Bounded By Detachment

“The root of suffering is attachment.”
- The Buddha

After hearing this legendary truth, I spent a year trying to purge myself from Attachment.

Attachment, the rollercoaster of addiction. The schizophrenia of emotions. The most powerful instrument of Ego.

Recently, I was tangled in the intricate webs of Attachment and I was desperate to break free.

“I hate this merry-go-round. I do not want This. I want to escape this prison. I want Freedom. I need Peace.”

[“Need” and “Peace.” Two warring words.]

My lust for detachment brought me to another (annoying) familiar lesson: I’m playing another impossible silly game.

Fear of Bondage Is Still Bondage

“I'm currently attached. How do I stop being attached?"

This is a non-starter. You can’t. It’s too late. You’re already attached. But there’s nothing “wrong” with it. Just like there’s nothing “right” about it either.

The only thing wrong with Attachment is when we view it as something "wrong". Attachment is in our nature. It's beyond our control. Why flee from something inherent within us?

Nature is neither good nor bad, Nature is.

There's pain in Attachment, but there's nothing “bad” about it. Pain is not a defect, it’s a feature.

It’s like condemning water to be wet or condemning snow to be cold. It’s simply their nature. It just needs to be understood.

“I'm currently attached. How do I stop being attached?”

An impossible task. That’s like saying, “How do I prevent myself from being wet after swimming in the ocean?” You're already wet.

It’s like playing in the mud and asking, “How do I stop being muddy?” You either have a natural inclination to not play in the mud in the first place or accept that you are playing in the mud.

You can't work your way toward detachment. Detachment is not a destination. Detachment is not a goal.

Detachment is a by-product of sincere indifference or incisive understanding.

“I'm currently attached. How do I stop being attached?”

You already are…and it’s fine. Running away from said attachment is causing you more pain than the actual attachment.

A friend of mine told me the parable of  “The Second Arrow”. (Hello, Irene <3)

You're walking in a forest. Suddenly, you're struck by an arrow from an outside party—beyond your control. The second arrow is the one you strike yourself with—within your control.

Attachment stings. Fleeing from Attachment shreds.

If one truly desires freedom, the one who accepts they're attached is in a far better position than the one who works or “disciplines” their way out of attachment.

One accepts and can go wherever one wants. The other is imprisoned in an infinite battle. Ironic, the one who knows they’re trapped can become free—the other who fears traps is trapped forever.

“I'm currently attached. How do I stop being attached?”

There's nothing to be done. Nothing. Just see the attachment as a whole.

Be aware of it. Understand it.

• Do not solve it.
• Do not discipline your way out.
• Do not create a comforting narrative on it.
• Do not embrace it.
• Do not sit with it.
• Do not analyze it.
• Do not have an opinion on it.
• Do not touch it.

Do. Not. Touch. It.

Just see it.

Attachment is Ego. Once you touch Ego, it will devour you whole.

See the attachment completely.

Do you see where you are in it? Do you see what you are in it? More accurately, do you see what you’re not in it?

Be aware and See everything.

The Essence of Attachment (What Are You?)

"It won't stop until you understand the lesson."
- @KrishnaDharma

We do not choose our attachments, it happens without our input. The only thing to “do” about Attachment is to understand because the very essence of Attachment is confusion.

“Confusion”, “attachment”, "suffering", and "understanding", the history of these words dance with one other.

The word, “confusion” can be broken down into Latin. “con-” means “with” and “-fusion” means “melt” (in the context of “ruin”).

Attachment means "to join, bind, or to depend on."

The word “suffering” comes from the word meaning “to be under the weight of something.”

At face value, the word "understanding" is a funny one. “To stand under something”? Peculiar.

If I were to translate the word "understanding" with the origin of suffering, it would be "to stand above what you used to be under."

...and we're all suffering (under) the confusion of Ego.

Attachment is identity. Identity is Ego. Ego creates confusion. Confusion creates conflict. Conflict creates suffering. Suffering removes Peace. Peace requires understanding. Understanding removes confusion.

With attachment, your suffering is in the confusion with “x” (person, place, thing, idea, etc.) as You.

Attaching yourself to "x" means you've identified yourself with "x".

MY "x" implies I am "x".  

If I am "x", therefore "y" must happen. If/when "y" doesn't happen, my world collapses because I cannot understand why "y" would/wouldn't happen.

I become confused therefore I suffer. I suffer because I'm trying to control something that is not "me".

Identification creates expectations. Expectations are ideas. Ideas are illusions. All illusions create confusion.

Attachment = Identity = Ego = Idea = Illusion = Confusion = Conflict = Suffering

Suffering is Conflict. Conflict is caused by Confusion. Confusion needs Understanding. Understanding requires Truth. Truth removes Confusion.

Without Confusion, there is no Conflict. Without Conflict, there is no Suffering.

If Truth ends Confusion and Conflict, then Truth ends Suffering.

You're attached to "x" because you depend on "x". You depend on "x" because you fear what you are without "x".

Not who you are, but what you are.

The ancient question of "Who am I?" eventually becomes "What am I?" "What am I?" can be answered with "What am I not?"

You are not “x”. You are not any "x". You are the ever-moving awareness of “x”.

You're not the labels that society lets you borrow.

You're not the worker of..., the victim of..., conqueror of..., winner of..., the loser of..., son of..., daughter of..., lover of..., mother, father, child, etc.

Drop all titles, ideas, and expectations. You are not any of this.

You are an individual, the indivisible. You simply are...or as Yeshua (Jesus Christ) famously said, "I am."

You are the awareness and creator of All.

You experience and receive information. With that information, you create a narrative. You create stories and meaning behind everything.

You are a "creature" in every sense of the word.

But lies can be created. Once they are created, they are swift in becoming our masters.

Lies can be created, but Truth cannot be.

Truth can never be created because Truth has always been Here. It's simply waiting to be seen. Truth is, always was, and always will be.

God is not the creator of all things. You are. God is the destroyer of all lies for "the name of God is Truth."

Once Attachment becomes Awareness, you are free to go wherever you wish. For the saying true, "The Truth shall set you free."

Once Attachment becomes Awareness, a magical opportunity appears. The so-misunderstood being named "Love" can introduce herself...but we'll talk about her another time.

"When Tao harmonizes the world, Demons lose their power. Not that demons lose their power, but their power does not harm people."
- Tao Te Ching