Attachment

‘Birds fly
away and leave the nest deserted

Such is the
short-lived friendship soul and body share’

G. U. Pope

1.    We are all
attached to our family, work and environment –including the way we live. More
than our work we are attached to the result of our work – efforts. We are
attached to our resources including money and spend enormous effort in
protecting our resources and persons we are attached to, especially family and
friends. Above all, we are attached to our selves – this mind-body complex. In
other words, ‘attachment’ is an emotion and a very strong one. It binds us and
at times blinds us. Attachment is bare and lacks pretensions. Yet, it is
attachment that spurs us into action and we achieve our aims and goals in life
– action with attachment means success.

2.1  On the other
hand, our saints have singled out ‘attachment’ as the root cause of all human
suffering. Hence it is rightly said that `attachment and pride’ are the
intrinsic cause of unhappiness.

2.2  Attachment is
said to have six arms : desire, anger, greed, jealousy, arrogance and delusion.
Hence, these six arms together or any one of them generate worry and
insecurity. Attachment creates fear of loss as loss in inevitable even in love
and marriage is destined by death and even otherwise.

2.3  Brahma Kumaris
believe : Attachment keeps one entangled in the web of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ and the
need to hold on to whatever one is attached to. This makes one selfish, petty
and narrow-minded.

2.4  Our inability
to let go of ‘me and mine’ is the genesis of all attachment. Hence, remove the
thorn of ‘attachment’ to experience happiness. Let us reckon and realise that
‘attachment’ generates restlessness whereas detachment brings in calm – as it
converts one into an observer – an observer who observes but has no reactions.

3.    Attachment is
also an illusion, because the fact of life is ‘one comes alone and goes alone’.
However, the irony is, one lives life in attachment – hence one enjoys and
suffers because of attachment to people, objects, wealth and above all one’s
thoughts. The antidote to attachment is detachment – that is – being attached
minus the sense of ownership.

4.1  ‘The real question
is : can one work without attachment ! That is, there is no reaction whether
one succeeds or fails. In other words, one works for work’s sake without caring
for the results. It needs to reckoned and realised that one should not be
attached even to one’s duty – treat duty as action without expectation of even
‘thank you’.

4.2  One needs to
realise: attachment is based on expectations whereas detachment leads to
acceptance resulting in peace of mind making life pleasant. Detach, observe and
enjoy the games mind plays.

4.3  The issue is:
can this equanimity be achieved !

4.4  The answer is
yes. Dare to dream your way out of attachment – dream during day and night and
above all pray to live a life of ‘attachment with detachment’ and it will
happen. Saints live their lives in this manner, they love and serve humanity
with detachment. Jesus loved with detachment. Ram ruled with detachment – Raja
Janak is often quoted as an example who lived and ruled with attachment coupled
with detachment. Krishna preaches to Arjun to perform his duty – fight the war
– with detachment to the result.

4.5  Enjoy wealth,
comfort, fame and above all this ‘mind-body complex’ but to have peace be
detached to all these because detachment is the only antidote to attachment and
suffering.

5.1 Detachment is to
accept everything that comes without being emotional and believe implicitly in
what Adi Shankracharaya advises :

u  All that has happened has
happened for the best

u  All that is happening is
happening for the best

u  All that will happen will happen
for the best.