Cultivating Detachment - Page 2
But Isn't It Natural to be Attached?
Some might argue that because we are emotional beings, it is "only natural" that we become
emotionally attached. Furthermore, individuals who have achieved sufficient evolvement to exemplify the nonattached
life are few and far between, if they exist at all. Without such conspicuous role models, how can we, social
creatures that we are, be expected to approach life in a nonattached way? When viewed in these terms, the ideal of
involved nonattachment seems too lofty and unrealistic.
It is certainly true that attachment to people, places, situations, plans, ideas, ideals,
emotional states, beliefs and comfort zones is, by default, a pervasive societal norm. This makes attachment seem quite
natural. But it is also "natural" for the spiritually awakened person to eventually begin to see, through direct
experience, the greater truths that lie beyond cultural norms.
One of those greater truths is that earthly life and all of its glorious periphernalia
are impermanant. And that nothing in this world really belongs to us and never did. All people, places and
things are merely on loan from the "cosmic lending library."
If we examine the nature of attachment and nonattachment, it becomes clear that the more anchored
we are in our personal attachments, the more we will suffer when they are removed; and conversely, the fewer things we are
attached to, the freer from suffering we are. Liberation from suffering means greater happiness and the ability to choose
how we relate to life's situations.
Typically, when we begin to understand that working with detachment frees the mind to cruise,
sometimes even soar, at higher altitudes, we begin to take it upon ourselves to cultivate nonattachment.
Transitioning from a stance of attachment to detachment doesn't always go smoothly. It can be quite awkward
in fact, and difficult to apply broadly and consistently to all facets of day-to-day living. Yet there are some specific
strategies we can use to make the process easier and more effective. What follows are some strategies that are useful to
me in my process. Perhaps you will find them to be helpful as well.
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