on mindfulness and detachment
with every day, there is an attempt to tie in the varied lessons that i learn, for there must be a cohesive thread to all these lessons; they must all come together at some level. this is the month of unity after all, and the truth - it is one, yes?
today, as i thought about detachment, i realized how mistaken i had always been in my perception of it. there is nothing numbing about detachment, there is no 'reduced' happiness. it only brings greater fullness to every emotion of love and of giving. in fact, detached love is mindful love; detached giving is mindful giving, for it lies in the giving of oneself in entirety, and in the now. i cannot explain how joyful it made me to realize how the two connected - detachment and mindfulness. so joyful, aah :).
the train of thought began with the fulfillment and immense joy in the ability to love - every day, every moment - not anyone in particular, or anything in particular - but anyone and anything. with that came the realization that if we busied ourselves loving anew every moment, then when was there time to think what became of the love we felt yesterday? and when was there time to think if our love had borne fruit or not? detachment was a clever and automatic consequence then, was it not, of loving fully in every new moment? and isn't mindfulness a pre-requisite? indeed.
but that is only half the proof. that only shows that mindfulness leads to detachment. and vice versa? i believe so, because when i can be truly detached, i do not worry about the fruits of my action, i worry only about acting in the present. mindfulness results then, does it not? for in acting in the present (and not worrying about the past or the future), i am mindful. then qed.
alas, these thoughts do not come to me all the time, nor everywhere. but i am blessed to be around the boundless beauty of the berkeley campus. i am blessed, also, to be in the south hall with windows that offer generous views of the campanile, and doors that lead directly to the sight of it. whenever i have worked my mind too hard, i step out to recharge, and find in this creation a source of radiant energy. when i am there before it, and the moon shines brightly above, there is no other place i'd rather be. truly.
today, as i thought about detachment, i realized how mistaken i had always been in my perception of it. there is nothing numbing about detachment, there is no 'reduced' happiness. it only brings greater fullness to every emotion of love and of giving. in fact, detached love is mindful love; detached giving is mindful giving, for it lies in the giving of oneself in entirety, and in the now. i cannot explain how joyful it made me to realize how the two connected - detachment and mindfulness. so joyful, aah :).
the train of thought began with the fulfillment and immense joy in the ability to love - every day, every moment - not anyone in particular, or anything in particular - but anyone and anything. with that came the realization that if we busied ourselves loving anew every moment, then when was there time to think what became of the love we felt yesterday? and when was there time to think if our love had borne fruit or not? detachment was a clever and automatic consequence then, was it not, of loving fully in every new moment? and isn't mindfulness a pre-requisite? indeed.
but that is only half the proof. that only shows that mindfulness leads to detachment. and vice versa? i believe so, because when i can be truly detached, i do not worry about the fruits of my action, i worry only about acting in the present. mindfulness results then, does it not? for in acting in the present (and not worrying about the past or the future), i am mindful. then qed.
alas, these thoughts do not come to me all the time, nor everywhere. but i am blessed to be around the boundless beauty of the berkeley campus. i am blessed, also, to be in the south hall with windows that offer generous views of the campanile, and doors that lead directly to the sight of it. whenever i have worked my mind too hard, i step out to recharge, and find in this creation a source of radiant energy. when i am there before it, and the moon shines brightly above, there is no other place i'd rather be. truly.
4 comments:
Very interesting. I had never thought of that. And it makes sense.
But I don't know why, mindfulness seems like a desirable goal to me, while detachment still feels like an undesirable one. Maybe I'm just thinking of it in a different degree.
and that's not basman again :)
it's all in the mind, sweetheart :).
it's all in *u*r mind :p :)
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