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May all find the teacher within to guide oneself towards unconditional love and peace

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Non-attachment?

Non-attachment doesn't mean that we cannot have or shouldn't have or don't want to have possession of things or don't perform any actions. It is not about running away from our duty and responsibility, or runaway from the world and our problems.

We can have things or perform a lots of actions in our life, but we do not attached to the fruit of action and without craving and clinging towards the things that we have or don't have. When these things changed or disappeared due to impermanence, we are fine and are not being disturbed or affected by the loss of the things that we have had and liked.

We can have the desire to want to have things or want to perform actions. But when we are not able to get what we want or do the things that we want to do, we are fine and are not being disturbed or affected by all these "not what we want" happenings.

We can have relationships, family, children, friends, material belongings, property, career, job title, social status, wealth, health, beauty, knowledge, and etc. But our confidence and happiness do not come from or based on all these things. When all these things changed or disappeared, we are able to let go and are not being disturbed or affected by it. We are still who we are and are confident and happy.

The real non-attachment is about not attached to our mind and whatever the mind perceives through the senses. We don't attached to what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. We remain undisturbed, unaffected and not being influenced by all the names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses. We treat all these names and forms equally, remain equanimous and at peace, being aware of all the names and forms but not being affected by them.

We think that if we let go of all our relationships, our family and friends, our material belongings, our job or career, our property, our social status, our wealth, health, beauty and knowledge, and etc, we will be free, or care free and be happy. We don't want to have anything to do with all these "things" and "people", and live alone in the secluded cave and do nothing. We don't want to have any duties or responsibilities. We don't want to perform any actions (good or bad) because we think that if we stop performing actions, then we won't create any cause and effect or good and bad karma for us to be reborn again and again. But the truth doesn't happen like this. It still doesn't and cannot free us from ignorance and attachment, the cause of suffering.

It's because we are still attached to the mind, the ego, the likes and dislikes, the wants and don't wants, the craving and aversion, the duality of good and bad qualities, and are still being disturbed or affected or influenced by whatever the mind perceives through the senses of what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. We are affected very much by the duality of good and bad, positive and negative, pleasant and unpleasant, likes and dislikes, success and failure, praise and censure, heat and cold, birth and death, happiness and suffering, and etc...

This mind and the ego is still here with us even though we are alone by our own self and possess nothing.


We are constantly being controlled by the likes and dislikes about what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. We get unhappy and frustrated when we don't get what we like and are getting what we don't like, or when we lost what we like and couldn't get rid of what we don't like. Our mind is constantly being agitated and disturbed by this likes and dislikes. There is no peacefulness and stillness in the mind to allow wisdom to arise.

Even though we live alone and not seeing or being with anyone, not doing anything, the mind is still constantly having unceasing activities going on in it every moment. We are being disturbed by our own thoughts, feelings and sensations in the mind even if we are alone, don't perform any "actions" and not having any possessions in life. The mind, the ego and its activities are the only things that we really need to let go and not attached to.

There is no progress in our yoga practice (yoga asana practice, pranayama, meditation, study of the scriptures, reading a lots of books on philosophy, chanting, restricting our possessions and worldly activities, move away from worldly companies of men and women, eating vegetarian, doing karma yoga and etc...) if we are still attached strongly to the mind and are identified with the mind, associate with the activities in the mind, constantly react towards what the ego likes and dislikes, wants and doesn't want, the craving and aversion, and constantly being disturbed, affected and influenced by what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, and get angry, upset, jealous, arrogant, frustrated, irritated, dissatisfied, disappointed, anxious, depressed, aggressive, fear and worry all the time. Being influenced by the never ending cravings and clinging in the mind. And have no peace in the mind at all.

Real yoga practice is about non-attachment. Real non-attachment will lead us to our true Self, the unconditional love, peace, compassion and wisdom.

Real non-attachment happens in the mind. Not at the surface or from the appearance of how we are, what we do and don't do. Never judge a person from the appearance. A person can be non-moving, the body being stilled and speechless, but the mind can be full of activities and impurities. A person can be moving all the time, the body is in motion and are speaking, but the mind can be calmed, concentrated, being at the present and free from impurities.

Not being attached to the impurities that arise in the mind from moment to moment. Not react towards anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, lustful desires, arrogance, frustration, irritation, aggression, depression, anxiety, fear and worry, and etc, and let them go without craving or aversion, without judgment. Know that all these impurities are momentary. They are subject to changes and impermanence. They arise, they stay, they change and they will pass away eventually. They are not us and they don't belong to us. This is real non-attachment.

If we really know who we really are, we will know that the mind is just the mind, the ego is just the ego, impurities are just impurities, they have no power to influence us for our actions or non-actions. That is truly freedom. That is real non-attachment. Out of compassion, selflessly, without intentions or expectations, we perform all actions or are not performing any actions. It is beyond action and action-less.

May all be free and be happy. Be truly happy because our true Self is beyond the mind and the ego, beyond all the names and forms, beyond the state of good feelings, calmness and peacefulness that come from our yoga practice and non-attachment. The Self is whole, full, content and complete.

Be free from all the pleasant and unpleasant sensations, good and bad feelings, positive and negative thoughts, happiness and unhappiness. Throw away the craving and aversion. Enjoy and appreciate the present moment now without attachment, clinging, craving and aversion.

Accept ourselves as we are, at the present moment now, this is the condition of the body and the mind, this is where we are, this is what we are doing and not doing, this is what we can do and cannot do, this is what we know and don't know, this is the condition of our life, and this is the condition of the world that we are living in. But at the same time, allow changes, evolution and improvement to happen. Without fear and worry, without intention and expectation. We will be free from the conditions that come from our own mind.

We are who we are. We are not "this", we are not "that", we are not "not this" or "not that". I am who I am. Everything is just being what it is. The mind is just being what it is. The world is just being what it is.

Om shanti.

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Know thyself. Everything is impermanent and selfless. There is no 'I'. There is no 'I am selfless'/'I am not selfless'. There is no 'I am hurt'/'I need to be healed from hurt'. Non-blind believing, non-blind following, non-blind practicing and non-blind propagating, but be open-minded to inquire the truth of everything. Be free. Be peaceful. Be happy.

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