible (except the banned ones), watching and listening to as many TV, radio and social media programs as possible (except the filtered out ones), and experimenting as many experiences as possible (except the prohibited ones). Be inspired by all those successful people in the world, and be aspired to become like them. Follow and support them, and you will be supported to become like them."

Meanwhile,

Swami Sivananda - "Stay away from television and movies watching, novels, newspapers and magazines reading, or radio listening. Renounce worldly affairs, activities, entertainments, interactions, connections and communications. Do not mix. Do not build ashrams. Do not hoard disciples. Live alone. Walk alone. Eat alone. Meditate alone. Inquire the truth of everything via self-inquiry and self-realization."

Ajahn Chah - "There's only one book to read, and it's this one within oneself. Inquire the truth of everything via self-inquiry and self-realization."

Inquire why such advice.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (13)

Everything and any experiences, regardless of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, that allows the mind to reflect upon the truth of selflessness and impermanence, is Dhamma, is the teachings, is the teacher.

If one keeps looking out for an enlightened guru or a spiritual being to be receiving some sorts of blessing or miraculous touch of mystical healing power, and/or attaining certain kind of transcendental power through some 'prayers, mantras or rituals', with the expectation of hoping the enlightened guru, the spiritual being, or the prayers, mantras or rituals can remove all the doubts, ignorance, badness, hurts and suffering in oneself and in the world, one will never be free.

If one, or a few, or many enlightened/spiritual beings can remove all the doubts, ignorance, badness, hurts and suffering in anyone and in the world through some sorts of blessings and mystical power, there wouldn't/won't be any ignorant beings, ignorant consequences, or suffering in the world.

If one, or a few, or many minds/people can generate some sorts of 'positive mind power or vibration into the surrounding environment or the world' to change the undesirable and unpleasant conditions and situations in the world, there wouldn't/won't be any bad conditions and situations in the world.

If one, or a few, or many kinds of 'prayers, mantras or rituals' can remove all kinds of badness, wrongfulness, selfishness, cruelty, violence, discrimination, hatred, greed or suffering in the world, there wouldn't/won't be such things existing in the world.

None can remove the ignorance in other beings or in the world. None can remove all kinds of suffering in other beings or in the world sprung from ignorance and governed by the nature law of cause and effect.

One can definitely contribute to positive changes/improvements in oneself and into the world, by freeing one's mind from ignorance and egoism. There will be less an ignorant mind/human being generating ignorant consequences into the world, without any intention or aspiration to change or make the world to become a better place. That's all.

None can discipline/purify/conquer/liberate any other minds but the mind itself.

It's not that there's any superpower in any particular kind of 'prayers, mantras or rituals' or 'vibrations'. The purpose of performing any kinds of 'prayers, mantras or rituals', generating certain way of 'vibrations', breathing exercises, yoga asana practice, concentration exercises or meditation practice, and/or just by focusing the mind in any particular type of mental/physical activity, might can act as a tool to help gathering the wavering/distracted thought currents into the state of one-pointedness, and/or bringing the attention of the mind into the present moment, void of wandering into the past memories or future imaginations that don't exist in NOW, where the restless mind gets some momentary relief from restlessness of thinking, judgment, actions/reactions, disturbs, desire of craving and aversion, or fear and worry, void of the idea of 'I', without any intention/aspiration of controlling the perceived names and forms to be in certain way or changing the perceived reality into something else that it is not, without any expectation of silencing the modification of the mind, but spontaneously, the modification of the mind is subdued, resting/dissolving in selflessness/oneness/attributelessness/namelessness/formlessness/birthlessness/deathlessness. There's no 'I' being there to be identifying as "I am meditating. I am in silence. I am selfless. I am ONE. I am nameless, formless, birthless, deathless. I am whole." Not to say, the idea of "I am right or wrong," or "I am good or bad," or "I am deserving or don't deserving."

If all those mental and physical practices/activities requiring certain degrees of focus/attention over certain duration that gather the wavering/distracted thought currents, are not free from the idea of 'I', 'the performer of action' and 'the receiver of the fruit of action', with the intention/aspiration/expectation to be controlling the perceived names and forms to be in certain way or changing the perceived reality into somethings else that it is not, and/or silencing the modification of the mind, then it doesn't serve the purpose of leading the mind towards SILENCE (void of 'I' and all kinds of thought activities or desires that sprung from the idea of 'I'). Just as paying maximum attention into doing any kinds of mental/physical activities in daily life under the idea of 'I', regardless of wholesome or unwholesome activities, it doesn't free the mind from ignorance and restlessness, except, maybe during certain 'precious' moments, upon the absence of the idea of 'I' and 'I-ness'.

What is 'good' or 'bad', 'deserving' or 'don't deserving', 'positive' or 'negative, 'meaningful' or 'meaningless', 'pleasing' or 'displeasing', 'superiority' or 'inferiority', 'love' or 'loveless', 'enjoyment' or 'suffering', upon the absence of 'I', or in the state of 'I'lessness?

Still want to debate or argue? 

Still in doubt? 

Still being disturbed, hurt, angered or disappointed by this or that? 

Still trying to look for someone to answer/clear one's doubt? 

Still longing to receive blessing, or comfort, or healing from someone or something? 

Still emphasizing on what are the benefits/effects of doing the yoga and meditation practices? 

Still think that 'yoga practitioners, especially yoga teachers' should be super healthy, super fit, super strong and flexible, superhuman, super youthful, and never getting old, weak, stiff and sick? 

Still trying to defy the nature law of selfless impermanence changes, of decaying, illness, weakness, immobility, limitation, or old age? 

Still trying to do and achieve something for pleasing someone or everyone to attain love and acceptance, understanding and agreement, interaction and connection, friendship and companionship, acknowledgement and appreciation, praise and compliment?

Still wishing/praying everything will only be good and nothing bad? 

Still thinking and believing that people should behave like this and shouldn't behave like that? 

Still think that 'yoga teachers' should know and be able to perform many different yoga asana poses and their variations, and possess certain 'internationally recognized yoga teacher certification' being 'authorized by and affiliated to certain yoga alliance' to be 'qualified' for teaching yoga? 

Still think that if one didn't manage to do and achieve what one would like to do do and achieve before one dies, one will be regret and won't be peaceful?

Still think that if one didn't manage to see and be with one's family and friends for a prolonged period of time, especially before someone dies, then one is a bad person, and one would feel terrible, guilty and regret, and have no peace?

Still think that birth is something good, positive and joyful to be celebrated, while death is something bad, negative and sorrowful to be mourned?

It's normal and nothing wrong. That's what ignorance and egoism is about. Just keep practicing.

Wishing the world to be immaculate void of rubbish?

One can restrict oneself to stop generating rubbish while maybe also being a good and helpful person trying to clean up other people's rubbish, utilizing higher technologies and scientific methods to collect and treating rubbish, but that doesn't make the world 'rubbish-free', as all others are continuously generating rubbish unwittingly and endlessly.

