Allow everyone to show appreciation and thankfulness, or not

The untrained egoistic mind will expect other people to show appreciation and thankfulness towards the actions that it has done for others, or kindness that it has shown to others. The ego feels unhappy and demotivated when it doesn't receive the reaction that it expects to be receiving after it thinks it has done something for others, or has shown kindness to others. The ego constantly seeking attention, acknowledgment, recognition, approval, support, agreement, liking, appreciation, and gratefulness from others. The ego attaches to its actions and the result of its actions. These are the characteristics of egoism.

Yoga practice is to free the mind from egoism (the idea of 'I' exists as an individual being with certain qualities of names and forms who identifies as the performer of action and the receiver of the fruit of action) and ignorance (not knowing the truth of 'I'.)

The one who practices yoga performs actions and shows kindness without attachment, identification or expectation. One allows the result of the actions to be what it is. One allows everyone to show appreciation and thankfulness for one's actions that have been done for others and kindness that have been shown to others, or not.

All the physical and mental health benefits coming from the regular yoga asana and pranayama practice are just some side-effects of the practice and it doesn't guarantee that the practitioner will be free from egoism and ignorance, if the yoga practitioner doesn't know what is self-inquiry and non-attachment, even after many years of regular yoga asana and pranayama practice.

Vichara (self-inquiry) and Vairagya (dispassion or non-attachment or renunciation) is the yoga practice that will bring liberation. - As taught by Swami Sivananda

Yoga teacher and the students on headstand practice

Headstand is the first basic pose in the traditional Hatha Yoga asana practice.

One doesn't need to be super strong and flexible to perform headstand.

What allowing one to come into the headstand is both the body and mind is able to be relaxed when coming up into the headstand, while holding the headstand, and while coming down from the headstand, without tension, judgement, comparison and expectation.

What hinders people to come into the headstand and holding it, is fear. The fear of falling, fear of injury, fear of pain, fear of death and fear of the unknown.

Headstand is an effective asana to stimulate and purify the crown energy centre and rendering the mind calm and quiet for meditation, as well as giving many other physical and mental health benefits, if it is being performed with the correct understanding and technique, and without the interference of the egoism.

Although it is a great asana for many people, there are some people are not suitable to practice headstand due to certain physical limitations and health complications. People who don't have those physical limitations like neck injuries and had performed heart surgery before, and don't have health issues like serious high or low blood pressure, heart problems, eyes diseases, nose and ears infection, intense nose-blocked or headache, or have been advised by their doctor that they are not suitable to practice headstand for some reasons, but if they have great fear of performing the headstand (fear of falling and injuries), then they also are not suitable or ready to practice headstand yet, until they know how to deal with fear, and not being over-powered by fear. If they have great tension in the body and mind due to intense fear while learning to come into the headstand, it will only bring them more harms than benefits. Otherwise, anyone can practice headstand by learning how to come up into the headstand in a gentle and relaxed manner, and keep practicing until one can stay in the headstand for a prolonged period of time, comfortably. But one doesn't need to be able to perform headstand in order to be peaceful and compassionate. It's okay if people can't perform headstand, or any of the yoga asana poses, due to certain physical restrictions.

Falling, whether during the yoga asana practice, or in life (whether physically, mentally or emotionally), is not something bad or negative. It's neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative. It's part of the learning process to allow the mind to be more open and wise. When one learns how to perform the challenging asana poses under a calm and fearless mind, one would be able to remain calm and stress-free when performing any challenging tasks in life under any conditions and situations.

Just like when we learn how to stand up and walk when we were toddlers, falling was merely part of the learning process. But, we continued to learn how to stand up and walk, again and again, no matter how many times we fell. And gradually, we developed the stability and learned how to stand up and walk without falling.

As parents, they do their best to guide and assist the children until they are able to stand and walk by themselves, in their own pace, without being pushy, without judgment, comparison and expectation. This includes allowing them to fall during the learning process before they develop the stability. The children also continue to learn how to stand and walk, again and again, no matter how many times they fall. The parents allow the children to take responsibility for their action and the consequences of their action.

This is the same as when come to teaching, guiding and assisting the yoga students to come into the headstand.

The yoga teacher should have no fear to teach the headstand to the students, and without fear about allowing the students to learn how to fall in a relaxed manner, bringing the risk of physical injury to the minimum. And allowing the students to take responsibility for their action and the consequences of their action. The teacher must endowed with patience and compassion to guide the students coming into the headstand, in their own pace, without being pushy, without judgment, comparison and expectation. Meanwhile, the students should learn how to confront the fear and overcome it, while developing acceptance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, patience, perseverance, forbearance, non-attachment, non-identification, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, self-awareness, self-control, self-discipline and be free from craving and aversion, during the process of learning and performing the yoga asana poses.

Sometimes, some of the students see other people fall down from the headstand, they might generate fear and worry in themselves towards the headstand practice, even though the people who had fell didn't hurt themselves, and they didn't allow the fall to stop them from continuing their practice. One must learn not to be affected by one's past experience of falling or other people's falling from the asana poses, and do not let fear and worry to stop oneself from continuing to perform one's own practice.

Fearlessness is part of selflessness. The one who has fear towards something, is the ego. Yoga is the realization of selflessness - the annihilation of the ego. The practice of headstand is confronting fear and be free from fear. The health benefits derive from the headstand practice are just some side-effects. Practicing headstand against the wall might bring health benefits to the practitioner, but it doesn't allow the practitioner to confront fear and conquer it, instead, it is running away from dealing with fear.

Whether one can perform the yoga asana poses, or not, it's really not important at all. Even after many times of practice, one might still unable to perform some or many of the yoga asana poses and might fall from time to time, and it's fine, just keep practicing. What matter is, the practice of letting go of the egoism and not being over-powered by fear. Do our best, perform all our duties and responsibilities, without attachment towards our action and the result of our action, allowing the result to be what it is.

If the students have great fear of performing headstand and refuse to take responsibility for themselves, then they are not ready yet to practice headstand.

Be free.

Video - Daily Yoga Asana Practice

Many retreat guests asked about how often and how long is my personal yoga asana practice, what I do in the asana practice, and whether I perform the yoga asana practice when we are running yoga retreats.

The personal yoga asana practice is being performed everyday, even when we are running yoga retreats, except on the days when we run intensive yoga retreat, I would take rest. The daily yoga asana practice would take about one and a half hours to two hours. These are some of the yoga asana in the daily yoga asana practice.

Difficult life conditions and low education level don't make a being bad or immoral

Difficult life conditions and low education level are neither something good nor bad. It doesn't make a being good or bad.

