attachment

[Guest guest]

Attachment. Yes, it is a human condition. It seems, as Lynne and

others have mentioned, that there is an apparent justifiable need

for it in certain circumstances - parents, partners. It seems. But I

think there is an alternative... loving compassion with non-

attachment. This still allows for the commitment to be caring and

responsible, to have and demonstrate feelings. But from a "clean "

place that won't hold you. Having feelings like sadness, sorrow,

etc. aren't an undermining of our peaceful state and our bliss. The

trick is to keep our identity to the One while still letting the

purified ego play its role.

Patanjali Maharaj said in the Sutras that once we get to that place

of a balanced mind that reflects our True Nature (we are then not

identifying with the temporal being but the Absolute) there are "4

locks and keys" that you can use to keep in that place without

losing your PEACE. Here they are: 1) when you come into the presence

of one who is happy (the lock) be friendly (the key to not get

bumped into a disturbed mental state and losing your peace); 2) when

you are in the presence of one who in unhappy (lock) then be

compassionate, caring (key); when you are there with one being

vituous (lock) take delight in that (key) - this will keep you

steady rather than getting jealous or cynical; and when you are

confronted with one being wicked (lock) disregard it (key). Note

that this is useful to keep the equanimity of mind that has settled

in from your steady practice. Also the last one brings up some

social-minded queries, but needs to be understood properly.

Disreguard does not mean that you ignore or take no action.

Certainly the there may be some action that is the right thing to do

for everyone involved. But disreguard it personally - that means

that you don't take it personally [how could someone treat me or

them like that?! o look what's happaning. o no!!!, etc.] Instead

disreguard the wickedness and look at how the one doing wrong is in

such a bad place. They probably need compassion and prayer at least.

Whoever is being wronged or injured by the wickedness may need

support or help, but that "wickedness" itself is just ignored. Let

it go. That keeps your mind's peaceful state.

Those feelings of I-need-to-care-for-you, protect you that a mother,

friend or spouse might have are the Mother's compassion expressing.

We are supposed to have those feeling. There is a wonderful Bible

story where King David's son is dying. King David is desparate, torn

up, praying, wailing, covering his body in ash and sackcloth. But

once his son died he stopped, cleaned up and pulled it together. His

advisors were confused. They said, "David, now he's dead; why aren't

you upset." David told them that he was sorry, but what use would

such action have at this point. A good example of non-attached

feeling.

jayadeva

[Guest guest]

perhaps non-attachment is also a sort of limitless ideal, like

endless perfection.

 

there are some crazy stories in tibetan buddhism. ardis probably

knows of them. i forget what book they are in. anyway there are

stories like this:

 

this king only would give things away, until his kingdom was

starving. some beggar came and asked for something and there was

nothing left to give. for some reason the circumstances required the

king to give the beggar his arm so that is what he did.

 

or of some lifetime of the buddha's in which he was a giant sea

turtle and he saved the reincarnations of all these flies by letting

them eat the surface of his shell.

 

crazy stories! we don't know what is possible.

 

the funny thing is, intense love of god in all forms seems to be the

overwhelming factor, not avoidance of life, or avoidance of

compassion or love.

 

perhaps the secret is somehwere in that 'giving more than you

receive' of shree maa.

 

s

 

, "Jayadeva" <omjayadeva>

wrote:

> Attachment. Yes, it is a human condition. It seems, as Lynne and

> others have mentioned, that there is an apparent justifiable need

> for it in certain circumstances - parents, partners. It seems. But

I

> think there is an alternative... loving compassion with non-

> attachment. This still allows for the commitment to be caring and

> responsible, to have and demonstrate feelings. But from a "clean "

> place that won't hold you. Having feelings like sadness, sorrow,

> etc. aren't an undermining of our peaceful state and our bliss.

The

> trick is to keep our identity to the One while still letting the

> purified ego play its role.