Letting go the world of endless rubbish, without trying to control or make the world to be 'rubbish-free', but one may just do one's best to help minimize generating rubbish into the world.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (12)

One of the common egoistic behaviors of the mind is discontentment, or greed, or craving. One may be being contented with certain things while being discontented with some other things, depending on the degrees of attachment towards different things.

Either contentment or discontentment is neither good nor bad. It depends on the degrees of understanding and self-control of not doing anything that would be hurting oneself, and/or others and the surrounding environment, out of discontentment or greed. Just as many other things are neither good nor bad, but then why are yoga practitioners being taught to practice contentment and be free from discontentment?

Contentment might be seen as a form of negativity or regression under the worldly thinking, belief, values and practice, as certain 'contented' people being 'contented' with what and how things are, might not be motivated to perform actions that could lead towards certain improvements in oneself, and particularly, to be contributing and supporting the world of capitalism and commercialism, but actually, that's the state of idleness/laziness/disappointment/meaninglessness being misunderstood as contentment.

More and more people are being highly disappointed by the messiness in the world due to corruptions and failed leadership, and feel that it's useless and meaningless to perform actions that might or might not bring certain improvement in the world of ignorance and egoism, as they think and believe that it's not possible or too difficult for the world to change for better, being pushed by the current of ignorance and egoism.

Discontentment towards 'what and how things are' and 'what is available now' is being seen by the worldly passionate minds as a good and motivational thing that can lead towards ongoing improvement in many things in life, endlessly, until one stops living, or dies. Especially it's good for the world of capitalism and commercialism that needs and welcomes ceaseless 'discontentment' in many people in order to sustain and prosper.

Contentment in yoga and Buddhism doesn't mean that one stops performing actions that could lead towards certain improvement in oneself, or in one's life existence and in the world. The contented minds that are being contented with 'what and how things are, without being determined by the impermanent changes in the quality of names and forms', can be making use of this life existence to be performing actions that would benefit the over-all well-being of oneself and/or others, without attachment, identification and expectation, and void of greedy ambition/aspiration/desire of craving and aversion that could end up hurting oneself and/or others in certain ways while trying to achieve certain goals/results that one desires.

Meanwhile, growing motivational discontentment in the passionate egoistic minds could easily turn into a form of greedy ambition/aspiration/desire of craving and aversion unwittingly, that might motivate the mind to be performing certain actions that could end up hurting oneself and/or others, and the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, just as some people generate certain damages to their body and mind by pushing their body and mind beyond its limitation in order to achieve certain results that they desire, as well as some people who have certain influential power are hurting/damaging many lives, things and nature in the world as the minds are being over-powered by greedy ambition/aspiration to control the world to be in certain way, to gain higher power or wealth, to seize and possess space/lands/resources, or to create a world that they desire.

Discontentment isn't just existing in the worldly life, but either wittingly or unwittingly, it also comes into the yoga practice.

Quite many yoga practitioners, particularly yoga teachers, would think and believe that they need to keep learning and performing as many yoga asana poses and their different variations as possible, as well as studying and memorizing as many names and forms of the different yoga practices and their respective consequences/effects as possible, or the names and forms of different body systems, muscles, bones, organs, glands and nerves, and their respective functions, for their own particular reasons, or to be a 'well-informed', 'knowledgeable', 'qualified', 'competitive', 'professional', 'confident' or 'responsible' good yoga teacher, but all these are nothing to do with the realization of selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, or the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, or the ability of letting go, as well as performing self-inquiry inquiring towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence in all the names and forms. In fact, it's empowering ignorance and egoism in the mind.

People who cannot see, or hear, or read, or speak, or sing, or sit up, or stand, or move, or know and perform any particular 'yoga practice under certain names and forms', 'chanting and prayers', 'breathing exercises' or 'yoga asana poses', can still inquire towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence, be free from ignorance and egoism, and realize unconditional peace and compassion, void of painful sorrow and suffering. Not to say, whether knowing what are the names and effects or benefits of the different practices, or be able to perform all the different poses 'beautifully'/'gracefully' and in perfect alignment, and be able to pronounce all the names or chanting and prayers 'precisely', or not.

Being knowledgeable towards many things and being capable to do many things physically and mentally, and utilizing those enhance physical/mental condition and accumulated knowledge for doing something in life, is nothing bad or wrong, but one doesn't need to be able to know or do many things, or know and do many different types of yoga practices, or know and do many different yoga asana poses as well as the many different variations of the yoga asana poses, throughout the path of yoga for self-inquiry and self-realization, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

In order to help purifying, influencing and calming the restless state of the mind, one just needs to know and do a few basic yoga asana poses regularly, where each practice session might be slightly different from one another, where certain basic yoga asana poses are being practiced on that particular day and time, and certain poses might be held for slightly longer or shorter time, while there might be a need to take complete rest from physical or mental training on certain day and time, according to what the body and mind needs in that particular moment, based on the physical condition and the state of the mind on that day and at that time.

Performing just a few basic yoga asana poses on each practice session being practiced under the correct understanding and attitude, in a relaxed manner without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, without straining/hurting/damaging the body and mind, is sufficient enough to serve the main purpose of performing the yoga asana poses, which is for purifying the energy centers and channels, to be calming the restless state of the mind or energizing the idle state of the mind, as well as to be developing certain degrees of awareness and concentration, and maintaining certain degrees of vitality and mobility preparing the body and mind to be fit enough for performing self-inquiry and meditation practice, as well as to have the sufficient health and energy for performing selfless service, duties and responsibilities towards oneself and/or others in everyday life.

Somehow, the passionate egoistic minds are getting bored and aren't contented with just doing a few basic yoga asana poses regularly, where the mind is being inspired and aspiring to be able to know and do as many yoga asana poses and the different variations as possible, due to boredom and discontentment, and most probably, to attain the sense of confidence, positiveness, goodness, satisfaction and meaningfulness that is being determined by the accumulation of knowledge towards this and that or the mental ability to do and achieve certain things, and being determined by the physical condition and ability to perform as many yoga asana poses as possible, especially some of the challenging yoga asana poses that required certain degrees of skill, strength and flexibility, where the mind feels good and satisfied upon being able to perform certain actions/positions that it couldn't do before, where the self-esteem and confidence is being determined by the physical and mental condition, ability and achievement.

Some yoga teachers as well as the yoga students also think and believe that, as 'yoga teachers', they need to be able to know and do as many yoga asana poses and the different variations as possible, as well as accumulating and possessing as many 'recognized yoga certifications' as possible, to show that they are 'highly qualified', 'well-trained', 'competitive', 'creative' and 'professional' yoga teachers to conduct 'variety', 'enjoyable', 'safe' and 'effective' yoga (asana) classes. That is also being propagated in many of the 'yoga teachers training courses' in the world, which is not what yoga is about.

