Yuku free message boards

Of course, human beings are free to do what they desire, suffering or benefitting from the consequences of our actions, thoughts, and deeds accordingly.

Nidesoma, that was an awesome and mature post. Thanks. We can always find some love (compassionate expression) – something nice and AUTHENTIC to say and do if we stand in Love – put our intent, focus, and mind into the situation. It is never helpful to lie to someone, especially when we are fooling ourselves that we are helping them. Such deceit may temporally distract someone from their pain, but it ultimately distracts them from the larger truth, which we all must meet sooner or later. The pursuit of temporary mental pleasure/pleasantries is warned against by Patanjali in Pada I, because it reinforces dualistic identification, fixations, and attachment. It is a rather huge and common addiction for many and we do not do anyone a favor by gaming their egos that way.

Having addressed the example of the pitfalls of such pretentions, I will complicate the subject by stating that there is only one type of "white lie" that may be justified in yoga, but it requires wisdom/insight. For beginners like me, it is safer to stick with being authentic – communing with the truth/reality and defeating deceit/self deceit (Mara) and her minions completely by sticking to radical honesty in all situations. However, the white lie that I am referring to occurs where ahimsa (the first yama) is best served in the relative world. That means if wisdom dictates that harm may come to someone if the truth be told, then one does not express it because it would violate ahimsa, the primary yam. This requires insight; i.e., knowing the outcome will create less harm. Most of us, like me (who lack insight), however, may still be unaware of the consequences, hence the "white lie" may actually cause more harm or remain neutral in consequence. In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he does not anywhere advocate massaging the ego, rather the opposite. Harm to the ego and its destruction is necessary, because the egoic mindset (asmita) is by definition self-deceit.

Having said all that, here is one very simple example of telling a "white lie", which is ahimsic/compassionate. A violent gang is chasing a young girl with the intent of raping and beating her. She runs into your store and hides behind the counter cowering in fear explaining her predicament. Later the gruff gang leader comes into your store and asks did you see a girl running down the street. Here a "white lie" would be in line with ahimsa (the first yama), while satya is the second yama.

The larger problem though are the white lies that the egoic mind tells itself. Those white lies must go. That is where true happiness resides.

JAI MA!

Yes, I would have to agree with you on this statement:

"i would have to say until some awareness happens, it can feel like the 5 senses are playing tricks on us."

The key there, again, is awareness. That is what we work with in ashtanga yoga as viveka, prajna, and eventually samadhi. You are framing the situation as dependence upon an existential physical scene exclusively. Yes, that is misleading. You and I both know that you are not so limited. So drop it, ha ha.

Likewise,

"Is not any situation 'as it is' going to be perceived by our mental projections?
unless we come clean of our mental patterns do not traces of these patterns color every view? unless we are awake, doesn't denial stalk us on some level?"

As-it-is connotes uncontrived, unmodified, unadulterated, and unfabricated perception. You can call it vidya or awakeness, but it would be another error to "make it" a dualistic thing or object. An existential "isness" is dead, flat plane, and frozen in time. It is perceived by a box-like mindset that has been altered to freeze time, like sequential taking snapshots. But beyond that artificial conception of sequential time, abides the ever-newness – ever-changing – the shakti connected continuously to ever present shiva/source. That non-dual "is-as-it-is" is untouched by avidya and is not limited by individual karmic residues. It is revealed because it is free from impositions of the conceptual mind (vikalpa). Nothing is colored by the citta-vrtti in that view (vidya) and nothing is stalking us. It is truly unconditioned by the individual mind. Put another way the individual mind has re-integrated with the universal mind or pardon the expression, the IM.

There are many kinds of mis-perceptions (avidya). They are described in detail by Patanjali or you can get it direct through meditation.

It is not the fault of the eyes or sense organs, rather the exclusive importance that we ascribe to them. The sense organs may be said to play tricks, but really it is the way in which appearances seem to arise and disappear to our limited conditioned mindfield. Beyond the veil that limits, is greater sensitivity – more subtle organs of gnosis – call it the third eye if one desires.

The eyes don't say that the two railroad tracks meet in the distance. The eyes are not lying. What one thinks of "the tracks meeting in the distance" is also the dualistic *mind's* projection – a logical interpretation/conclusion, which is false (not the whole story). If you paid attention to what the eyes were seeing, you would notice that the tracks appeared to be getting closer together as the distance from your eyes (the observer) increased. If you walked the tracks, you would SEE (recognize) that such was not so (that it was a wrong conclusion (blame the conditioned mind not the eyes ha ha). That is not to say that physical eyes alone do not have limitations (tehy do), but we do not have to be dependent alone to such sense data. That is why we cultivate transpersonal and non-dual awareness rsultin in gnosis – an awareness that both includes embodiment and is also all abiding, all pervasive, universal, beyond very subtle, boundless, andtimeless. One day you with the non-dual eye (in another more inclusive dimension) where the observer and the observed are one, when you are ready. We have to bring in intent. That is, it does not matter if the tracks meet or do not meet, but rather if we see clearly in UNCONTRIVED empathy, love, happiness, clarity, and fulfillment.

A key here is uncontrived. In direct non-dual perception there is no need to do or contrive anything, to change our concepts or beliefs. Rather it is simply being present in a profound non-dual way – being in an intimate relationship with ever-presence without reifying it.

So yes, the physical eyes and organs "appear" to work as isolates on a physical level, yet given a little more juju/awareness/pranic awakening, we understand that they work in co-creative harmony with the entire universe from the unconditioned original mind (as shiva/shakti). Anything that says that WE are separate is the lie (asatya), hence a living uncontrived non-duality is experienced in continuity with little or no disruption. Hence, regarding awakeness until nirbja samadhi, such gnosis in nature (shiva/shakti) comes through like sunlight through the clouds. It is here, then it appears to disappear, ha ha. Re-"appears", until we realize that such fickleness is simply a lack of attention/intention on our part. ha, ha. Ahimsa and satya hold us on course -- so does ashtanga yoga in general. Yoga thus becomes a process for co-creative -liberation.
JAI MA!