NON=ATTACHMENT

‘NON-ATTACHMENT’-

AN ANSWER TO THE PRESENT SOCIALCRISIS.

“He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in Eternity's sunrise.” William Blake


‘Non-attachment’ as an attitude towards life is generally associated with the Indian way of thinking. In the Bhagavad Gita (B.G.) Lord Krishna said Acts of sacrifice, gift and penance are not to be relinquished but should be performed giving up attachments and desire for fruits. “This O Partha is my decided and final view”.( B.G.18.6)
The objective of this paper is to find through ‘non-attachment’, a solution to the present social crisis .of desperation and depression. The modern world scenario is one of continuous advancement in science and technology. Human ingenuity has crossed the limits of the planet and traveled into space. It is able to create new life through cloning; reduce, control and prevent life threatening diseases, expand longevity significantly; yet the social parameters imposed by ecological damage, over-population ,nuclear and bio- chemical disaster, enhances the dichotomy between abundance and apocalypse. This is due to our unwarranted desire. The global society is a perfect picture of consumerism. Our needs are fuelled everyday by endless resources and we engage into ceaseless activity to attain them. It is of no little consequence that with the idea of the end of action or result is attached the feeling of pleasure. In essence it is the ‘object- pleasure’ association which motivates us to act, not the end itself. Consequently there arises a desire for more pleasure in accordance with the ‘paradox of hedonism’, and we are swept into a whirlpool of action which encloses on all sides and finally drowns us into despair. Yet, we cannot but be active! We are all part of the vibratory cosmic activity and no one can remain even for a moment without doing work; everyone is made to act helplessly by the impulses born of Nature. Work or activity (Karma) is Nature’s foundation, and goes on always. It is rooted in the Imperishable. “If I should cease to work these worlds would fall to ruin and I should be the creator of disordered life and destroy these people (B.G.3.24). Besides, the dynamism of the living world is its ability to work or act. So we cannot give up activity. Neither can we give up desire because, “With a desire to create he who is beyond measures, creates the great creation” (Brahmanda Purana 1.1.3 16) (Bd.P.). “na karmanam anarambhan
naishkarmyam purusho ’snute
na ca sannyasanad eva
siddhim samadhigacchati. (B.G.3.4) Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection. but through activity alone. We habitually admit that activity/Karma is happening to us as if we are subject to some external force that influences us either positively or negatively. Let us for once consider the contrary, that our own inner conditions are leading us to experience outer effects or consequences in relation to our own actions. Further, these actions come from deep impressions or habits … “everything we do, physical or mental is karma, and it leaves its marks on us”‘1as ‘samaskars’. . “Every work that we do , every movement of the body, every thought that we think, leave such an impression on the mind stuff …what we are every moment is determined by the sum total of all the impressions of my past life”2) If this be the case then, “All the actions that we see in the world, all the movements in human society, all the works that we have around us are simply the display of thought, the manifestation of the will of man” So “ we are responsible for what we are; and whatever we wish ourselves to be we have the power to make ourselves”3 On the basis of this it ensues that if whatever we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our own actions. Not any action, as disorganized activity only fritters our energy.
So we must learn how to work and this is the aim of the ‘Karma Yoga’ which Swamiji defined as “the knowledge of the secret of work”.4 Work is always initiated by a motive. There cannot be work without motive. Some people want to get fame and they work for fame. Others want money and they work for money. Others want to have power and they work for power. Prominence, dominance, affluence and the idea of consequent pleasures that they conjure, are the various motives which generally motivate us to act (do karma). Recalling the episode of the Mahabharata when Arjuna could see nothing but the bird’s eye the object of his aim, we likewise narrow down our vision to that particular end which is our motive. We can see nothing beyond it, not even its effects on others. This is a crisis which is equally affecting the individual and the society. “The majority of us cannot see beyond a few years, just as some animals cannot see beyond a few steps. Just a little narrow circle –that is our world. We have not the patience to look beyond, and thus become immoral and wicked. This is our weakness, our