There's no fear, guilt or regret upon the absence of ignorance

Fear, guilt and regret only exist in the minds under the presence of ignorance.

There's no fear, guilt or regret in the minds upon the absence of ignorance.

Those who want or have the need/urge/instinct to bully, manipulate and control some others through instilling fear, guilt and regret in others, they don't like to hear about mental and emotional independence, or freedom from ignorance and egoism, because then they can no longer bully, manipulate or control towards those who are mentally and emotionally independent, who are free from fear, guilt or regret, upon the absence of ignorance and egoism.

Bully, manipulation and control through instilling fear, guilt and regret in the minds, is something very common in many minds, in family, in parenting, in love relationships, in friendships, or in the community under certain cultural, spiritual, religious, political or national belief, values and practice.

The minds want to bully, manipulate and control other minds is due to fear exists in themselves. Those who are free from fear, they don't need to bully, manipulate or control anyone.

The world of human beings under the influence of ignorance and egoism, being the slaves of ignorance and egoism, causing lots of suffering in themselves and unto others, is not just madness, but also ridiculously amusing or hilarious.

The mind that is free from ignorance transcends all kinds of superstitious belief and practice. There's no magic. There are only tricks or hypnotism. If superstitious belief is true and powerful, if magic is real and powerful, and if hypnotism is so powerful, the world would be free from all kinds of suffering already, where all and everyone can attain liberation from ignorance and egoism instantly through superstitious belief and practice, magic or hypnotism. Instead, all these belief and practice are being used to be empowering ignorance and egoism for gratifying passionate egoistic greedy ambitious selfish desire and aspiration.

Inquire towards the truth of everything, and be free.

Perform inquiry towards the essential teachings of yoga and buddhism

Just by performing all kinds of yoga practice, breathing exercises, relaxation, cleansing exercises, chanting, concentration and meditation practice regularly for years and years, and experiencing or attaining certain momentary side-effects from the practice, or one has been actively performing many kinds of ritual or charity work, and the mind might feel good, calm and meaningful, but if without working on eradicating ignorance and egoism, it doesn't lead towards self-realization and liberation.

The teachings of yoga and buddhism are not different from one another, even if there are some influences of Hinduism in yoga. Some people might misunderstood that buddhism and yoga is a form of religion belief and practice. They are not a religious belief or practice. The truth of names and forms, of selflessness and impermanence, is not a belief. It's what all kinds of names and forms are. It's science. There's no superiority or inferiority, authority, authoritarianism, miracles, believer, follower, judgment, punishment, or sin. There's only cause and effect, actions and consequences of actions, selfless impermanent changes, suffering, the cause of suffering, the path of self-realization, the selfless practitioner, direct experience and realization, ignorance or void of ignorance.

One doesn't need to have a religion, or believe in 'the creator of the universe' or 'the soul/spirit', to be practicing yoga and/or buddhism, and realize selflessness. One also doesn't need to be physically healthy, fit, strong and flexible, or mentally intelligent and knowledgeable, or perform any ritual, or know any chanting and prayer, to realize selflessness. Regardless of whether one hasn't done any good deeds or one has done many bad deeds, one can still practice yoga and/or buddhism and realize selflessness, under correct understanding and right effort. It's unlimited by any quality of names and forms.

The approach might be different, but the direction and the goal is the same. Both are leading towards non-separateness, or non-discrimination towards all kinds of names and forms being what they are, under the presence of right discrimination or correct understanding.

Self-inquiry towards what is 'I', and inquiring towards the truth of everything, including all the teachings of yoga and/or buddhism is highly important for those who want to attain self-realization towards selflessness, under the intense yearning for liberation. There's neither right nor wrong with certain minds are interested in yoga or buddhism under the ignorant selfish desire of attaining super extra ordinary mind power to be gratifying all desires, to be controlling others to be and not to be in certain way, or to be defying selfless impermanent changes, but that won't lead the mind towards the liberation from ignorance and suffering, or the attainment of self-realization, as the mind doesn't work on eradicating ignorance and egoism.

Not by coming in contact with and knowing the teachings through hearing from someone or reading many books written by someone about yoga or buddhism, but coming from this mind itself to inquire towards the truth of everything. The teachings or the dhamma has no super extra ordinary power, even when one memorizes all the teachings word by word, but it's the direct realization towards the teachings or dhamma, that will liberate the mind from ignorance and suffering.

Siddhartha Gautama never wanted to have all his teachings to be written down in text form, and he insisted that all and everyone must perform inquiry towards the truth of everything, including all his teachings, to be attaining direct realization towards the truth of everything, without blind-believing, blind-following, blind-practicing, blind-agreeing/disagreeing, or blind-propagating.

Even though the truth of everything, or the teachings, or the dhamma, can never be contaminated, or destroyed, or changed, never increased nor decreased, however, the limited reasoning, interpretation and understanding of the minds under the influence of ignorance and egoism can be faulty or corrupted, and hence, misinterpreting and manipulating the truth of everything/the teachings/the dhamma into something else, particularly to be the way that they prefer, like and desire, while the truth of everything/the teachings/the dhamma, is still what they are, not being affected, determined or contaminated by such misinterpretation and manipulation deriving from the wild imaginary passionate egoistic minds functioning under the veil of ignorance, and being conditioned by certain worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice.

Inquire towards these essential teachings -

There's only NOW. Existence, and the mind awareness/perception/cognition towards the selfless impermanent existence, is only in NOW. There's neither past nor future. In NOW, there are selfless impermanent changes. In NOW, some are arising, changing and decaying, some are passing away, some had passed away. In NOW, someone or something is a few hundred or thousand kilometer from here. In NOW, the same someone or something is right here. It is the ceaseless selfless impermanent changes and/or motions in NOW that generates the false impression or perception of TIME, of speed, distance, day/night, week, month, year, past, present and future. In stillness, void of motions, and if without selfless impermanent changes of names and forms happening in the silent infinite limitless space, what is time, or speed and distance, or day and night, or past and future? There's only NOW.

If Swami Sivananda is still living, that selfless physical body would be very old in NOW. If Siddhartha Gautama Buddha is still living, that selfless physical body would be extremely very old in NOW. However, their physical body ceased existing, or are not existing, in NOW. That's all.

Regardless of living sentient beings or non-living objects, all are selfless and impermanent.

The realization towards TIMElessness, or the correct understanding towards TIME, doesn't change or stop the selfless impermanent changes continuously happening in the selfless impermanent existence of all kinds of names and forms in the space of the universe, including the selfless impermanent existence and function of the selfless physical body and the selfless thinking faculty that is here perceiving all these, selflessly. It's solid concrete science. Nothing mystical or magical about the direct realization or correct understanding towards the truth of names and forms, void of ignorance towards the truth of everything.

Upon the direct self-realization towards selflessness, upon the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, upon the annihilation of the restless selfless modifications of the selfless mind (In stillness and silence, void of motions or activities), upon the realization towards TIMElessness, there's neither births nor deaths. Ceaseless births and deaths (ceaseless impermanent changes/ceaseless thought activities arising and passing away) only exist in the names and forms under going selfless impermanent changes and motions.

What is reincarnation in different realms?

What is the world of selfless impermanent names and forms?

What is the worldly selfless life existence of a selfless physical body and selfless thinking mind? 

Who is father, mother, brother, sister, wife, husband, son, daughter?

What is the physical body?

What is the thinking mind/the thinking faculty?

What is the restless modification of mind?

What is restlessness?

What are the states of mind?

Why are the different states of mind?

What is suffering?

Who is suffering?

What is the end of suffering?

What is cause and effect?

What is past, present, future karma?

What is selfless impermanent changes?

Who is going through selfless impermanent changes?

What is restless births and deaths in different realms?

Who is going through restless births and deaths?

Who is going through ceaseless reincarnation or births and deaths in different realms?

What is consciousness?

What is awareness?

What is ignorance?

What is egoism?

What is the ego?

What is 'I'?

What is selflessness?

What is intentionlessness?

What is impermanence?

What is time?

What is timelessness?

What is limitation and condition?

What is limitless and unconditional?

What is mind purification?

What is silence?

What is liberation?

Who is liberated?

What is fear?

What is fearlessness?

Why did Siddhartha Gautama Buddha not mentioning or commenting towards 'the creator of the universe' or 'the soul/spirit'?

Why did Swami Sivananda mentioning the same essential teachings or messages repeatedly, over and over again, either during giving dhamma talk, or as written in all his books?

Why both yoga and buddhism emphasized on the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, mind purification, simplicity, contentment (non-greed), non-possessiveness (non-coveting), non-violence (void of anger and hatred), right understanding, right discrimination, right effort, right view, right livelihood, truthfulness, dispassion, desirelessness (non-craving and non-aversion), non-attachment (non-clinging), detachment (letting go), renunciation, seclusion, solitude, self-control, self-discipline, self-effort, self-independence (mental and emotional independence), self-inquiry, self-realization, direct experience, meditation, stillness, silence, non-dualism, oneness, non-separateness, selflessness, intentionlessness, attributelessness, namelessness, formlessness, selfless impermanent changes, unconditional peace, wisdom and compassion?

None need more than sufficient basic needs to live a simple happy peaceful life

A simple happy peaceful life doesn't mean living under insufficiency of lacking the basic needs for life maintenance.

A simple clean and tidy living and resting space or shelter as well as enough basic clothing that protect the physical body from the impact of harsh weather, injuries, insects and wild animals in a healthy natural non-polluted surrounding environment, clean air, adequate simple nutritious food consumption that generates enough energy and nutrition for maintaining the basic function of the physical body and the thinking faculty, clean safe drinking water, basic hygiene and sanitation, certain indoor or outdoor physical and mental activities that don't require any additional equipment or gadget, basic living skills, basic correct understanding or universal conscience with basic common sense, openness, self-control, self-reliance, self-effort, self-inquiry, self-realization, contentment, and certain degrees of mental and emotional independence, are all the basic needs for maintaining a wholesome selfless impermanent life existence of the selfless physical body and the selfless thinking faculty.

There are boundless different kinds of unnecessary commercial ideas, products and activities, food productions, dining options, entertainments, fashions, accessories, gadgets, lifestyles, beliefs, values, practices, physical and mental leisure activities that require certain space, equipment or gadget, varieties of furniture, luxury accommodations, home decorations, pets decorations, toys, commercialized sports activities related commercial products, theme parks related commercial products, tourism related commercial products, celebration days, cultural, spiritual and religious events with their respective rituals or objects for different occasions, health and fitness products, beauty cosmetics products, skin care/body care/facial care/hair care products, spiritual healing related products, health food products, health care products, slimming products, anti-aging products, luxurious pleasurable material and sensual enjoyment of the senses for the body and mind, tourism holiday activities, and etc, where all these ideas, products and activities beyond basic needs for life maintenance are deriving from the intention of empowering wealth generation and accumulation through business investments, property investments, productions, tourism, commercialism and capitalism, under the creativity of the creative minds utilizing the many different technologies and higher technologies designing for catering the 'inspired' and 'empowered' desires and ambitions beyond basic needs for life maintenance of the ever restless discontented ambitious passionate minds under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.

The existence of all these unnecessary ideas, products and activities are exploiting the nature and natural resources to the maximum to the point of destruction, while generating lots of unnecessary inevitable rubbish or pollution into the world, and give rise to so much exploitation and corruption that lead to many unnecessary damages and suffering in the world under such greedy ambitious inspirational aspirations and desires of the restless passionate egoistic minds functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

The buddhas and gurus foreseen all kinds of alarming damaging effects in the world deriving from such ignorance, egoism, restlessness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, greed, desires, aspirations, ambitions, success, wealth, status, indulgence, possessiveness and pride, that give rise to so much unnecessary damages to the natural environment, unrest, separateness, discrimination, selfishness, exploitation, corruption, unequal basic needs availability and distribution, unbalanced between abundance and insufficiency, desperation, suffering, hunger, violence and war in the world, and hence, the existence of the basic and yet essential teachings and advice of living a life of simplicity and contentment, dispassion and renunciation.

None need more than sufficient basic needs for life maintenance to be living a simple happy peaceful life in this world.

None need the additional ongoing stimulation of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, imaginations, visualizations, feelings, and etc, to be pleasing the ever discontented boundless passionate desires, to live a healthy happy life, physically, mentally and emotionally.

There will be minds that disagree with this and don't like to hear this, while thinking and believing that "There's nothing wrong or damaging to be enjoying whatever that is available to us, as long as it's not hurting oneself. Life is too dull and boring without some pleasurable entertainments and enjoyments. The global and local economy depends solely on the boundless desires and aspirations of consumerism inspired and empowered by all these business capital investments, property investments, productions, tourism, commercialism and capitalism, or else, the economy will collapse, there will be no jobs, and everyone will be suffering. But, at least those who have the opportunity and motivation and are capable of making a success out of all these to be generating and accumulating wealth won't be suffering so much. Life still goes on for those who achieved such success and wealth regardless of many others who are being exploited and living in poverty because they don't have the credibility or motivation to achieve success to get out of such desperate situation that exists under exploitation by those who are smart and credible, and those who are smart and successful deserved all kinds of abundance, enjoyments and comforts because it's their own ability, effort and aspiration. There's nothing wrong with smart people who work smart accumulating wealth and enjoying life to the maximum by exploiting the nature and the non-smart people who have to work hard and still not making enough for living. Be smart. Be inspired, and be empowered to be smart and achieve limitless success and wealth."

That's right. Keep inquiring towards what's wrong with this thinking or understanding, for the minds that think and believe that there's nothing bad or damaging with a little bit of extra desires, ambitions, success and enjoyments in life. Unfortunately, very few minds would see what is the 'problem' with this 'system' of a new modern society of 'empowerment towards achieving success and wealth and pleasurable enjoyment' as well as no limit of 'higher success, higher wealth and higher pleasurable enjoyment'.

That's why by being inspired and empowered to be having higher education, higher intelligence, motivation, ambition and the accumulation of knowledge, achievement, success and wealth, doesn't guarantee that the mind will have correct understanding, or is free from the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.

It's the freedom of all and everyone for their understanding and desire and don't desire, as well as dealing with the consequences of the understanding and the desire and don't desire.

When the climate eventually collapsed, followed by the food production collapsed, where there's very little livable condition left on earth, when hunger, desperation, violence and wars are everywhere, then we will see if the minds still think and believe that they and their next generations won't be affected by the consequences of their 'nothing wrong' greedy boundless desires and aspirations.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Neither too tight nor too loose, follow the middle path

The sincere yoga or buddhism practitioner who is determined to attain direct realization towards the truth of selflessness, to be free from the veil of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, needs to know how to follow the middle path, neither too tight nor too loose, where one eats enough, sleeps enough, actives enough, rests enough, works enough, not over-eating or under eating, not over sleeping or under sleeping, not over active or under active, not over resting or under resting, not over working or under working, and so on.

The middle path is the path of yoga and/or buddhism.

A life of simplicity with enough basic needs, without intentionally torturing oneself in hard living condition or indulging in easy comfortable living condition chasing after excess livelihood or comfortable pleasurable enjoyment of the senses, is the middle path.

Although under certain reason, if there is not enough basic needs for life maintenance, where the practitioner is living in a state of insufficiency, where the physical body and mind has to be spending excessive attention, energy and effort into looking after the maintenance of life, as well as maybe looking after some others in life financially, physically and mentally, and there might not be attention or energy left for performing certain physical yoga or meditation practice under particular name and form, it's okay, as all those attention, energy and effort being spent on the action of looking after the maintenance of life and looking after some others who are financially, physically or mentally dependent on oneself, are indeed the practical nameless formless practice under right effort, when one knows what is non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment and non-expectation towards the actions and the fruit of actions, free from dissatisfaction, discontentment or greed, while allowing the fruit of one's attention, energy and effort to be what it is.

This is different from the passionate desire of egoistic attachment, affection and clinging towards the physical body and all kinds of ties and relationships with some others under the presence of attachment, identification and expectation, where the duty and responsibility is being performed under the intention of gratifying worldly passionate desires and aspirations, then that is not part of the practice under right effort.

While those who are living in an easy comfortable living condition with more than enough basic needs for living, they need to be aware of not losing themselves in a comfortable condition, or losing oneself in chasing after higher and higher pleasurable enjoyment or the accumulation and hoarding of wealth, unwittingly. One needs to be able to let go all kinds of pleasurable enjoyment of the senses that are easily accessible to oneself, and only keep enough for living in simplicity that enables oneself to be focusing on the path towards the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, without spending too much attention, energy and effort into looking after life maintenance, while letting go the excess abundance to some others who are living under insufficiency, and need not continuously generating and accumulating wealth that contributing to many kinds of exploitation and damages in the world. Without attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment or expectation towards the practice or the fruit of the practice.

The mind that is lost in the generation, accumulation and hoarding of wealth will justify that its intention is to be able to perform as much charity as possible with those accumulated wealth, while not knowing that the presence of such intention or idea is merely a form of greed or ambitious, which is already swaying away from the practice.

Some minds also justifying that the indulgence in a comfortable luxurious pleasurable lifestyle is also part of the practice of non-attachment and non-identification, where they continuously indulging in such indulgence, thinking that they are also practicing non-attachment and non-identification towards such indulgence. That's their freedom of thinking and belief, however, what they are not aware of, is that the accumulation of wealth that support such luxurious pleasurable lifestyle is deriving from and empowering the many exploitation and corruptions in the world that give rise to many desperate conditions and suffering to many others in the world as well as contributing to many unnecessary damages to the surrounding environment, either directly or indirectly. And all these will lead to impactful consequences to all and everyone regardless of who and where.

Some minds mistaken the middle path as there's no need to refrain the senses from indulging in pleasurable enjoyment. That's their freedom of thinking and desire, however, the middle path includes the highly important practice of refraining the senses from chasing after the objects of the senses, or indulging in pleasurable enjoyment of the senses.

The presence of the idea or intention of "building and organizing bigger and more yoga classes, yoga events, yoga schools, yoga studios, yoga community, yoga organization, or yoga association, to be attracting more people into the world of yoga," is already a form of greed or ambitious, that is already swaying away from the practice, that the minds aren't aware of.