People might easily relate crimes and criminals with those who live in difficult life conditions or have low education level.

There are people might use the difficult life conditions and low education level as an excuse to commit crimes or immoral conducts.

But, difficult life conditions and low education level don't make anyone a bad being or a criminal, to commit crimes or immoral conducts.

Those who might have difficult life conditions or low education level, but are endowed with integrity, self-respect and self-control, they strive diligently to improve oneself and one's life condition, through right livelihood, morally and rightfully.

There are those who might have easier life conditions and higher education level than many others are not necessarily be free from greed or won't be committing crimes and immoral conducts. Out of greed, they would lie, cheat, steal and harm other beings. Out of pride and arrogance, there are those who believe they are more superior than other beings would discriminate and abuse other beings whom they believe are inferior than them.

One must be endowed with integrity, self-respect and self-control, so that one won't be over-powered by greed to commit crimes or immoral conducts, disregard the living condition and education level that one has. One must be endowed with wisdom and compassion being free from ignorance and egoism, to be free from pride and arrogance, discrimination and abuse.

There's no superiority or inferiority. All are merely composition of elements and will decompose into elements. All are impermanent and selfless.

Those who are free, are not determined by any life conditions or education levels, and they don't need to plead any recognition or acknowledgement from any other beings, to be 'somebody' who needs recognition or acknowledgement.

And this is nothing to do with religion or spirituality.

May all be free.

Compassion manifests naturally when egoism disappears

Upon the annihilation of egoism, there is no 'I' existing to be identifying as "I am selfless and I am compassionate."

There's no intention or desire of "I want to be compassionate."

There's no attachment of "I am practicing compassion and I am performing compassionate actions."

There's no identification of "I am a compassionate being."

There's no separateness of "I am being compassionate towards other beings that are not 'I'."

It's a natural manifestation upon the realization of selflessness.

Be free.

Open mind

Be open to what we don't know

There are countless possibilities

Look after our own minds

If we truly love the world we live in,

If we truly love whatever we think we love,

If we truly love peace in ourselves and peace in the world,

Then look after our own minds.

"Out of 'love' towards my self, my life, my body, my mind, my feelings, my home, my family, my friends, my children, my relationship, my marriage, my freedom, my rights, my happiness, my possessions, my God, my religion, my lineage, my ancestor, my teacher, my students, my school, my practice, my 'yoga', my planet, my world, my community, my space, my environment, my pets, my country, my culture, my beliefs, my point of view, my abilities, my profession, my knowledge, my achievement, my reputation, my image and identity, I would do anything to preserve and protect all that I 'love' very much."

If we think we 'love' this and that, and out of 'love', we would do anything to preserve and protect what we think we 'love' very much, to be the way that 'I' think they should be and the way that 'I' want them to be, then know that we don't know what is love.

Be free.

Be free...

There are people think they believe in God existence, and they believe in God.

There are people think they don't believe in God existence, and they disbelieve in God.

There are people think they used to believe in God existence and they believed in God, but not anymore.

No matter which one we relate to what we think, it really doesn't matter.

Why?

Because -

If God exists, and if the God that people believe in is almighty, selfless and compassionate, is all good and kind, then whether people believe in God, or don't believe in God, or stop believing in God, it makes no difference, and it really doesn't matter. This God loves all without attachment and expectation, without offensiveness, discrimination, anger and hatred.

If people believe God is the creator and destroyer of all and everything, then this God will still carry out the duty of creating and destroying no matter whether people believe in the existence of God, or not. As well as God will exist no matter whether people believe in the existence of God, or not.

If God doesn't exist, then whether people believe in God, or don't believe in God, or stop believing in God, it makes no difference, and it really doesn't matter. God doesn't exist, no matter whether people believe in the existence of God, or not, and whether people believe in God, or not. Everyone has their freedom for what they want to think and believe.

If the God that people believe in is NOT almighty or compassionate, it's egoistic, arrogant, worldly minded, petty-minded, corrupt, bribery, bias, offensive, discriminating, angry and hating, full of attachment and expectation, and is NOT good or kind, then what's the point of believing in this God?

Whether we think God exists, or not, and whether we think we believe in God, or not, it has nothing to do with one's liberation from ignorance and suffering upon the self-realization of selflessness.

Be free.

There's no 'I' existing to be identifying with any impermanent qualities of names and forms

"There's no 'I' existing to be identifying with any impermanent qualities of names and forms."

Contemplate on this and realize selflessness, and be free.

Upon the realization of selflessness, all kinds of dualities, separateness, discrimination, loneliness, longing and fear, vanish.

All kinds of unhappiness and miseries arise due to false identification(s) with impermanent qualities of names and forms to be existing as an individual being which the mind thinks and believes, "This is I" and "This is not I."

Whenever the mind thinks, "This is me", "This is not me", or "T want to be me, the one that is who I really am", know that even what the mind think what is 'I' and what is 'not I', are not who 'I' am.

There is no 'I' existing to be identifying with any qualities of names and forms as 'This is I' or 'This is not I."

Be free.

We can't love all beings, but we can be compassionate towards all beings

It's okay if we can't love those whom we dislike and disagree with

It isn't 'wrong', or 'bad', or 'evil', if we have no love or sympathy towards certain beings whom we dislike and disagree with

We can't love all beings, but we can be compassionate towards all beings

Compassion has no room for discrimination, anger and hatred towards what we dislike and disagree with

Compassion allows all beings to have different qualities of names and forms and be different from one another

Compassion gives respect towards all kinds of different names and forms to be what they are

Compassion overcomes discrimination, separateness, ignorance and suffering

Compassion leads to peace in oneself

It's loving and being kind to ourselves even if our life, or the world is not the way that we like it to be

Love and peace to all - Never give up

Never give in to ignorance, fear, violence, anger and hatred.

Whenever our minds have doubts and losing hopes amidst all kinds of ignorance and impurities,

choose love and peace.

It won't go wrong.

Have love and peace in oneself

amidst all kinds of ignorance, fear, violence, anger and hatred.

Don't become one of them.

Do I love myself, unconditionally?

Whenever we think and feel that “I am hurt by this or that” we need to ask ourselves, “Do I love myself, unconditionally?”

If we love what we like and want more than loving ourselves as we are, then we will only be happy and satisfied when everything is the way that we like it to be, by having all our desires fulfilled. But when things are not the way that we like it to be, and we are not able to gratified our desires, we will feel hurt, unhappy and angry. This is because we don’t love ourselves as we are, as we are not able to accept ourselves as we are, being dissatisfied and disappointed with the reality that we don’t like, that we don’t want. We are hurt by our own dissatisfaction and disappointment towards ungratified desires or unfulfilled expectation towards ourselves and everyone else.

