Detachment And Human Life
Leading A Life Of Detachment
Fulfill your duty, O warrior, the outcome never mind,
When the heart is at work, true peace, you shall find.
Bhagavad Gita And Detachment
Detachment plays an essential role in finding peace, stability, and happiness in life. The Bhagavad Gita preaches us to remain detached from worldly possessions and still carry on our duties, our karma. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna:
“A person who has no desire for sense gratification, who lives free of desires, who has given up all the sense for controls and proprietorship, and is egoless, can alone attain ultimate peace.” — Bhagavad Gita
Desire is Iccha in Sanskrit, and it is considered to be of the greatest Shaktis (or powers). According to Vedanta, human beings have three main powers in life. These are Iccha (willpower), gyāna(knowledge), and kriya(action). Among these three, desire is considered to be one of the most significant powers. Willpower helps in controlling our desires, making better decisions, living a virtuous life, and achieving virtuous goals in our life.
“There is but one life, one world, one existence.”
According to the Vedanta philosophy, we shouldn’t see the material and the spiritual world separately. They are the same. We are one with the universe. We need to live in the material world without tying our emotions with the delusion of material existence. That is the essence of detachment.
Buddhism And Detachment
“The root of suffering is attachment.” — Buddha
The main aim of Buddhism is to end dukkha. Attachment to material objects leads to expectation. More often than not, our expectations keep on ballooning. When you were a child, you wanted a bicycle or candy. When you grew up, you wanted a great career, a big house, a big car, and a happy relationship. There is no end to the expectations that we have in our life. When our expectations are not met, we become sad and depressed. We must remember that all material objects are impermanent.
Buddhism teaches the principle of “non-attachment.” It means that you need not be attached to material objects. To remain connected with the world and still be detached, you need to practice the art of meditation. Meditation helps improve focus, become content and be present. If you are attending, you will be focused on the actions rather than the outcomes. When you are focused on the inputs than the outputs, you start to move away from the causes of suffering. The pain of a loss or the pleasure of a victory can make you angry, selfish, or egoist. However, if you find happiness in work itself, there is a high probability that you will find the path to live segregated from the dukkha.
A free mind is laser focussed on the process and enjoys it over the results. Indeed, the results are never in our control. The world we live in is a very complex world with many demons in it. It is hard to control the final result of our journeys. However, the inputs that we put into our work can make us better for our effort. We can then use the experience we gain to help others begin similar journeys and help them find success.
Distinction Between Detachment And Renunciation
It is essential to understand the distinction between detachment and complete renunciation. While a monk will give up worldly affairs and lead their lives in total isolation, a detached being will carry out his actions without being attached to the results.
We all have a set of desires that we wish to pursue in our day-to-day lives. While renunciation can help us de-couple ourselves with those desires, it forces us to forgo our duties. These may include obligations to our parents, children, friends, or society at large. Detachment, on the other hand, is a philosophy in life where you remain unattached. It closely resembles how the Stoics approached their lives. While the emergence of desires is a human construct and the Maya of life binds us, our response to them is controlled. It means that being engrossed in the process can lead to detachment when you are on your journey. However, repeatedly think about the outcome and the wealth or status that will lead you to your material attachment.
Strategies To Become Detached
- Meditate.
- Focus on actions over goals.
- Practice the art of giving.
- Be Positive.
Cheers,
Ravi.
About Ravi
Ravi is a poet, innovator, and entrepreneur. Ravi got a degree from IIT and Princeton University and lived in Bangalore and California, working at various software startups. He is the author of Be Buddha and regularly blogs at Ravi’s Blog.