A yogi is not determined by the easy or hard life condition, the good or bad health and fitness condition, or the amount and size of the charity works or the dissemination of the teachings of yoga to others that one can performed under good intention.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Direct realization vs intellectual reasoning and understanding

If the mind thinks and believes that it understands the science of selflessness in all and everything intellectually, but somehow, there's still doubt towards certain thing or many things, that is because the mind hasn't attained direct self-realization yet, where it is still being conditioned by certain worldly egoistic cultural, spiritual, religious, national, political or commercial belief, values and practice.

Don't just stop at the intellectual reasoning and understanding, keep purifying and quieting the modification of the mind, until the mind sees the truth as it is, attaining direct self-realization.

Wise leader is a selfless identity-less reflector non-representing anyone or anything

There are certain minds under the influence of deep ignorance, or mentally very sicked, that don't want peace and harmony in the world, in stead, they are intentionally creating unrest and disharmony in the world, through violence, discrimination, bully, invasion or war, in order to cause as much damages and suffering in the world as possible, in order to be gratifying their own particular desire or ambition by doing so. That has to come from their own self-awareness to be aware of the ignorance in themselves. They can't see themselves. They need 'the help' of an external clear reflector or mirror to reflect upon themselves, to see themselves.

Even though most minds in the world are not free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, there are some minds that would wish for peace and harmony in the world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone, unselfishly, under the presence of certain degrees of awareness and conscience, even if they are not free from the influence of ignorance and egoism completely yet.

There are also many minds that are under the influence of intense ignorance and egoism, that have strong attachment and identification towards their own particular identity of being part of a particular community, even if they might not care for the peace and harmony in all the others in the world, as they have certain degrees of separateness, discrimination, defensiveness and hostility towards all the others that are not part of their community, but at least they would wish for peace and harmony within their own particular community of certain identity, where they also don't desire violence, discrimination, bully, invasion or war within their own particular community, selfishly.

Even with certain good will and good intention of hoping and desiring for more peace and harmony in the world of diversity, or merely within a particular community, that eventually leads towards prosperity in all fields locally and globally, most minds might not know how to promote peace and harmony effectively, under the veil of ignorance and egoism. But at least they have the good will and good intention to be doing something to help the world or their particular community to have more peace and harmony.

For those who truly wish for more peace and harmony in the world of diversity, or world peace, especially those who have certain position and power to be making crucial decision either locally or globally, under the presence of certain degrees of awareness and conscience towards the fact of all and everyone, rich or poor, regardless of whether in the world or within a particular community, are inevitably being impacted either directly or indirectly by all kinds of unrest and disharmony in the world or within the particular community, they can contemplate upon this teaching here, if they want.

Even within a particular community of having the similar identity, there are always diversity existing. If people can't even respect and accept all the different diversity within their own community as they are, then how can they respect and accept a world of boundless diversity, as all and everyone are?

Under the veil of ignorance and egoism, and hence, under certain cultural, spiritual, religious, national or political ideas, many leaders are 'projecting' and 'representing' a particular identity of certain names and forms that either is similar and agreeable to some people with the similar identity, or is different and/or disagreeable to some people with different identities, either coming from the leaders themselves projecting such identity and representation to the people, "This is I. I am one of you, and I am here to represent you, and only you, for looking after your benefits, and only your benefits, not others," or coming from the people 'projecting' such identity and representation upon them, "This is you. You are one of us, and you are here representing us, and only us, for looking after our benefits, and only our benefits, not others."

That is the main reason why the world is getting worst and worst in many things that inevitably inter-affecting one another.

Leaders are existing because most people need a leader to lead them. People might not look at some other people, but they will look at their leader, who was being chosen to be their leader by the people themselves. That's why leaders are so powerful. It's not supposed to be like that, but, it is.

A good and wise leader can do many good and constructive things that benefit many, but similarly, a bad and ignorant leader can do many bad and destructive things that hurt many, because of that 'power'.

Out of ignorance and egoism, not all, but some minds might think and believe that non-separateness means eliminating all kinds of differences or diversities as well as to be unifying all kinds of diversities or differences into one uniform name and form, to be achieving peace and harmony within the community or in the world, the way that they think and believe how it should be. But it doesn't. That's why there are endless and growing unrest, discrimination, oppression, restriction towards freedom of existence/thinking/action/speech/expression, hatred and violence either within a particular community or in the world, when anyone or any community tries to eliminate differences by controlling, converting and unifying everyone within the community to be under one uniform name and form. Either people want to keep others who are different from them out of their living space that doesn't really belong to anyone, or people want to change or convert those who are different from them to be like them, to think and behave like them, which they like and agree with.

The wise leaders that can truly make use of such position and power to bring positive and constructive changes in the world, or even just within a particular community, to promote more peace and harmony in the world or within the community of diversity, while not causing further harmful effects and suffering in the world or within the particular community, are similar to a selfless and identity-less reflector, or a clear mirror, that reflects all and everything as it is, selflessly. Not having any particular identity identifying towards any particular quality of name and form, of particular gender, race, skin colour, politic, belief, values, practice, spirituality, religion, nationality, social status, or anything. That doesn't represent any particular names and forms.

It's not even about, "This is I. I am multi-diversity. I am here to represent all and everyone of many different diversities. I am here to be looking after the benefits of all and everyone of many diversities respectively."

But merely a selfless identity-less clear reflector that reflects all and everyone as they are, that might or might not be igniting certain awareness in the minds to be aware of the ignorance and egoism in themselves, towards seeing the truth of this perceptive cognitive intellectual thinking mind through seeing the reflection of itself and all kinds of names and forms being reflected upon the existence of this selfless identity-less reflector or clear mirror, that the minds under the veil of ignorance and egoism are inevitable constantly looking at.

The world is in need of many selfless identity-less reflectors to be the local and global leaders that enable the minds under the influence of ignorance and egoism to be reflecting upon themselves, to see themselves under the help of the clear reflector or mirror, before the world is being damaged to the point of all and everyone will be in extreme desperation and suffering that could have been avoided, regardless of one is being super wealthy rich, or not.

If it doesn't, let it be.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Merely impermanent selfless names and forms arising, changing, and passing away, selflessly

Under the influence of ignorance and egoism, the mind cannot go beyond what it thinks and believes is itself, or 'This is I'.

"How can 'I' comprehend towards 'I' doesn't exist, when 'I' am here now being aware of 'myself', looking at 'myself', feeling the sensations in 'my' body, being aware of the thoughts in 'my' mind, and 'I' am the one who is experiencing all these, pleasantness and unpleasantness, doing all these thinking, and asking this question?"

"How can 'I' negate 'myself' that is being here negating 'myself'?"

That's why the importance of dispassion and renunciation into seclusion and solitude to move the selfless thinking faculty away from worldly egoistic social connections, interactions, communications, conversations, activities and affairs, in order to enable the mind to be detached from everything about 'I', 'my', 'mine' and everything that empowers the idea of 'I', and then the thinking mind will start to look at the selfless or 'I'less modifications of the mind from the point of view of a third party, and starts to see the truth of selflessness and impermanence in the mind, in the physical body, and in all and everything that the mind perceives through the senses.

It's pure science. Nothing mystical or super extraordinary about the truth of selflessness.

However, even scientists who have been studying science for many years, might still be functioning under the veil of ignorance and egoism, and are not free from the idea of 'I', 'my', and 'mine', being conditioned by worldly passionate egoistic cultural, spiritual or religious thinking, belief, values and practice, being determined and disturbed by experiences/conditions/situations that are unpleasant, disagreeable and undesirable, and perceive suffering upon undesirable and unpleasant selfless impermanent changes.

In everyday interactions, communications, activities, affairs and conversations, it's all about 'I' am this, 'I' am that, 'I' did this, 'I' didn't do that, 'I' can do this, 'I' cannot do that, 'I' feel good, 'I' don't feel good, 'I am happy, 'I' am unhappy, 'I' am fit and healthy, 'I' am not fit and not healthy, 'I' am hurt, 'I' need to be healed from hurt, 'I' am confident, 'I' am not confident, 'I' am loved, 'I' am not loved, 'I' am strong, 'I' am positive, 'I' like this, 'I' don't agree with that, 'I' want this, and 'I' don't want that. It's all nothing but empowering the attachment and identification of an idea of 'I' attaching and identifying towards the physical body, the thinking faculty, and all the mind perceptions of names and forms of all kinds of pleasant and unpleasant experiences, or the restless impure modifications of the mind, as 'I', or "This is I," and "This is my life and my everything."

It's the selfless thinking faculty that is under the influence of ignorance, that is performing the yoga practice, the meditation, the purification, or the self-inquiry, to be free from ignorance.

To perform self-inquiry, this 'thinking faculty' needs to replace all the 'I's with 'the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual thinking faculty.'

It is not -

How can 'I' comprehend towards 'I' doesn't exist, when 'I' am here now being aware of 'myself', looking at 'myself', feeling the sensations in 'my' body, being aware of the thoughts in 'my' mind, and 'I' am the one who is experiencing all these, pleasantness and unpleasantness, doing all these thinking, and asking this question?