It's neither right nor wrong, as it is something good for anybody to be engaging in any kinds of educational learning or sports and fitness training activities regularly for enhancing physical/mental condition and ability. It's better than spending time and energy engaging in unwholesome activities. However, the yoga practitioners or yoga teachers need to know that the mental ability to do and achieve certain things with the accumulated knowledge about this and that, and the 'enhanced' physical condition and ability to perform many different kinds of physical actions, positions and movements, doesn't determine the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, or the ability to let go, or whether the mind will attain the realization of selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, and be free from painful sorrow and suffering, or not.

Inquire the egoistic behavior of the mind under the influence of ignorance and egoism and worldly passionate thinking, belief, values and practice.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (11)

Letting go what is impossible, what cannot be undone or changed for better, what is/was pleasant/unpleasant or agreeable/disagreeable, the past memories of desirable/undesirable experiences and relationships, the future anticipation, success and failure, right and wrong, good and bad, positive and negative, strength and weakness, improvement and deterioration, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, superiority and inferiority, ability and disability, achievement and non-achievement, contribution and non-contribution, dissatisfaction and disappointment, anger and jealousy, hatred and discrimination, all kinds of worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, and all kinds of attachment, identification, desires of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, as well as unattached towards what is possible and what can be done/improved in the present moment, is the yoga practice, before/during/after the physical yoga practice, and within every moment in everyday life.

Letting go the desire of craving and aversion and expectation towards everything to be and not to be in certain way, and letting go the aspiration or intention towards 'interfering', 'controlling', 'influencing' or 'changing' everything to be and not to be in certain way according to the desire and don't desire of the thinking mind. It's letting go craving, longing and clinging towards agreeable, pleasant and desirable condition, situation, experience, relationship, interaction, activities, abilities and achievements, while letting go aversion, anger and hatred towards disagreeable, unpleasant and undesirable condition, situation, experience, relationship, interaction, activities, disabilities and non-achievements.

Void of craving and aversion doesn't mean that one has to like and agree with everything. It's non-attachment towards the likes and dislikes, enjoyable and non-enjoyable or agreements and disagreements. The mind is being undetermined and undisturbed upon coming in contact with names and forms that the mind doesn't like, doesn't enjoy and disagrees with, and upon not coming in contact with names and forms that the mind likes, enjoys and agrees with.

Respecting the perceived reality in the present moment now as it is. Being aware of the physical condition and the state of the mind in the present moment now, without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, without injuring/hurting/damaging the body and/or the thinking faculty out of dissatisfaction, greed, ambition, or the desire of craving and aversion. The condition of the body and the state of the mind is changing selflessly, where there's no 'I' in the impermanent changes of names and forms, of the body and mind.

Without 'I' being there generating possessiveness towards the physical body and the modification of the mind as 'my body' and 'my mind'. Without 'I' being there generating the desire of craving and aversion 'aspiring' to be 'intentionally' controlling or changing the physical condition and the state of the mind, as well as the condition of the world to be something else that it is not, of "I want my body and my mind to be like this and not like that, to be able to do this and achieve that, and I want the world to be the way that I desire," void of attachment, identification and association towards the impermanent existence and function of the body and mind, and the perceived limited world of selfless names and forms.

Without 'I' being there being disturbed or determined by the condition of the body and the state of the mind as well as the condition of the world that is selfless and impermanent, regardless of in good health or sickness, in pleasantness or painful sorrow, in good or bad condition, in calmness or restlessness, it's not 'I' and 'not mine', and it's impermanent. Eventually, the body and the mind as well as the perceived world of selfless names and forms will also be disintegrating into the nature of selfless elements.

Out of the power of nature, which is selfless non-sympathetic non-discriminating intentionless compassion, just like all the elements that selflessly/intentionlessly existing and performing ceaseless actions supporting each other as well as supporting the existence and function of all and everything in this space, influenced by cause and effect, void of the discrimination of likes and dislikes, agreement and disagreement, pleasure or displeasure, or the desire of craving and aversion, of "I want this and I don't want that, aspirationally and passionately interfering, controlling and changing everything to be in certain way that I desire," performing actions that support and nourish the existence and function of this body and mind, which in then, the 'nourished' body and mind will also be 'unintentionally' benefiting the surrounding environment and all and everything, while allowing and respecting the nature of impermanent changes to be what they are, as they are.

Letting go, is neither something easy nor difficult, but depending on the degrees of ignorance and egoism, it can be rather easy for some, while extremely difficult for some.

Letting go, is not just about letting go what the mind perceived as 'badness', 'meaninglessness', 'disturbing', 'hurtful' or 'sorrowful', but also about letting go the attachment/clinging towards what the mind perceived as 'goodness', 'meaningfulness', 'comforting', 'soothing' or 'joyful'.

Letting go egoism, unveiling the nature of selflessness/'I'lessness/egolessness in all and everything, is compassion.

Compassion is widely being misinterpreted as 'sympathetic and empathetic loving kindness', with the aspiration/intention/desire to give happiness/joy and take away unhappiness/sorrow to and from others, which is not liberation at all, but it's merely the power of nature in ceaseless actions that selflessly and intentionlessly influencing all kinds of names and forms to be arising (births/existing) and passing away (deaths/ceased existing) and ceaselessly changing in between existing and ceased existing, influenced by the nature law of cause and effect. There's neither 'good' nor 'bad', neither 'joyfulness' nor 'painful sorrow', neither 'deserving' nor 'non-deserving', in the births and deaths of all and everything, regardless of the different impermanent qualities projected to and from the names and forms.

The mind that realized this, is void of painful sorrow, disturbs, hurts, or suffering. This is nothing to do with 'emotionlessness', 'ungrateful', 'unappreciative', 'uncaring', 'unloving' or 'negativity' out of emotional dysfunction, mental sickness, selfishness, meanness, cruelty, anger, hatred or discrimination. It's merely the presence and absence of attachment/grasping/clinging/craving/aversion.

No others/teachers/gurus/liberated minds and no huge amount of information/knowledge/borrowed wisdom accumulated from reading, hearing, studying and memorizing can free the mind from ignorance and suffering. It has to come from the mind itself to realize selflessness and compassion. The teachings is there. The teacher is there to disseminate the teachings through various ways. Everything is there to allow the mind to reflect upon the truth of selflessness and impermanence. But it's still up to the mind itself to practice and realize the teachings.

