Author Topic: Detachment (vairagaya) (Read 2015 times)

satinder kumar · « **on:** May 12, 2006, 02:43:35 AM »

Hello all,

How detached one remains in one's daily life even in minor as well as in serious affairs, is a test of sadhna.In fact,detachment is an important component that is associated with the progress of sadhna.With daily meditation progressing,one finds inner peace settled in one's nervous system.With it,one also evolves detached look.Attachment brings delusion and dispointment.on the other hand,detachment brings inner peace .With detached look,the gap between pleasure and pain starts minimising and ones point of view and perspective also changes.

In the Bhagvad Gita,Lord Krishna advises Arjna to leave attachment and adopt detachment as attachment brought a lot of pain and suffering to Arjna.The message that runs through Gita is of detachment and inner poise.

Detachment comes with deep meditation.As one progresses in meditation and inner peace settles in,a new outlook starts settling in ones nature.Whatever may be the situation- bad or good,one remains poised and take up things as they unfold.Yogi of high calibre ultimately become jivanmukta through detachment.Medico turned yogi Shri Sivananda always laid emphasis on detachment.He used to test his disciple severely.His disciples always feared coming his way.once a disciple happened to come his way.He asked him how the meditation was going on.The disciple answered that he was unable to meditate properly for the last two days.Hearing this Sivananda instructed him not to eat for two days observing fasting so that meditation may be helped.This is the example of how much importance a yogi puts on detachment.

In the path of sadhna,one has to cultivate detachment and

should not allow inner peace be disturbed even while dealing with misfortune.Litmus test of a yogi is how detached he remains under trying circumtances.

alan · « **Reply #1 on:** May 12, 2006, 02:54:00 AM »

Nicely said. Thank you satinder

Shanti · « **Reply #2 on:** May 12, 2006, 02:59:06 AM »

Hi Satinder,
The beauty of AYP is.. you don't have to start off with detaching yourself from things and then start your sadhana. You start your sadhana and then detachment follows automatically. Then detachment is not an imposition.. it is a pleasure.. it is a part of your true self... it comes naturally..
Just my observation for what it is worth..

-Shanti

Check lesson#149
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/149.html

Jim and His Karma · « **Reply #3 on:** May 12, 2006, 03:21:21 AM »

quote:
Originally posted by Shanti

Hi Satinder,
The beauty of AYP is.. you don't have to start off with detaching yourself from things and then start your sadhana. You start your sadhana and then detachment follows automatically. Then detachment is not an imposition.. it is a pleasure.. it is a part of your true self... it comes naturally..
Just my observation for what it is worth..
-Shanti

Absolutely perfectly/beautifully stated, Shanti. Good way to sum up centuries of misunderstanding re: the yamas/niyamas.

That said, it's extremely valuable to know what to shoot for.

Manipura · « **Reply #4 on:** May 12, 2006, 03:38:43 AM »

quote:
Originally posted by satinder kumar

Attachment brings delusion and dispointment.on the other hand,detachment brings inner peace .With detached look,the gap between pleasure and pain starts minimising and ones point of view and perspective also changes.

Amen, brother! Hallelujah, and thanks for the reminder.

Jim and His Karma · « **Reply #5 on:** May 12, 2006, 04:23:29 AM »

I second Meg. Sorry, Satinder, I didn't mean to give the impression of dissing you by focusing on Shanti's great reply.

satinder kumar · « **Reply #6 on:** May 15, 2006, 01:53:36 AM »

Hi all,

Spiritual path is the path of newer...different experienes.You want to share them with like minded people.This was an attempt in that direction.

Shanti · « **Reply #7 on:** May 15, 2006, 03:09:02 AM »

quote:
Spiritual path is the path of newer...different experienes.You want to share them with like minded people.This was an attempt in that direction.

Thanks Satinder... It was a successful attempt I have to say.. Please do keep them coming.

Maximus · « **Reply #8 on:** June 26, 2006, 04:19:44 PM »

I'm not sure if the idea of detachment fits very well with worldly life. It did not work well even for Arjuna to whom Krishna addressed the Bhagwat Gita. You know, after the war was over, Arjuna and his brothers were filled with grief that they had killed so many near and dear ones in the war for the sake of duty. In fact they renounced their throne after Krishna's death and became wanderers because they had completely lost their desire to hold on to the kingdom they got after killing so many people.
Let us also think about something what Bhagwat Gita does not seem to address. Detachment Vs Attachment to principles. Krishna said Arjuna was suffering due to his attachment, alright. He was attached to the idea that killing near and dear ones (especially his grandfather Bhisma who was on the enemy side) in war for material victory is not correct. I say his attachment was a good one. Wouldn't we have still praised him if he threw away his bow and arrow and went away to forest saying he can't kill his grandpa? In my opinion Bhagwat Gita says to perform your duty with detachment, but doesn't say what duty is. One has the free will to choose what his duty is, right?

satinder kumar · « **Reply #9 on:** June 26, 2006, 07:44:38 PM »

Hello,

Detachment does not mean shirking your duty and become renunciate.As you progress in your sadhna, there comes a state of mind when you see things in right perspective.In that state you automatically becomes non-attached.Just as a doctor becomes non-attached while operating upon a patien-not the same case when the patient is his near and dear one.Detachment is a state of mind that comes as you advance in your sadhna.This also means control on every aspect of your life by overviewing things.

