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From: david@star2.cm.utexas.edu (David Sigeti)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Question on detachment
Message-ID: <1990Dec1.212606.14671@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 1 Dec 90 21:26:06 GMT
References: <1990Nov29.005643.6034@nas.nasa.gov>
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In article <1990Nov29.005643.6034@nas.nasa.gov> 
pur-ee!surge@en.ecn.purdue.edu (PhD-in-Training) writes:

   [questions and concerns about attachment]

I have a little bit to add to Bandula Jayatilaka's posting 
(Message-ID: <1990Nov30.015335.29877@nas.nasa.gov>)

The point is not so much *detachment* as *non-attachment*.  And, even
here, the emphasis is on not clinging.  The point is not to actively
separate yourself from the world but to refrain from clinging to
things when you should let them go.

If you really want to understand the spirit behind non-attachment, you
should probably take up some form of Buddhist mindfulness meditation.
The Theravadin, Tibeten, and Zen traditions all start out more or less
the same so which one you choose is probably not all that important.
In another posting in this newsgroup, 
	Message-ID: <1990Nov27.004141.426@nas.nasa.gov> 
I mentioned a number of books that can help you get started (if you
aren't already).  I really think that, in general, it is necessary to
be practicing Buddhist meditation in order to understand the doctrines
of Buddhism.  All the teachings and doctrines are just guides for your
practice and to understand them, you almost have to have a practice to
relate them to.

The reason that practicing meditation is particularly important in
understanding non-attachment is that non-attachment is tied up with
mindfulness.  When you are practicing mindfulness meditation, you
don't make much of an effort to suppress thoughts when they threaten
to distract you.  You just attend to them as they come up and let them
go as they fade away.  You aren't attached to them but you aren't
really detached from them either because you give each thought your
attention when it appears.  Thus, the practice of mindfulness is not a
separation from things but a kind of intimate but non-aggressive
involvement where you attend to each thing in turn in the appropriate
way.

I hope that this helpful.


--
David Sigeti    david@star2.cm.utexas.edu    cmhl265@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu