Healing process is happening constantly even if we don't have intention to heal anything...

The entire yoga and meditation practice is a purification process, or it has healing effects for physical, mental and emotional defilements, even if we have no intention at all to purify or to heal anything.

Just like each single cell in the physical body is unceasingly going through regeneration process, even if we are not aware of it. It is not in our control that how we want to regenerate this cell or that cell. It is happening naturally by itself.

That's why we don't really have to be intentionally to heal this or that, physically, mentally or emotionally, as healing process is happening from moment to moment. As we perform yoga and meditation practice, the energy fields within and without the body will perform its duty to heal anything that need to be healed, naturally. We don't really need to set any intention, nor to be troubled and worried, nor wishing for some healing process to be happening onto the body and mind.

Just perform all our yoga and meditation practice without expectation that it will bring us any healing effects or benefits in return, but allow the healing process and benefits to happen naturally by itself, as it is. There's no rush. There's no expectation that "I want all injuries, pain, illness, weakness, old age and death to go away...", nor "I don't want to have any injuries, pain, illness, weakness, old age and death...".

There's no craving towards good conditions. There's no aversion towards bad conditions. There's no fear and worry towards so called "bad" or "undesirable" conditions, such like illness, weakness, injuries, pain, old age and death, which is actually the truth of all living beings, and it's a natural process of the body and mind that we can't avoid.

It is being aware of the reality as it is, not necessary the way that we like or want it to be, and allow the reality to be what it is.

We cannot blame the universal consciousness for all the "bad" happenings and "undesirable" conditions that all beings have to go through. And the universal consciousness has nothing to do with all these things that we don't like and don't want, nor will the universal consciousness does something about it, or to change it into something that we prefer it to be. It is our own ignorance, egoism, attachment and desires, and came into being, forming body and mind with the function of the senses, having this life existence to reap the effect caused from our action and reaction. It's our own responsibility for all that our body and mind experiences in this life existence.

We do our best to try to attain and maintain the best condition of the body and mind as much as possible, by performing some physical exercises, spiritual practice, mental development practice, yoga and meditation practice regularly, and live a healthy lifestyle and observe a balanced diet, engage in wholesome activities, have self-control over our own action and speech or behavior, to benefit all beings, including ourselves. It is not because of having aversion, fear and worry towards old age, illness, injury, pain, weakness and death, or any "bad" conditions.

All the efforts that we spent to purify the mind and to improve the condition of the physical body is simply just to show appreciation towards this body and this mind, or this life existence, to make good use of this body and this mind, or this life existence to serve the universe, for humanity, for ourselves to evolve and to help other beings to evolve, out of compassion, without the intention or expectation that we will be receiving something good in return.

There is no need to have selfish desires and expectation to act as motivation force for us to perform actions or practice that will benefit the body and mind.

Totally surrender to the nature, or the universe, to take care of the result of our practice or our actions, or to heal anything that needs to be healed, and to bring us to ultimate freedom.

This impermanent body and mind is subject to impermanent changes. It is conditioned and limited by old age, illness, weakness, injury, pain, physical and emotional hurts, and death. And thus they need to go through certain healing process from time to time. But our birthless, deathless, attributeless true nature is not being conditioned nor limited by impermanent changes, old age, illness, weakness, injury, pain, hurts, or death. There's no need to have any healing process, as there is nothing that need to be healed.

And thus, realize our true nature, and stop identifying with the body and mind, let go of egoism and attachment, and be free.

It is also pointless to expect certain healing process to be happening when we attend some yoga and meditation classes, hoping to heal something that is hurtful in our body and mind, if we keep generate tension and inflict hurtful damages into our body and mind, physically, mentally and emotionally in our everyday life experiences with all sorts of impurities like anger, hatred, jealousy, ill will, petty-mindedness, fear and worry, etc, due to ignorance and attachment.

If we really wish for efficient and complete healing, we need to learn how to stop hurting our body and mind, stop generating tension nor inflict hurtful damages into our body and mind, by practicing non-attachment and letting go in everyday life, letting go of our ego, not being disturbed, nor affected, nor influenced, nor determined by all the qualities of names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses, and have love and peace in us. And then, naturally the body and mind will heal itself even without us intentionally to be engaged in any healing process.

The biggest “disease” that every being have from the beginning of this life existence, is IGNORANCE. This is the cause of all the other physical and mental illness. Remove this “disease” of ignorance by immersed our body and mind in consistent yoga and meditation practice without attachment, and surrender everything else to the universe to take care of it.

Om shanti.

Different types of "yoga"?

It doesn't matter what type(s) of "yoga" that we (our ego) prefer, that we like to learn and practice, most important it is NOT about trying to find out what are the differences to distinguish one from another to create separateness, nor to generate superiority or inferiority, nor to compete with one another to find out which is better, nor try to glorify the types of "yoga" that we prefer, and at the same time we criticize, or try to find faults in the other types of "yoga" that we (our ego) do not prefer.

Respect all, whether they are originated from old traditions, or they are "re-invented" by some people who prefer to have their own styles and branding, and marketing values.

In the end, it is our own effort and discipline to perform whatever practice to purify the mind, to remove ignorance and egoism, to realize selflessness/egolessness and unconditional peace and compassion, to transcend suffering and be free.

It is not about what type of "yoga" that we practice that will liberate us. It is not about being in competition with one another to see who is better, or who has "faster result" or "more efficient benefits" than the other ones.

It is not about what type of "yoga" can do better "business" and makes more profits than the other ones, and what type of "International Yoga Affiliations" recognized "certifications" or "qualifications" that they can provide to the many aspiring "yoga enthusiasts" to find a job called "teaching yoga".

It is also not about trying to become super human with super power and super fit physical body.

