Most problems in our life are not due to things or people we despise, but due to our OVER ATTACHMENT to things and people we love the most.
Once you are attached to a person, the fear of losing him or her also builds up in the backdrop of your psychic state. Similarly, people fear losing their job, their material possessions and the like. But life is constantly evolving and people and situations never remain the same. Know that only those things that give you pleasure have the power to give you pain. Thus, attachment drags you through a cycle of worries and takes you away from your natural joyful self.
That is the reason why the rishis, sages and saints of ancient India told us to practice detachment. Detachment does NOT mean breaking away from things and people. That is impossible since we are all bound by karmas to this material word. Detachment means being ‘sthira’, being neutral to good and bad, day and night or hot and cold.
And that’s why the most beautiful Parvati, daughter of King Himavan (Himalaya) whose hand was sought by all the heavenly, rich and strong personalities, was attracted to Lord Shiva. She considered Him an ideal husband for He was simple, gentle and completely detached from the material or celestial activities. However, that doesn’t mean Shiva displayed indifference to everything around Him. In fact, He is a perfect householder when it comes to domestic life. This is due to the detachment lying at the core of His heart.
One must practice detachment from three things: Material objects, People and Situations. No matter what, one must move on, detached from whatever the outcome is. One must not get too attached whether the outcome is good or bad because even the good or bad would be your definition. This is because from a spiritual perspective, everything that happens is for your higher good.
All the rivers find their destination (ocean). The core nature of water is that it finds its way and assumes the shape of the place it flows into. We must take a cue from water and flow without taking unnecessary halts (attachments) because being in flow or active is the very nature of soul as stated in the Bhagvad Gita (3:5) “All living beings are forced to act helplessly according to the impulses born of the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.”
Therefore, you must act with awareness, respecting the presence of objects, people and situations without getting attached to them. One can practice detachment slowly and steadily with yoga, meditation, reading spiritual books, wearing spiritual items such as Rudraksha or with a simple understanding of attachment.
Once you begin to practice detachment, life will look like a game. Winning or losing will become a part of it. After all, life is not about reaching a particular destination, it is just a never ending game in the Now.