It’s really nothing to do with whether everything is the way that we like it to be, or not. Or whether other people love us, or not. Or whether other people treat us the way that we think it should be, or not. Or other people’s behavior is wrong and hurtful, or not.

Loving ourselves is different from selfishness. When we truly love ourselves, it’s not being selfish at all. It’s not about gratification of the desires of craving and aversion, or self-indulgence without restriction, but there is self-discipline, self-restriction and self-control to free the mind from being influenced or over-powered by egoistic desires of craving and aversion. It’s about being compassionate towards ourselves and everyone else. We stop hurting ourselves and others out of ignorance, selfishness and impurities.

May all learn how to love ourselves, unconditionally, and be free.

Yoga teachers and teaching yoga?

"Who can teach yoga?"

"Anybody, who knows what is yoga, who is peaceful and compassionate, who knows about impermanence and selflessness, who knows what is the cause of suffering and how to be free from suffering. It's not necessarily someone who has been practicing yoga for a long time, who is strong and flexible to do many of the yoga asana poses, or who had attended 'yoga teachers training course', and obtained or possessed 'internationally recognized' yoga teacher certifications."

"But, isn't that all yoga teachers must have recognized yoga teachers certification to be allowed to teach yoga legally?"

"Do you think someone who is free from ignorance and suffering, who is peaceful and compassionate, has to attend some 'yoga teachers training courses' to be trained to be a 'yoga teacher', to be authorized by some 'authorities' and obtains 'internationally recognized certifications' sanctioned and approved by some 'yoga associations', and be allied to some 'yoga alliances', in order to radiate peace and be compassionate, to share the knowledge of yoga and guiding other beings to be free from ignorance and suffering? Is a person not allowed to be kind to other beings because this person hasn't attended 'kindness training' and doesn't have a recognized 'certification of kindness' sanctioned by a 'kindness association or kindness alliance'?"

"I will not learn yoga from someone who hasn't been through professional yoga teachers training, who doesn't have 'internationally recognized yoga teachers certification'. 'Yoga teachers' who don't have a recognized certification are not allowed to teach yoga classes in many countries. Yoga centres in many countries only employ 'internationally certified' yoga teachers."

"Isn't that true... It's your freedom of thinking and freedom of choice then."

Whether people are well-educated and highly intelligent, or not, many would think that those who teach yoga must go through some forms of professional yoga teachers training to be qualified and certified as 'yoga teachers' before they are allowed to teach yoga, and they also think that only those who have been practicing yoga for quite a long time, who are physically strong and flexible to execute many of the yoga asana poses 'beautifully', or who have the 'qualifications of a yoga teacher', are qualified to attend yoga teachers training courses and be certified as 'yoga teachers' to conduct 'yoga classes' to teach yoga to other people.

These are the worldly ideas and values derived from conditioned thinking and belief under the influence of ignorance.

There are many 'internationally certified and affiliated' yoga teachers or instructors conduct many different types of 'yoga classes' everywhere in the world. Most of them teach yoga (asana) classes with different brand names according to the modules, styles and techniques that they learned from one or different types of 'yoga schools'. Some might even invent their own brands, styles, sequences and techniques of 'yoga'. Most of them even trademarked or copyrighted their new invention of 'yoga' that is adopted, modified and transformed from the traditional yoga practice. It's normal that many people are confused and uncleared about the tradition of yoga of its practice and purpose.

"People tell me that I could do all the yoga poses easily and beautifully, that I am strong and flexible, and they say I should become a yoga teacher. Should I?"
"What do I need to do in order to become a yoga teacher?"
"Is there a minimum years of yoga practice in order to become a yoga teacher?"
"How many and which yoga asana poses that I need to be able to perform in order to become a yoga teacher and teach yoga?"
"Do I need an internationally recognized yoga teachers certification to teach yoga in this country?"
"Do these yoga schools and yoga teachers affiliated with internationally recognized yoga association and yoga alliance?"
"Do these yoga courses issue internationally recognized certifications approved and sanctioned by internationally recognized yoga association and yoga alliance?"

In the commercial world of 'education systems', 'qualifications' and 'certifications', a person is obliged to obtain and possess some sorts of qualifications and certifications issued and recognized by 'internationally recognized' yoga association and yoga alliance to work as a 'yoga teacher' or 'yoga instructor' to conduct yoga (asana) classes to be teaching safe and result orientated 'yoga exercise' to other people. No doubt that those who teach yoga exercise fitness classes are better off being conformed and regulated under certain 'rules and regulations' regulated by 'those who know what they are doing', so that they have the basic knowledge to provide safe and effective physical training for other people by teaching varieties of 'yoga (asana) classes' with different brands, styles, techniques and routines, that have been adopted and modified from the traditional yoga asana practice. But, yoga is not about teaching or participating in yoga asana exercise classes. Yoga poses, or asana practice is just one part of the many yoga practice to help to influence the mind, to render the mind calm and quiet for meditation. It's not necessarily that people have to perform yoga asana practice to be practicing yoga, or to be peaceful and compassionate.

If people think teaching yoga to other people is about becoming a certified 'yoga teacher' by attending internationally recognized 'yoga teachers training courses' to attain 'internationally recognized certification' issued and sanctioned by internationally recognized 'yoga association' and 'yoga alliance', or one needs to go through some sorts of professional yoga teachers training to learn how to teach yoga in order to teach yoga, or how many years of yoga practice will qualify someone to be a yoga teacher, or a yoga teacher needs to have certain level of strength and flexibility to perform and demonstrate the yoga asana poses when teaching yoga classes, or teaching yoga is about training the students to push the body beyond its limitations to achieve maximum strength and flexibility, to be able to perform as many yoga asana poses as possible, and to execute the yoga poses in perfect alignment, or a person needs to have recognized certificate(s) to teach yoga, or teaching yoga means teaching different types of yoga asana classes labeled with different levels, brands and styles, then very obviously they don't know what is yoga, and so, how can they teach yoga, even though they possess 'internationally recognized' yoga teachers certifications?

Teaching yoga is not about teaching yoga asana (fitness exercise) classes. It's nothing to do with becoming a 'yoga teacher' by attending yoga teacher training courses to attain internationally recognized certifications or qualifications issued and sanctioned by 'internationally recognized' yoga association and yoga alliance, so that one can teach yoga exercise classes adopted from traditional yoga asana practice. It's dealing with the mind and its modification, the function of the mind, the perception of names and forms (the worldly life existence), the states of the mind, the habits and behavior of the mind, the actions and reactions of the mind, the impurities of the mind, the ignorance and suffering of the mind, and the liberation of the mind.