It is -

How can the selfless thinking faculty comprehend towards there's no existence of 'I' existing in the thinking faculty, when the selfless thinking faculty is here now being aware of the selfless modifications of the mind, looking at the selfless modifications of the mind, feeling the sensations in the selfless physical body, being aware of the selfless thoughts in the selfless modifications of the mind, and it's the selfless thinking faculty perceiving or experiencing all these, pleasantness and unpleasantness, doing all these thinking, and asking this question.

It is not -

How can 'I' negate 'myself' that is being here negating 'myself'?

It is -

The selfless thinking faculty is negating the idea of 'I' from the selfless thinking faculty. It is not the selfless thinking faculty negating the selfless thinking faculty. The selfless thinking faculty is impermanently existing and functioning and perceiving all kinds of names and forms through the selfless senses via the selfless sense organs of the selfless physical body, powered by selfless energy and other selfless elements, but there's no 'I' existing in the selfless thinking faculty, or the selfless physical body, or the selfless sense organs, or the selfless senses, or the selfless modifications of the mind.

It's merely impermanent selfless names and forms arising, changing, and passing away, selflessly. There's no 'I' in control of the selfless impermanent changes to be the way that 'I' would like it to be. There's no 'I' in the names and forms that are going through the selfless impermanent changes. There's no 'I' in the energy and elements that give rise to the selfless function and selfless existence of the selfless physical body and the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual thinking faculty. There's no 'I' in all the selfless atoms and selfless cells that make up the entire selfless bodily system, the selfless physical structure and the selfless thinking faculty.

It's the selfless thinking faculty under the influence of ignorance and egoism that thinks and desires that it can control all the selfless impermanent changes to be the way that it would like it to be.

It's the ignorant selfless thinking faculty that thinks and believes that it has a permanent self-identity that is going through the selfless impermanent changes.

It's the ignorant selfless thinking faculty functioning under the idea of 'I' that tries to defy gravity, decay and aging, or disintegration, that it doesn't like and doesn't desire.

It's the selfless thinking faculty under the influence of ignorance and egoism that perceives suffering due to egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment and expectation, and being ignorant towards itself, or not knowing Thyself.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Be free.

Influencers, activists, and world leaders

All kinds of social media influencers, activists and world leaders are all having certain influencing power that can impact the world in certain way, as many people in the world are not mentally and emotionally independent, as they are being conditioned to be mentally and emotionally dependent under certain intention of certain people under the influence of ignorance and egoism. Unless people have attained mental and emotional independence, most people are easily be influenced by someone or something either wittingly or unwittingly, and they need to have a leader to lead them, to be governed and controlled by certain man made law and order, to maintain certain order in the world. There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad. It depends very much on whether the influencers, activists and leaders are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, or not.

It would be better for the world, if there's needless of the existence of any influencers, activists or leaders, if people are mentally and emotionally independent, free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, live life under correct understanding and self-control, and not being influenced by anyone and anything in this world of ignorance and egoism.

Influencers can be anything and anyone from any backgrounds or any fields, that has certain 'motivational' and 'attractive' elements that attract the attention, interest and admiration from certain admirers or followers, where the admirers or followers are being influenced in certain way by their presence, ideas, creativity, talents, knowledge, skills, thinking, belief, values, practice, personality, charisma, lifestyle, life experience, achievements, inspirations, aspirations, behavior, action and reaction, either wittingly or unwittingly, regardless of whether it's wholesome or unwholesome influences. Objects, events, arts, nature, insects, animals, history, pleasurable enjoyment, painful suffering, and all kinds of selfless impermanent changes can be the unintentional influencers for certain people.

Many influencers are 'sharing' their ideas, activities, lifestyles, life experiences, talents, skills, knowledge, achievements, motivations, inspirations and aspirations via the many public social media platforms mostly with the intention to be influencing as many people as possible in certain way, under certain intention and aspiration. Very few are simply sharing something without any intention or ambition to be influencing anyone for anything, but somehow, some people are being influenced by them and what they share, selflessly and intentionlessly.

Apart from creating certain attractive and motivational social media contents to be attracting the attention of many people to gain followers and/or subscribers regularly, many of the popular social media influencers are merely the slaves of political agenda, commercialism and capitalism. There's nothing wrong with trying to make a living through selling and advertising many different products, lifestyles and ideas for the world of politics, commercialism and capitalism, however, many are not just about making enough for a living, but it's about accumulating limitless wealth, that can provide them with the kind of high-end lifestyle as well as financial security that they desire. It's more about being on a platform to be gaining attention, popularity, name, fame and wealth, or what many people refer as 'success'.

There are also some influencers are purely trying to bring some cheerfulness and motivation to many others in the world of all kinds of tension and madness, to share their unique intelligence, knowledge, experience, creativity, talents and skills with many others, and spread some awareness towards achieving a better, kinder, happier, less corruptions and less suffering world with their kindness and wisdom. As long as they don't create any 'sensitive' and 'prohibited' contents that are directly going against or are being offensive towards certain people or organization, they are fine.

There are some other influencers that are not necessarily being influential via social medias, but they have certain inspirational and aspirational elements that attract the attention, interest or admiration from certain people in their life. All activists and world leaders are some kind of influencer, while not all influencers are intentional activists or world leaders.

Activists are existing because there are many exploitation and corruption in the world deriving from ignorance and egoism, where many people, animals and nature are being impacted by such exploitation and corruption. If there's no exploitation or corruption in the world, if there are no greed and selfishness in the world, there's no need the existence of activists who are sacrificing themselves trying their best fighting against those who are responsible for all kinds of exploitation and corruption to make the world a better, kinder, healthier, happier, less corruptions and less suffering place for all and everyone.

Advocates under specific cause are also performing certain actions to bring certain relief and awareness to the people based on their advocacy, however, not many of these advocates will be continuing doing what they are doing, as either it's only momentary sparks of passion that motivates them to be advocating something under certain intention where those sparks eventually vanished, or they realized that all these advocacy don't really change much, there are more and more different kinds of insufficiency and suffering in the world, as the root cause of exploitation and corruptions that give rise to all kinds of insufficiency and suffering in the community is still there, and growing. While maybe then some of the passionate advocates might turn into activists eventually, who are dealing with the real challenge of confronting those who are responsible for all kinds of exploitation and corruption that give rise to so much unnecessary suffering and desperation that lead to unrest in the world. Even though advocates couldn't do much, but at least their actions are bringing certain degrees of superficial relief and awareness to the people who are in desperation, where most of them don't really know why are they in such desperation under the existence of exploitation and corruption in the world.

'Real' activists (as there are some 'fake' activists existing being manipulated or employed by certain people in the world to fight against the real activists, to create certain damaging behavior problems, and then blaming the real activists as trouble makers, giving them bad reputation, to make people dislike and disagree with them), they are the opposite of many of the popular social media influencers and world leaders in power. They are not the slaves of politics, commercialism and capitalism, but on the contrary, it's going against all these for many good reasons, to be looking after the welfare of all and everyone in the long run, either locally or globally. They are the guardians of the world. They are the fearless fighters fighting for many others who couldn't fight for themselves under certain reasons.

It's very very hard and risky to be an activist. They have to be facing many life threatening situations because they are creating certain 'obstacle' for many selfish greedy powerful people from pursuing their greedy ambitions that will hurt all and everyone in return. Some of them don't even relate themselves as activists. They don't have to do this, and they can just live an 'easier' life, ignoring all kinds of exploitation and corruption, but out of love towards the world that is being exploited to the maximum, where there are many lives are in suffering under many kinds of exploitation and corruption, they are doing this. Even if they have no intention to be doing this for many others, but they are. Even if many people would think and say, "We didn't ask you and don't need you to do this for us," but either directly or indirectly, all and everyone are indebted to all these fearless activists to fight for many things that many people don't even aware of.

Many people are either being ignorant towards many corrupted things that are happening in the world, or they are being manipulated by many selfish greedy ambitious people, who are inspirational to many young people, to be inspired and be aspired to also become 'successful' like them, which is all about greed, selfishness, discontentment, wealth accumulation and hoarding, high-end lifestyle, pleasurable enjoyment, luxurious comfort and higher social status treatment, commercialism, capitalism and investment, by exploiting all and everything to the maximum. Many of the social medias influencers are nothing but the 'slaves' of all these, promoting all these, by influencing as many people (who follow and admire them) as possible, to be inspired, and be aspired to be part of the game of boundless passionate desire and exploitation.

Activists can be exhausting themselves, if they don't know how to let go, and don't know what is non-attachment, non-identification and non-expectation, being determined and hammered by repeated disappointment, threats, hostility, and the increasing selfishness, madness, cruelty, discrimination, exploitation, corruptions, oppression and violence in the world. But if they know how to let go, and know what is non-attachment, non-identification and non-expectation, they will have all the power and energy to be doing what they are doing.

Some people mistaken activists as extremists. Real activists are very different from extremists. Different kinds of extremists would be intentionally generating lots of violent damages and harmful effects in the world in order to achieve what they want to achieve, while activists are doing their best to protect the world from unnecessary damages and harmful effects. Activists also need to be aware of themselves not to turn into extremists, if without correct understanding under great disappointment or intense anger.