If it can allow us to know about our own mind and the ego, to realize the cause of suffering and the path to transcend suffering, to train the mind, to have control over our own mind, to be the master of our mind, to go beyond the mind, to purify the mind to remove impurities and ignorance, to bring the mind into the present, to quiet and silent the mind, to free the mind from anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, dissatisfaction, agitation, depression, ill will, fear and worry, to develop dispassion (Vairagya) and discrimination (Viveka), to eliminate the ego, to realize our true nature, to realize the truth of things, to realize unconditional peace and love, to be performing selfless service for ourselves and others, to go beyond action and inaction, to transcend duality, to realize namelessness and formlessness, and to be liberated from suffering, then it is all YOGA, and all is good, even if it is not being labelled or named as "yoga" or "yoga practice".

Om shanti.

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Stir-fried chillies eggplants or aubergines

Here is another new vegetarian cooking recipe for our yoga retreats guests here in Langkawi.

Stir-fried Chillies Eggplants or Aubergines (serve 2-3 people)

2-3 medium size eggplants or aubergines, rinse and halve lengthwise, then cut into about 1 cm thick slices

3 shallots, sliced thinly

4 small red chillies, remove seeds and sliced

2 dried chillies, remove seeds and sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

2-3 slices of peeled ginger, sliced finely

Salt to taste

A bit of cooking oil

Some hot boiling water

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

*Non-stick wok is very important in this recipe. I don't think it will work on a normal wok, if the eggplants keep sticking onto the wok.

Heat up the non-stick wok in medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.

When the oil is hot, add in sliced shallots, stir evenly until soft. Add in ginger, garlic, small red chillies and dried chillies. Stir-fry until fragrant.

Add in the eggplants or aubergines. Stir evenly. The eggplants will absorb the oil and look dry. Sprinkle some salt over the eggplants evenly, and stir well. Add tiny bits of hot boiling water and stir. Again the eggplants will absorb all the liquid and become dry. Add a little bit more water if needed, but not too much. It should be moist but dry.

Keep stirring or tossing until all the slices of eggplants cooked evenly, until the eggplants turn brown, almost slightly burnt.

Serve hot with rice or bread, or as a snack on its own.

Bon Appétit!

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Boiled or mashed potatoes

Here is another vegetarian dish that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreats guests here in Langkawi.

Boiled or mashed potatoes (serves 3-4 people)

5-6 medium size potatoes

Salt

Water

2 level tablespoons of Mustard for boiled potatoes

Salted or unsalted Butter for mashed potatoes

x x x x x x x x x x x

Washed the potatoes nicely. For boiled potatoes, keep the skin. For mashed potatoes, peeled the skin.

Cut potatoes into chunks and put into a pot, add room temperature water until just enough to cover all the potatoes, add about 2 heaped teaspoons of salt, and cooked for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. If a knife sinks easily under its own weight into a potato, then it is cooked.

Drain the potatoes.

For boiled potatoes, mix with the mustards and serve hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For mashed potatoes, mashed the potatoes with a potato ricer or with a fork (if you don't have a potato ricer), while adding the butter (as you prefer). Serve hot. May add salt and pepper to taste. If you use salted butter, then you don't really need to add additional salt.

Bon Appétit!

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Oven Roasted Portobello or Button Mushrooms

Here is another vegetarian dish that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreats guests here in Langkawi.

Oven Roasted Portobello or Button Mushrooms (serves 4 people)

4 big Portobello mushrooms, or 500 grams of button mushrooms or brown mushrooms

About 2 tablespoons of olive oil

4-6 cloves of whole garlic, peeled and lightly pounded

Salt and black pepper

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

Rinse the mushrooms and drain off any excess water.

Put the Portobello mushrooms into an oven dish, with the stem facing up and cross cut the stem a bit.

Mix the garlic into the olive oil. And spread the garlic olive oil over the mushrooms. and sprinkle some salt and pepper over them. Sprinkle more olive oil if prefer.

If using button or brown mushrooms, then put them into a bowl. Mix them well with the garlic olive oil, salt and pepper. Then put them into the oven dish.

Put it into the oven cook for about 20 minutes (without preheat the oven) at 220 degrees Celsius.

Serve hot.

It is good to eat with some fresh mixed green salads, tomatoes, and potatoes dishes.

Bon Appétit!

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Stir-fried Crispy Broccoli

Here is another vegetarian dish that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreats guests here in Langkawi.

Stir-fried Crispy Broccoli (serves 3-4 people)

I know there are some people don't like to eat Broccoli, just like me in the past, as the way of cooking makes a big difference in the taste and texture of Broccoli. But now I discovered an easy and tasty way of cooking Broccoli that even my husband also loves it, as back at home in Europe, usually Broccoli is prepared by boiling or steaming, and this makes the Broccoli tasteless and soggy which is one of the reasons why some people don't like to eat Broccoli, but it is such a fantastic nutritious vegetable if we know how to cook it.

Here is a simple way to cook it.

2 heads of Broccoli. Rinse well and Cut off the individual branches from the main stalk one by one. Leave out the main stalk. If the branches stem is thicker than our little finger then halve it into two parts. Or else keep the whole branch as one, this will keep the crunchiness after cooking. Keep off any excess water from the Broccoli (this is very important).

About 10 fresh baby sweet corn, halved

1 small red or green chilly, halved and remove seeds

Half of a yellow onion, chopped finely

4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

2-3 slices of peeled ginger, and then shredded thinly

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of Sesame oil

A bit of hot boiling water

A bit of cooking oil

*Do not cover the vegetables, as the vegetables will become soggy.

*The flavor coming from onion, garlic or ginger can be altered as you like. You can just use either onion, or garlic, or ginger on its own, but increase the quantity of it. Or you can mix match onion and garlic. Or garlic and ginger. Or onion and ginger. They give different taste to the vegetables.

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

Heat up a wok in medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.

When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onion and stir evenly until soft. If it is too dry, then add a little bit more of cooking oil.

Add ginger for a few seconds, then add garlic and chilly, stir evenly until the garlic turn slightly golden, the onions are browned, then add the baby sweet corn. Add a pinch of salt and stir well for about 30 seconds.

Add Broccoli, quickly stir fry them mixing into the onion, garlic and ginger. Add about 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper (sprinkle them evenly over the broccoli), stir well. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of hot boiling water just to bring up some hot steam in the wok to cook the Broccoli evenly. Stir for a few seconds, you can see the Broccoli starts to change colour. Switch off the fire. Add in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, stir well into each Broccoli branch. Add salt if needed. Remove from the wok and put into a bowl or a plate, and serve immediately, so that the Broccoli doesn't continue to cook sitting in the hot wok.

From the moment you put in the Broccoli, salt and pepper, a bit of hot boiling water and sesame oil, it should take less than 3 minutes. It has to be quick and keep stirring, so that the Broccoli cooked evenly and doesn't get over-cooked. It is okay to eat Broccoli even if it is slightly under-cooked. The whole cooking process is less than 10 minutes. So time yourselves. As the vegetable is best to be eaten as soon as it leaves the wok.

It should be crispy and tasty, especially when we cook with love and peace.

Do not worry if it is not salty enough, because we can add salt and pepper afterwards when it is served on the table.

It is very good eating with rice or just by itself as a snack.

I could eat a whole head of stir fried Broccoli each time. Hope you like it too.

Bon Appétit!

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Sambal Tempe (Tempeh)

Here is another vegetarian dish that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreats guests here in Langkawi.

Sambal Tempe (Tempeh) - Sweet & sour spicy chilly paste
Can leave out the Tempe if you don't like Tempe or couldn't get Tempe.

1 packet of Tempe, chopped into tiny pieces, deep fried until crispy at medium heat, remove from oil. Drain off the excess oil and leave it to cool.

2 big yellow or red onions, sliced. Sautéed the sliced onion until the onion browned or softened. Keep aside.

To grind into paste -
About 15 shallots (you may use less or more as you like)
10-15 dried chillies, soaked and remove the seeds (it depends on how spicy you prefer)
5 big red chillies, remove the seeds
A few small red chillies (optional, it depends on how spicy you prefer)
4-5 cloves of garlic
3 inches cube of peeled ginger
2 inches cube of galangal
5-6 stalks of lemon grass (use only the first 2 inches from the root)
A bit of water for mixing

A bit of Tamarind juice (as you prefer, it depends on how sour you prefer)

About 4-5 teaspoons of brown sugar (as you prefer, it depends on how sweet you prefer)

About 30 curry leaves 

Salt to taste

A bit of hot boiling water (optional)

A bit of cooking oil

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

Heat up the oil in a wok at medium heat, add curry leaves for a few seconds, and then the ground paste. Turn the fire to low heat. Keep stirring until it thickens or fragrant. This process takes a bit of time.

Add Tamarind juice, sautéed sliced onion, brown sugar and salt to taste. Stir evenly to avoid sticking at the bottom. Add a bit of hot boiling water if you think it is too thick.

Add fried Tempe. Stir evenly for another 10 minutes.

Add more Tamarind juice, or salt, or brown sugar if needed before turning off the heat. Adjust to your preferred taste.

Can be served hot or at room temperature. It is very good eating with Basmati rice or with fresh home made bread.

Serve with some other dishes like stir-fried vegetables or fresh salads.

Bon Appétit!

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Basmati Rice

Here is the Basmati rice that we usually serve to our yoga retreat guests here in Langkawi.

Basmati Rice (serve 3-4 people)

2 rice measurement cups of Basmati rice

4-5 slices of peeled ginger

A pinch of salt

1-2 Pandan leaves (tide into a knot)

A bit of thick coconut milk (optional)

Water

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

Rinse the rice in the rice cooker pot (if you have one - it is not expensive and it's very convenient) for a few times.

Add in water until the water level is about 1 cm off the rice surface. It is easy when using the rice cooker as measurements are marked inside the pot to show you how much water you should add in.

Add in the sliced ginger, salt and Pandan leaves.

Wipe off the excess water on the outside of the pot before putting into the rice cooker.

Switch on the rice cooker. It will be ready in about 15-20 minutes. At this stage when the water is drying up, you may stir in a little bit of thick coconut milk, if you like. It is better if we leave the rice to sit for at least 5 minutes in the rice cooker after the switch popped to the keep warm mode.

Stir well and remove the ginger and Pandan leaves.

Serve hot.

Bon Appétit!

*If you don't have a rice cooker, then add the water until about 1 cm off the surface of the rice. Bring the rice to boil at medium to high heat until the water dries up. Switch off the heat and let it sits for another 5-10 minutes covered with lid.

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Vegetarian Green Curry

Here is another vegetarian dish that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreat guests in Langkawi.

Vegetarian Green Curry (serves 4 people)

1 small size cauliflower cut into big pieces (this will keep the crunchiness of the cauliflower after cooked)

About 200 grams of long beans cut into about 1 inch size

About 15 fresh baby sweet corns (halved)

2 pieces of hard tofu cut into cubes

Half of a carrot (peeled) cut into strips of about the similar size of the cut long beans

8-10 cherry tomatoes

About 12 sweet peas

2 cups of coconut milk

About 30 curry leaves

3-4 stalks of lemon grass, lightly pounded

3-4 pieces of  kaffir lime leaves crushed with the hand

Salt to taste

A bit of cooking oil

To grind into paste -
4-5 stalks of lemon grass (use only the first 2 inches from the root)
about 3-4 shallots
about 1-2 cloves of garlic (optional if you do not like garlic)
about 2 inches cube of ginger
about 2 inches cube of galangal
about 2-3 big green chillies deseeded
about 2-3 small green chillies deseeded (optional, it depends on how spicy you prefer)
2-3 kaffir lime leaves (remove the stem of the leaves)
a bit of water for mixing

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

Important tips - Never cover with lid, as the vegetable will loose its crunchiness. Unless you prefer soft vegetables for easier digestion.

Heat up the wok, add a bit of cooking oil. When the oil is hot enough at low heat, add in curry leaves for a few seconds and then the ground paste and the stalks of lemon grass, stir evenly until the paste thickened and fragrant. This will take a bit of time and patience.

Turn the heat up to medium.

Add in tofu and stir evenly. Sprinkle a bit of salt onto the tofu.

