Life
is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through.
Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it.
This is a kind of death.
(Anais Nin)
Desire
Everyone experiences desire.
Desire is what happens when you want what attracts you.
Many religions speak of desire as being a bad thing... yet if you 'fight'
desire, you have not stopped desiring at all.
You have simply realised that you desire but
pretend
not to, and this is merely a deceit.
Possession
Getting what you desire is not necessarily harmful in itself.
The suffering occurs when you seek to
own your object
of desire.
There is little in life that can and should be possessed - even our bodies
wither and fade in time.
If we can see the truth of this,
possession seems illusory.
We simply experience things for a time and then life moves on;
nothing can be held forever.
Attachment
Attachment extends beyond people and objects.
You can be attached to habits, opinions, ideas and places.
Or even the use of physical tension.
An attachment is anything that you get caught up with and refuse to let-go.
Detachment
Attraction and desire will happen whether you want them to or not,
but possession is another matter entirely.
Suffering occurs when you want to keep the object of your desire and find
that you cannot.
If you realise that you possess nothing, you become
detached.
There is an immense freedom in
letting-go of your need to own
and
control.
You feel more capable of
living for the moment, of seeing an opportunity and acting upon
it.
Detachment is not a loss of passion or feeling; it is the ability to be
passionate and
creative
without the
illusion
of ownership or permanence.
Page created 5 February 2001