Attachment
Are you attached to your visions and goals? Loved ones? Possessions? Being in charge? If you're human and living a conventional life, it’s likely you’re attached to something. When you cling to people, roles, possessions, or identities as if they were permanent and under your control, it leads to a sense of pain or dissatisfaction.
In everyday life you can see this in your own aging, shifting moods, and even in how a strong emotion softens or disappears over time. This presents you with a real opportunity in life … to let go. You see, everything is impermanent, meaning everything is constantly changing and nothing is forever. This includes you. By letting go of your attachments, you can soften and make loss, change, and uncertainty easier to bear, opening more space for compassion and presence in the moment.
Journaling prompt
Write down 1-3 attachments in your life. What can you do to begin the process of letting go of them?
Final Thought - A Story
In ancient India there was a king who lived in a magnificent palace filled with jewels, servants, and every luxury a king could possess. Despite his wealth, he was a deeply spiritual man who studied with a guru.
His guru lived in the opposite way. He owned almost nothing except a small loincloth and a wooden begging bowl.
One day the king and his guru were sitting together in a grove outside the palace studying the Dharma. Suddenly servants came running toward them in panic.
“Your Majesty! Maharaj! Quickly come back. The palace is in flames. Everything is burning!”
The king calmly replied, “Do not disturb me. I am studying with my guru. Go take care of the palace.”
At that moment the guru suddenly jumped to his feet in alarm.
“What do you mean?” he cried. “I left my begging bowl in the palace!”
And that is the point of the story.
It is not a matter of what we own. The real question is whether what we own owns us. Are we the owners of our possessions, or are our possessions quietly owning us?
Wishing you lots of joy ♥️
Much love,
Rob