If you think of me, these orders will go easy for you. Yoga means control, which is more difficult than cutting off your arms and giving up your eye! When Christ said give your other cheek to be slapped, it means control. But the world thinks that if you get slapped and don't get excited, you are either a coward or shameless. Innocent and fair criticism does not hurt and is good, but it is quite rare. What I mean by talking ill of others is when you criticize and it hurts; it hurts when you criticize excitedly, out of anger. When you criticize with love and kindness, how can it hurt?
Gautama Buddha gave twelve orders to his circle members, the first of which was to guard against looking at a woman. He meant for none of his disciples to risk being enveloped in lust in the slightest, and to be saved by not even looking at any woman. He knew that this would give rise to one weakness in his disciples — of always being nervous when in the company of women — but Buddha knew that this weakness was better than the risk.
Any remark or criticism that does not hurt is good. Make fun, joke, humor, but don't hurt anyone and talk back. If you point out the shortcomings of others lovingly, without any feeling of hate or animosity, it is all right. Even arguing with love is permitted. Try your utmost to help me, which you can do by acting according to my wish. Sacrifice your sweet habit of hurting others. Fight to overcome lust, anger and greed. To control is not to do that which you have been used to doing.
As my work is based on my own supreme sacrifice, these sacrifices of yours will make it easy. If you fail once, do not give up but try again. If you succeed once, you will have helped me a lot. If you fail nine times and win once, that too helps. If a man feels hot, is feverish, is hungry or is ill, he gets excited and angry. If you have a toothache, you are more apt to become excited about something than otherwise. Compared to a toothache, lust, anger and greed are most horrible diseases. Try to free yourselves from them.