Practicing Non-Attachment By Dr. Puja Shah, RYT
Practicing Non-Attachment By Dr. Puja Shah, RYT
“One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.” -Bhagavad-Gita 5.10 Non-attachment, is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened consciousness. It is a concept that occurs in many eastern philosophies of religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Taoism. The Buddha taught that seeing oneself and everything else this way is a delusion. Further, it is a delusion that is the deepest cause of our unhappiness. It is because we mistakenly see ourselves as separate from everything else that we "attach."
A Zen Buddhist teacher, John Daido Loori, said, “According to the Buddhist point of view, nonattachment is exactly the opposite of separation. You need two things in order to have attachment: the thing you’re attaching to, and the person who’s attaching. In nonattachment, on the other hand, there’s unity. There’s unity because there’s nothing to attach to. If you have unified with the whole universe, there’s nothing outside of you, so the notion of attachment becomes absurd. Who will attach to what?" You may even relate to this. Many of us may know people or have in times in our lives pursued happiness because we thought it was something outside of us. But it what is inside allowing the unity, the idea that there are not answers or attachments that matter outside, but rather inside. Seeing through the delusion of separation means we no longer give "external things" the power to make us miserable. The ideal is equanimity, free from the compulsion to chase what we want and run from what we don't want. Most of the time, we don't see little personal freedom we really have. Our culture tells us that it's good to acquire things like material possession and fame, so there's nothing wrong with desiring and pursuing them. We don't see how much of our lives are eaten up in a vain pursuit of things we think will make us happy. And when we acquire those things, we don't stay happy for long before we start chasing something else. And how much of our lives are eaten up with anxiety over the things we think we have to have to make us happy? Worrying about something you've lost is attachment. Disappointment is attachment. What we think will make us happy can also make us miserable. Ancient Jainism holds non-attachment as one of it’s five great vows, (Maha-vratas), called Aparigraha. They believe that the more outer wealth a person possesses, the more he is likely to commit sin to acquire and maintain that possession, and in the long scheme of life, he would be unhappy. The worlds has many attachments, which in turn result in greed, jealousy, selfishness, ego, hatred and even violence. Even in Buddhism, it is discussed in The Four Noble Truths. The Buddhist four noble truths are: 1. 2. 3. 4.
The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, unsatisfactoriness) The truth of the origin of dukkha The truth of the cessation of dukkha The truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha What is the nature of dukkha?
Dukkha is commonly translated as “suffering”, “anxiety”, “unsatisfactoriness”, “unease”, etc., and it is said to have the following three aspects: I. The physical and mental suffering associated with birth, growing old, illness and dying. II. The anxiety or stress of trying to hold on to things that are in constantly change. III. A basic unhappiness pervading all forms of existence, due to the fact that all forms of life are changing, impermanent and without any inner core or substance. On this level, the term indicates a lack of satisfaction, a sense that things never measure up to our expectations or standards. The central importance of dukkha in Buddhist philosophy has given Buddhism to hold a “pessimistic” viewpoint. But the real theory and emphasis on dukkha is not intended to present a pessimistic view of life, but rather to present a realistic practical assessment of the universal human condition. It involves the idea that all beings must experience suffering and pain at some point in their lives, including the inevitable main
sufferings of illness, aging, and death. Realizing this non-attachment is not as easy as we would like it to be. It's not a matter of going to a yoga retreat and being released from anxiety the rest of your life. it's a practice that requires giving up ideas about rewards, or escaping to a better place. It’s in knowing that other side, the better place is right here, and the reward is already yours. Truly realizing this is non-attachment. So should we all move to a monastery and “unattach” ourselves? There's nothing wrong with striving to accomplish and having goals or visions, nothing wrong with making life-long friends, or pouring your love into your spouse and children. Even the Buddha himself spent his life after his enlightenment associating with people and teaching them as students. Non-attachment does not require an extreme asceticism or completely shunning human contact. It is achievable in modern day without turning to a monastery. Non-attachment comes from the wisdom that nothing is truly separate. And it is regarded as a separation. The meditation teacher and author Dr. Tara Brach, rarely uses the term “non-attachment.” She refers to “non-separation.” Since, for attachment to occur, there must be separation between self and other. “In realizing non-separation,” she says, “we come home to our primordial and true nature.” The best approach to separation, may be day to day. This can include accepting a moment for what it is, believing what you have in your now is enough, finding your own self worth, letting go of fear and control. Author Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha writes: “When you stop trying to grasp, own, and control the world around you, you give it the freedom to fulfill you without the power to destroy you. That’s why letting go is so important: letting go is letting happiness in.” Because, in the end, just three things matter: “How well we have lived How well we have loved How well we have learned to let go.” –Jack Kornfield
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detachment_(philosophy) http://www.tarabrach.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/5greatvows.htm
“One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.” -Bhagavad-Gita 5.10 Non-attachment, is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened consciousness. It is a concept that occurs in many eastern philosophies of religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Taoism. The Buddha taught that seeing oneself and everything else this way is a delusion. Further, it is a delusion that is the deepest cause of our unhappiness. It is because we mistakenly see ourselves as separate from everything else that we "attach."