Yoga practice is about the elimination of ignorance, egoism and impurities, to free the mind from being conditioned by worldly thinking and beliefs, to realize selflessness and unconditional peace beyond all the impermanent qualities of names and forms.

Unconditional peace and compassion is not determined by how good a person can execute the yoga poses, or how long a person has been performing the yoga asana practice, or what type of qualification or certification a person has obtained and possessed from attending yoga classes or courses from yoga schools.

Whether a being is liberated from ignorance and suffering, and is peaceful and compassionate, or not, it has nothing to do with 'yoga associations', 'yoga alliance', 'yoga schools', 'yoga classes', 'yoga courses', 'yoga teachers training', and 'yoga teachers qualifications and certifications'.

There are some qualities which can determine a yoga aspirant - Viveka, Vairagya, Shat-sampat and Mumukshutva. And all these qualities has nothing to do with being in yoga class, attending yoga class, teaching yoga class, being strong and flexible, performing some yoga poses, yoga schools, yoga association, yoga alliance, yoga teachers training courses, and certifications. Yoga practice is about Vichara, to perform self-inquiry to know the truth of names and forms. One can learn and practice yoga anywhere, anytime. One can teach yoga anywhere, anytime. All the names and forms are teaching us yoga, it's not limited to a human being who identifies himself/herself as 'yoga teacher'. Anything and anyone and all our experiences that can teach us about impermanence and selflessness, that allow us to realize compassion and be compassionate, is our yoga teachers. In the end, both the teacher and the student is the mind itself.

The one who is free from ignorance and suffering, who is peaceful, wise and compassionate, doesn't need to attend any 'yoga teachers training courses' to be trained to become a 'yoga teacher' to teach yoga. This being doesn't need to be certified, authorized and approved by 'yoga schools', 'yoga associations', or 'yoga alliance' for being peaceful and compassionate, to radiate peace and compassion, and to guide other suffering beings onto the path of selflessness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness, to also realize unconditional peace and compassion. This being doesn't need the title of 'yoga teacher', or naming the act of sharing the knowledge of unconditional peace and compassion as 'teaching yoga'. It's free from egoistic attachments and identifications of 'I want to teach yoga', 'I teach yoga or yoga classes', 'I am a yoga teacher', 'I am an internationally qualified and certified yoga teacher', 'I am qualified and certified to teach yoga', 'I am a good and experienced yoga teacher', or 'I have been practicing and teaching yoga for xx years.'

The realization of 'Selflessness' which leads to unconditional peace and compassion is undetermined by all the worldly impermanent qualities of names and forms. It doesn't belong to a particular being, species, gender, sexual orientation, age, social status, intellect, personality, behavior, impermanent states of the mind, physical appearance, physical condition, limitation and ability, worldly education and knowledge, worldly commercial ideas, thinking and beliefs, worldly achievements and contributions, personal belief, cultural belief, religious belief, spiritual practice, yoga class, yoga school, yoga association, yoga alliance, or how many years of yoga practice.

If people want to think and believe that they will only learn and practice 'yoga' under the guidance of a 'yoga teacher' who possesses and advertises 'internationally recognized' qualifications and certifications, and those who want to teach 'yoga' think that they need to possess 'internationally recognized' qualifications and certifications, and be authorized by 'internationally recognized yoga associations and yoga alliance' to teach 'yoga' to other people, then the 'yoga' that they practice and teach will be what they think what it is. There's nothing wrong with that.

Yoga is not about achieving peace and happiness by having the life or the world to be the way that we like it to be, but, it's realizing the unconditional peace being undetermined by all the impermanent good and bad qualities of names and forms, pleasant and unpleasant or desirable and undesirable experiences.

Whether a person is practicing yoga, or not, it's not determined by being content and happy when everything is the way that we desire it to be, but, it is seen whether the mind is able to be peaceful and compassionate under any challenging, difficult, undesirable and discomfortable conditions and situations, being free from all sorts of impurities, ill-will and ill-thinking when everything is not the way that we like it to be.

Be free.

Is it important to free the mind from ignorance and impurities?

Someone asked, "Is it important to free the mind from ignorance and impurities?"

It depends on ourselves, about what we want for ourselves in this impermanent life existence, and what we want to contribute to the world from this life existence.

Everyone has their freedom for what they want for their life, or what they want to do with their body and mind.

It's our own choice whether we are aware of the ignorance and impurities in our minds and their influence towards our life experience, whether we want to do something about the cause of unhappiness and suffering, whether we want to free our minds from ignorance and impurities, to attain real freedom and peace.

Everyone has different ways of life and meanings of life to live up to. There's no right and wrong, better or worse. It's just personal choice and preference, and might be influenced by certain circumstances.

There are people who don't mind being restless swaying in between happiness and unhappiness, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, elevation and depression, calmness and agitation, fulfillment and disappointment, and they enjoy being the slaves of passions, desires, craving and aversion.

There are people who are passionate towards the worldly life of impermanence and try to make the most out of it to enjoy life to the maximum, while they can.

There are people who spend most of their life time making a living, to survive and to feed their family.

If people are happy with that, they don't need to do anything other than living a worldly life the way that they like it to be, or the way that they think life should be, while trying to accomplish what they think is their meanings of life.

Meanwhile there were/are people who didn't/don't practice yoga and meditation, but, they did/do many amazing things for themselves and for the world.

In yoga, to conquer one's mind and attaining liberation from ignorance and suffering is being seen as the greatest meaning of life existence and the greatest contribution to the world. But, there are not many indeed.

Om shanti.

See things as they are...

People complicate about the 'TRUTH'. They think the 'TRUTH' is something sacred, and belongs to a particular religion teaching and practice.

One doesn't need to be educated and knowledgeable, or know how to read and write and count, or be able to stand on their head or hands, or perform a particular religion practice or ritual, or believe in 'God', or not, to know the truth of names and forms.

The truth of names and forms is very simple - it's seeing everything as it is. It's not a belief, or a teaching, or a philosophy. It doesn't belong to any particular person, or being, or sect, or culture, or religion, or society. The truth is always the same truth that applies to all and everyone, disregards all the different qualities of names and forms. The truth of names and forms is simply IMPERMANENCE and SELFLESSNESS. It's nothing to do with 'God', 'religion', 'good and evil', 'right and wrong', 'happiness and unhappiness', 'knowledgeable and not knowledgeable', 'intelligent and not intelligent'.