Add in baby sweet corns and stir evenly.

Add coconut milk. Add a bit of salt to taste. Turn the heat up to maximum. Stir evenly until boiling. Add crushed kaffir lime leaves.

Add cauliflower and carrots, stir evenly. After 1 minute, add the long beans and cherry tomatoes and cook for another 1 minute, stir evenly.

Switch off the fire, and immediately add in the sweet peas. Stir evenly.

Add salt to taste if needed.

Serve immediately, or else the vegetables will become soggy.

It is very nice to eat with Basmati rice.

Also it is very nice to have some raw Sengkuang or Yam Bean (remove the skin and cut into sticks) as a side dish. It helps to balance the spiciness of the chillies and the richness of the coconut milk.

Bon Appétit!

Wisdom, love and peace vs ignorance, anger and hatred...

Promote wisdom, love and peace, and NOT ignorance, anger and hatred...

Dissolve ignorance, anger and hatred with wisdom, love and peace.

Adding ignorance, anger and hatred into the "pot" of ignorance, anger and hatred will only intensify or increase all the ignorance, anger and hatred that are already there...

Most of us know about this, but sometimes we are not aware of ourselves are actually spreading, or distributing, or promoting more anger and hatred into the world while hoping the world will be a loving and peaceful place, be free from violence, anger and hatred.

How can we expect the world will be free from anger and hatred while we are being angry and hating, as well as we try to make or encourage more people to join us to be angry and hating towards certain issues or matters?

Om shanti.

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - Rendang Potatoes

Here is another vegetarian dish that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreat guests here in Langkawi.

Rendang Potatoes (serves 3-4 people)

5-6 medium size potatoes (peeled) cut into big chunks

1 medium size sweet potato (peeled) cut into smaller chunks (Some of them will melt into the sauce when it is well cooked for a long time)

A bit of Tamarind (Assam Jawa juice or dried Tamarind)

Either 3/4 cup of fresh grated coconut (pounded and lightly fried without oil until dried) , or half cup of dessicated coconut

4 cups of coconut milk

2 pieces of Turmeric leaf (Daun Kunyit)

1 teaspoon of brown sugar (to balance the sourness of tamarind and spiciness of chillies)

2 teaspoons of packet Rendang mix powder (if you can find the one without MSG)

Salt to taste

For grinding into a paste mixture -
10-12 shallots, about 3 inches cube ginger (you can use more if you like the taste of ginger), about 2 inches cube Galangal, 5-6 sticks of lemon grass (use only the beginning 2 inches from the root), a few dried or fresh small red chillies (depending on the preferred spiciness), a bit of Turmeric powder, a bit of water for mixing.

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

Heat up the pot, add a bit of cooking oil and then the paste mixture, stir evenly in low to medium heat until the paste is thickening or the raw taste of onion is gone. Add in Rendang mix powder, stir well into the paste.

Add coconut milk, Turmeric leaf, Tamarind juice, grated coconut and stir evenly for everything to mix well until boiling.

Add brown sugar and a bit of salt. Stir well.

Add potatoes and sweet potatoes. Stir well.

Cover and stir occasionally to prevent burning at the bottom, in low to medium heat for about 30-35 minutes, or until the liquid thickens and the potatoes are well cooked. Add a bit of water if the liquid thickened too soon before the potatoes are well cooked. Add salt to taste before serving if needed.

This is a dish with thick and rich sauce coating the potatoes.

The well cooked potatoes and sweet potatoes gives natural sweetness and thickening effect to the dish, that's why I use only a bit of brown sugar and less grated coconut here, compared to the non-vegetarian chicken Rendang recipe.

Serve hot.

It is very nice eating with fresh salads. It's like a potatoes and fresh salad mix with Rendang dressings, instead of the usual salad dressing.

Bon Appétit!

Home cooked vegetarian food recipe - ABC soup

This is one of the home cooked vegetarian dishes that sometimes we prepare for our yoga retreat guests. This is a very simple nutritious and delicious soup. It is very comforting especially after sweating during the yoga asana practice in the hot climate of Malaysia. It also reminds us about our loving mother who cooks this soup regularly at home.


ABC soup (for 2 servings)

3 potatoes (washed and peeled) cut into chunks

2 carrot (washed and peeled) cut into chunks

2 big tomatoes (washed and cut into quarters, remove the )

Optional 1/4 of lemon juice (Add only if you like lemony taste in the soup)

1 yellow onion finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

Optional few slices of ginger (peeled)

Salt and black pepper

A bit of cooking oil

A bit of butter

About 1.5 litre of hot boiling water

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

Heat up a bit of cooking oil and butter in the pot and sautéed the onion at low to medium heat patiently until it turns slightly brown.

Add in garlic and ginger, until the garlic and ginger fragrant and the onion browned.

Add potatoes and carrots, black pepper and a bit of salt. Cover and stir occasionally until fragrant at medium heat.

Add tomatoes and the lemon juice (optional). Cover and stir occasionally until everything soften, juicy and fragrant.

Add hot boiling water and cook for 40 - 50 minutes at low to medium heat, or until the liquid is a bit thickened or the soup is sweetened by all the ingredients, it is ready to serve. Add salt to taste.

It tastes better if you cooked it a few hours before serving. Let the soup sits for one or two hours, and then heat it up to boiling point again before serving.

Bon Appétit!

Happy Mother's Day!

For me, 'mother' is not just limited to the woman who gave birth to us, feeds us, protects us, guides us, supports us and loves us, but all the women who are endowed with unconditional love towards all beings without discrimination, without possessiveness, without hatred, without asking anything in return... As well as the nature which provides and supports all beings to be exist, unconditionally.

Love ourselves and have peace in ourselves, as well as accept and love our parents as they are, is the greatest gift to our parents to show our love and gratitude to them.

To all women, whether they have children, or yet to have children or not, Happy Mother's Day!

Wise leaders vs unwise leaders...

The wise leaders encourage the people to be wise, to be free from ignorance, so that they don't need to be troubled nor spend energy on dealing with ignorant issues derive from ignorance.