In the beginning of the practice, the ignorant egoistic passionate restless mind needs some sorts of methods/practices to 'influence', 'control', 'conquer', 'quieting' and 'calming' the state of the mind, to 'purify' and 'discipline' the egoistic behavior pattern of the mind, by itself through its free-will and effort, in order to allow the mind to develop the initial understanding and foundation to perform self-inquiry. While during the process of self-inquiry, it's void of 'influence', 'control', 'conquer', 'purification' or 'discipline', to see things as they are, and respect everything as it is. It's not a contradiction. It's merely part of the process. It's also not about 'healing'. There's no 'I' being there that needs to be 'healed'. More importantly, it's nothing to do with 'influencing', 'controlling', 'conquering', 'quieting', 'calming', 'purifying', 'disciplining', or 'healing' and 'liberating' other minds.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (10)

All minds under different degrees of ignorance and egoism will take their own pace depending on their effort, discipline, understanding, determination, perseverance, condition and situation to learn, practice, inquire, understand and realize what is going on in their own mind.

There's nothing to be comparing and judged about among the different minds on the different paths of yoga.

All the different types of yoga paths and lineages under different names and forms, with different ways of styles, approaches and practices, to suit different minds of different temperaments and degrees of understanding, are all about Self-realization, the annihilation of ignorance and egoism. If it doesn't lead towards the elimination of ignorance and egoism, then it's just some physical and mental health and fitness activities, just like many other physical and mental health and fitness activities in the world, still benefiting the body and the thinking mind to certain extend.

Most minds begin their journey of Self-realization under an impure egoistic modification of the mind, being conditioned by worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, to behave, act and react, to analyze, compare and judge. Somewhere along the path or lineage, somehow, some minds that weren't/aren't pure might behave, act and react under the influence of ignorance and egoism and impurities, and hence, there might be some 'mischievousness' occurred/occur in the different yoga lineage/school/ashram/organization.

Minds that have certain degrees of understanding, will not be disturbed, affected or determined by the different types of 'mischievousness' that existed/exist in certain yoga lineage/school/ashram/organization, either experiencing by oneself or some others, and move on in one's journey towards Self-realization, knowing that the corruptions or mischievousness of the impure minds are deriving from the ignorance and impurities in the minds, and are nothing to do with the teachings and practice of yoga.

While the minds that don't have such understanding would be disturbed, affected and determined by such disagreeable/unpleasant experiences, thinking and believing that the 'mischievousness' of certain minds within the yoga lineage/school/ashram/organization are due to there's something 'imperfect'/'wrong'/'bad' about the teachings and practices of yoga, and hence, they condemned/condemn the teachings/practices/lineage/school/ashram/organization, and generated/generate aversion or resentment towards the path of yoga. That's their freedom of thinking, understanding, action and reaction.

That's why the development of self-reliance, mental and emotional independence, and the practice of openness, non blind-following, non blind-believing, non blind-practicing, non blind-propagating, self-inquiry, renunciation, dispassion, seclusion and solitude are very important, even in the beginning of the yoga practice, along with the practice of non-attachment, non-identification, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-craving, non-aversion and non-expectation.

There are many different kinds of 'distractions' and 'obstacles' on the path of Self-realization.

The yoga practitioners need to be aware of certain worldly habits of unintentional or intentional random chit-chatting while socializing and interacting with some others, either being aspired to care for others and vice versa, or with the intention of building personal connection or friendship, want to know about others and be known by others, by talking about oneself, one's origin/background/knowledge/identities/attachments/expectations, one's desires and don't desire, one's agreements and disagreements, one's satisfaction/achievement and dissatisfaction/non-achievement/disappointment, talking about other people this and that, wandering into the past pleasant/unpleasant memories and the future desirable/undesirable anticipations, talking about 'I', 'My', 'You', 'He', 'She', 'They', 'This and that', where the conversation is all about the justification and empowerment of a personal and community identity, judging, comparing, admiring, envying, complaining, bitching, back-biting, glorifying, slandering, boasting, desiring, aspiring, inspiring, anticipating, speculating, scheming, plotting, feelings, emotions, ideas, beliefs and values, or else, there's nothing to be talking about other than saying "Hello", "Good morning/evening", "How are you", "Goodbye", which is 'inappropriate', 'awkward', 'cold', 'inhuman' or 'uncaring' for certain social cultural practices. Some yoga practitioners and/or yoga teachers might not be aware of they might be engaging in such physical/mental/verbal activities most of the time when they meet up, gather, socialize and interact with some others.

Unless the mind is already be free from ignorance and egoism, where there's no attachment, identification or expectation towards all kinds of names and forms in the conversations, one can be talking about this and that without being determined, affected, influenced or disturbed by any conversations about anything, however, how many minds are void of passionate egoism?

Talk less. Talk only when necessary. Talk only Dharma, that leads the mind towards reflection upon itself, if this mind really wants to be free from ignorance and all kinds of disturbs, as well as wants to help other minds to be free from ignorance and all kinds of disturbs.

Those who are not interested in practicing yoga, it's their freedom for what they think, behave, act and react, desire and don't desire, or what they want to do or don't do.

Many passionate minds, including some long time yoga practitioners/yoga teachers as well as mental health practitioners might disagree with this, as the minds are being conditioned deeply in worldly egoistic way of thinking, belief, values and practice, where talking and listening among one another, being mentally and emotionally dependent on one another, is a form of 'caring', 'sharing', 'loving kindness', 'meaningfulness', 'empathy', or 'healing'.

Talking and listening to be sharing, is the 'healthy' common values and practice for many kind and caring people that put upmost importance onto 'family/friends/community mental and emotional support and dependence', where they never thought of the importance of developing mental and emotional independence in oneself and in all and everyone, where mental and emotional independence is being recognized as 'selfishness', 'unhealthy', 'lovelessness', 'closed mind', 'harshness', 'bad', 'wrong', or 'insanity'. There's nothing wrong, as it gives momentary relief to most minds, and helps to prevent certain self-harm/harm others incidents, as many minds are never being trained to find out what is going on in the mind, and hence are not capable to look into the mind to see what is going on in one's mind. Instead of curing and preventing 'the mental disturbance/pain/problem/illness' from the root, it's still good to provide some emergency momentary relief by 'talking' and 'sharing' among one another.

While in the yoga practice, is about self-inquiry looking into one's mind, alone in solitude by oneself, curbing the 'urge'/'need'/'desire' to look out for answers, comfort, love, support, sympathy, empathy, encouragement, and so on, to see what is really happening in the mind whenever there are names and forms arising and passing away, when there are pleasant/unpleasant thoughts, actions/reactions, craving, aversion, ideas, feelings, emotions, memories, anticipations, goodness, badness, rightfulness, wrongfulness, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, agreements, disagreements, unrest, hurts, sorrow, anger, hatred, love, sympathy, guilt, shame, pride, loneliness, fear, worry, and so on, where the mind thinks and believes that there is a 'need' for the presence of some others, or 'specific individuals that one is attracted to and admires', to be talking, sharing, listening, interacting, acknowledging, affirming, accepting, understanding, agreeing, attracting, loving, caring, supporting, encouraging, comforting, giving and receiving, among each other. Where the mind feels good, positive and meaningful when all these are available, and the mind feels bad, negative and meaningless when all these are not available.