Meanwhile the cause of suffering is ignorance towards the truth of names and forms. Highly knowledgeable and intelligent people are not necessarily be free from ignorance and suffering, if they attach onto their knowledge and intelligence, and have pride and arrogance towards what they think they know and who they think they are. Those who think they have been practicing yoga for many years and attended many yoga and meditation classes and courses, are not necessarily be free from ignorance and suffering. They might still be disturbed by the names and forms that they like and don't like, agree and don't agree with, and suffer from dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration, agitation, restlessness, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, feelings of hurt, loneliness, insult, humiliation, animosity, defensiveness, offensiveness, fear and worry. And it's okay, because everyone takes their own time to evolve, as to be aware of the egoism in oneself, and the elimination of egoism is quite a challenging task and unpleasant journey.

Those who see the truth never argue or debate with those who don't see the truth, and they can't make others who don't see the truth to see the truth. They allow everyone to see the truth, or not, and respect everyone has different perception of reality, thinking, belief, opinion and behavior from others.

But, if our minds are not free from ignorance and egoism, and attached onto certain thinking, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge, we don't see the truth of things as it is, even though the truth is so simple. Our minds analyze everything based on particular thinking and belief, and judge everything based on what we think we know. What we don't know, and what is different from our thinking and belief, we will deny, resist, or object. We don't want the truth that is not something that we like and want. We expect the truth to be the way that we like it to be, or the way that we think it should be. We will argue and debate with others who have different perception of reality, thinking, belief, opinion and behavior from us, and try to convince others that we know better than others. These are the games of the egoism.

Those who know the truth, and they allow the truth to be what it is and are able to live in harmony with the truth, there's no attachment towards all the impermanent names and forms, and knowing that 'I' doesn't exist at all. And hence, suffering doesn't arise in them.

Those who don't know the truth, or those who don't like the truth to be what it is, or are unable to live in harmony with the truth, but they want to challenge or go against the truth, and they want to control things or the world to be the way that they desire it to be, there's attachment towards all the impermanent names and forms, and there's identification with certain names and forms as 'I'. And hence, suffering arise in them.

To see things as they are, we need to free the mind from being conditioned by particular culture, religion, philosophy, thinking, belief, and all kinds of knowledge about this and that we have been accumulating from here and there, to just observe the nature of everything that the mind perceives through the senses. It's not difficult to see the truth of things, but it's challenging for many egoistic minds to let go what we think we know and who we think we are. As the greatest hindrance that stop the mind from seeing the truth as it is, is what the mind thinks it knows and who it thinks it is.

Our minds are being conditioned to think and behave in certain ways, and to believe in certain values and beliefs influence by our family and cultural brought up, and school education. We might become more intelligent and knowledgeable through receiving all kinds of education and knowledge about this and that, but not only it's actually feeding and empowering the egoism and ignorance in us, it's also a great obstacle for us on the path of yoga to be free from egoism and ignorance. - "This is me. This is who I am. I am intelligent and knowledgeable. I am proud of what I know and who I am." and we can never realize what is selflessness due to this great attachment towards the idea of 'I', what we think we know, and who we think we are, even though we think we have been practicing 'yoga and meditation' for many many years.

Be free.

Let go all kinds of worldly identifications

There is no freedom to be found in trying to seek recognition and approval from this society that consists of all kinds of different conditioned cultures, thinking and beliefs. There will always be disagreement, discrimination and hatred coming from different communities that are different from one another where they attached strongly onto their particular culture, thinking and beliefs, as all kinds of ignorance generated by ignorant minds will always exist in the world.

The law created by the worldly minded doesn't stop anyone from experiencing discrimination and hatred from others who don't like and don't agree with the others who are different from them. Prosecution and imprisonment doesn't stop the ignorant mind from being ignorant, discriminating and hating towards what is different from itself that it doesn't like and doesn't agree with. No matter how good and intelligent we think we are, it doesn't determine that we are more superior than anyone else whom we don't like and don't agree with, whom we criticize and condemn.

One can only take care one's mind to realize what is selflessness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness, through one's effort, and be free from all kinds of worldly identifications with different qualities of names and forms, and let the world to be what it is. Allowing all the other minds to be influenced by ignorance, or be free from ignorance, evolve at their own cause and pace.

Those who truly want to know what is yoga, must be determined to meditate and realize what is selflessness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness. All kinds of benefits coming from the regular yoga practice are just some side-effects. They don't give liberation without the realization of selflessness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness.

Beyond all the impermanent qualities of names and forms, conditioned worldly cultures, thinking and beliefs, and all sorts of worldly identities of who and what we think is 'I'.

There is no 'I' or 'not I'.

There is no 'human beings' or 'not human beings'.

There is no 'this nationality' or 'not this nationality'.

There is no 'male' or 'not male'.

There is no 'female' or 'not female'.

There is no 'something not male and not female' or 'not something not male and not female'.

There is no 'gay' or 'straight' or 'bi-sexual'.

There is no 'married' or 'unmarried'.

There is no 'friends' or 'not friends'.

There is no 'alone' or 'not alone'.

There is no 'religious' or 'not religious'.

There is no 'spiritual' or 'not spiritual'.

There is no 'good' or 'bad'.

There is no 'right' or 'wrong'.

There is no 'positive' or 'negative'.

There is no 'gain' or 'loss'.

There is no 'success' or 'failure'.

There is no 'superiority' or 'inferiority'.

There is no 'yogi' or 'not yogi'.

It's just impermanent qualities of names and forms that keep changing. The world is always running by many egoistic minds that are not free from ignorance and selfishness yet. Those minds that are free from ignorance, they don't run the world. They let the world runs itself.

Inequality and discrimination and all kinds of impurities generated by many ignorant minds will always exist in this world of names and forms perceived by the mind under the influence of ignorance.

Only when one has gone beyond all the identifications with qualities of names and forms, and be free from ignorance, one will be in peace and harmony resting in one's nameless and formless nature, transcending all the inequalities and discrimination derive from the mind perception of different qualities of names and forms, and be undetermined by all the other minds that are not free form ignorance yet.

Be free.

Inquire the truth of everything of what we've been told or informed that influence our thinking and behavior

Since we were new born babies, when we began to perceive the world of names and forms through the senses, we were told many stories and information about this is who we are and this is who we should become, or this is what we should do and shouldn't do, or this is how we should behave and shouldn't behave, or what is meaningfulness and meaninglessness, by our parents, care takers, relatives, neighbours, school teachers, religious teachers, spiritual teachers, friends, society, politicians, activists, icons, social and commercial medias, scientists, researchers, historians, artists, philosophers, and many others, as well as our own imagination.

