Nowadays the system of the education and work-field is depending very much on the term ‘certification’.
Of course in most of the works that require specific knowledge and skill in the job, need people who are trained in that knowledge and skill to perform the specific work.
There’s nothing wrong at all for the requirement to have some sort of certification to show that the person who are doing the job is eligible and is qualified to do the job.
But when come to Yoga practice, are we going to be given a certificate by God or from an enlightened one, to certified us and to show it to other people telling everybody that ‘we are enlightened person’ or ‘we are good human beings’ or ‘we are real Yogis’ or ‘we are Yoga teacher’ or ‘we are Dharma teacher’, if we had did our practice and developed insight, or even had attained enlightenment?
It is ridiculous!
Does an enlightened being need a piece of paper stating ‘certificate of enlightenment’ and carrying it to wherever he goes and show it to other people telling them that he is enlightened? What do you think?
There’s nothing wrong of having a piece of paper to show that we have gone through some training in such and such practice but certainly it is not a statement of qualification for us to be recognized as a real practitioner or a good teacher.
Does having a certification from a famous school of Yoga is a guarantee of a fine Yogi or a good and genuine Yoga teacher? Certainly not.
Does a real Yogi who had perfected in his practice and have full knowledge of the Truth is not allowed and not qualified to teach Yoga and Dharma to anyone who desire to learn from him because he did not go through a recognized school or Ashram and not having any ‘certifications’? Certainly not.
Did Buddha have a certificate from somewhere or somebody to enable Him to teach Dharma to the people? Certainly not.
Did all the saints and sages, Yogis in the past before this existence of ‘certification’, attained any so called ‘Internationally recognized’ and ‘certified by an association of spiritual practice’ kind of certificate to prove that they are graduated from a school or Ashram and are at ’such and such’ level of spiritual enlightenment? Nope.
Did they sit for an exam, got the passing marks and the certificate, and thus they are qualified to spread the teaching to other people and the people who learn from them will achieve excellent results as well? And if they did not sit for an exam, did not have a certificate, does this mean they are not allowed to teach Yoga and spread Dharma? Nope.
Are we going to be guaranteed enlightenment after we have attended many hours of courses, passed the exam and attained a piece of paper? Maybe yes, maybe not, depend on our real practice, but certainly has got nothing to do with certification.
Do we need a special place or classroom and special timing to spread Dharma? Certainly not.
Are we a ‘Yoga teacher’ if we are teaching a group of people doing all the poses of Asana in a classroom? Not really unless it is developing insight and selflessness.
Does spiritual practice and spiritual evolution or self realization has got anything to do with the knowledge of the anatomy of the physical body or sports science? What does knowledge of the bones and muscles has to do with meditation and insight?
When we cut open our body, can we find where the mind is and know how the mind looks like?
Maybe by understanding that after taken away our skin, what left is some ugly smelly disgusting flesh underneath the beautiful skin. And after we died, the muscles and organs will decomposed and what left is some bony structure, and this will help us to realize the truth of a physical body is nothing but bones, flesh, blood, nerves, glands, internal organs, urine and shit.
And this will help us to develop strong detachment towards our physical body and detachment towards beautiful physical appearances.
A real Yogi or a Dharma teacher or an enlightened being doesn’t need this product of worldly minded business of so called ‘certificate’ to recognized him or enable him or allowing him to share this beautiful knowledge with anyone who are sincere to learn about the Truth, to practice in life what they have learnt, and they are developing right understanding and moving towards self realization.
God, Buddha, Saints, Sages and all the Yogis are smiling at us knowing what is happening now in the world of so many so called ‘Yoga schools’, ‘Yoga teachers’ and ‘recognized certifications’.
It is not the qualification or certification that assure us to be enlightened, to attain wisdom, to share love with others, to know the Truth, to be compassionate, to be noble, to be sincere and honest, to spread Dharma in the world.
It is the real practice of detachment and self control in us every moment in everyday life experiences which is invisible or not knowing to other people at all, that enable us to improve in our own practice and thus to be able to share the knowledge attained from our own practice with other people out there without the notion of ‘I am a teacher’, ‘I am teaching’, ‘I am qualified’, ‘I am compassionate’, ‘I am helping those who are in despair’, ‘I am earning money from teaching’.
There is nothing wrong to receive money from the students as an appreciation from them and to be able to support our living and enable us to continue our own practice without worrying of livelihood. But certainly not to greed for money in order to attain worldly enjoyments and to satisfy our worldly desires. And the appreciation is not necessary to be money, but anything that is coming from the heart of the student to show his gratitude and is affordable in his ability.
Certainly we can not refuse to teach or not to share Yoga with anybody who has no money or has nothing to give us. Unless the reason that we can not teach Yoga to someone is due to something unavoidable, such like we need to be at somewhere else or we need to do something else or we are not able to teach due to sickness or we need to concentrate on our own practice. Not because of the person can not give us some money in return.
Doesn’t matter if there is only one student learning under a Yoga teacher. A good Yoga teacher is not determined by how many students he has, or he is famous or not, or he is getting high pay or not.
Every beings whether wise or ignorant, are their own Dharma teacher doesn’t matter going to a school or not, learning from a teacher or not, understood Dharma or not.
We don’t need this piece of paper to prove that we are good or not good, qualified or not qualified. Because we all are the students of Dharma whether we know about it or not, are having a teacher or not.
If there is a real ‘certificate’ approved by God or the enlightened one, it will be something invisible without name and form coming from deep inside our heart.
No one else can see this ‘certificate’ with their eyes but they will know it with their heart.
No one else but our own self, always know that whether we are sincere in our own practice, whether we are compassion in sharing this knowledge of Yoga practice with other beings (not out of the ego wants to teach other people for gaining respect and reputation, and getting money to fulfill our selfish worldly desires), whether we are experienced in the path, whether we can share the wonderful Dharma with people who are in painful sorrow and suffering.
A real Yoga practitioner who is detached from name and form doesn’t need to tell everyone that ‘I am a real Yogi’, ‘ I am perfected in Yoga practice’, ‘I am a good Yoga teacher or Dharma teacher’, or ‘I am a qualified and certified Yoga practitioner’.
He is what he is. He does what he needs to do. He doesn’t need any worldly recognition and approval from any organization to spread Dharma.
What is Yoga and Dharma if it is limited by this small piece of paper produced by the worldly minded people in the world of business?
What is enlightenment and wisdom if it is limited by the perception of dualism about qualified or disqualified, certified or non certified?
Everyone are qualified Yoga practitioners from the first moment of existence and are qualified Yoga teachers when they share this knowledge with others out of compassion and sincerity whether they had went to a formal school or Ashram or not, whether they had attained a so called ‘recognized certificate’ or not, but they had know the Truth and they are practicing Yoga sincerely, they know the path and they are selfless and full of wisdom and compassion.
Without wisdom, compassion and sincerity, Yoga classes are just a product of the world of business, physical fitness, physical challenge, competition and empowering the egoism and ignorance.
May we all develop right understanding and achieve real happiness and true freedom in this precious life span.