This teaching and practice is neither good nor bad, but it might not be suitable for certain minds (yet) that haven't develop certain degrees of independence, openness, awareness, dispassion and renunciation, and still have intense mental and emotional dependence on some others, even though they might have been 'practicing yoga' and/or 'teaching yoga' for many years. But, it would lead the mind towards unconditional peace, being free from being determined by the selfless impermanent modification of the mind.

Inquire towards the truth of everything, especially what is going on in the mind, to know Thyself. No other can liberate oneself from ignorance and suffering, but through the mind's self-effort, self-discipline, self-inquiry and self-realization, to know Thyself.

When the mind is void of ignorance and egoism, is in peace unconditionally, is void of disturbs or impurities, who is there that needs to be sharing, listening, interacting, acknowledging, affirming, accepting, understanding, agreeing, attracting, loving, caring, supporting, encouraging, comforting, giving and receiving, to and from some others, to feel good, positive and meaningful, to not hurt oneself and/or others?

Why many minds need to be sharing, listening, interacting, acknowledging, affirming, accepting, understanding, agreeing, attracting, loving, caring, supporting, encouraging, comforting, giving and receiving, to and from some others, to feel good, positive and meaningful, to not hurt oneself and/or others? Because the minds are disturbed and in suffering, is under the influence of impurities and not at peace, due to the veil of ignorance and egoism. The 'problem' is not because of lacking some others being there to be talking and sharing about this and that all the time, but it's ignorance and egoism in the mind.

Teach and guide the minds to be free from ignorance and egoism, is teaching yoga, is compassion, even if it might not necessarily be pleasant or enjoyable.

Learn and practice how to free the mind from ignorance and egoism, is practicing yoga, is compassion, even if it might not necessarily be pleasant or enjoyable.

All experiences in this impermanent worldly life existence, regardless of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, desirable or undesirable, joyful or sorrowful, enjoyable or non-enjoyable, meaningful or meaningless, right or wrong, good or bad, are just 'great' opportunities for the mind to reflect, inquire and realize the truth of selflessness and impermanence, to be able to let go and unattached.

The yoga teacher doesn't need to ask, talk, listen, know or share about 'what are the personal problems/disturbs' in the different minds, as all kinds of 'problems/'disturbs' are all due to ignorance and egoism in one's mind, where the yoga teacher just needs to guide the minds to look into their own minds, to know what is going on in the mind, to let go attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, letting go what the mind thinks and believes is their 'problems'/'disturbs', to free their own mind from ignorance and egoism, and realize unconditional peace. That is compassion, however, the passionate minds might not know or agree with this.

It's common and normal that the minds that have some sorts of doubts/disturbs/troubles/hurts/painful sorrow, which ignited their interest to be joining yoga retreats or yoga classes, expecting to be talking and sharing to the yoga teacher about their 'problems', as well as expecting the yoga teacher to be asking and listening towards their 'problems', while hoping to be receiving some sorts of 'comforting' and 'agreeable' response from the teachers, thinking that the yoga teacher should be giving them 'the desirable/agreeable answers/healing to all their doubts/disturbs/troubles/hurts/painful sorrow, and take away all their 'problems'. This might be practicing in many yoga retreats or yoga classes in the world, as well as outside of the retreats and classes, in social/community meet ups, where many 'yoga teachers' emphasized about 'connecting', 'sharing', 'talking', 'listening', 'hugging', 'touching', or 'healing'. However, these minds would be very disappointed, when the yoga teacher didn't ask them anything about what is 'troubling'/'hurting' them, or not showing any interests in 'listening' and 'sharing' their 'problems'. They thought that the teacher is unfriendly, cold, uncaring, unsympathetic and absurd, or is lack of empathy, compassion or professionalism, and hence, they criticized the teacher as 'bad' yoga teacher. What they didn't know is that this kind of yoga teachers, are the real yoga teachers that can teach and guide them towards unconditional peace, void of all kinds of mental or emotional suffering. But, many passionate minds don't like or agree with this. And that's their freedom of thinking, action/reaction and choice.

The yoga teacher doesn't even need to be deliberately doing/saying anything that would be offensive towards the minds, but merely didn't deliberately give the minds what they would like to see or hear, or what they expect to be experiencing, and hence, the minds react and feel offended and disappointed by the yoga teacher who is truly wise and compassionate. But, that's the point. The minds are being given the great opportunity to look into their own minds, to see those ceaseless egoistic actions/reactions under the influence of ignorance. Some minds would start to be aware of the modification of the mind, which is a good start or uplift for their yoga practice. While some minds would still be unable to look into their own mind, and generate dislike and disagreement towards the teacher for not being the way that they think how it should be, or not giving them what they expect to be receiving/experiencing, the way that they desire. That's their freedom of action and reaction.

Either the mind will see what is going on in itself, or not, and be thankful and appreciative, or be offended and unappreciative, it really doesn't matter, the teacher is just delivering the teachings, and it's up to the minds themselves to practice and realize, or not.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (9)

The practice of letting go judgment, comparison and expectation in the teachings of yoga, is exactly the opposite of the worldly thinking, belief, values and practice, in the competitive world of various forms of intelligence, talents, sports, skills, business and professionalism, that is mostly result, success and achievement orientated, that is about the development/empowerment of personal, family, community, school, company and national pride, determining the sense of self-esteem, self-worth, satisfaction and meaningfulness, through constant judgment, comparison and expectation from oneself and others towards the qualities of names and forms in oneself, and between/among different individuals and groups.

There's neither right nor wrong, it's just different approach, mentality, understanding and goal towards exerting energy into performing certain actions/practices/trainings that would lead towards what different minds defined as the highest development, improvement, transition, achievement or purpose for oneself and/or for others, in this life existence.

In the worldly thinking and practice, in order to motivate and inspire oneself to work harder and be better, one should constantly comparing oneself with oneself in the past, as well as comparing with all the others, to have great expectation towards oneself to become better and better, to be better than oneself in the past and be able to stand out among the others, and there's no end to continuous growth, improvement and achievement. That is deriving from egoism as well as empowering egoism. While in yoga, one can still be constantly improving one's physical and mental performance without the need of judgment, comparison and expectation.

No doubt that the body and mind is subject to decay and deterioration, and will stop 'growing' and followed by gradual decaying process at certain point, however, the body and mind can be maintaining certain degrees of good health and fitness level up to certain extend through engaging in certain regular healthy routine of mental and physical training and maintenance in moderation. Either over-use or under-use is not good for anything.

That's why in the teaching and practice of yoga, there are certain physical and mental training that could help to maintain certain degrees of physical and mental health and fitness level, if being practiced regularly under the correct understanding and attitude, but there's no attachment or identification, judgment or comparison, desire of craving and aversion or expectation towards the impermanent condition of the physical body and the state of the mind, knowing that it's the nature of the body and mind for being impermanent, as well as deterioration/decaying is the inevitable truth of all kinds of selfless names and forms, no matter how much effort being put into the maintenance of this body and mind. There's no dissatisfaction, disappointment, unhappiness or painful sorrow when the body and mind are losing youth, strength and mobility, experiencing aging, decaying, weakening, illness, injury, pain, discomfort, and approaching towards old age, death or decomposition.

