[ramakrishna] Digest Number 416

[Guest guest]

I wish to respond to Anurag's thoughts on attachment and detachment

 

I think as human beings it is not feasible for us to practice either attachment

or detachment alone - This will lead to difficulties. Attachment creates misery

while detachment means we cannot achieve success in this world. What we then

need is a sense of detached attachment.

 

Looking at the life of all great people the one common denominator seems to be

their passion and attachment to their cause - Swamiji's passion for the cause of

India and her regeneration being a good example. Thus for success we need

intense passion and involvement in what we do. At the same time Swamiji was

intensely detached from the results of his efforts - He was not worried if his

efforts did not bear fruit or get upset about it.

 

One principle that I can take from his life's work seems to be " Be attached

intensely to my process - This commitment/involvement is a pre requisite for

success in what ever I do. At the same time be intensely detached from the

results - That way I avoid misery even if my efforts are not fruitful "

 

As Anurag says what every one looks for is happiness. Attaching oneself to the

result, one is guaranteed to experience misery some time or the other (when

things don't go our way) and this kills our happiness.

 

I think this is unnecessary because we somehow equate misery as the opposite of

happiness. But I think happiness does not have an opposite - It is ONE. I want

to make a distinction between pleasure and happiness and claim that pleasure is

the opposite of misery and not happiness.

 

The distinction between pleasure and happiness I make is that pleasure is

" Outside In " where as happiness is " Inside out " . Anything we get through our

senses is Outside in and produces pleasure in the beginning but misery in the

end - How many times have we found the first drink being so enjoyable but by the

time we are on to our 5th it ends up in vomitting and pain! - and so it seems

with every other enjoyment.

 

The solution then it seems to me to be that we should not forgo our pleasures

but enjoy pleasures with the realisation that they are pleasures and not

Happiness. This way we know that excess pleasure always leads to misery in the

end.

 

I think this lack of realisation experientially- on the difference between

pleasure and happiness is what keeps on driving us to seek pleasures again and

again in this world - in the VAIN HOPE THAT THE next set of pleasures will

somehow bring me HAPPINESS

 

Best regards and love,

Sreedhar T. Bharath