No matter how much effort and good will that the influencers and activists have, towards influencing as many people as possible to be making the world a better, kinder, happier, healthier, less corruptions and less suffering place, but the power that can be really impacting the world is in the hand of the world leaders.

Many people strongly believe in the power of the people under democracy, that's true, however, it depends on whether the majority of the people are wise and compassionate, or not, or are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, or not. What is happening in the world now, is reflecting whether the majority of the people in the world are wise and compassionate, or not.

The world leaders are the ones that has the 'power' to make crucial decision that can be impacting the world in certain way, as they are the law makers, either being voted in and elected by the majority of the people, or by self-proclaimed. While the majority of the people are easily being manipulated to support certain people to be elected and be given that power. If majority of the world leaders are wise and compassionate who can be making use of their position and power to be doing the right thing for looking after the welfare of all and everyone and the surrounding environment, without selfishness and discrimination, then the world would be a better, kinder, happier, less corruptions and less suffering place, however, many of them are not, that's why the world is being what it is now. While many of the world leaders are merely the 'slaves' of some selfish greedy ambitious so called highly 'successful' people in the world.

All the wise and compassionate beings like past and present Buddhas, Gurus and yogis, or the strongest, smartest, fittest, healthiest, loveliest, most talented, most intelligent, most beautiful, most charming, most influential, most powerful and most incredible human beings, or even the so called 'superior entity' that doesn't belong to anyone which is 'illegal', 'offensive' and 'punishable' to mention, say or write its name in certain countries, also can't do anything about that. Ignorance to the deepest.

Not the power of the people, not the power of the world leaders, not the power of the most popular influencer, but the power of ignorance.

None need the 'success' of accumulation and hoarding of limitless wealth, high-end lifestyle, pleasurable enjoyment, luxurious comfort and higher social status treatment powered by commercialism and capitalism to live life. The world will be free from unnecessary damages and suffering deriving from exploitation and corruption, if more people understand that they can live a simple peaceful happy life with enough basic needs for living for all and everyone, if none is being greedy and selfish and ambitious.

Many people are growing up under such belief, values and practice about achieving such 'success', 'enjoyment' or 'abundance' as the goal or meaning of life. There are many motivational empowerment workshops, talks and advocacy to be empowering people to be inspired and aspiring to achieve such 'success' to get out of the desperate situations that were caused by such empowerment in the first place. They don't see that there's anything damaging or selfish about being inspired and aspiring to achieve such 'success', unlimited 'enjoyment' and 'abundance'. In the end, all and everyone who are sharing this space that doesn't belong to anyone will be suffering under such inspiration and aspiration, regardless of those who are living in abundance or desperation.

Those who are living in abundance think that they can avoid being affected by the consequences of their greedy selfish ambitions, while doing some charity works from time to time, it doesn't. Because the damages coming from exploitation and corruption are constantly happening, regardless of whether there are generous people doing some kind of charity works, or not. If people let go of chasing after 'success', 'enjoyment' and 'abundance', there's no need generosity or charity work in the world, as there won't be such desperation or unnecessary suffering deriving from such inspirational aspiration.

Even many yoga practitioners, yoga lovers and yoga teachers, especially those that are identifying and projecting themselves as 'luxury yogi', 'celebrity yogi', 'modern stylish yogi', 'trendy high-end lifestyle yogi', 'inspirational yoga influencer' who are advertising and promoting a world of luxury lifestyle and pleasurable enjoyment empowering commercialism and capitalism to be 'influencing' and 'inspiring' others to be aspiring to become like them, are under the influence of such ignorance.

Only through self-awareness, self-reliance, self-control, self-discipline, self-effort, dispassion, renunciation, self-inquiry and self-realization, can one be liberated from all these boundless ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Open mind, non-blind believing, inquiring towards the truth of everything

Some minds will be offended by the teachings and practice of "Open mind, non-blind believing, and inquiring towards the truth of everything," as these minds are being conditioned to believe that "Open mind, non-blind believing, and inquiring towards the truth of everything, particularly one's own belief, values and practice," is something wrong and sinful and punishable, even without knowing exactly why is it wrong and sinful, just because that was what they were being told by some others, by their parents, elders, teachers, or leaders.

Quite many people growing up being told by their parents, or teachers, or leaders, "Just listen to and follow what I say, don't question. It's good for you. And if you don't, you will be punished. If I am hurting you, it's your own fault, because you are bad and no good. I am hurting you because I love you very much and I want you to be good. Be a good child." While many of them will be doing and saying the same thing to their children and to many others in the world.

Under such belief, values and practice, their followers are not allowed (under certain punishable man made law and order) to come in contact with any materials or information that are contradicting with that particular belief, values and practice, not to say, to be performing inquiry towards the truth of everything that the mind comes in contact with.

There will be many different kinds of books, classes, or events being banned or censored, particularly for their followers. They think and believe and propagate that this is for the good of their followers.

They are so afraid of losing the followers, or the support from the followers, or more precisely, losing the power of control, if their followers started to be opened for inquiring towards the truth of everything, including that particular belief, values and practice.

That only indicates that they themselves have no 'trust' or 'understanding' towards such belief, values and practice. This is what blind-believing, blind-following, blind-practicing, and blind-propagating, is about.

As if that belief, values and practice is all true and pure, and if that is the best and purest belief, values and practice that all and everyone in the world should be practicing, it won't be contaminated or offended by anything. There won't be fear towards anyone, followers or non-followers, performing inquiry towards the truth of those belief, values and practice.

Just as the teachings of yoga and buddhism, is all about non-blind believing, non-blind following and non-blind practicing, to inquiry towards the truth of everything, including all the teachings of yoga and buddhism, to attain self-realization. There's no authority, sin, judgment or punishment, if anyone doesn't inquire, doesn't understand, doesn't know, misunderstand, or doesn't practice. It's up to anyone to take it or leave it, realize or doesn't realize, know or doesn't know. It's everyone's freedom for what they desire and don't desire for themselves, regardless of being ignorant, or be free from ignorance. It's just actions and consequences of actions under the presence or absence of ignorance, governed by the nature's law of cause and effect.

In the teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism about dispassion and renunciation from worldly contacts, interactions, affairs and activities, to be refrained from books reading, news reading, magazines reading, movies or TV watching, it's not so much about keeping those information away from the knowledge of the mind, or to stop the mind from being exposed to 'bad influences', but it's more about to be quieting the restless modifications of the mind, as well as to allow the mind to stand as the third party to be looking into all those information from a different perspective, that enables the mind to inquire the truth of all those information, connections, interactions, affairs and activities, where they all are deriving from ignorance and egoism, as well as feeding ignorance and egoism.

The minds that know this, there's no offensiveness towards all kinds of beliefs, values and practices in the world, even if it's the product of ignorance and egoism, and might cause serious 'damages' to all and everything, directly or indirectly. All kinds of madness and corruptions in this world is merely because many minds are sick, or even very sick, and they don't know that they are sick, even when they are highly educated, and are highly successful in generating, accumulating and hoarding unlimited wealth. And many young children in the world growing up being empowered to look up at these sick minds, to be inspired by them, and be aspired to become like them.

The mind that knows, is undetermined by all the ignorance in the world. It's energy wasting. Though actions can be performed out of selfless compassion, without intention or expectation, making good use of this body and mind that is fleeting away.

Is this mind being offended by something that it doesn't like and doesn't agree with, that it thinks and believes is wrong and bad, or sinful, or insulting? If it does, know that it's merely because this mind is being conditioned by particular thinking, belief, values and practice. There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, if this mind is ignorant towards something or many things, and is being offended by this or that. More importantly, it's the presence of awareness towards the existence of ignorance in the thinking faculty without identification with the ignorance, and work diligently to remove this ignorance from the thinking faculty, without judgment or expectation. That is the beginning of compassion.

Inquire, inquire, and keep inquiring, until this mind sees the truth of everything.

Doing the right thing based on what?

Under the veil of ignorance and egoism, all minds have their own particular definition towards what is 'doing the right thing', or all and everyone are 'doing the right thing' based on their own particular thinking, belief, values and practice.

It's not about what the worldly egoistic cultural, spiritual, religious or political thinking, belief, values and practice refers as right and wrong.

The mind that knows, it knows. The mind that doesn't know, it doesn't know.

If the mind doesn't know, or is ignorant towards what is 'doing the right thing' under the veil of ignorance, then this mind can contemplate upon what is performing actions that will bring more peace and harmony into the world of diversity, free from all kinds of discrimination, intimidation, violence and hatred, free from the sense of superiority and inferiority, without selfishness, greed, fear and possessiveness, without inflicting additional unnecessary damages or pain unto oneself and others and the surrounding environment, that is about self-control under free-will, and not about 'controlling others to be in certain way by manipulation, threat, force, fear and punishment', without the influence of any particular identity identifying towards any particular identification with any particular egoistic cultural, spiritual, religious or political thinking, belief, values and practice that is about empowering self-survival, self-empowering, self-benefiting, self-righteousness, authority, separateness, discrimination, intimidation and fear towards 'all the others that are not one of us, that are different from us', that is about having a vision to be 'controlling the world to be in certain way' according to that particular belief, values and practice, in order to be preserving, empowering and expanding that particular belief, values and practice at all cost, via 'controlling and converting others to think, believe and behave in certain way'.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Fear or aversion towards losing something?