> Patanjali Maharaj said in the Sutras that once we get to that

place

> of a balanced mind that reflects our True Nature (we are then not

> identifying with the temporal being but the Absolute) there are "4

> locks and keys" that you can use to keep in that place without

> losing your PEACE. Here they are: 1) when you come into the

presence

> of one who is happy (the lock) be friendly (the key to not get

> bumped into a disturbed mental state and losing your peace); 2)

when

> you are in the presence of one who in unhappy (lock) then be

> compassionate, caring (key); when you are there with one being

> vituous (lock) take delight in that (key) - this will keep you

> steady rather than getting jealous or cynical; and when you are

> confronted with one being wicked (lock) disregard it (key). Note

> that this is useful to keep the equanimity of mind that has

settled

> in from your steady practice. Also the last one brings up some

> social-minded queries, but needs to be understood properly.

> Disreguard does not mean that you ignore or take no action.

> Certainly the there may be some action that is the right thing to

do

> for everyone involved. But disreguard it personally - that means

> that you don't take it personally [how could someone treat me or

> them like that?! o look what's happaning. o no!!!, etc.] Instead

> disreguard the wickedness and look at how the one doing wrong is

in

> such a bad place. They probably need compassion and prayer at

least.

> Whoever is being wronged or injured by the wickedness may need

> support or help, but that "wickedness" itself is just ignored. Let

> it go. That keeps your mind's peaceful state.

> Those feelings of I-need-to-care-for-you, protect you that a

mother,

> friend or spouse might have are the Mother's compassion

expressing.

> We are supposed to have those feeling. There is a wonderful Bible

> story where King David's son is dying. King David is desparate,

torn

> up, praying, wailing, covering his body in ash and sackcloth. But

> once his son died he stopped, cleaned up and pulled it together.

His

> advisors were confused. They said, "David, now he's dead; why

aren't

> you upset." David told them that he was sorry, but what use would

> such action have at this point. A good example of non-attached

> feeling.

> jayadeva

[Guest guest]

Dear Jayadeva,

Great post on attachment:

" equanimity of mind " Ah! The elusive quality. So great to have

the advice on the practical effort to put forth.

sadhvi

[Guest guest]

Dear Yogis:

I invite any comments you may have on Attachment. In my opinion, it is good to put effort into non-attachment as it will someday become more and more prevalent until the attachment "quality" becomes so crowed out with feelings of non-attachment that it gets sort of starved out...and eventually will come to you in meditation, bow down and leave. It is like when a disagreeable employee finally leaves.

This does not mean there will be no more doings with things. We are in the world. Jesus and all saints gave and received, and we also shall continue to do so. Yogi Rudy said freedom is not running away from things, it is having things but not being attached to them. I like the idea of being comfortably non-attached.

The best thing is that when attachment is not present, one is really able to love God as the Formless one, since nothing interferes. One can then embrace the Formless...at first like one might hug a big tree. From there, other transformations take place. If the Formless is embraced as a lover, there is love and surrender to the Formless. If the Formless is merged as Beloved, there is more bliss and light, and everything is dissolved, becomes the Formless one. His gifts are many and more than we can fathom, find, or ask for. Wah Hey Guru! Jai Shiva!

Russell

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

this one is hard for me attachment to understand how can anyone be living an ordinary life going to work and living averagely not be attached to something either their job, home, wife, kids something. To me living in america not sure anyone here can be unattached to something somehow. Not like we can go off in the woods like a ascetic and live as a poor person on the streets. This has bothered me for a long time that I had a pull to be an ascetic oor mystic what we use to call them but to be completely unattached was something that was hard to do here. How does one become non attached and still live a normal life in American is my question. I do put my spiritual life over anything even work. so everyday i meditate, pray do chanting etc and reading spiritual books of some sort but do my daily everyday grind of work and daily chores. Am i attached? yes i do feel so especially to my financial security how does one get away from that. I have trusted God to help me when we

almost became homeless before and things do work out i always thought i had help there especially but going thru that mess it has made me more financial cautious so pulling myself away is harder now than before. So my main question is how do you become detached from these attachments of just living ordinary life?

Seshmet

 

 

 

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