Question for Buddhists?

Question

How are you doing on letting go of attatchments? I've been reading a bit about Buddhism, and I think I would find this very hard. Does it get easier as you go along?

Answer 1

Those who follow the path of Zen are not slaves to religious dogma. We understand that the path to enlightenment is a lifelong process. There is no mandate telling us to divest of all attachments. Rather, there are teachings which tell us that suffering is caused by our desires, and attachments to material things are a symptom of our desires which arise from our fears. As we grow spiritually, we move away from fear and desire and place less value on material things.

At no time are we instructed to just up and separate ourselves from our attachments, desires and fears.

If we could all do that, we would all transcend the moment it became possible.

We are human beings, and we must travel our paths to enlightenment.

Answer 2

You are right, getting rid of one's attachments is a crucial point in everybody's life. To throw light on this is not only found in Buddhism but also in major other religious beliefs.

From my own practice I know that it's very hard to do this. It was rather simple for me to let go the eating of meat. I needed a big kick form outside to reduce clinging to wealth and money. And there are some addictions I was not able to overcome since the start of my following the way of the Buddha 10 years ago.

What is the way of letting go? I have been trying to do it by daily meditation. You get acquainted with your mind, the feelings, the thoughts, the dialogs. And you sharpen your impression of what is really necessary for your life.

Then you can as well more clearly see the needs and sorrows of your neighbors and practice compassion. The care for others will certainly help you a lot to get rid of attachments.

Answer 3

I used to fancy myself somewhat Buddhist until I came to Christ. What I know is that letting go of attachments becomes "easier" if you have divine help. On my own steam, I was able to get so far with letting go, but for the true eradication, I needed the help of a living God.

I know you said that this question was "for Buddhists," and I'm not trying to disrespect you. I'm just telling you my experience. My experience is that human nature is not overcome by my human power. How could something human (me) overcome something human (my nature)? It is by turning my life over to God that things in my nature are removed...in God's time.

But if you are walking the Buddhist path for now and wish to stay on it, you can certainly practice detachment from things. It is a long and somewhat involved practice--it doesn't happen overnight. What needs to transpire is that you need to see the ultimate uselessness of what you are attached to, and discern precisely what it is in yourself that is doing the holding on. Things like fear, pride, envy...these are the character traits that do the gripping. You need to work on loosening the hold of such things as fear and pride.

You really need a guide, my friend. It is possible to go it alone (Buddha did), but it is so much better when you have someone guiding you who has gone through the process. But as for "Buddha did," Buddha first gave up everything and then was able to more clearly see what in him was attached. It is hard--though possible--to see what is doing the attaching while you are still attached.

If you want to get on the fast track, do what Buddha did. Go out in the world with nothing but the clothes on your back and a begging bowl, and meditate every day for twelve years.

I'm not kidding, and I'm not being arch. This is precisely what Buddha did, and that is precisely how long it took him.

Answer 4

I admit to being a bit overcivilized. i do enjoy modern amenities, but i know that i can live without them if need be. i've done it. material things are relatively easy to detach from. things are just things. what i find exponentially more difficult, especially as a mother, is contemplating letting go of my relationships with people, specifically my children. i don't think it's really appropriate to let go of them until they're old enough to head out into the world on their own. but even then i anticipate having a tough time with it.

one thing my buddhist explorations are really helping with, though, is letting go of my mother, who died a few months back. i find the buddhist take on death and the continuation of love beyond this life refreshing, elegantly simple, and to a significant degree, comforting.

Answer 5

It probably gets easier.....I didn't become a B and then choose to let go. I just came to the conclusion that it's silly to put so much into inanimate objects.

You know what ..... I think I learned this lesson partly from watching What not to Wear! They're always yelling at people for having sentimental attachments to ugly t-shirts. Buy a postcard, they cry!

Anyway, while I'm not doing anything actively to remain unattached, I'm fairly confident that should my house burn down, I wouldn't overly mourn the loss of my photo albums.

Answer 6

Yeah I too found it very difficult. Indian meditation should help you.Bhagwatgita is also a very good book, you should find something in it. However, desire to get rid of attachments is also an attatchment.

Answer 7

Start by small things. If you like checking your email every 2 hours , reduce it to once a day. If you have a chocolate twice a week , make it once a week. Kepp on reducing it till you find you are keeping or doing things you actually need to do or keep

Answer 8

It is very difficult for anyone to free themselves of attachments. Some are easier than others.