In the yoga practice, one is practicing non-judgment, non-comparison and non-expectation in one's yoga practice as well as in daily life affairs, actions, activities and relationships with everyone and everything, either from oneself towards oneself, or towards others and among all kinds of names and forms. Respecting the perceived reality in the present moment now, as it is, as it changes from moment to moment, not necessarily pleasant, agreeable or desirable, without attachment or identification towards one's efforts and actions, and the fruit of one's efforts and actions.

Those who are free from judgment, comparison and expectation towards oneself and others, can still be doing one's best while engaging in various types of 'healthy' competitions, that promotes good health and fitness for the body and mind, as well as promoting sportsmanship and friendship among the different diversities in the world through the engagement of various forms of 'healthy' competitions. It's not so much about 'winning', but the entire process of persevered training and constant improving, physically and mentally, as well as the importance of sportsmanship in any competitions.

'Unhealthy' competitions are those that emphasized on the result, where 'winning'/'victory'/'success'/'effort well paid off'/'fame' is the highest goal of the persevered training, that promotes personal/group/national identity pride, and the sense of superiority, satisfaction and meaningfulness, where the minds might have difficulty in accepting 'failure', and would generate disappointment or shamefulness in oneself, and generate jealousy, resentment and hatred towards others who perform better than oneself, who beaten oneself in any kinds of competitions, while being demotivated to keep training or keep improving, after experiencing 'not winning'/'losing'/'failing' for certain times.

Healthy competitions are those that are about sportsmanship, and constant improvement of certain physical and mental talents, skills, performances and abilities, of certain business/professional strategies and services, to be using those enhanced talents, skills, abilities, strategies and services that can contribute to the world in certain way.

Healthy minds participating in healthy competitions are able to accept failure/not winning/losing, and don't generate disappointment or shamefulness in oneself, and don't generate jealousy, resentment or hatred towards others who perform better than oneself, who beaten oneself in any kinds of competitions, while still be persevered in one's learning/practice/training to continuously keep improving and keep trying, until one's retirement from such competitions. And it's okay, if after trying one's best, one still never win any competitions until one's retirement. That is actually more important than the one who is the best in one particular moment, who beats all the other competitors, or who stands out among all the others at that particular moment. And all are impermanent. The all time winners of any particular physical or mental competitions, will also have to retire, or passed way one day, as the body and mind is subject to decay or deterioration, even among the strongest or smartest people.

While being free from judgment, comparison, or expectation, just do one's best, without attachment and identification, will allow the mind to be free from unnecessary tension/pressure that would be affecting the physical and mental performance, and allowing the mind to be in the moment during the entire process of persevered physical and/or mental practice/training/development/improvement, and/or while engaging in any forms of competitions in the competitive world, without being distracted by judgment, comparison or expectation.

The relaxed/tension-free body and mind while engaging in physical and/or mental yoga practices will allow the mind to be fully attentive on the practice, being aware of the impermanent ability and limitation in the present moment, without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, which can help to minimize the risk of injury, as well as allowing the body and mind to be absorbing the effects/benefits of the practice more efficiently, without any expectation, craving or aversion towards the ability and disability of the body and mind in the present moment, or towards the effect/benefit/result/fruit of the practice, allowing the effect/benefit/result/fruit of practice being what it is.

Everyone has a different condition of the body and state of the mind, and it's impermanent. What the body and mind can do or cannot do, can achieve or cannot achieve in this present moment, is impermanent, and might be different from all the others. There's nothing to be comparing and judging about. Especially the yoga teacher and the yoga students in the yoga practice. The yoga teachers cannot say, "I can do this, so can you." Or in certain yoga teachers training courses, all students of 'aspired yoga teachers' are required to be able to do certain yoga asana poses, in order to pass the examination, and be graduated and qualified as 'certified yoga teachers'. That's pure ignorance.

The mind that is aware of ignorance and egoism, that is free from ignorance and egoism, that realized selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, doesn't even need to be able to perform any yoga asana poses/chanting and prayer or possessing any 'recognized yoga teacher certification' to be guiding others onto the path of yoga.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (8)

The practice of non-attachment and non-identification, or letting go all kinds of worldly identities with certain names and forms, and the worldly family ties/connections/relationships with all and everyone, can be challenging and painful for many minds.

It doesn't mean that throwing out all our worldly personal identity security certificates or documents, be a stateless illegal undocumented person, or throwing out all our stuffs, or abandoning and stop loving our family and friends, or resigning from our existing work, duty and responsibility, or not doing anything that would benefit the well-being of this body and mind.

It's the mental detachment and non-identification towards all the existing identities of what the mind thinks and believes is 'I', 'This is me', 'This is who and what I am', and 'These are my ...', as well as mentally and emotionally renouncing all forms of existing family ties, connections and relationships with everyone, objects, possessions and past memory of pleasant and unpleasant experiences, seeing all and everyone are merely selfless impermanent beings and objects of names and forms, without discrimination of family and not family, friends and not friends, mine and not mine. Seeing all the past pleasant and unpleasant experiences are merely existing in the form of memory, they don't exist in now, one doesn't need to be continuing be determined by them, where there's no missing/longing towards the pleasant experiences or relationships, and there's no 'painful sorrow', or 'hurts', or 'anger' towards the unpleasant experiences or relationships. One would be able to let go 'missingness', 'longing', 'painful sorrow', 'hurts', or 'anger' once the mind starts to see or know what is going on in one's mind.

One can still be physically carrying all kinds of 'personal legal documentations of different worldly identities' wherever one goes, as it's part of the compulsory procedure to be living and moving on this planet for convenience, but there's no mental/sentimental attachment, identification or expectation towards all these different legal documents with a particular name of an individual, as 'I'.

One can be making good use of things and objects that are available in the present, for certain purposes and convenience, but there's no physical/mental/sentimental attachment, identification or possessiveness towards all these things and objects, where the mind is not being determined by the impermanent changes of the availability and non-availability, or the good and bad condition of all these things and objects. Such as a car, where one can make good use of it for certain convenience with care and responsibility, but one can also let it go easily without any difficulty when it's time to let it go.

One can still be physically living or interacting among family, friends, relatives and communities, carrying out one's worldly duties and responsibilities towards family, friends and communities, but there's no mental/emotional attachment, identification or expectation towards all these family ties/friendships/connections/relationships, where one treats all the same without discrimination or separation of my family, my friends, my relatives and my communities, or not. There's no sense of meaningfulness or meaninglessness being determined by the presence and absence of family, friends, relatives and communities.