The one that has fear towards losing something loses everything

Those who have certain position and power to be making crucial decision that could impact the general welfare of a particular area in the world, as well as be given the precious opportunity to be igniting certain awareness in the ignorant minds towards the ignorance in themselves, even with the initial good will of trying to do something right for oneself and many others, hoping for a less corrupted world deriving from corrupted thinking, belief, values and practice, which led them to be gaining that position and power by fighting very hard against corruptions, however, due to fear towards losing that position and power, they are reluctant to be doing the right thing, in order to harvest more support to keep that position and power, and even if they get to keep that position and power by not doing the right thing, they will still be losing everything, in the end, being the 'slave' of those who don't support those who would do the right thing due to ignorance, while forgot about all the others majority who had been supporting those who would do the right thing, which led them gaining that position and power in the first place.

There should be no fear of losing any position or power, for those who truly want to do something right for themselves and for the world.

It's about making good use of that 'impermanent' position and power to be doing the right thing as much as possible, particularly the upmost important thing to do with that position and power, is to be igniting awareness in the minds that are under the influence of ignorance to be aware towards the ignorance in themselves, which is the main reason why there are so much corruptions existing in that area. The only way to reduce or eliminate corruptions in an area effectively, is by igniting awareness in the minds to be aware of the ignorance in themselves. Just by criminalizing, prosecuting, punishing and imprisoning those who are corrupted, doesn't help the area to have less corruptions, as the root cause is still there.

Corruptions or impurities are like the countless leaves that keep falling down from a tree to the ground that will never come to an end. One will be restlessly cleaning up everyday and leaves will still be falling down everyday. There's no need to keep cleaning up the area full of 'corrupted leaves' by uprooting the entire corrupted tree from the root. There's no longer a 'corrupted tree sprung from corrupted root' that generates 'corrupted leaves' endlessly. And that root of all kinds of ignorance and corruptions in the society, is in the minds under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

The only one that can uproot the root of ignorance from the minds, is the mind itself through self-awareness being aware of the ignorance in itself, and many minds might not have that tiny little bit of self-awareness to be aware of the ignorance in themselves under the thick layer of ignorance being conditioned by ignorant egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, however, under the help of a selfless reflector, awareness can be ignited or reflected in such minds, regardless of how thick layer is the veil of ignorance, as even that layer of ignorance is conditional and impermanent. Ignorance is conditional because it can be increased or reduced, and even be annihilated, depending on the many factors that can be influencing the degrees of ignorance.

But, the reflector, especially a clear one, not a dusty and shattered one, needs to be available. All kinds of leaders in the world, are unintentionally a reflector for the mass that are under the influence of ignorance. That's why they need a leader that make decision for them as they can't make decision for themselves, that tell them what they should do and shouldn't do. Those who are free from the influence of ignorance, they don't need a leader to lead them. These world leaders can be a corrupted reflector selfishly and ignorantly, or they can be a clear reflector, if they want.

Unless they are completely selfish and ignorant, the leaders in the world, who have a little tiny bit of self-awareness, who don't just want to make a successful career out of that position and power, but with a tiny little initiative or goodwill to help the world to be less corrupted, to have less corruptions, they must make use of that precious opportunity to be igniting awareness into the minds that are lost in ignorance.

Such position and power loses its meaning and power, even if one gets to keep that position and power, by being a 'slave' of the ignorant ones in order to keep that position and power, empowering ignorance in the minds. One will be swallowed by that position and power, in the end, by empowering the ignorance in the people, that is similar to be breeding a large group of uncontrollable monsters in one's home.

Inquire the truth of everything.

The importance of correct understanding

The total amount of worldly education and accumulated knowledge doesn't necessarily determine whether the selfless thinking mind has correct understanding towards itself, or towards the selfless function of the thinking faculty and the selfless modifications of the mind, where all kinds of selfless names and forms being perceived through the senses via the sense organs ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away, impermanently.

Without correct understanding, the selfless thinking faculty is functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment and expectation, that give rise to all kinds of impurities that empower ignorance and egoism, where the mind will be restless, swaying in between the state of disturbance, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, meaninglessness, low confidence, inferiority, dullness or disharmony and the state of calmness, satisfaction, happiness, meaningfulness, high confidence, superiority, stimulation or harmony, being influenced and determined by the absence and presence of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, and desirable or undesirable selfless impermanent names and forms, of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Without correct understanding, the mind is lost in the state of unhappiness or disturbance, being disturbed and offended by names and forms that the minds dislikes, disagrees with, and doesn't desire, and then, it tries to seek comfort or relief from unhappiness or disturbance through the gratification of desires, by coming in contact with names and forms or experiences that the mind likes, agrees with, and desires, and not coming in contact with names and forms or experiences that the mind dislikes, disagrees with, and doesn't desire. There is craving and clinging towards names and forms or experiences that the mind likes, agrees with, and desires. There is aversion towards names and forms or experiences that the mind dislikes, disagrees with, and doesn't desire. The mind is more disturbed upon the desires of craving and aversion are not being gratified.

If the mind has certain degrees of correct understanding and being able to let go, or void of ignorant egoistic attachment or identification towards the mind perception of selfless impermanent names and forms or experiences, this mind won't be over-whelmed by the different names and forms, thoughts, sensations, feelings and emotions that come and go as they are, selflessly, as well as won't be over-powered by all these impermanent modifications of the mind to act and react randomly that give rise to consequences of actions and reactions that are not necessarily desirable or agreeable. This mind will be okay under any condition and situation. This mind won't be hurting itself and/or others under the presence of correct understanding.

If the mind doesn't have correct understanding, and being unable to let go, or there's ignorant egoistic attachment and identification towards the mind perception of selfless impermanent names and forms or experiences, this mind might be over-whelmed by the different names and forms, thoughts, sensations, feelings and emotions that come and go as they are, and might be over-powered by all these impermanent modifications of the mind to act and react randomly that give rise to consequences of actions and reactions that are not necessarily desirable or agreeable. This mind might be in a repeating or continuous state of suffering or disturbance, that might give rise to further ignorant actions and reactions, that give rise to further consequences of actions and reactions that the mind dislikes, disagrees with and doesn't desire. This mind is unwell. This mind is not okay. Under the ignorant egoistic attachment and identification towards the disturbed state of mind, and without correct understanding towards what is happening in the mind, this mind will be easily being annoyed or offended by all kinds of names and forms that it doesn't like, doesn't agree with, and doesn't desire. This mind might hurt itself and/or others, out of ignorance, and out of the disturbed or suffering state of mind deriving from ignorance, either intentionally or unintentionally, under the absence of correct understanding.

It's not about right or wrong, good or bad.

Look after this mind by itself, before the mind looses the self-control and the ability to be reflecting or inquiring towards what is happening, completely, even though it is selfless, but it can be extremely harmful to itself and others and the surrounding environment, out of ignorance, and out of the disturbance or suffering deriving from ignorance.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Higher education and academic achievement doesn't guarantee correct understanding in the mind

Many people, particularly those who are in the field of any kind of empowerment, would think and believe that happiness, peace and harmony in individual and the community in the world is based on higher financial status that comes from success and achievement in education and career. They believe that lack of education or low education is the reason for low financial status, where they believe that low financial status is the reason why there's unhappiness, peacelessness and disharmony in individual and the community, while higher education and higher achievement in education and career will lead to higher financial status that will bring happiness, peace and harmony in individual and the community.

Happiness, peace and harmony in individual and the community is nothing to do with higher financial status that comes from success and achievement in education and career. It's deriving from having correct understanding.

Correct understanding is nothing to do with the presence and absence of basic or higher academic education. One can be having correct understanding without receiving any formal academic education or higher education. While one might not have correct understanding even after receiving formal basic or higher academic education, attaining success and achievement in career, and having a higher financial status.

Receiving basic or higher academic education and attaining high achievement in academic education doesn't necessarily guarantee success and achievement in career, while success and achievement in career doesn't necessarily lead to higher financial status that is inline with the rising cost of living and property market under the exploitation of capitalism, where success in career or higher financial status doesn't necessarily come from higher education achievement, and higher financial status or success in career doesn't necessarily lead to happiness, peace and harmony in individual or the community in the world.

Similarly, some people would think and believe that happiness, peace and harmony in individual and the community is coming from having a particular cultural, spiritual or religious belief, values and practice. Regardless of whether people are having a particular cultural, spiritual or religious belief, values and practice, or not, it's about the presence and absence of correct understanding in the mind that is determining whether there's happiness, peace and harmony in individual, or not, that will contribute more peace and harmony into the community, or not, regardless of whether there is peace and harmony in the community, or not, due to not all individuals in the community are all in happiness, peace and harmony, depending on the presence and absence of correct understanding in each individual.