Answer 9

Definition: Exaggerated not wanting to be separated from someone or something. (Exact opposite of Aversion) Because the label of "pleasant" is very relative and based upon limited information, Attachment includes an aspect of exaggeration or "projection".
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The following antidotes can be applied throughout daily life, but are profound meditation exercises as well.
ANTIDOTE 1 - Observe Yourself: Do I exaggerate positive qualities of things I am attached to, are they really worth all my troubles? Is it really worth to work hard for days, weeks or months to have an hour of fun?
ANTIDOTE 2 - Use Your Inner Wisdom: Discover how exaggerated attachment is and how desire works against oneself. Try to be wiser than the monkey and let go of the candy to be free.
ANTIDOTE 3 - Reflect on the Unsatisfactory Nature of Existence. This is also called the First Noble Truth. How much fun is fun really, and how much is it forgetting the pain? Do desires ever stop or is it an endless job to fulfil them?
ANTIDOTE 4 - Reflect on Impermanence. How important is the person or object: everything will end someday, people die, things break.
ANTIDOTE 5 - Reflect on the Problems of Attachment. Lying in the sun is great, but it quickly leads to sunburn. Eating nice food is great, but it leads to indigestion and obesity. Driving around in big cars is great, but how long do I have to work to enjoy this?
ANTIDOTE 6 - Reflect on bodily attraction (lust for sex). Loving someone is great, but what happens when the "honeymoon-days" are over? But what is the body really? What more is it than a skin bag filled with bones, flesh, disgusting organs and fluids?
ANTIDOTE 7 - Reflect on the Results of Attachment. Greed and craving lead to stealing and all kinds of crime, including war. Addiction to alcohol and drugs are simply forms of strong craving; they destroy the addict and the surroundings. Uncontrolled lust leads to sexual abuse. The feeling of greed, craving and lust in themselves can be easily seen as forms of suffering.
ANTIDOTE 8 - Reflect on Death. What are all objects of attachment worth at "the moment of truth" or death?
ANTIDOTE 9 - Emptiness. The ultimate antidote to attachment and all other negative emotions is the realisation of emptiness, see more in the page on Wisdom.
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From a Buddha's point of view this is exactly what sentient beings do all the time; holding themselves prisoner with their attachment to temporary pleasures and life itself.

"Let me tell you about the middle path. Dressing in rough and dirty garments, letting your hair grow matted, abstaining from eating any meat or fish, does not cleanse the one who is deluded. Mortifying the flesh through excessive hardship does not lead to a triumph over the senses. All self-inflicted suffering is useless as long as the feeling of self is dominent.

You should lose your involvement with yourself and then eat and drink naturally, according to the needs of your body. Attachment to your appetites - whether you deprive or indulge them - can lead to slavery, but satisfying the needs of daily life is not wrong. Indeed, to keep a body in good health is a duty, for otherwise the mind will not stay strong and clear."
From Discourses II

Answer 10

When the Buddha announced his impending exit from the sphere of mortality, his dear disciple Ananda burst into tears. “Lord, you have been the polestar of our spiritual path so far. Whom should we contact for guidance and higher instructions when you will not be there in the land of the living?” he asked.

The Buddha replied: Atmadeepo bhava - Be light unto yourself.

Your wavering, questioning self must be silenced at the still point of concentrated consciousness. Amidst the darkness of worldly delusion only the emanation of radiance from within - like the full moon - can bring enlightenment. Guru Purnima symbolises emanation of inner illumination, the awakening of the sleeping Buddha within.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna advised his dear disciple Arjuna: “Lift yourself up with the help of your self ”. You are your best friend, philosopher and guide, at the same time you can be your worst enemy as well. Arjuna was never advised to seek refuge in a guru. Rather, he was advised to rise above all religious rituals and seek refuge in Him, the embodiment of eternal Being, the pure Consciousness, and real Self behind the apparent ripples of delusion.

The concept of seeking the light within is perfectly in tune with scientific spirituality. Whenever we sincerely seek intuitive guidance from within we create a magnetic pool to attract the requisite energy vibrations of infinite potentiality hidden within us. Each soul is potentially divine and we need to awaken this divinity through concentrated efforts and continuous aspiration. This is spirituality. No one else can make us gain the same; we need to source it from inside.

In the Mahabharata, when Dronacharya refused to accept Eklavya as his disciple, the boy made an image of Dronacharya and started practising archery in front of the image. Consequently, he mastered the art of archery as good as Arjuna who was the best direct disciple of Dronacharya, through assiduous practice and intuitive skills. The secret lies in intense aspiration leading to requisite release of the potential hidden within through the psychology of faith in a guru despite the physical absence of the guru in the learning process.

Aurobindo had an experience in cosmic consciousness due to his intense aspiration and soul searching. He never had a guru. Although he received instructions on yoga from Bhaskar Lele, he never accepted him as his guru and his teachings did not lead him to self-realisation.

A true guru can be instrumental in transformation of our ego into divine self and release of divine consciousness through the mechanism of faith. But the dogmatic claim of the essentiality of a guru in the spiritual path falls apart on closer scrutiny. The life of the Buddha, Christ, Ramakrishna, Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi and others bear ample testimony to the fact. Guru Purnima, therefore, is an occasion for awakening of our inner illumination in full beam for manifestation of the divinity already within us.