Article:
Strategies for
Cultivating Detachment
by Rev. Sue Annabrooke Jones
Various versions of this article have appeared in The Isis Scrolls,
The BodySoulSpiritExpo.com Newsletter, and The SpiritVoice Newsletter. Copyrighted by the
author.
"Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions;
reality can be attained only by someone who is detached." — Simone Weil
Many souls have come to this Earth plane to learn, among
other things, how to work with detachment, or nonattachment, as it is sometimes called. Because each of us must develop and
eventually master the ability to work with nonattachment, it is worthwhile to explore its meaning as it applies to our
lives.
The term detachment, which is most often heard in connection with Eastern philosophy, is widely
misunderstood, in the West and in the East. Detachment does not mean disconnection or withdrawal from a person or
situation, or from life.
The Christian tradition offers us perhaps a better term, that of divine indifference. But
this term too can be misleading, because nonattachment does not mean indifference to the needs or the suffering of
others.
What then does it mean? Detachment means involvement without emotional attachment to the
outcome. In other words, involved nonattachment.
Practicing nonattachment requires a measure of both discernment and wisdom, which generally
increase as we mature. For example, a child who loses a cherished toy may wail and carry on like the end of
the world has come. But the adult knows it isn't the end of the world. The grownup smiles and comforts the child, saying
if the toy can't be found, it can be replaced with another, perhaps even better toy.
The adult in the above hypothetical
situation is exercising wisdom gained from life experience, but this same adult likely has some attachments of his or
her own. If these "cherished toys" are lost or taken away, he or she may experience sorrow, anger, grief or some other
form of emotional pain. Sometimes this pain heals quickly; sometimes it does not.
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