It's all about whether the mind is having correct understanding, or not, upon the absence or presence of ignorance, egoism and impurities in the thinking mind.

Yoga with animals?

There's nothing wrong to show loving kindness towards all and everyone including all kinds of animals.

There will be more and more different trends of 'yoga' popping up here and there in the the world of 'yoga', deriving from the passionate ideas of the ever restless aspirational passionate minds. That's the freedom of all and everyone.

One of the new trends of 'yoga', is 'yoga' with animals.

'Yoga' with animals is nothing to do with the yoga practice that leads towards self-realization through the annihilation of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restless selfless modifications of the mind.

The animals are just being what they are, just like all the other human beings. Human beings are not any different from animals. Some animals are even having better conscience than many human beings under the influence of ignorance. There are agreeable and disagreeable human beings, so as there are agreeable and disagreeable animals. Some people fall in love with some other human beings, just as some people fall in love with some other animals. Some people feel sympathy and empathy towards some other human beings, so as some people feel sympathy and empathy towards certain kind or all kinds of animals. However, all these are still the manifestation of ignorance and egoism.

No doubts that certain minds find certain comfort being with and interacting with certain kind of animals, just as certain minds find certain comfort being with and interacting with some other human beings or in doing certain things that makes the mind feels love, good and meaningful, however, that doesn't free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

Yoga practice, or Yoga Sadhana, is a journey of the selfless mind, alone.

No superior entity, or Guru, or Buddha, or teacher, or parent, or partner, or best friend, or any animal, can annihilate the ignorance, egoism, impurities and restless selfless modifications of the mind, but the mind itself, alone.

It's about dispassion and renunciation.

It's about seclusion and solitude.

One retreats from all kinds of passionate social interactions and connections with other human beings, including family and friends, not to say, the presence of and the interaction with certain kind of animals that the mind likes, agrees with and enjoys. It's about withdrawing the senses from the objects of the senses, to turn the outgoing mind inward, to perform self-inquiry and meditation in silence.

Being dispassionate and renouncing the world of passionate egoistic interactions, connections, activities and affairs, while performing yoga and meditation practice alone in solitude, it doesn't mean that one doesn't have respect or dispassionate non-discriminating compassion towards all other human beings, or animals, or nature, or doesn't have any appreciation towards all and everything in the surrounding environment.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

The corruptions in the world of yoga

"What kind of corruptions that could be existing in the world of yoga that is about peace, wisdom and compassion?"

Corruptions exist in everywhere, including in the world of yoga and/or buddhism, because most minds are still functioning under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities.

Under the influence of ignorance and egoism, it's normal that the mind is being ignorant toward certain corruptions in itself, not to say, towards the existence of certain corruptions in the world, or not knowing towards what kind of corruptions are there, because under the influence of worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, all those ignorant egoistic corruptions appear to be normal and nothing corrupted, in accordance to the worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice. Some minds are even unaware of themselves are being abused or exploited, and are following the corrupted instructions coming from the corrupted minds to be practicing yoga or living life in certain way.

In no particular order, and not limited to, these are some of the common corruptions in the world of yoga,

Lust 

Desire

Sexual misconduct

Sexual abuse

Exploitation and abuse under the name of 'serving' the teacher, the guru or the community, performing selfless service, sharing and caring, the practice of unconditional love, acceptance, gratitude, generosity and forgiveness, 'burning off' bad karma, or accumulating merits and virtues

Hugging and touching

Contamination of worldly passionate egoistic ideas, values and practice

Grouping, association, one big yoga family, brotherhood or sisterhood

Mental and emotional dependency

Attachment and identification

Professional personal or business branding and profile

Qualification and certification

Affiliation and accreditation

Authorization and recognition

Physical alignment

Physical body hands on adjustment

Non-scientific fictional fairy tales

Spiritual healing

Emotional healing

Healing of hurts

Proclamation of yoga can keep away or cure many diseases miraculously and can defy selfless impermanent changes under the nature's law of cause and effect

Special VIP treatment for the VIPs

Pleasurable indulgence of the senses

Luxurious physical and mental indulgence

Connection building

Live life passionately, do what makes you happy, follow your desire, fulfill all your desires, and make all your wishes come true

Middle path is being mistaken as the extremity, while extremity is being mistaken as the middle path

Empowerment towards the gratification of the desire of craving and aversion

Emphasis on knowing the different names in different languages, the different effects, and the attainment of the different physical and mental health and fitness benefits and enhancements

Emphasis on finding or creating the 'zen' or 'mystical' feel in the mind and in the atmosphere of the surrounding environment

Unnecessary commercial yoga related products, decorations, accessories, props, or health food products

Sharing and caring is being mistaken as passionate love and affection, mental and emotional dependency among one another

Listening is being mistaken as be listened by others towards one's problem and disturb, as well as listening to others' problem and disturb to make the mind feels better and less miserable through talking and expressing its problem and disturb to some others, instead of turning inward to be listening to all the dhamma that is already there, or observing within towards what is going on in one's modifications of the mind, that allows oneself to have the correct understanding towards all the perception or experience of problem and disturb, and be free from problem and disturb through self-inquiry, correct understanding and self-realization

Openness and fearlessness is being mistaken as trying all kinds of high risk activities and trying all types of substances or practices that are available in the world, even if it's harmful to oneself and others

Meditation is being mistaken for stimulating and expanding the power of creativity or attaining super extraordinary power to influence and control everything under one's desire

Unconditional love, non-attachment and non-possessiveness is being mistaken as engaging in random unlimited and uncommitted intimate love affairs or relationships with multiple lovers, or random sexual activities with multiple partners without commitment or responsibility

Compassion is being mistaken as passionate love and affection, sympathy and empathy, giving happiness to others and removing unhappiness from others, and pleasing others by gratifying their desires of craving and aversion to make them happy or less unhappy or suffering

Selflessness is being mistaken as unselfishness or self-sacrifice

Non-duality, particularly neither good nor bad, is being misused as justification for engaging in ignorant irresponsible hurtful damaging behaviors, actions and reactions

All these are unreal is being mistaken as "I can do whatever I want, and there's no consequences, just like in dreams."

All are imperfect is being misused as the justification to be making mistakes repeatedly and generating ignorant hurtful behavior, action and reaction, either intentionally or unintentionally

Freedom or liberation is being mistaken as void of self control, non-limitation or non-restriction of thoughts, actions, speech, expression and the indulgence in pleasurable enjoyment regardless of whether they are causing harmful consequences or not, as well as the gratification of all desires being unconditioned and unlimited by time, space, causation, condition and situation

The realization of selflessness and that everything is impermanently changing selflessly governed by the nature's law of cause and effect, and none can remove the ignorance and suffering from another, but oneself, as well as the increasing of ignorance and madness deriving from ignorance in the world, is being mistaken as all these doesn't matter, the world won't become better but worst, and all are meaningless and depressing, and hence, it's better to just commit suicide. This understanding is still within the influence of ignorance. The minds that truly realized selflessness, they don't perceive matter or doesn't matter, meaningfulness or meaninglessness, uplifting or depressing. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, Ajahn Chah and Swami Sivananda continuing to be performing selfless service diligently to be disseminating dhamma into the world without egoism of attachment, identification or expectation after they had attained the direct realization towards selflessness until the moment the physical body ceased functioning or the life existence comes to an end under its respective cause

Selflessness and non-attachment is being mistaken as "Since there's no 'I' existing, then all these doesn't matter, there's no need to practice non-attachment, self-control, self-inquiry, or anything, and if the practice is about non-attachment, not attaching towards good or bad, right or wrong, then it doesn't matter good or bad, right or wrong, there's no need to do good and not doing bad, there's no need to be right and not being wrong, there's no need to practice anything at all." Such is the deep ignorance that gives rise to such ignorant understanding. The truth of selflessness in all and everything, as well as the teaching about 'all these are unreal, it's like a dream,' doesn't mean that all these don't exist, or there's no consequences of actions. The realization of selflessness, or the truth of selflessness in all and everything doesn't change the truth of all and everything is constantly changing impermanently and selflessly under the nature's law of cause and effect, where all actions will bring along the consequences of actions, either pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, pleasurable enjoyment or painful suffering, regardless of whether the mind realizes selflessness, or not, is being good and kind, or not. The selfless conditional and limited physical body will still have to go through all kinds of selfless impermanent changes of decay, weakness, illness, injury, discomfort, pain, aging, and eventually disintegrating and decompose, being limited by time, space and causation. If the thinking mind is functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, then it will be in painful suffering due to the presence of attachment, identification and the desire of craving and aversion towards all these selfless impermanent changes that it perceives through the senses and sense organs of the physical body. While the sincere practice of mind purification to be eliminating ignorance and egoism, and the persistent self-inquiry under a purified thinking faculty towards "all these within the selfless impermanent modifications of the mind" will free the mind from suffering while under going all the selfless impermanent changes that are not necessarily pleasant, desirable, agreeable and enjoyable under the absence of attachment or grasping, as well as upon attaining direct self-realization towards the truth of selflessness

Control of mind is being mistaken as developing the super mind power to be knowing and controlling other people's mind