One can still be physically engaging in business/investment, or having a job, or doing some kind of volunteering work, but there's no mental/emotional attachment, identification or expectation towards one's efforts/actions/duties/responsibilities/contributions and the fruit of one's efforts/actions/duties/responsibilities/contributions.

One can still be physically and mentally performing many actions that would benefits oneself and/or others and/or the world, but there's no physical/mental/sentimental attachment, identification or expectation towards all kinds of actions and the fruit of actions.

One can be looking after the well-being of this body and mind, and making good use of the good condition of the body and mind, to be doing something for oneself and/or others and/or the world, but there's no attachment, identification or expectation towards the impermanent and selfless body and mind has to be and not to be in certain way. There's no expectation towards the body and mind has to be able to do and achieve this or that, by respecting what is possible and impossible in the present moment now. It's okay when certain things are not possible in the present moment. Focus on what is possible. While both possibility and impossibility are impermanent. Respect all the impermanent changes of the physical condition and the state of the mind as they are. Allow the body and mind to be what it is, after doing one's best performing actions to look after the well-being of the body and mind. Without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation. It's impermanent, and it's not 'I'.

There's no sense of confidence or lack of confidence being determined by the impermanent condition, abilities and disabilities, achievements and non-achievements of the body and mind. There's no sense of positiveness or negativeness, the sense of pride or shamefulness, or the sense of superiority or inferiority, being determined by the action/inaction and the fruit of action/inaction, the different worldly identities/titles/positions/achievements, the pleasant/unpleasant or desirable/undesirable experiences, the good/bad relationships, the success and failure, the possibility and impossibility, or the agreeable/disagreeable condition and situation in the world.

The minds that know how to non-attaching and non-identifying towards the body and the modification of the mind, without expectation towards the body and mind has to be or not to be in certain way according to certain thinking and belief, values and practice, while making use of the opportunity of this selfless life existence to be doing something for the benefits of all and everyone, but without attachment or expectation towards the actions and the fruit of actions, will also be free from discrimination, interference, control and expectation towards all and everything in the world has to be or not to be in certain ways. Respecting the world being what it is, even if it's a mess due to the ignorance and egoism of the impure minds. Respecting all kinds of diversities, of different names and forms, colours and shapes, thinking and beliefs, values and practice. Respecting everyone being what they are. And all are impermanent. Regardless of people who do good or bad, who are rightful or wrongful, who are kind or unkind, who are happy or unhappy, who are selfish or generous, who are healthy or unhealthy, who are knowledgeable or not knowledgeable, who realize or don't realize Selflessness/Peace/Compassion, who are short-lived or long-lived, all are impermanent. Those who are not aware of ignorance and egoism, and those who are aware, but don't want to be free from ignorance and egoism, is their freedom.

It's not complicated, and yet, it could be absurd, or mad, or inappropriate for the minds that are being conditioned by worldly thinking and belief, values and practice.

It will take some time for the mind to get use to this practice, and until the mind be able to unattached and unidentified towards names and forms effortlessly, without judgment, comparison or expectation. If after some time doing one's best trying to unattached and unidentified towards all kinds of names and forms, but the mind is still not free from attachment and identification towards certain names and forms, it's okay. Accept that in this present moment now, the mind is still not free from attachment and identification, and this is also impermanent. And keep practicing.

For those who have certain degrees of understanding and mental/emotional independence, who's worldly duties and responsibilities have came to an end, such as there are no elders or young children that need to be looked after (parents who are physically/financially dependent had passed away or are being looking after by some others, and/or children have already grown up), who have intense yearning for liberation, they may also gradually renounce or retreat from worldly life, duties and connections, to go into seclusion and solitude for a prolonged period of time, and this will allow the mind to actually realize the truth of selflessness and all kinds worldly ties, connections and relationships, practically.

The practice of non-attachment and non-identification, as well as renunciation, is neither easy nor difficult, but it appears to be not so difficult for the dispassionate minds, while it appears to be not so easy for the passionate minds.

The difficulty is not just arising from within the mind couldn't let go certain attachment and identification, but it's the pressure coming from the family, relatives, friends and the communities who don't understand and don't respect one's freedom and choices for one's practice, where they criticize and condemn such practice as 'wrongfulness', 'inappropriateness', 'selfishness', 'madness' or 'insanity'. Only those who are determined, and are not being disturbed or influenced by such egoistic reactions coming from the world, can proceed further in the yoga practice towards the annihilation of the modification of the mind.

The minds that are free from disturbs and restlessness, that are resting in unconditional peace, being undetermined by any names and forms, remain equanimous under all kinds of pleasant and unpleasant condition and situation, they don't need to practice yoga, or perform any practice of renunciation, dispassion, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-expectation, and so on, as the mind is void of such impurities. There is no grief or painful sorrow towards the deterioration/weakness/disabilities/illness/death of oneself or loved ones.

If the mind is not free, is disturbed and restless, is drowning in painful sorrow and suffering, being determined by certain names and forms that the mind perceives and recognizes as unpleasant, undesirable, disagreeable and undeserving, and it wants to be free from such disturbs and restlessness, painful sorrow and suffering, this mind may take up yoga practice, and start practicing.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (7)

In the beginning of the yoga practice, no doubt that many impure minds are being conditioned by worldly thinking, belief, values and practice to behave, act/react and expect in certain way, and hence, they needed to rely on certain 'intention', 'inspiration', 'aspiration' or 'encouragement' to ignite the interest and motivation to be practicing yoga, to set a goal/resolution to be the inspiration of one's practice. However, this is neither the entire practice nor the end of practice.

There's a very common values and practice among the many different types of worldly egoistic thinking, beliefs, values and practices, where many people believe that most human beings don't have initiative and discipline to be doing and achieving something, and so, people need to be 'pushed' or 'lured' to perform and engage in certain actions/activities. In order to 'attract' and 'encourage' people to be doing and achieving something, they needed to be given some kind of 'sweets', or 'advantage', or 'pleasant rewards', to motivate them to do and achieve something, or else people won't have self-initiative and motivation to do or achieve anything if without any 'nice rewards' in return. Most people are being brought up in such way, and hence, being conditioned to act and react and expect in such way. "Well done!", "Good job!", "I'm so proud of you!", "Yeah!", "Fantastic!", "Congratulation!", "Thank you!", "Your work is much appreciated!", "I'll give you something that you want, if you do this or achieve this," and so on. While some people even use discipline, punishment or threat to threaten the people to perform or engage in certain action/inaction. "I won't give you what you want, or I will 'hurt' you (or your loved ones), if you do this (or don't do this.)"

This is not yoga practice at all, but somehow, someone under the worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice had introduced this type of practice into the path of yoga.

The yoga students or yoga practitioners must inquire towards what is egoism, and how to eliminate egoism.