powerlessness.”5 (pg 33). We amass all our physical and psychological vigor to realize the immediate end ignorant of the fact the end is just another beginning. This is the cycle to which we are bound by the fruits of our own Karma because we only project the ‘I’ and not the ‘Thou’. ‘Pravvritti’, said Swamiji, is revolving towards the ‘I’ and ‘mine’; it includes all those things which are always enriching that “me” by wealth and money and power and name and fame and which are of a grasping nature always tending to accumulate everything in one centre, that centre being “myself”.6 (pg 85-86) This accumulation is the cause of sorrow, because it knows no end. Gautama Buddha explained it through the twelve spokes of the ‘bhava-chakra’ from avidya samaskaras, vijnana,namarupa, ,sadayatana,sparsha, vedana, trsna, upadana, bhava, jati and jara-marana.The root cause is ignorance which precludes us from grasping the impermanent nature of world of objects. ‘Whatever is born in time or has a beginning will ultimately breakdown’, because everything is by its nature momentary. It is our false knowledge which gives us the impression that they are permanent. This gives rise to desire and from desire attachment follows. Every living being comes forth from desire and endures as a combination of desires.. Then, when we emerge into this world, we become infatuated with many things, and become ourselves well-springs of desire. Through desire we give rise to attachments. For every desire there is a corresponding attachment, namely, to the object of desire. But if we consider this attachment, we will see that it is a potential source of suffering. Our body is constantly changing and old age, disease and the fear of death overwhelms us. The lust for life and fear of death are forms of attachment as are the motive for name and fame which come to us when we are old and almost done with life. To work without selfish motive endows upon the individual the capacity to become a powerful moral giant. The modern civilized world evades the truth and wish to hold on forever what is in truth ‘only for a moment’. Our incessant cravings make us cling to them and we are ready to go to any limits to cling on to them. This is the cause of our sorrow. We forget that “to work we have the right but not to the fruits thereof”7 (pg 33). An interesting reference to ‘non-attachment’ was made by Aldous Huxley “…the practice of non attachment entails the practice of all virtues …the ideal non-attached man is ‘non-attached’ to his to his bodily sensations and lusts, to his cravings for power and possessions , to the object of these various desires, to his anger and hatred , to his exclusive loves, to wealth ,fame , social position, to , philanthropy science ,art, speculation. the non-attached man puts an end to pain , not only in himself but also from refraining from malicious and stupid activity , to such pain that he may inflict on others’8(A Literary Study, John Atkins, London, John Calder.1956 pg 149) The exercise of ‘non-attachment’ could be the only solution for the crisis of our times. We indulge in a life of pleasure which creates an internal void and despondency generating more desire and consequent attachment. “The attitude of non-attachment is a choice .no man can be compelled into it…”9 (ibid pg 150) To internalize it so that non-attachment becomes a habit we have to ‘know’. Ignorance is the mother of all evil and misery we see and suffer. It is our doing and we have to eradicate it. Life is of very little value if it is groping in the dark avenues of indecision arising from ignorance. Ignorance is the mother of all evil and all the suffering we are experiencing, from waging a constant battle with ourselves. We are all slaves, working under the prescription of endless yearnings.. Freedom will only come with spiritually strong and an educated man because such individuals cannot be acted upon by anything outside; there is no more slavery for him. Non-attachment is not withdrawal from the world but it is incessant working but as a stranger in this land without any acquirement. We should walk but leave no footprints behind as The Tao Te Ching an ancient Taoist explained that in his journey through life the sage leaves no traces of desire and attachment clinging to him as he lives from moment to moment. Life is following, always changing, and the sage never looks back to the moment which has sped by, nor does he look forward to the moment which lies ahead. Rather, he lives in the present, flowing along in harmony with the rhythm of life, appreciating each moment for what it is worth and allowing it to pass on quickly to be replaced by the next. The key to happiness is non-attachment, and the secret of non-attachment right understanding
. Swallows fly in the sky,
The water reflects their images.
The swallows leave no traces,
Nor does the water retain their images. This is the only solution for the depraved society.