Positive thinking is being mistaken as developing positive mind power to be interfering, influencing, controlling or changing the undesirable reality to be the way that the mind would like it to be, such as defying decay and aging, or making everything to become all good and nothing bad, or all positive and nothing negative, empowering the attachment and craving towards good health condition or goodness, and the attachment and aversion towards bad health condition or badness

Renunciation, seclusion and solitude is being mistaken as selfishness, anti-social, unhealthy, hating other human beings, a form of irresponsibility or running away from duties and responsibilities, and being blamed as the cause of the suffering of loneliness

Retreat is being mistaken as a time and space for enjoying self-pampering health and beauty treatments, indulging in luxurious pleasurable enjoyments of the senses, enjoyable group activities and yoga community or yoga family connectivity holiday getaway camp

The practice of silence (Mauna) and non-interference towards the nature's law of cause and effect is being mistaken as ignoring and non-taking action towards the ignorance and corruptions in the world, or silent acceptance towards and non-exposing any corrupted conducts and affairs within the community, or silently accepting and non-moving away from any ill-treatments and abusive behaviors inflicted unto oneself and/or others

Momentary pleasant and agreeable side-effects of the persevere yoga and meditation practice are being mistaken as 'spiritual achievement' or 'enlightenment'

Passionate aspiration and vision

Building castle in the air

Ambitious

Setting intention at the start and in the end of certain practice

Defying gravity, decay, and old age

Integrating superstitious worldly cultural, spiritual and religious belief and practice

Praise and compliment

Encouragement and acknowledgement

Motivational empowerment of the ego

Aspiring to be inspiring

Glorification

Pride

Yoga classes that are not about the annihilation of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restless modifications of the mind

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of theory or preaching” and "Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory" is being misinterpreted into emphasizing on teaching and performing the physical yoga asana and pranayama practice in silence, without the need of disseminating the teachings and performing inquiry towards the teachings, and implementing the teachings practically into the physical yoga asana and pranayama practice, and in everyday life. Many yoga practitioners are still in doubts under the influence of ignorance and egoism after many years of performing rigorous physical yoga asana and pranayama practice passionately and regularly gaining lots of momentary physical and mental benefits and enhancements having a conditional strong and flexible and healthy physical body until the end of life, under such misunderstanding

Yoga convention

Yoga festival

Yoga competition

Yoga demonstration show

Yoga International Day

Yoga idol

Yoga with animals

Yoga with drugs

Yoga with sexual activities

Nakedness, tattoo, dreadlocks, orange ropes, yoga symbols, yoga accessories, yoga attire, yoga props, yoga mat, or intoxication under the usage of certain substances as the representative of yoga

Yogi is being determined by specific yogi appearance and condition, representing perfect good health condition and superhuman physical and mental ability void of limitation, disability, weakness, illness or injury, as well as the ability and achievement in the yoga asana practice

Yoga teacher is being determined by the recognition, qualification, certification, affiliation, authorization, physical appearance, fitness and health condition, strength and flexibility, asana practice performance, ability and achievement

Proclamation of yoga belongs to a particular religion, race, nationality, place or country

Admiration towards the charisma or the achievement of certain yogi, guru, teacher or entity

Competition among yoga practitioners, yoga teachers, yoga schools, yoga studio, yoga business

and so on

In one,

Empowerment of ignorance and egoism.

There's neither right nor wrong. It's everyone's freedom and responsibility towards their own desire and don't desire, their actions and consequences of actions.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Without dispassion and detachment, all kinds of yoga practice are merely some physical and mental activities

All kinds of physical and mental yoga practice of yoga asana practice, pranayama practice, pure organic way of clean living and vegetarian food consumption, positive thinking, concentration and meditation practice, even when the mind gets to experience certain degrees of tranquility beyond names and forms induced by the physical and mental yoga and meditation practice, or gets a glimpse of beyond bodily consciousness of transcendental bliss under the momentary one-pointed stillness state of the mind, don't necessary guarantee self-realization, or the liberation from ignorance, egoism and impurities, or the end of suffering, or they don't serve the purpose of mind purification to be eliminating the ignorance, egoism and impurities effectively, if without dispassion and renunciation, or the eradication of passionate desires of craving and aversion, or the detachment from the worldly passionate egoistic ideas, affairs, ties, interactions, activities, thinking, belief, values and practice deriving from ignorance and egoism, that empowers ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.

Without dispassion, renunciation, detachment and the eradication of the passionate desires of craving and aversion, all kinds of physical and mental yoga practice are merely some physical and mental activities like any kind of physical sports and fitness exercises or mental function, ability and knowledge enhancement exercises, regardless of how long one has been performing such activities and has been gaining all sorts of physical and mental improvements from engaging in such physical and mental training activities regularly, and constantly learning, studying and accumulating all kinds of knowledge about everything, the mind will still be under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

That's why there are quite many corruptions or corrupted abusive conducts and affairs in the world of yoga and buddhism, from among those of the top level of so called the founder of certain lineage, school or organization, the top people of the management of certain lineage, school or organization, the guardians, the principal teachers and advanced disciples with so called many years of engagement and experience in the advanced yoga and meditation practice, or the devoted disciples of buddhism of monks or nuns, and among those that think and believe that they have been learning and practicing yoga and meditation practice under certain lineage, school or teacher for many years, and that they are the advanced yoga practitioners who perform advanced yoga practice, and/or they are the advanced yoga teachers who teach advanced yoga practice or advanced yoga classes to others.

As under the influence of ignorance and egoism, there will be egoistic attachment and identification towards the momentary side-effects of the yoga asana, pranayama, concentration and meditation practice, such as the momentary sense of tranquility, or the momentary sense of beyond bodily consciousness of lightness and void of physical sensations, or what the mind refers as transcendental bliss, which then the mind generates attachment, identification and craving towards such momentary effects induced by the practice. There's idea of "This is amazing," "I am experiencing this," "I am enjoying this," or "I have achieved higher level in my yoga and meditation practice," or even, "I am enlightened."

Even without performing any kinds of yoga asana, pranayama, concentration and meditation practice, such momentary effects of the momentary sense of tranquility or the momentary sense of beyond bodily consciousness of lightness and void of physical sensations can be easily induced by certain types of drugs. There are quite many people hooked on such effects induced by certain drugs and are addicted to such drugs induced momentary effects. These momentary pleasant blissful states of the mind doesn't remove the ignorance, egoism and impurities. And many minds, even the adept yoga and meditation practitioners, mistaken that momentary lightness, numbness, tranquility, or pleasant blissful state of mind as the state of 'enlightenment', but then in everyday life, their thinking and conduct are still corrupted.

That's why the presence of all those momentary physical and mental side-effects of the yoga asana, pranayama, concentration and meditation practice are not relevant to whether the eradication of ignorance, egoism and impurities is taking place, or not. In fact, during the intense mind purification process of eradicating ignorance and egoism, there are 'unpleasantness', 'irritation', 'pain' and 'discomfort' arising in the mind and/or the body.

That's the power of ignorance, egoism and impurities. One can be practicing certain yoga and meditation practice regularly and passionately under certain lineage, school or organization for many many years, while gaining and enjoying the momentary side-effects of many different types of physical and mental benefits and enhancements, or has been accumulating many different information or knowledge through reading, hearing, studying and memorizing, and full of passionate love and enthusiasm towards yoga and the yoga practice, but the mind is still ignorantly functioning under the influence of deep ignorance and egoism, that leads to corrupted thinking and conduct, unwittingly.

The minds that are in the process of eradicating the ignorance, egoism and impurities from the thinking faculty, are void of passionate love and enthusiasm towards anything, including yoga and the yoga practice. The mind doesn't need to have passionate love and enthusiasm towards yoga and the yoga practice, to be performing the yoga practice and realize yoga under the intense yearning for liberation. Similarly, the dispassionate yogis don't fall in love with the chanting, bhajan, kirtan, mantras and prayers that serve the purpose of influencing the state of the mind via such sound vibration, to render the mind one-pointed that leads to meditation. While the meditation practitioners don't fall in love with meditation. The passionate love and enthusiasm is indeed one of the 'cheeky' hindrances that hinders the mind to evolve, to annihilate the selfless modifications of the selfless thinking faculty, to attain self-realization.

It's not the fault or the responsibility of the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism being what they are, as there are minds that have been and/or are practicing the teachings and practice as they are, under the correct understanding and right effort, that purify the selfless thinking faculty effectively as it is, that leads the minds towards self-realization upon the annihilation of ignorance, egoism, impurities and the restless modifications of the mind. It's solely the responsibility of the minds themselves that are practicing the teachings and practice with or without the correct understanding and right effort.

That's why the highly importance of non-blind believing, non-blind following, non-blind practicing, non-blind propagating, investigation towards the truth of everything, self-inquiry, self-reliance, self-discipline, self-control, dispassion, renunciation, seclusion, solitude void of any company (Asanga), detachment, non-attachment, non-identification, desirelessness, non-craving, non-aversion, wise company (Satsanga), void of ignorant egoistic company (Kutsanga), correct understanding and right effort throughout the journey of yoga and/or buddhism.

Inquire the truth of everything.