A Zen Buddhist teacher, John Daido Loori, said, “According to the Buddhist point of view, nonattachment is exactly the opposite of separation. You need two things in order to have attachment: the thing you’re attaching to, and the person who’s attaching. In nonattachment, on the other hand, there’s unity. There’s unity because there’s nothing to attach to. If you have unified with the whole universe, there’s nothing outside of you, so the notion of attachment becomes absurd. Who will attach to what?" You may even relate to this. Many of us may know people or have in times in our lives pursued happiness because we thought it was something outside of us. But it what is inside allowing the unity, the idea that there are not answers or attachments that matter outside, but rather inside. Seeing through the delusion of separation means we no longer give "external things" the power to make us miserable. The ideal is equanimity, free from the compulsion to chase what we want and run from what we don't want. Most of the time, we don't see little personal freedom we really have. Our culture tells us that it's good to acquire things like material possession and fame, so there's nothing wrong with desiring and pursuing them. We don't see how much of our lives are eaten up in a vain pursuit of things we think will make us happy. And when we acquire those things, we don't stay happy for long before we start chasing something else. And how much of our lives are eaten up with anxiety over the things we think we have to have to make us happy? Worrying about something you've lost is attachment. Disappointment is attachment. What we think will make us happy can also make us miserable. Ancient Jainism holds non-attachment as one of it’s five great vows, (Maha-vratas), called Aparigraha. They believe that the more outer wealth a person possesses, the more he is likely to commit sin to acquire and maintain that possession, and in the long scheme of life, he would be unhappy. The worlds has many attachments, which in turn result in greed, jealousy, selfishness, ego, hatred and even violence. Even in Buddhism, it is discussed in The Four Noble Truths. The Buddhist four noble truths are: 1. 2. 3. 4.
The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, unsatisfactoriness) The truth of the origin of dukkha The truth of the cessation of dukkha The truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha What is the nature of dukkha?
Dukkha is commonly translated as “suffering”, “anxiety”, “unsatisfactoriness”, “unease”, etc., and it is said to have the following three aspects: I. The physical and mental suffering associated with birth, growing old, illness and dying. II. The anxiety or stress of trying to hold on to things that are in constantly change. III. A basic unhappiness pervading all forms of existence, due to the fact that all forms of life are changing, impermanent and without any inner core or substance. On this level, the term indicates a lack of satisfaction, a sense that things never measure up to our expectations or standards. The central importance of dukkha in Buddhist philosophy has given Buddhism to hold a “pessimistic” viewpoint. But the real theory and emphasis on dukkha is not intended to present a pessimistic view of life, but rather to present a realistic practical assessment of the universal human condition. It involves the idea that all beings must experience suffering and pain at some point in their lives, including the inevitable main
sufferings of illness, aging, and death. Realizing this non-attachment is not as easy as we would like it to be. It's not a matter of going to a yoga retreat and being released from anxiety the rest of your life. it's a practice that requires giving up ideas about rewards, or escaping to a better place. It’s in knowing that other side, the better place is right here, and the reward is already yours. Truly realizing this is non-attachment. So should we all move to a monastery and “unattach” ourselves? There's nothing wrong with striving to accomplish and having goals or visions, nothing wrong with making life-long friends, or pouring your love into your spouse and children. Even the Buddha himself spent his life after his enlightenment associating with people and teaching them as students. Non-attachment does not require an extreme asceticism or completely shunning human contact. It is achievable in modern day without turning to a monastery. Non-attachment comes from the wisdom that nothing is truly separate. And it is regarded as a separation. The meditation teacher and author Dr. Tara Brach, rarely uses the term “non-attachment.” She refers to “non-separation.” Since, for attachment to occur, there must be separation between self and other. “In realizing non-separation,” she says, “we come home to our primordial and true nature.” The best approach to separation, may be day to day. This can include accepting a moment for what it is, believing what you have in your now is enough, finding your own self worth, letting go of fear and control. Author Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha writes: “When you stop trying to grasp, own, and control the world around you, you give it the freedom to fulfill you without the power to destroy you. That’s why letting go is so important: letting go is letting happiness in.” Because, in the end, just three things matter: “How well we have lived How well we have loved How well we have learned to let go.” –Jack Kornfield
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detachment_(philosophy) http://www.tarabrach.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/5greatvows.htm