And everything runs smoothly by itself as the people act and react wisely, being free from ignorance. There is minimal problems. If there is any problems, the wise people will know how to solve all the problems by themselves and no need to trouble the leaders.

The unwise leaders encourage the people to remain ignorant, to be conditioned by ignorance, so that they will feel more superior and smarter than the people and the people will be depending on them. It makes them feel strong and powerful. But they have to be troubled all the time and have to spend tremendous energy to deal with ignorant issues derive from ignorance.

And everything becomes complicated as the people act and react ignorantly, being conditioned by ignorance. There will be many problems generated by the people, and they don't know how to solve the problems by themselves and have to trouble the leaders who seem to be "smarter" than them.

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

This is the same situation in the yoga classes, yoga teachers and yoga students.

In real yoga classes, the selfless teachers who are free from selfish desires will teach the classes in a way that will allow all the students to be self-independent, to be free from ignorance, and to be their own teacher. So that the students don't need to keep coming back for attending classes, and develop self-discipline to perform their own practice without supervision. As the students are free from ignorance, there is minimal problems being generated in their life. If there is any problems, the students will be able to solve all their problems by themselves, and no need to depend on the teachers to give them instructions, or to help them to solve their problems.

This is completely different from commercialized yoga classes.

The teachers/instructors with selfish desires will teach the classes in a way that doesn't allow the students to be self-independent, unable to be free from ignorance, and unable to be their own teacher. So that the students will be depending on the teachers to give them instructions to perform their practice, or in need of the teachers to help them to solve their problems. This makes the teachers feel more superior than the students, and being important as being needed by the students. And due to commercial reasons, the yoga business depends very much on the students to keep coming back for attending classes, to keep their business running and to be profitable maximumly.

Om shanti.

Reflection from doing housework

Reflection to share with all from doing housework -

Sweeping the floor against the wind or with the fans on is useless...

There are many effective ways to clean up the floor, such like using a vacuum cleaner if there is electricity or if you have one, or else can wait until the wind ease off, or turn off the fans, or close all the windows and doors of the room. It is also useless to sweep the floor while somebody else keeps pouring dust everywhere while we sweep the floor.

It's wasting energy and frustrating if we want to clean the floor but the more we sweep and mop, the more dustier and dirty it is.

Never use dirty cloths or mops, nor using dirty water to wipe or mop the floor too. As this will only make the floor more dirty and messy...

If we try to mop the floor before we clean up the dust, the floor also will become very messy.

In the end, no matter how many times we try to clean the floor by sweeping and mopping, dust and dirt will continue to exist unceasingly. We need to keep sweeping and mopping regularly without getting unhappy, disappointed, angry and frustrated nor giving up on the action of cleaning.

Om shanti. Be happy.

Reflection from observing beetles...

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

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

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

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

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

This is just my little reflection from observing them.

Om shanti.

Discrimination, prejudice and hatred...

Most of us would like to live in a peaceful environment for ourselves and the people whom we love. We would like the society to be free from crime, violence, unjust, hatred, prejudice and discrimination. We want to be free from insecurity, fear and worry.

When discrimination happens to us, we would like other people to stop being discriminative towards us, as being discriminated is really not a nice experience and it contributes restlessness in us. We will feel disturbed and are not peaceful.

We want to be treated equally and respectfully by everyone. But, are we also treating everyone in the world (with different types of beliefs, behaviors, characteristics and personalities) equally and respectfully?

We will be angry with some people whom are being discriminative and prejudice towards us, but think again, most probably we are not aware that sometimes we are doing the same thing towards some other beings as well.
 
We need to reflect towards our own actions, reactions, thinking, speech and behavior to see if we are also being discriminative and prejudice towards other beings without us being aware of it.

Being discriminative and prejudice towards other people based on race, skin colour, religion, political views, belief, nationality, disability, education level, family background, inheritance, ranking, social status, job, income, lifestyle, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical condition and appearance, past and present behavior, or anything that we can think of, is something that we all need to empty out from ourselves, before we 'expect' the world to be free from discrimination, prejudice and hatred.

When we start to react towards other people's what we ourselves believe as wrongful and inappropriate behavior by criticizing or condemning their behavior as bad and evil doings, and judging them as bad and evil beings, we are starting to behave just like these people whom we criticize and condemn. As those who really live in the truth, they won't criticize or condemn anyone, not even the most evil being in the world. As there is no need to do so. As by criticize and condemn, it won't make these people to change their behaviors to become what we think how it should be. It will only intensify repulsion and hatred in people's mind.

When we criticize or condemn other people for what we believe as wrongful and inappropriate behavior, because we think we are better human beings than them, not to say, when we are also behaving the same unwittingly, then we are not any different from those whom we criticize or condemn.

Sometimes we have discrimination among ourselves within the same race, not to say, being racist towards other race that are different from us. Discrimination also exists within the same family, in the same gender or in the same religion, not to say, discrimination exists among the names and forms that are distinctively different from each other.

There is no doubt that discrimination, prejudice and hatred promotes unrest, insecurity and fear in people's mind. But if we realize unconditional peace and love in us, all these unrest, insecurity and fear will not arise in us even though discrimination, prejudice and hatred exist in our society.

Discrimination, prejudice and hatred derived from craving and aversion of the egoistic mind towards what our ego likes and dislikes, agrees and disagrees with, based on our own particular thinking, belief, values and practice. Out of ignorance, we have attachment and identification towards the qualities of names and forms. We will have judgment and comparison towards the different qualities of names and forms, that we perceive in ourselves and in others. Fear and insecurity arise due to attachment and identification towards these qualities of names and forms. We have great frustration, dissatisfaction and disappointment when our desire of craving and aversion, or our expectation are not being gratified.

Because of fear and insecurity, we want to think and feel that we are more strong and superior than other people, and we don't want to think and feel that we are more weak and inferior than other people.