Our minds are being conditioned to think, believe, and behave according to all these stories and information we've been told. Meanwhile our reasoning power also functions under the influence of these conditioned thinking and belief. All kinds of agreements and disagreements coming from our minds are based on this reasoning power that is influenced by these conditioned thinking and belief.

It doesn't matter what our minds think and believe what things are and how things should be like, and what we agree and disagree with, the path of yoga and meditation is to inquire the truth of everything, including all the stories and information we have been told and informed by all and everyone, even if it's coming from our most beloved people in our lives, or most respected human beings in the world.

And thus, the inquiry into the truth of everything is not done by the reasoning power of the intellectual minds that functions under the influence of the agreements and disagreements based on different types of conditioned thinking and beliefs, but, it's through freeing the mind from attaching towards any kinds of thinking and beliefs, to allow the mind to be able to see the truth of things as it is, uninfluenced by any conditioned thinking and beliefs.

When one knows about this, one is not affected or determined by all kinds of psychological influential actions and speech coming from different types of individuals or groups for fulfilling their selfish purposes out of their self-interests. When one is free from the influence of all kinds of conditioned thinking and beliefs to think, to act, and to speak, that is the true freedom of thinking, action and speech.

A student may ask the teacher - What do you believe and don't believe? or, Do you believe in this? But, what the teacher believes and doesn't believe, and whether the teacher believes in this, or not, is nothing to do with the truth, or with the student's realization of the truth. Realization of the truth doesn't come from agreeing, accepting and adopting what the teachers, or other people believe or don't believe.

May all be free.

Fear of letting go conditional worldly thinking and belief

It's normal that people have fear towards letting go certain religious or non-religious thinking and belief that influence the way of life and conduct, self-image and personal identity. There is fear of the unknown consequences of letting go those thinking and belief. There is fear of exile, criticism and condemn from the 'group' that we think we belong to. There is fear of being unaccepted by the society. There is fear of non-existence. The ignorant minds constantly seek recognition, agreement, approval, support and acknowledgement from the society to be who we think we are, or who we want to be. This is one of the obstacles that hinders the mind to see the truth of names and forms as it is.

Those who have gone beyond the idea of 'I', or the identification with qualities of names and forms to be identifying as 'I', they don't even attach onto their devotion towards the teachings and practice of yoga to identify oneself as 'yogi', not to say to attach onto certain conditional worldly thinking and belief. Meanwhile other beings can have the freedom of thinking to refer or label them as 'yogi'.

Be free.

Unconditional happiness beyond qualities of names and forms

Most people are looking for happiness, or want to be happy. Those who are happy, they don't need to look for happiness, or desire to be happy. When we think and feel we want to be happy, it's because we are not happy. We are not happy is because we think we are not free. We think we are not free is because ignorance.

Under the influence of ignorance, we think happiness is coming from freedom of thinking, action and speech, and doing what we like to do, be who we want to be, achieve what we want to achieve, receive love and support from other people, be acknowledged and approved by other people, have good health, good livelihood and good living condition, and being with people whom we loved and who love us. But, all these qualities of names and forms will only give us momentary happy feelings that are impermanent. We fall into great misery and painful sorrow when impermanence strikes, when we lose all the good qualities that we think will make us happy, if we are determined by all these names and forms to be who we are, to be happy, or not. It's not the unconditional happiness that is beyond all the qualities of names and forms, when the mind is free from ignorance and egoism.

When we seek happiness through certain qualities of names and forms that we like and desire, and we will feel happy when we get what we like and want, it doesn't mean that we won't experience unhappiness anymore, or we will be free from impurities of anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, dissatisfaction, disappointment, pride, arrogance, feelings of hurt, guilt, regret, fear and worry. By achieving happiness through doing and getting what we like and want doesn't mean that our surrounding living environment will be free from names and forms that we don't like and don't want. And thus our minds are constantly restless being in a mixture state of happiness and unhappiness. There's no permanent satisfaction. The craving for what we desire and the aversion towards what we don't desire is what hinders the mind from realizing the unconditional happiness beyond qualities of names and forms.

If we know how to be free from the desire of craving and aversion towards happiness and unhappiness that comes from ignorance and egoism, we will be happy as we are. We do not rely on any qualities of names and forms to be happy, or not. Even when there is restriction or limitation of thinking, action and speech, and we are unable to do what we like to do, unable to be who we want to be and not achieving what we want to achieve, or, we are not receiving love and support from other people, unacknowledged and disapproved by other people, not having good health, good livelihood and good living condition, and not able to be with people whom we loved and who love us, we are still happy as we are. This happiness isn't determined by or coming from any qualities of names and forms.

Ignorance is not knowing the truth of names and forms.

To free the mind from ignorance, we need to free the mind from impurities. To free the mind from impurities, we need to free the mind from egoism. To free the mind from egoism, we need to free the mind from ignorance, as egoism derives from ignorance. It is a loop that has no beginning or ending.

Due to ignorance and egoism, the ego attached towards the impermanent physical condition and ability, the impermanent states of the mind, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements based on certain conditional thinking and belief, knowledge, achievements, possessions, and all kinds of relationships, to be identifying as 'I'. This 'I' is constantly disturbed by the craving and aversion towards all these impermanent qualities of names and forms, and being restless and experience suffering when the craving and aversion is not being gratified the way that it likes it to be. The ego is determined by the gratification of its craving and aversion to be happy, or not. There is no possibility for contentment and peace, due to the truth of impermanence in all the names and forms, as well as this 'I' is a false understanding and identification. This constant restlessness hinders the mind to be free from ignorance.

That's why it's not an easy task to be free. But, it's possible if we know how to discipline and purify the mind by restricting the mind activities and quieting the mind by moving the mind away from worldly objects of names and forms, to breakdown this loop of ignorance. And hence, retreat for observing silence exists to help to discipline and purify the mind efficiently.

Retreat for the observation of silence is to disconnect with our worldly life connections, family and friends, social interactions, habits, personal or religious and cultural belief and practice. It doesn't mean that we abandon our life, family and friends, and our personal or religious and cultural belief and practice, but, it's to allow our minds to have the opportunity to be free from the contact with the objects of names and forms that are directly and indirectly related to restlessness, distractions, cares and anxieties, and allowing the mind to be opened for contemplation on the truth.

