“When everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking”
– Benjamin Franklin
Our minds are all that we have.
Everything we have done, everything we are currently doing and everything we will do in the future, originates from our mind. It is all we have to offer to the world and is the source of creation of our own worlds. To be more specific, we are what we are due to the thoughts arising within our minds. Every action we have ever taken has commenced with a single thought. Famously, The Buddha has been known to have said:
“What we think, we become”
The brain is a powerful tool. It processes thousands of thoughts and sensations on a daily basis. In addition to this it regulates the millions of processes required to keep us alive. We have advanced in science and technology purely because of it, yet the process of thinking is poorly understood. Alarmingly, Mental Health Disorders such as Depression, are on the up. It appears the brain, and subsequent effects of the mind, have the ability to be mans best friend or its arch nemesis. So how do we harness its potential for our benefit? The key is in knowing ourselves.
Who we believe we are as individuals is subjective. It is believed to be an accumulation of our past experiences, the knowledge we have acquired on the way, the quality of our relationships, our beliefs and our perceptions. Our conditioned responses and feelings mould our characters over time and all of these aspects of our individuality are processed by our minds giving us a sense of who we are.
Society has us believing that we need to be, have, act, achieve, feel a certain way to be accepted by it; to be valued and respected members of it; to feel complete. There are certain hurdles we must jump to be considered well rounded, successful, individuals. But I question the individuality in being moulded in this way. Is this really a way of finding our true nature, or is it a means of tarnishing our authenticity with a set of conditions? I question how much of our being stems from the unaltered, unadulterated core of us; the source of our true creativity and individuality, and how much of our being is based upon the search to feel ‘whole’; to feel fulfilled.
We have become a nation of mindless machines. Influenced by the manipulation of our senses. It may not be a surprise that technology has helped to achieve this goal, amongst many other apparent benefits. I am not suggesting that we all retreat to the Himalayan mountains and live a life of isolation and zero material possession. I am suggesting a means of detachment; a means of obtaining serenity in the eye of the storm; the loss of dependency and ultimately a sense of freedom from that which we are told is required to make us feel complete.
Without this shift, we are at risk of being in a constant state of subconscious fear. The fear of not fitting in, the fear of not being accepted, the fear of loss, the fear of inadequacy, in other words, the fear of not experiencing the ACTS of love, kindness and compassion we crave and need to feel connected. Peace without freedom is impossible, whether that be in your internal or external world. And freedom can not come from the continuous need to fill an emotional “void” or inadequacy within us. Only by recognising our own perceived (or imposed) inadequacies, are we able to truly become aware of that which is our true nature; our individuality and unique sense of being. Freedom of this sort comes from the in depth knowledge of ourselves paired with the total emotional detachment of…dare I say it…Everything and Everyone.
This may sound apathetic, but a deeper understanding of this concept reveals the contrary. Surgeons practice a strict code of detachment from their patients and do not treat members of their family. Emotional vulnerability, strong attachment or even repulsion greatly impair the surgeons ability to effectively carry out their profession. In a similar way, detachment in our daily lives does not necessarily make us unkind or less compassionate, it allows us to gain the clarity required to effectively achieve the precise opposite, without imposing our perceptions onto any given situation.
Appreciation can not be achieved without detachment either. Attachment stops us from seeing the world in its purest form. To appreciate something is to stand back from the object of appreciation. A rose can not be appreciated for long by cutting it at its stem, for instance. Sooner or later it will wilt and die. Why? Because we have imposed our need to have it, we have attached ourselves to it, and as a result we have hindered the process of seeing it in its sustained natural state. So, you see, detachment is a state of thinking clearly; a non imposing state of mind; a means of seeing things as they truly are; a state of freedom and appreciation of everything and everyone.
How to practice detachment:
1. Realise everyone goes through whatever experience is necessary for their evolution.
Life is a learning curve and the rate at which we as individuals learn is variable. Allow others the opportunity and freedom to evolve at their own pace.
2. Understand that everything is prone to change.
Life is fluid and in constant motion and no two moments in life are exactly the same. Resistance to life as it comes breeds unhealthy dependency. Instead practice appreciating what life brings in the present moment.
3. Understand your own fears.
What do you fear? Are your emotional attachments reinforcing your fears? Are you imposing your fears on others and how you respond to life? Understanding your fears allows you the freedom to operate from a liberating and appreciative platform instead of being subconsciously led by unhealthy fear based beliefs.
4. Practice seeing the cup as half full.
Learn to see the lessons that life teaches and look for the silver lining in any given situation. Gratitude and the will to evolve on the journey breeds abundance and joy.
NAMASTÉ
RISHA JOSHI
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