When we are free from egoism and ignorance, when we realize the truth of names and forms, we don't need to be stronger or superior than anyone or don't want to be weaker or inferior than anyone. Beyond all the different qualities of names and forms, beyond all the different types of thinking, beliefs, values and behavior, we all are the same selfless momentary existence of names and forms, when we see the truth in everything. There is neither superiority nor inferiority. There is neither good nor evil. And thus there is no fear towards "evil" beings or "evil" doings.

Being discriminative towards other people's racist behavior and speech is not any different from being a "racist" ourselves. We need to learn to accept and respect everyone as they are, even if some people are being racist, prejudiced and discriminative towards us or other people.

Being undisturbed or undetermined by the existence of discrimination in the world and without criticizing or condemn discrimination in the world, it doesn't mean that we are agreeing with or supporting discrimination in the world. It also doesn't mean that we don't or wouldn't perform any selfless actions that would help to reduce discrimination in the world, or to bring more peace and harmony into the world of diversity.

Everyone has the freedom to say or do whatever they want to say or do. We want to fight for freedom of speech and be free to have our own particular cultural, social, political, spiritual or religious beliefs, but how come we discriminate and criticize other people who say and do things that we disagree with and don't like, who have different cultural, social, political, spiritual or religious beliefs that are different from ours?

If we really practice Dhamma, we will stop discrimination, prejudice and hatred from ourselves towards other people who think and behave the way that we don't agree with.

Respect everyone as they are, even if they are being discriminative, prejudice and hating towards some others. It doesn't mean that we have to agree with them or support them for their behavior, or allowing ourselves to be harassed and insulted by abusive speech or behavior. But we don't have to be affected, or disturbed, or influenced, or determined by other people's abusive and insulting speech and behavior due to ignorance and egoism. We also don't have to behave exactly the same like them.

When somebody makes a statement or judgment, it is only his or her own point of views, it is not the truth of what things are. Why bother being determined and getting upset by somebody's subjective opinion and judgment? There is no need of justification as well. How other people want to think and express is their freedom, but we don't have to be determined by other people's thinking and expression, even if it appears to be something very unpleasant.

Let everyone take responsibility for the consequences of their own thinking, speech, actions or behavior. We don't have to react towards other people inappropriate thinking, speech, actions or behavior. It doesn't mean that we don't care for what is happening in the world. We can act wisely, out of compassion, without attachment towards our actions and the fruit of our actions, without being affected or influenced by other people's wrongful or inappropriate behavior.

Just like keeping the house clean everyday. No matter how many times we try to clean the house everyday, dust and dirt keeps coming back. If we want to live in the house, we have to keep cleaning it without getting frustrated, or disappointed, or exhausted. Until the house, or the dust and dirt stop existing, then there is no need of cleaning anymore, but that is something unlikely to happen.

We cannot expect everyone to act and react the same way that we act and react, as everyone has very different types of beliefs, thinking, behavior, personalities and values or meanings of life. We cannot expect other people to be endowed with perfect self-control and ethical values, without any defilement or unrighteous behavior.

We ourselves are not perfectly pure or completely be free from defilement yet, how can we judge and criticize, or discriminate those whom we think they are bad and evil?

If we really want to improve our society or the world that we are living in, we must change ourselves and purify ourselves, remove ignorance, impurities and egoism in us. We need to realize what is unconditional peace and compassion, be able to be kind and compassionate towards all beings without discrimination, prejudice or hatred, including those who are generating discrimination, prejudice or hatred in the society.

It doesn't matter how unfair or insulting is other people treating us, we can still be kind towards everyone without being disturbed, or affected, or influenced, or determined by their respective behavior.

It is certainly not about, "You are nice to me, and I will be nice to you...", or "If you are not supporting me, I will not be nice to you...", or "You disagree with me, and so you are not my friend...", or "I am nice to you, so you have to be nice to me...", or "You are not nice to me, so why do I have to be nice to you...", or "You hate me, I hate you too..."

It has to start with ourselves. Fill ourselves with peace, love, compassion and wisdom, or correct understanding. Radiate peace, love, compassion and wisdom into the surroundings. Smile and be friendly to everyone without any selfish intentions or desires, without discrimination, prejudice or hatred, without expectation towards other people's reactions and behavior. Respect all beings as they are.

Develop magnanimity, kind wishes, forgiveness, courage, loving kindness, calmness, generosity, nobility, patience, tolerance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation and acceptance, which will help to eliminate egoism and ignorance. Let go of petty-mindedness, ill will, discrimination, prejudice, selfish intentions or desires, expectation, anger, hatred, fear, jealousy, greed, disappointment, and all sorts of impurities that feed and fueled by ignorance and egoism simultaneously.

We wish the world, "May all beings be happy, be free." including those beings whom we think they are bad and evil. As they are the ones who needed to be free from ignorance, to be free from suffering, and then there will be less beings in the world that generate harmful actions and consequences into the world.

We cannot change or control other people to think and behave the way that we think they should think and behave, but we can change ourselves, and develop the noble qualities that might or might not bring awareness to other people to reflect upon themselves or their behavior, so that other people can also develop the awareness of seeing the ignorance in themselves, and out of their own free will, whether they want to change themselves, to let go of egoism, to remove ignorance, and to have self-control over their own thoughts, speech and actions, or not.

It is not through anger, hatred, discrimination, violence, oppression or control, to change the society, or to make the world to be a better place. But it is through peace, love, compassion and wisdom in ourselves, that can help to bring awareness and reflection in other people, to allow them to see themselves, to be aware of their own ignorance and ignorant behaviors, and to change themselves out of their own free will. This is how the world will change, when everyone starts to change themselves.

It takes great amount of love, peace, patience, forbearance, perseverance, determination, will power and courage to help the world to evolve, to eliminate evilness, and to promote goodness. Most importantly, it starts with ourselves. We shine as an embodiment of unconditional love and peace, if we wish the best for the world.

Om shanti.

Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize...

This motto is the essence of the teachings of Swami Sivananda.

If we want to know what is yoga and what is the practice of yoga, then this motto is a simple way to find out what they are.

Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize

Selfless service, non-attachment, unconditional love, renounce the fruit of actions, Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana and Dhyana are the basic practice for us to purify the mind to realize the Truth.

The entire yoga practice is about realizing compassion and wisdom... Or in another terms, to be free from egoism and ignorance.

All our yoga practice is for purifying the mind, to remove ignorance and to eliminate the ego.

If our mind is not purified, ignorance is not removed and the ego is not eliminated, then no matter how many hours or  years we have been "practicing yoga", and how much "physical and mental benefits" that we have attained from performing the "yoga practice", it doesn't determine anything. We are still not free.

It doesn't matter if we have an external Guru or teacher, or it doesn't matter if our Guru or teacher is enlightened or famous, it is our own effort and practice that will determine whether we are practicing yoga or not, and whether we will realize the Truth or not, and whether we will be liberated from ignorance, and be free from sufferings that derive from being ignorant...

Perform all our yoga practice, duties and responsibilities without attachment, identification, intention, judgment or expectation, and be free.

Do our best and let go.

Om shanti.

祝福大家和平面对逆境...

请不要对外劳歧视，生气，憎恨或埋怨。他们也和我们一样，为了生存和理想而来到这里。他们也是整个 宇宙的一份子，与我们任何一个人豪无分别。

心怀贪念的人利用这些外劳来协助成就他们自己自私自利的计划和意愿，而这些外劳也在利用这些心属不正的人所提供给他们的机会，希望有更好的生活环境和机会。

我们全部人类生活在这个地球上，大家都是逰子，都在寻找一个落脚的地方建立家园。我们在反抗别人对我们的歧视，为何我们却在歧视这些外劳呢？我们只不过比他们早一些到达这里落脚和建立家园。

如果我们要得到所有人的支持和合作，我们要以友善，真诚，和谐，包容与尊敬的态度来对待这些外劳。

我们在争取公平对待之时，我们自己有没有公平待人呀？

把仇视的心境和态度丢掉吧。

如果不能丢掉仇视的心境和态度，没有公平的礼待或尊敬他人，那又如何可以得到他人的友谊，支持，信任和互相尊重呢？这只会增加他人对我们不满与反感。

到最后，我们全部人都被那些自私自利的小人利用了来成就他们的计划和意愿。

祝福大家和平面对逆境。也祝福所有全体人们和谐共同相处，无分国界，种族，肤色，信仰，身份，地位与语言。

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Compassion? (Things that our ego doesn't like to hear...)

Different minds might have different understandings or definitions about what is compassion.

The weaker is our ego, the easier for us to be compassionate. The stronger is our ego, the more difficult for us to be compassionate. That's why our ego doesn't like to hear or know anything about "compassion", as compassion is the disappearance of the ego (I-ness, or the idea of I).

By hearing or reading about "compassion", or talk about compassion doesn't really make us become compassionate. Merely by performing some good actions does not necessary mean that we are compassionate, if we have attachment, selfish intention, desire and expectation that motivate us to perform good actions. There is identification as the doer of actions. There is attachment towards the fruit of the actions. Good actions that are being performed out of compassion, is free from attachment, selfish intention, desire and expectation. There is no identification as the doer of actions. There is no attachment towards the fruit of the actions.

Compassion is our true nature. It is who/what we really are, or what everything are, whether we realize it or not.

In the end, we need to realize compassion through our own selves, then only we will know what is compassion and be free. Be free from restlessness, unhappiness, frustration, irritation, anger, hatred, disappointment, dissatisfaction, hurt, fear and worry, that derive from not knowing what is compassion (or not knowing what is I/what we really are), and which is the reason why we do not know how to be compassionate towards ourselves. If we couldn't be compassionate towards ourselves, how could we be compassionate towards other beings? If we cannot accept ourselves as we are, and constantly criticize ourselves for being imperfect, then how can we accept other beings as they are, and stop criticize other beings for being imperfect?

In the path of unconditional peace and love, compassion is not just about performing some good actions. It is also about refrain from performing any evil actions. It's not just about being kind to other living beings, but it is also being kind to ourselves. It's because just by performing good actions and being kind to other living beings, it doesn't guarantee us peace and freedom. We might still be influenced by ignorance and not knowing the truth of things, and be disturbed by impurities like anger and hatred, pride and arrogance, dissatisfaction and disappointment, fear and worry that derive from attachment towards the qualities of good and bad, and be over-powered by craving and aversion.

Due to ignorance, we will be disturbed by the qualities of names and forms that we experience in life.

Due to the influence of selfish desires (craving and aversion), we might engage in performing some evil actions that will hurt others and ourselves. And this shows that we do not know how to love ourselves.

Compassion, which relieves us from all kinds of impurities, painful sorrow and miseries, is also about purifying the mind, realizing the truth of things and being able to accept the reality of everything as it is, and able to accept everyone and everything as it is without attachment, judgment, comparison, prejudice, discrimination, expectation, craving or aversion.

It is being free from egoism and impurities that arise from egoism.

It is being free from selfish desires, craving and aversion.

It is being free from ignorance.

It is being free from attachment towards the qualities of names and forms.

It is realizing namelessness and formlessness, or non-duality. It is going beyond the qualities of names and forms, good and bad, positive and negative, happiness and suffering.

It is being free from anger and hatred, dissatisfaction and disappointment, fear and worry that derive from attachment towards the qualities of names and forms (craving and aversion towards objects and qualities that we like and dislike, agree and disagree with), and having the idea of possessiveness (such like the idea of my life, my body, my thinking, my feelings, my family, my friends, my country, my culture, my religion, my job, my wealth, my health, my things, my pride, my name, and etc).

It is unconditional loving kindness towards ourselves and other beings under the presence of correct knowledge, or right understanding, or wisdom.

It is about self-acceptance, know how to love ourselves unconditionally, be kind to ourselves and have peace in us. As when we know how to accept and love ourselves as we are, be kind to ourselves, and have peace in us, we won't be generating any negativities in ourselves, nor into the world. We won't be in painful sorrow or suffering that arise from attachment towards the qualities of names and forms that derives from being ignorant about the truth of things.

