Transport From Slavery To Salvation

"The bitterest thing in today's sorrow is the memory of yesterday's joy," wrote Kahlil Gibran, but to let go is easier said than done. It is one of the most challenging things to do. Material objects metamorphose into immaterial objects sooner or later. Ironically, it is physically nonexistent entities like emotions, sentiments and memories that turn into attachments from which it is painful to detach.


Letting go does not necessarily mean getting rid of or throwing things out. The problem arises when possessions become obsessions. A stack of never-to-be-worn clothes, which, if given away, could help some; out-of-action gadgets, which feng shui will advise not to keep as they gather negative energies; chipped ceramic cups; never-to-be-read books...the list can go on and on. Besides collecting dust and creating clutter, they remind us of days that never return. All because we have allowed ourselves to become victims of sentiments or emotions. Detachment does not hurt, but attachment does. Memories do not occupy any physical place, though they are often described as bittersweet. The past does not come back but can still impact the present and future.


"The root of all suffering is attachment," said the Buddha . These attachments can be both material and mental. According to Buddhism , the key to overcoming suffering is letting go of desires, attachments and aversions. In the universe, which is transcendental, ever changing, when we 'hang on', we go against the law of nature, and suffer.


Possession and past restrict, suffocate, confine, ensnare and entangle. According to the Bhagwad Gita , "Attachments interfere with a person's ability to think clearly or rationally. When the person is free from attachments, he becomes equal to attractions, aversions and intelligence." Vairagya, relinquishment, translates into freedom from bondages and bindings, a transport from slavery to salvation.


In Christianity, renunciation is the forsaking of worldly desires and possessions to follow the path of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Jesus once advised a rich ruler, "Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come and follow me." Jainism speaks of aparigraha - attachment brings suffering and sorrow, which is why all worldly possessions and relations are to be given up. Islam says, "Detachment means nothing should own you."


According to the Maitri Upanishad , "Control of thought is liberation." One must go beyond the elements, senses, object of senses, greed, envy, leisure, self-love, anger, and lust to be on the path of liberation and realising Brahmn. Renunciation does not mean being nonloving, indifferent or apathetic. It means surmounting obsession, weakness, addiction, ego or mania as these negative entities cast shadows on our thoughts, affect reason, relationships and realities. Imprisonment by materials and moments is the angst that prevents living and enjoying the present. Isha Upanishad says, "Whatever moves in this moving world is enveloped by God. Therefore, enjoy renunciation; do not covet what belongs to others." Longing for what is not ours can only bring about contempt and conflicts.


The best lesson of attachment with detachment is the Sun. Without any demand, desire, or discrimination, the Sun, benevolent niskamkarmi, sakha, sustains life on earth and the earth itself with its light and warmth.

Authored by: Soma Chakravertty