Then David Ike's short videos on reality who I agree with apart from the lizards and the moon theory.
Understanding
the Difference Between Non-Attachment and Detachment
By Elle -
11/06/2016 5 42
The teachings of
non-attachment shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of love or
compassion.
It’s often
mistaken as detachment, which is something altogether different.
Non-attachment is
essentially a practice of presence and mindfulness. It is not
allowing your sense of wellbeing to rely upon anything other than
your own presence of awareness. It means to be in the world, but not
of the world.
Detachment however,
means to distance oneself from the world out of total disinterest.
It’s an aloofness that separates oneself from the rest of the
world. Essentially, it is escapism—which is a form of suffering.
A practice of
non-attachment however, doesn’t affect how you appreciate, love,
admire and enjoy life. It simply means that your happiness is no
longer defined by anything outside of you. In other words, you remain
free.
The question is
often asked, “How does the practice of non-attachment affect one’s
personal relationships?” It improves them, greatly.
A non-attached
relationship is healthy, strong and filled with effortless love,
kindness and compassion. In other words, it is totally selfless
because your sense of ‘self’ is no longer inserted into every
situation. You are no longer self-centered or selfish, and you become
single-pointed in your awareness of the other person. Love and
intimacy isn’t diminished in the least, in fact, it becomes even
more intensely focussed—but you no longer self-identity with it, as
it, or through it.
Non-attached love is
pure and present. If you allow your sense of self to be emotionally
swayed by everything that appears to you—including all people,
places, perceptions, thoughts, sensations, events, experiences, and
all seeming things—then your emotions will forever be riding a
roller-coaster of ups and downs.
You will be a
pendulum that forever swings between joy and disaster.
It must be
understood that your sense of wellbeing is always based upon whatever
you allow yourself to become emotionally attached to.
When you become
attached to something your happiness is based on a duality, and it
will be relative (impermanent). You will define yourself by the
outside world, rather than with your true inner nature. But if you
remain un-attached to the things you experience, then your happiness
will be absolute and undivided.
The solution to our
rollercoaster of suffering is to simply get off the egoic ride
altogether.
It’s a practice of
being in the moment—unattached—but with total interest, love,
acceptance, compassion and intense curiosity; all while abiding in
your unshakeable sense of inner calm and your unbound presence of
infinite awareness—at peace in your true Self.
Non-attachment is
freedom from things. It is a self-realization of the truth of
reality—that you, consciousness, can not be affected by anything.
It is only the egoic mind that makes you believe otherwise.
I like to think of
non-attachment as being similar to the teflon coating on a frying
pan—it certainly doesn’t stop the pan from cooking the food, or
from doing a good job, or even from enjoying its work. Once it’s
finished, everything just slips off without leaving any trace.
No emotional
scrubbing necessary.
The memories aren’t
gone—but you’re not attached to, nor defined by them. All is
well.
Experiencing Chi: An Experiment
Most
people are understandably skeptical about this energy called chi
until they actually experience it for themselves. After all, in the
West we have been well trained to deny even the possibility of such
phenomena. While some people will never be able to sense the chi,
many others do -- some on their first encounter with it.
Try
this experiment with a partner, such as your child, spouse, or
friend, to see if you are able to feel the chi. Both of you should
either sit or stand approximately two arms-length away from each
other.
Ask
your partner to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Relax your
shoulders and back muscles as completely as possible. Try to imagine
an energy rising from the ground into your body.
When
you think you can almost sense this imaginary force, ask your partner
to extend an arm toward you until it is level with the floor. The
palm of the hand should be facing downward.
Slowly
raise your own arms and extend your fingers until they are within a
few inches of your partner's outstretched hand. Using your mind,
direct the imaginary energy -- what we call the chi. Move it further
up through your body until it passes along your arms and out from
your fingertips.
It's
helpful to imagine a current of energy passing from your body into
your partner's. Whether you think this is an imaginary force or not,
some people feel the chi right away, even with their eyes closed.
The
Tao Te Ching
was written around 2,500 years ago by a man named Lao Tzu. It is one
of the oldest texts in existence and certainly one of the wisest. Its
wisdom is timeless and its message is as relevant and important now
as it was back then - if not moreso. It is vital that we learn to
come back into balance with the natural world, to live in a more
harmonious and selfless way...and the Tao Te Ching beautifully
instructs us in bringing ourselves and our lives into alignment with
the 'Tao'. This belief in Taoist philosophy is
known as the doctrine of doing-by-not-doing, and it lies at the heart
of Taoist practice.
Do you
think you can take over the universe and improve it?
I do
not believe it can be done. The universe is sacred. You cannot
improve it. If you try to change it, you will ruin it. If you try to
hold it, you will lose it.
Nature
is complete without us. We must recognize this fact and begin to
participate with nature as a partner in the universal scheme.
