INSIGHTS – Surge 93
May 1st,, 2013
DETACH AND ATTACH
Turn away from temporal honors and worldly applause, in which much vanity is found.
– The Imitation of Christ, Chapter 40 (Practice)
A child wanted to eat candies in dream and ice cream in waking state, both at the same time! Refusal by us adults to let go of attachments in the world, while wanting the happiness of the spiritual realm is similar. We want to have the cake and eat it too! We cling to varieties of comforts, pleasures, conveniences – both in objects and in our relationship with persons. This psychology is based on an error. We think happiness is outside; it actually is in our mind. In the simple example of enjoying a delicious meal, 50% credit should go to our tongue, good appetite and the mental disposition to relish food. The remaining 50% may first be given to the meal itself but as we inquire and examine, factors outside us slowly lose the game; their reality is of questionable nature! No wonder certain philosophical systems called the world outside an illusion, maya! Even if they were real, it is not at all wise for us to be much dependent on them.
Seek the Lord – Bhaja Govindam – says1 Adi Shankara, urging us to direct our physical and emotional energy towards the divine. To resonate with this, we have intense thoughts in The Imitation of Christ. True glory is to rejoice in your Name, not in one’s own virtue – says Thomas a Kempis in the all-time spiritual classic2. Mystics discovered this secret: there is great joy in divine contemplation. When the real moon – on a full moon night – is shining in all glory outside, who would remain indoors to enjoy a wall painting of the moon? As this analogy goes, all pleasures of the world are like a poor imitation for the mystics while the inner bliss is the original. Pleasure, power, position and fame are mere reflected glory and the joy of the Self is genuine. Detach from this immature indulgence, exhorted Swami Chinmayananda, and attach to the higher truth. “Detach and attach,” was one of the briefest summaries of spiritual wisdom that he, the famous Vedanta master, gave on an occasion.
This happiness is undecaying3, remarks Lord Krishna, referring to the inner bliss. Whether you like it or not, he adds the expression4 ‘those who are not attached to happiness coming from outside,’ when he specifies who would enjoy the joy within. We must not look at such statements as some kind of condemnation of sense pleasure. It is more in the spirit of showing higher planes of consciousness. The whole emphasis is on climbing the heights, and not finding fault with the base camp. ‘Men, money and matters’ are the base camp where all of us have to start. We should not stay there but move on and climb the mountain. In one of his parables, Sri Ramakrishna speaks of a woodcutter who receives loving advice from a holy man on the move. The poor man is told, “Go deeper into the forest, you will find something interesting.” As he follows the advice, he discovers the interior of the forest has precious teak wood. In his next visit, the holy man repeats the same advice. The woodcutter this time discovers sandal wood in the deep recesses of the woods. And the next time it is pearls and diamonds, and so on. Sri Ramakrishna’s illustrious disciple, Vivekananda, gave the world the clarion call: Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached. We must therefore detach from home, move on and attach to Om.
Swami Chidananda
@ Solan, Himachal Pradesh
End Notes:
1 Bhaja Govindam – first verse and refrain
2 Man has no good of himself, and can glory in nothing. – Chapter 40
3 sukham akshayam – Geeta 5.21
4 bahya-sparsheshu askakta-atma – Geeta 5.21