The one that needs to set a specific intention or goal, and constantly receiving some kinds of motivational praise and encouragement and rewards to be performing actions that would benefit oneself and/or others, as well as to keep going, is the ego. The one that would be threatened by certain threats to engage in certain action or inaction, being fearful towards not getting something that one desires or losing something that one loves, is the ego.

Either by temptation (something pleasant and enjoyable) or threat (something unpleasant and painful) to 'influence', 'attract', 'lure', 'make' or 'force' some others to do or don't do something, either out of good or evil intention, are merely the play of ignorance and egoism.

Many 'yoga teachers' were learning and being trained in the 'yoga teachers training course' to teach about 'setting intention, or goal, or resolution (Sankalpa)' in the 'yoga class' as part of the yoga practice, such as "I am strong", "I am pure", "I am good enough", "I am healthy", "I am whole", "I am positive", "I am this and that". And then, somehow it turns into "I can achieve this and that" or "All my desires will be gratified." It's not about right or wrong, however, most minds aren't aware of this practice doesn't help to eliminate egoism from the mind, but instead, it's empowering egoism and ignorance.

'Yoga teachers' are also being trained to be equipped with the knowledge or information about what are the mental and physical 'effect' or 'benefit' of the different yoga practices, and to teach 'yoga classes' by explaining all kinds of benefits and goodness of each practices or yoga asana/pose/position/movements (If you do this, you will receive certain pleasant rewards in return), as well as precautions and badness (If you do this, you will receive certain unpleasant rewards in return), to indicate that they are well-trained, well-informed and professional enough to teach yoga classes. They are also being trained to say 'positive' and 'motivational' words and sentences, in order to motivate/compliment/please the ego, or not saying anything that the ego doesn't like and doesn't want to hear in order not to demotivate/offend/displease the ego. All these are nothing but part of the worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice.

Meanwhile, yoga practice is indeed about 'starving' and 'breaking' the ego to its annihilation, by the mind itself. That's why in the very few and rare traditional yoga schools, many worldly passionate egoistic minds would feel 'disturbed' and 'offended' by the teachings and the teachers' certain way of teaching and guiding the minds to be aware of and eliminate the ego. It's not the teacher being the one that 'breaks' the student's ego. The teacher is only guiding the student to be aware of what is going on in the mind, and out of the student's own awareness and will, it 'breaks' its own ego by itself. The egoistic minds need to be guided to look within, and see how the mind is behaving/acting/reacting, functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, and of course, it's not a pleasant process, and even could be extremely painful for certain passionate egoistic minds, but it's an inevitable process to free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

It's not about "Being afraid of offending/displeasing the ego, and they don't want to practice yoga anymore," but then the 'yoga practice' that the passionate egoistic minds love, that pleases them, that makes them feel good and meaningful, doesn't lead them towards what yoga is about, no matter how long they have been 'practicing yoga'.

The main reason that supports the idea of "Do not offend/displease the students/clients, keeping their ego happy and satisfied," is about not wanting to hurt 'the business' or 'the income' from running and teaching 'yoga classes', 'yoga courses', or 'yoga retreats'.

It's the mind's own responsibility and will, whether it will or will not practice yoga, as it is. If they don't want to practice yoga to eliminate ignorance and egoism, because they reject and couldn't allow the teachings and practices being what they are, not necessarily being the way that they like and agree with, it's their freedom and choice. The teachers don't have to manipulating/modifying the teachings and practices to 'attract' and 'lure' the minds to be practicing 'yoga' that is not what it is. The mind might think and believe that this is compassion, to treat the minds carefully, don't offend/hurt the ego, but it's not compassion, but mere ignorant egoistic loving kindness, sympathy and empathy. Just as how some children are being 'pampered' and 'ruined' by the 'loving' parents.

Life is uncertain, selfless and impermanent. Life doesn't change or modify or adjust itself into the way to adapt and accommodate the different desires of all and everyone. All and everyone learn how to respect life as it is, and learn how to adjust, adapt and accommodate life being what it is, as it changes selflessly, under the law of cause and effect. The Truth cannot be contaminated and doesn't change into something else to accommodate everyone's desire and don't desire, even if ignorant egoistic minds could 'manipulate' everything into something else under selfish intention and aspiration.

From the very beginning in the path of yoga, it's very important to be taught about what is self-inquiry and how to allow the mind to be opened, to investigate the truth of everything, without blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing, or blind-propagating anything that we learned from different types of teachers in life, including everything that we learned from the yoga teachers training courses, even when the mind is under the influence of ignorance and egoism strongly. If the mind will be offended and rejects, let it be, it's their freedom and choice for what they want and don't want.

All minds that want to learn and practice yoga, regardless of the degrees of ignorance, must develop the basic understanding towards "All the action and reaction in one's mind is the responsibility of the mind itself." Where, "It's because of you/him/her/them/this, that's why I behave, act and react in certain way, and it's because of you and your wrongful behavior, that's why I feel good or bad, I am happy or unhappy, I am pleased or hurt," is mere ignorance. The very basic foundation to be engaging in yoga practice, is to be aware of one's actions and reactions is one's own responsibility. The mind wants to be happy, none can make it become unhappy. The mind wants to be unhappy, none can make it become happy. The mind wants to be free, none can stop it from being free. The mind doesn't want to be free, none can liberate it.

The real 'teachers' won't be offended, if the students are offended and rejecting the teachings and practice of yoga, not to say, if the students are practicing non blind-following, non blind-believing, non blind-practicing and non blind-propagating, and be initiative to purify the intellect and reasoning power, to discipline and quite the mind, to develop self-inquiry, to investigate and reflect the truth of everything, to attain direct realization towards the truth of the teachings. It's not like certain 'teachers' and 'teachings' that demand their followers to be blind-following, blind-believing, blind-practicing and blind-propagating their teachings, while prohibiting their followers to question or investigate towards the truth of the teachings, or else, one is considered sinful, and would be condemned and be punished, if one questions or investigates the truth of the teachings.

Letting go the intention or aspiration of trying to influence, change or control the world to be in certain way, even if it's out of 'good and positive' intention to be creating a 'good and positive' world. It doesn't mean that one doesn't perform or stop performing any actions that would benefit the world in certain way, if without 'intention' or 'aspiration'. The sun, the earth, the wind, the water and the space don't have any intention or aspiration, but their selfless existence and intentionless action is allowing everything else to be existing and changing.

Without the intention or aspiration to influence, control or change the world to be or not to be in certain way, just do one's best utilizing one's opportunity, knowledge, experience and ability to be performing selfless actions that could benefit the world in certain way, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison, or expectation.

Reflect and realize the ONE nature of everything, which is selflessness and impermanence.

There's no "I am strong", "I am pure", "I am good", "I am positive", "I am deserving", "I am meaningful", "I am healthy", "I am this or that", not to say, "Gratifying all my desires, where everything is the way that I desire it to be."

Inquire the truth of everything, including all the teachings here.