Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!mustang!data.nas.nasa.gov!news From: chee1a1@jetson.uh.edu Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Re: Question on detachment Message-ID: <1990Nov30.015335.29877@nas.nasa.gov> Date: 30 Nov 90 01:53:35 GMT Sender: news@nas.nasa.gov Organization: University of Houston Lines: 106 Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov pur-ee!surge@en.ecn.purdue.edu (PhD-in-Training), Purdue University Engine asks: >I am a novice to Buddist ideas and there is one question that has >been gnawing at me about detachment. I understand (to some .. >I know that it takes time to understand such matters, but maybe >someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks. After writing about your view of detachment it looks like you arrived at some right grasp of the idea at the end when you said that you know it takes time to understand such matters. It is really true that you yourself has to findout from within whether detachment is good or bad. I'd try to explain as much as I could. However, all the explanations, reasonings logic,philosophy etc. does not have any meaning if ones life experience is not analysed mindfully by oneself. If you try to imagine being detached while still having attachements ------- then you perceive detachment as negative. But you have to analyse and ------- think with relative to your own experience to find out where the attachment really leading a person to. You could look at attachment from different perspectives at different levels. I meant different levels here because the degree of attachment and the things people are attached to differ from one person to another. As an example, for a drug addict attachment to drugs for him is good, he would go after it in spite of the pain he goes through afterwards mentally or physically. For a non-addict who could see the pain an addict goes through can think how the attachement is really making the addict a slave and suffer. At another level for us living in all the comforts etc. we get attached to them and it is hard for us to see how getting rid of these attachments can be more positive. For some the search for the meaning of attachments begin when unexpected happens. Where does the attachment really fits in a life where a person actually has to depart from the niceties and attachments. There are various parabales, stories given to illustrate this. One I quote from memory. A person going in the jungle is being chased by a wild beast (eg. say a tiger). He sees a pit (or a hole) where there are snakes at the bottom. He hang on to a creeper and tries to escape by going into the pit. But he sees a honeycomb hanging around and starts licking it. He enjoys the honey thinking about its good taste while he faces dangers from the beast chasing him, snakes in the pit, and may be the creeper he is hanging from may break. This story is used to illustrate the plight of a person enjoying the attachements to the fullest while getting battered by the unavoidable unsatisfactoriness of life. Sensual pleasures give happiness (or comfort or whatever good name you want to call it). Not only there is a good side to it but also there is a danger or a negative side to it. It is this negative side that makes the detachment the right solution to it. Attachments become negative in the sense if a person neglects everything and gets carried away by the attachements. Therefore, as person develops more and more mentally he starts seeing negative effects of attachement. That is why some people would ultimately go to a homeless state giving up the worldly life completely. This does not mean for those who wants to lead a worldly life there are no happiness. Everyone cannot leave the worldly or homely life. In addition to the everyday realities, if you look at Buddhist teachings, Buddha taught earning to support oneself and a family etc. and not being full debt etc. are happiness for a worldly person. He not only declared it as a happiness (or a sukha) but also showed the ways (such as not being lazy, having good company of friends etc) to make the worldly life a success. [ As far as theory is concerned the second Noble Truth, the attachement is classified into three types (i) attachment related to sensual pleasures etc. (ii) attachement arising for an eternal existence or existence (bhava) (iii) attachement arising due to the view that a person does not exist after death. (ii) and (iii) arises due to the view one holds regarding the existence (life or bhava), and (i) arises due to sensual pleasures. I'll rather stop here without going further into theoretical explanations because too much explanations could be confusing too.] A word about simlarity of detachment and being like a machine. It is true machines do not have emotions. On the other hand emotions could be good or bad. If you refer to emotions as hatred,anger,and greed only, then by developing detachment a person eliminates emotions. On the other hand, if emotions include other good mental characters such as kindness (karuna), metta (or loving kindness), appreciative joy (or muditha), then a person developing detachment does not get rid of all the emotions. In fact a person developing detachment has a better chance of developing these positive qualities (or good emotions if you like to call it that way) of the mind because she/he gives priority non-greed,non-hatred etc.. After further investigation and analysis you could add to your following saying: >........................................................................... >TIE(TakeItEasy), : I said to the almond tree > Surge : "Sister, speak to me of God," Saint Francis > : And the almond tree blossomed. of Assisi >........................surge@ecn.purdue.edu............................... You could further say: I said to the almond tree "Sister, show me Wisdom or enlightenment" The blossoms started withering and started falling at my feet. If your really liked the flowers you cannot ignore the decay of them also. Bandula Jayatilaka