It's normal that people have fear towards letting go certain religious or non-religious thinking and belief that influence the way of life and conduct, self-image and personal identity. There is fear of the unknown consequences of letting go those thinking and belief. There is fear of exile, criticism and condemn from the 'group' that we think we belong to. There is fear of being unaccepted by the society. There is fear of non-existence. The ignorant minds constantly seek recognition, agreement, approval, support and acknowledgement from the society to be who we think we are, or who we want to be. This is one of the obstacles that hinders the mind to see the truth of names and forms as it is.

Those who have gone beyond the idea of 'I', or the identification with qualities of names and forms to be identifying as 'I', they don't even attach onto their devotion towards the teachings and practice of yoga to identify oneself as 'yogi', not to say to attach onto certain conditional worldly thinking and belief. Meanwhile other beings can have the freedom of thinking to refer or label them as 'yogi'

Many people who think they love yoga and practice yoga might think and believe that yoga is to connect with all and everything. We think we need to connect with other people or something that we think is not 'I', which are separated from 'I', is ignorance. Upon the realization of selflessness and non-separateness, there's no connection with anything that is not 'I', as there's no 'I' that generates separateness. Just like when people think they want to make connection with God, it's because they think they are something separated from God. Oneness is beyond connection that consists of more than one party.

The essential yoga practice of silence, is to retreat and disconnect the mind from the society and all sorts of worldly life connections and social activities. Retreat from worldly life connections and social activities, and isolation from other people including family and friends, help tremendously to turn the mind inward for self-introspection and self-inquiry to see the truth of names and forms, to be free from ignorance, and thus be free from unhappiness and suffering.

Though freeing the mind from ignorance is the greatest contribution to the society and world peace, the practice of silence in solitude and seclusion might appear to be 'selfishness', 'anti-social' or 'abnormal behavior' by the worldly minded people who attached to worldly life conditioned by certain thinking and beliefs about how human beings should and shouldn't behave. Most minds would want to runaway after a few days of observing the practice of silence in solitude and seclusion, not to say to be completely cut off from the social world for many years.

In the tradition of yoga, to be isolated from the society and be in seclusion for a long period of time for at least five to six years is a very important observation. One should learn how to be happy and comfortable with oneself in solitude, being isolated from all other beings, before one mixes into the society, or gets involve in any kind of relationships with anyone, without expecting someone or something that is not 'I' to make us happy, or give us happiness. Or else we generate so much tension and unhappiness in ourselves and those whom we want to love and be loved.

When one is free from ignorance and egoism, one doesn't need to be loved, be supported, be acknowledged, be approved, or be connected, to feel meaningful or be happy. One will be free whether being in a relationship, or not. There's no loneliness. When one knows how to be happy as one is, the society will be benefited tremendously by the existence of this being, without any intention from this being to benefit anyone or anything.

But, many yoga practitioners nowadays who attached strongly to their worldly social life don't just not interested in observing this traditional practice, but they condemn this practice. And that is their freedom of thinking, action and speech.

Be free.

Seeking freedom through the knowledge of life

Why does my family has to suffer so much even though they are really good and kind-hearted people? They don’t do bad things and they have helped many people whom they know and don’t know from the past until the present. They give and give without discrimination and never expect gratefulness or rewards in return for the kindness and friendliness they shown to others, or from those who receive kindness and friendliness from them. Friends and relatives and strangers took advantage of my family’s kindness and friendliness, until they got themselves into lots of unnecessary problems and troubles where everyone in the family is affected physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.

Why did my childhood best friend kill herself even though she had everything she ever wanted? She came from a wealthy family background. She was intelligent, highly educated and knowledgeable. She had a high paid job and was financially independent. She had a wide social network, friends and family in her life. She did all the activities that she liked to do and went for holidays in places that she liked to go. She also had her childhood dream came true about having her own children as the greatest achievement and happiness in life.

It’s because happiness and freedom from suffering is nothing to do with being good and kind-hearted, or do good and don’t do bad, or attaining high level of education and accumulating knowledge, or having high income and success in career, or having dreams come true and achieving whatever we want to achieve that we think it will make us happy, or give us happiness.

Education and knowledge might provide the useful information, facts and skills for people to do something in life to live and survive and interact with other beings in this world, and to build a society with all the high-tech conveniences coming from the latest technologies, engineering and inventions. They might help to improve quality of life and influence our way of life and conduct. But receiving education and accumulating knowledge as well as different types of qualifications and certifications doesn’t guarantee that the mind will be free from ignorance, confusion, corrupted thinking and selfishness, or know how to make wise decisions, or won’t behave selfishly and ignorantly, or won’t experience suffering and unhappiness.

Educated people are not necessarily be free from dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, feelings of hurt, and fear, or won't be engaging in immoral conducts and violent behavior. There's no guarantee that those who have been receiving education on morality will uphold morality. It's a personal awareness and conscience with self-control and self-restraint that one would refrain oneself from engaging in immoral conducts or activities.

For example, there are laws in some countries that would punish convicted thieves by cutting off their hand(s). The risk of getting their hands cut off will not stop the thieves from committing theft, although if the thieves are caught and prosecuted under those laws, it might be physically challenging for them to commit theft again without their hands. But, there are thieves that don't need to perform theft at the scene personally, or with their hands physically, and theft are still existing everywhere and anytime. With their hands cut off under those laws might let them experience inconvenience in everyday life in return for their actions of stealing, just like how they cause financial, physical, mental and emotional damages and inconvenience to those whom they steal from, but it doesn't necessarily remove greed from their minds, or stop them from stealing again and again. Those who disagree with inhumane treatment or physical punishment for criminal say that people needs to receive proper education to reduce crime rate in the society. But receiving proper education on 'Do good and don't do bad' doesn't necessarily will remove ignorance, greed, desires of craving and aversion, and the urge to cheat and steal from the criminal minds. Meanwhile, all kinds of inhumane treatment and physical punishment also don't guarantee that the criminals would be free from ignorance and won't commit crime again and again.

Living in the world of many ignorant minds that generate all kinds of stupidities in the society intentionally and unintentionally, we might feel frustrated and annoyed by many things that are not in our control to be the way that how we would like it to be. We feel angry or disturbed by some thinking and behavior that are contradicted with our thinking and belief about what is right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable, appropriateness and inappropriateness.

We think we are more intelligent than other people that we can change the world or the society to be the way that we think how it should be. The more we try to change the world to be the way that we want it to be, the more frustrated and disappointed we become. It's because none can change another being's ignorant behavior. None can free another being from ignorance. Studying under the greatest teacher in the world and receiving all kinds of worldly knowledge also doesn't guarantee that one will be free from ignorance and suffering. One can only change and improve oneself, and free oneself from ignorance through one's effort of persistent self-discipline, self-control, self-awareness, self-inquiry and self-realization.

