Blog by Lata Advani Viseu
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
So many of life’s challenges and suffering come from our attachments, yet letting go of results, material possessions, and people is difficult for most people.
We all want to be happy and avoid getting hurt, yet we constantly put ourselves in situations that set us up for pain.
We bank our happiness on other people or on material possessions and hang on to them for dear life afraid of losing them.
When there is a loss, a breakup, death, we feel helpless and get caught up in grief.
The job that you gave years of your life to suddenly is gone or the person you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with is no longer there for you.
Fires, natural disasters, wars can all change you and break you or make you stronger. It is in those moments you realize what is important to you. When you lose everything beyond your control, the suffering is immense.
When you make a conscious choice not to be attached to anything…because as we all know, nothing lasts forever, it can be freeing.
When you live in fear, regret, or are afraid of disappointments, you allow the outside world to control your life. If you let go of control, you let happiness in and detach from the outcome.
Reaching that state of being is challenging because during our younger and prime years, we are preoccupied with accumulating. As we grow older, we start to recognize the fragility and impermanence of everything in life.
The sense of freedom that arises from living in the present, savouring each moment without clinging to it, and knowing it will eventually pass but that you’ll be okay, is truly a wonderful feeling.
“The root of suffering is attachment.” — Buddha
“If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.” – Lao Tzu
“Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.” – Dalai Lama
“A burning passion coupled with absolute detachment is the key to all success.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Detachment does not mean non-involvement. You can be deeply involved but not entangled.” – Jaggi Vasudev
www.mindvasana.com