Attachment

Attachment is something we seem to get used to throughout our life as we have learned to attach to things (both living and non-living), since we were young. Remember when we were young how we attached to our parents and toys? When we grew up, we attached to someone who we fell in love with. That person we considered as ‘mine’. Then we attached real cars or babies, no longer toy cars or dollies. Have you ever asked yourself if you ever learned to detach? The answer is for you to decide. For me, I have learned to do this up to a certain point and so far it is so good. I would like to share with you what I have learned. Let’s start with a story. It goes something like this:

A Buddhist monk studied about detachment under his master for many years. Finally, the master wanted to test his progress. He told the monk he was ready to take the final examination, but first the monk must give his master his most loved possession.

The monk was curious and excited to know his progress, because he had studied to detach for years. He thought to himself, “It might be good to know how much progress I have made”, and went away for looking through his things for giving his master. He looked at his things which, previously, he had loved so very much. But then he found he considered these things, even the most prized possession, to be an everyday object. He thought, "I don't love this possession. Nothing is suitable for my master; this is not a gift worthy of my master." The monk worked his way through every possession he owned and was sad that he could find nothing he loved enough to be a worthy gift for his master. With sadness the monk returned to his master and told him that he could not take final examination because he did not have a possession he loved enough to be a worthy gift for the master. "Child," the master said to him, "You have already passed the examination. You have attained a state of detachment".

When I read this story, I started thinking about those of my possessions from which I could detach. I can say that what I possess now, is absolutely necessary for me. For example my alms-bowl, robes, and few things I need for my day to day work. I think the story did make me realize that the more things I possess is just ‘stuff’. I would not consider it worthy enough to attach to it. And that realization has helped me get rid of unnecessary things in terms of giving them to others who really need them.

I hope that the story can make you think about all the stuff that you have now. Are you attached to them? Do you see the point of possessing them?

I will leave it to you to think about.