The cause of suffering and unhappiness is ignorance. Ignorance is not knowing the truth of life existence, or what we think is who we are. Suffering, and the freedom from suffering is unrelated to whether we think we are good or not, knowledgeable or not, well-educated or not, religious or not, spiritual or not, well-cultured or not, and believing in God existence or not.

By learning, knowing and gathering lots of information, facts and skills about this and that doesn’t mean that the mind is free from ignorance. We can be highly educated and knowledgeable about many things in the world that we live in, we can read and write and speak many different languages, we can be kind-hearted, friendly and sociable, we can be doing many good actions and not doing anything that we believe as bad actions, we can be very talented and creative, but because of ignorance, we might still be determined, disturbed and affected by what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, whether it’s something that we like or dislike, agree or disagree with, and we experience suffering of unhappiness, grief, frustration, irritation, depression, discontentment, disappointment, greed, anger, hatred, jealousy, pride, feelings of hurt, guilt, regret, animosity, humiliation, insult, ill-thinking, ill-will, doubt, fear and worry.

Knowing how to build a beautiful and practically functional house doesn’t guarantee one and those who live in the house will be peaceful and happy. Knowing how to save lives through advanced medical skills and effective medicines doesn’t guarantee one and those whose lives were saved will be free from ignorance, unhappiness and suffering. Those who perform charity and those who receive charity also doesn’t mean that they will be free from feelings of hurt, anger, jealousy, discontentment, disappointment, fear and worry, and be peaceful and happy.

It doesn’t matter who we think we are, or what we are, we will experience suffering and restlessness if the mind is functioning under the influence of ignorance.

Ignorance brings along egoism, attachment, identification, desires of craving and aversion, and all sorts of impurities which is why we experience suffering and restlessness. It is nothing to do with whether our lives, or the world, is the way that we think it should be, or not.

It doesn’t matter what kind of social status we think we have in the society, and what we know or don’t know, our minds constantly react towards all the perception of names and forms through the senses of what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, reasoning and judging everything based on the conditional thinking and belief in the mind under the influence of ignorance. Suffering and restlessness is the responsibility of the mind itself for being ignorant towards the truth of names and forms, when it generates attachment, identification, craving and aversion towards all the impermanent names and forms that it perceives, or comes in contact with.

Whenever the mind comes in contact with the objects of names and forms that it likes and agrees with, it generates clinging and craving towards them. Whenever the mind comes in contact with the objects of names and forms that it dislikes and disagrees with, it generates aversion towards them. When the desire of craving and aversion is not being gratified – when it is getting what it doesn’t like and doesn’t want; when it doesn’t get what it likes and wants; when it is losing what it likes and wants, the mind reacts with all sorts of impurities like dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, animosity, feelings of hurt, fear, worry, and so on. The mind is suffering from its own reactions of impurities.

By learning how to free the mind from ignorance and impurities, and attaining the knowledge of life through mind purification, self-inquiry and self-realization, will lead us to unconditional peace and happiness, regardless of what is the condition of our lives and the situation of the world we live in. We will have peace and be happy as we are, undetermined by the impermanent changes of names and forms, pleasant and unpleasant experiences, and different types of thinking and behavior that our minds agree or disagree with. We adjust ourselves to adapt and accommodate any life conditions and situations, and not expecting life to change into something that can accommodate all our desires of craving and aversion.

If the mind is under the influence of ignorance and egoism, and generates attachment, identification, craving and aversion towards all the impermanent qualities of names and forms to be identifying as ‘I’ and ‘my life’, then even though everything might be the way that we like it to be, or nothing is the way that we don’t like it to be, our minds will still be restless and anxious if there is attachment towards what we like and don’t like, as we will have fear towards losing the things that we like and want, and we don’t want the things that we like and want to change into something that we don’t like and don’t want, even when they are not happening or don’t exist in the present moment. There is fear towards old age, sickness, separation from our loved ones, coming in contact with the people, objects and events that we don't like and disagree with, not getting what we want, losing what we like, getting what we don't want, disability, and death. And everything will change and pass away, whether we like it, or not.

It is the awareness of being able to see the truth of things as it is and allowing the truth to be what it is, and being free from egoism, attachment, identification, craving and aversion and all sorts of impurities, that allow the mind to be in peace, regardless of all the impermanent changes that are happening ceaselessly inside and outside this body and mind, which are not in the control of ‘I’ to be the way that how ‘I’ would like it to be. The body and mind depends on so many elements to be existing and functioning, they don’t belong to ‘I’, as there is no 'I', not to say all the pleasant and unpleasant experiences perceived through the senses.

We make use of the existing knowledge, information, facts, skills, talents and creativity that we have to perform actions that we think and believe would be beneficial to ourselves and the society, but without attachment towards our actions and the results of our actions. We are not determined by our actions and the results of our actions to be who we are. We just do our best for what we think is the best, and allow the world to evolve in its own way and rhythm.

Freedom from ignorance, egoism, attachment, identification, craving and aversion is the real freedom of unconditional peace and happiness beyond all the impermanent qualities of names and forms.

The world is just what it is. It is neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, neither a happy place nor a suffering place. It’s how the mind reacts towards all the names and forms that it perceives through the senses that generates the ignorance of duality, personal identity and separateness. All sorts of fear and anxieties arise from duality, personal identity and separateness. It’s not because of the names and forms that we perceive or experience are being bad, or wrong, or negative, or unhappiness, that generates restlessness and suffering in us. The attachment, the identification and the desires of craving and aversion towards all the names and forms that the mind believes as good and bad, right and wrong, positive and negative, happiness and unhappiness, is the real cause of suffering.

Suffering exists as long as the mind is under the influence of ignorance. Suffering doesn’t exist when the mind is free from ignorance.

Freedom of the mind is beyond the freedom of thinking, actions and speech in the society, or beyond any physical and mental limitations. We might be restricted by some forms of physical and mental limitations, and are unable to think, or do, or say what we would like to think, or do, or say in our personal life, or in the society, but it doesn’t stop us to achieve freedom of unconditional peace.

There is a saying of “Do what will make us happy” circulating in the world of social media. Somehow, freedom to do whatever we like to do that we think will make us happy, is not the real freedom, as we won't be happy if we are unable to do what we like to do that will make us feel happy. There are people who find happiness, or enjoyment, or excitement in performing actions that would hurt themselves and/or other beings, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The more they hurt themselves and/or others, the more excited and satisfying they feel, even if it's just momentarily. That's not freedom.

May all be free.