Attachment – The Deadly Disease
In today’s parlance attachment is glorified, why even recommended as very healthy and important. When we see anyone detached and happy, we wonder what is wrong with him, we name him callous and hard-hearted. Some even frame him as a Sanyasi! This title is most misunderstood as well as misinterpreted.
As soon as we possess something in life, we want to claim it as ours and very proudly announce our attachment to the same. Do we not say, I am very attached to my car, my son, my pen even!
Well, let us analyze this concept called attachment!
Where does this attachment come from?
Our sense organs come in contact with various objects and beings in this world. Some of these objects and beings leave an impression on the mind. The mind develops a thought towards them. When this flow becomes thick, we term it as desire. When this desire is not checked by the intellect, it becomes an obsession and we crave for that particular object or being. Here the roots of attachment are formed.
What happens when we are attached?
Swami Rama Tirtha says,
“Attach we lose, detach we gain”
When we function out of obsession, we are not able to attain the object or being. On the other hand when a desire is supervised by the intellect, sanctioned and then acted upon, we are able to obtain the object or being. Having obtained the object or being we have to function in a detached manner. If not we stand to lose it again!
How does this happen?
When we desire for an object, we do so with the faculty called the mind in our inner personality. The problem does not occur at this stage. We should check this desire at this level with our intellect, weigh the pros and cons of entertaining such a desire, the validity of such a desire and then proceed. After this our intellect (rational thoughts) chalks out a plan of action, we follow the same and attain the object of our desire. Thus detached, we are using the faculty called the intellect in us. ‘Detach we gain’.
On the other hand when the desire turns into an obsession, our mind (irrational thoughts) is in full control. Our actions are not supervised by the intellect. We act in a frenzied, excited manner and lose the object or being we desire. “Attach we lose”.
Whatever we may possess in this world, a sense of detachment alone helps us enjoy it and keep it with us. The moment we get into the attachment mode, we tend to lose the prized object or being.
Here one should not confuse attachment with having no desires at all.
Desires are not the culprit. It is the attitude one develops to the objects and beings one possesses and wants to possess, that needs to be checked.
So much for the world of objects and beings! The same principle holds good for Self realization too! The moment we get obsessed with the idea of the Self, we clean miss it! Drop the thought of the Self, Attain the Self!