 

Compassion is there as it is upon the annihilation of the idea of I. It is the intentionless actions of many different selfless elements that allow everything to be arising, changing and passing away, selflessly.

There is no ill will, nor argument, nor criticism, nor condemn about anything or anyone that is different from us and what we disagree with. There is no aversion towards any thinking, believes, behaviors, actions and speech that are contradicting with what our mind believes what things are.

It is about tolerance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation and acceptance. Even if everyone is being influenced by ignorance and egoism, and behaves in the complete opposite way of loving kindness, peace and compassion, we clearly understand why all these beings act and react in such ways, and accept that everyone has the freedom to be what they are, and behave the way that they want to behave. We cannot enforce or control other beings about how they should behave, or how to think and what to believe.

We allow everything (both "good" and "bad" elements) to be exist in the same space of the universe. There is no possessiveness. We don't own this space of the universe. There is no such expectation towards the world hoping that "There is only good things, there is no bad things. Everyone is good and is doing good actions only, and there are no evil beings doing any evil actions", or "The world will not be a suffering place. The world will only be a happy place". As this is not the teaching of Yoga and Buddhism. The teachings of Yoga and Buddhism is about accepting the truth as it is. We can be aware of all the good and bad elements, but no one (not even the enlightened beings) can change or control anyone or the world to be the way that we like it to be, or the way that we think it should be.

Although we cannot change the world to be the way that we like it to be, but we can contribute peace and love into the world by changing ourselves, and realize peace and love in us, being undisturbed nor affected by the qualities of names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses. If ourselves are not peaceful, and have no love and kindness in us, then how can we expect the world to be peaceful and expect other beings to be kind and loving?

Everyone needs to realize ignorance in ourselves, and through our own free will, we want to change ourselves and we want to remove ignorance in us. We can only do our best in performing all our duties and responsibilities, perform our own spiritual practice and evolve towards highest realization of unconditional peace and love. By changing ourselves, and realize unconditional peace and love in us, then naturally we are helping the world to change and improve, even without any intention or aspiration to help the world to be a better place for everyone and everything. By being peaceful, and vibrate peace and love into the world, we are benefiting the world, naturally.

Compassion is also knowing the truth of impermanence and accepting the impermanent changes as they are, from moment to moment. Things exist, and will stop existing. Everything keeps arising and passing away. But at the same time, we perform necessary actions out of compassion, without expectation, without attachment towards the actions and the fruit of actions, and allow the fruit of actions to be what it is, not necessarily the way that we expect or like it to be...

It is also knowing the limitations of names and forms, including this perishable and limited physical body and the egoistic intellectual thinking mind, that are conditioned and limited by time, space and causation. Knowing that the body and mind belongs to the energy and elements. It doesn't belong to us, and it is not I, or what we think we are. And at the same time, knowing the unlimited and unconditioned true nature of everything, which is beyond the body, the senses, the mind, the thinking, the feelings and emotions, which is beyond dualities and qualities of good and evil, positive and negative, happiness and suffering.

In the process of learning and performing the yoga asana poses, we learn about the limitations of the physical body and the influence of the ego, and allow us to be able to accept the present condition and abilities, and the limitations of the physical body as it is. At the same time, we perform all the yoga practice without expectation towards the result of the practice, but allowing the result to happen naturally as it is. We allow improvement to happen naturally without expecting any benefits from performing the yoga practice.

We allow physical health condition, stamina, strength and flexibility to improve naturally as we practice yoga asana and breathing exercises regularly, without attachment, without craving towards some pleasant experiences, without aversion towards some unpleasant experiences. As all these physical benefits that come from performing the yoga asana practice and breathing exercises are just a side effect of the yoga practice. It is not the objective of our yoga practice. All these yoga practice allow us to develop the inner strength and flexibility, or the divine qualities that will bring us to the realization of unconditional peace and compassion. It helps to purify the energy fields in the physical body and thus purifying the mind, which helps to remove ignorance or impurities.

Perform all our duties and responsibilities in the world but do not neglect our greatest duty towards our own selves and the universe, which is Self-inquiry, realizing who we really are, and be free from being conditioned by the impure mind and the limited physical body...

That will definitely helps the world to become a better place.

By expecting other people to change into somebody whom we like them to be, or trying to control other people to be the way that we want them to be, will only generate tension, frustration and disappointment in ourselves. Further more, this will also trigger negativities (anger, hatred, aversion) in other people whom we want to control or change them, just because we don't like and don't agree with them and their thinking, believes and behaviors.

Compassion is not different from, or not separated from fearlessness. Fear comes from the wrong identification with the body and mind as I, that doesn't really exist, and having attachment towards all the things that are not us or don't belong to us. This wrong identification and attachment gives rise to the idea of possessiveness, and we will try to protect what we think is "I" and all that belongs to "I". Out of fear of losing the people and things that we love and which we think they belong to us, we will have fear towards some other living beings (people, animals, insects etc), thinking that they might hurt "I" or "my loved ones", or might cause harmful effect and damage to "my life", or "my health", or "my belongings", and so, I will attack these living beings, before they will hurt "I" and damage something that belongs to "I". This is ignorance and selfishness.

We cannot be truly compassionate when we have fear and have self-protection toward ourselves and what we think that are belonged to us, due to egoism or selfishness, or influenced by craving and aversion, anger and hatred, prejudice, dualism, discrimination, selfish desires, selfish expectation and possessiveness, even though we try to perform many good actions and try not to perform any evil actions, or try to be kind to other beings, as we will be miserable, constantly being affected and determined by the result of our actions and inactions, as well as being disturbed by other people (bad) actions and (good) inactions. We will be very unhappy, angry, frustrated and disappointed when our expectations and desires are not being gratified, or when the result of our actions didn't turn out the way that we expect or like it to be.

Constantly contemplate on this teaching about compassion or selflessness, and be free. So that we can help the world to improve to be a better place, even without any intention or aspiration of doing so.

Om shanti.