As for Arjuna,he had to choose between devil and deep sea.Non-fighting was not the solution of the crisis.He had to fight to salvage his respect.In such a situation,shri krishna guided him rightly.Nobody has benefited from war.Both sides suffer the consequences.That does not mean to let the injustice prevail.

Well,'duty' means whatever Dharma tells you to do...not 'freewilling' yourself to destruction.

Maximus · « **Reply #10 on:** June 27, 2006, 03:26:53 PM »

If a trained archer is challenged to shoot the apple kept on a third person's head he will probably shoot it correctly. But he will fear if asked to shoot the apple kept on his dear one's head and even if he shoots he might get his head. You are saying that if he is a yogi, he will still shoot it correctly and this is called detachment.
Ok, but this yogi who correctly shoots the apple, will he have the mentality to rejoice his shooting, or will he simply walk away without a smile? I guess he will do the later, right? It is possible to have the mentality to correctly shoot the apple on a dear one's head, and still be able to rejoice over the victory?

nearoanoke · « **Reply #11 on:** June 27, 2006, 04:02:40 PM »

Hi Maximus,

Shooting an apple on the head of a dear one is different from wanting to fight as a king to save his land from bad ppl. The former has no purpose attached to it while the latter serves a noble purpose and hence even if dear ones were involved arjuna was expected to fight.

If Arjuna was any normal person, he could have walked away leaving his bow and arrow. But he was the king and was in a position to save his country and over that it happens to be his duty. It is not any selfish want to rule ppl, but an altruistic purpose of saving people from bad rulers. So even if his dear ones are involved, thinking of the good of many, arjuna was expected to fight.

Just my 2 cents

-Near

Maximus · « **Reply #12 on:** June 28, 2006, 08:50:30 PM »

I agree with you with what you say about Arjuna, nearoanoke. But my example of shooting apple has been misunderstood. I only chose this example to enquire how would a detached person behave in a very risky situation. I did not mean shooting the apple in some kind of competition, but in a genuine situation, say shooting a snake sitting on a dear one's head, when they are too far away for you to reach in person before the snake bites.

Maximus · « **Reply #13 on:** June 29, 2006, 07:58:28 PM »

I'm still not sure what dictates one's duty. Satinder said said 'Dharma' dictates duty. But everyone's life is so different that it is difficult to generalize that way. Gautama Buddha had a wife and a son. Common sense/Dharma says it was his duty to take care of them. But he abandoned them and went to the forest in search of truth. He chose his own Dharma. Why don't we call that selfishness? Why does Arjuna alone become a sinner if he refuses to fight for reasons he sees as right?
King Ashoka in ancient India was a great warrior king undefeated in battle. One would say it was his duty as a King to expand his empire. But one day he felt it was wrong to kill people, gave up battles and embraced Buddhism. Didn't he choose his duty instead of following an accepted Dharma for warriors.

Chiron · « **Reply #14 on:** October 27, 2006, 08:19:30 PM »

quote:
Originally posted by Maximus

I'm still not sure what dictates one's duty. Satinder said said 'Dharma' dictates duty. But everyone's life is so different that it is difficult to generalize that way. Gautama Buddha had a wife and a son. Common sense/Dharma says it was his duty to take care of them. But he abandoned them and went to the forest in search of truth. He chose his own Dharma. Why don't we call that selfishness? Why does Arjuna alone become a sinner if he refuses to fight for reasons he sees as right?
King Ashoka in ancient India was a great warrior king undefeated in battle. One would say it was his duty as a King to expand his empire. But one day he felt it was wrong to kill people, gave up battles and embraced Buddhism. Didn't he choose his duty instead of following an accepted Dharma for warriors.

Gautama Buddha had a wife and a son and one of his duties was to take care of them, true. He had to take care of them both materially and spiritually, the latter being much more important. Materially they were quite well off, but not spiritually.. And most significantly Gautama also had compassion and love for all the other living beings he came across and felt an equal obligation to them. He searched and found the Truth and showed the way to others. He took action which he believed would benefit all living beings in the whole of infinity, not just his wife and son. This is not selfishness in terms of limited ego, this is ultimate altruism. To act selflessly, not just for the benefit of those around us but for the benefit of all living beings, that is our true duty. And Dharma coming from the heart, dictates how best to fulfill that duty.

quote:
Originally posted by Maximus

I only chose this example to enquire how would a detached person behave in a very risky situation. I did not mean shooting the apple in some kind of competition, but in a genuine situation, say shooting a snake sitting on a dear one's head, when they are too far away for you to reach in person before the snake bites.

For a detached person, every person is a dear one and no person is a dear one. Maybe there are no persons and its just one. The snake is just as dear as the dear one's head. Fear and nervousness does not come into it no matter how risky the situation.. because one is detached, in a state of inner peace no matter what occurs on the outside. And thus able to make correct decisions based on Dharma, unattached to emotions and egoistic bias.

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Author Topic: Detachment (vairagaya) (Read 2015 times)