Thread: Ridding Of Attachments

Originally Posted by dropout14

So im getting pretty far into my meditation book. I just got to the meditation called "Meditation of Death" This one kinda disturbed me. It says to have a peaceful death we need to let go of our attachments during the time we have left. That part makes since but then it went on to say we need to let go of all of our friends and family members in order to have a peaceful death. Doesnt this mean in order to have a peaceful death the only thing we can be attached to is our own mind?

It is kinda disturbing thinking that i should not be attached to my family and realize that I will die alone and that they will too?

Any thoughts on this? Did i misinturpert what they were trying to say?
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I have read a bit about this and practiced it also. The best book to read about non- attachment that i have read is the Bhagavad Gita. I'm not religious but it has some good points.

Non- attachment seems like a very cold thing, expecially when we think of it in turms of "letting go of all of our friends and family members." The fact of the matter is that everyone does die alone. Sure you can interact with people and people can get to know you, but they will never know all of you . People can not truly know you because they can not be you. In this sense we are all alone.

However, non-attachment is not something unpleasent. In fact it is one of the funnest things that i have ever experienced. When you are not emotionaly attached to everyone else's actions, you just accept everyone as they are. When this happens you are much more free to enjoy people as you want to. You become more open because you are not scared of other's opinions. It is complete freedom from people, and at the same time you feel closer to people. I think it has to do with the wall of defences that people put up to protect themselves from people. When the walls come done you can enjoy everything much more.

I think that letting go of attachments includes not being attached to your own mind also. Life is much more fun when you don't take yourself seriously. When you are attached to your mind you start having to defend it.

Hope this was helpful in someway. If it wasn't, i would still recomend reading the bhagavad gita on the subject of acting with out attachment to the outcome.

You did not misinterpret. It is as Buddha said: "He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes." This style of thinking is pretty foreign to our Western minds. It is what Buddhists believe, not necessarily "the absolute truth," so I wouldn't worry too much about it. You are entitled to your own beliefs.

But not being attached to your family still boggles me, i mean i understand it but it is a hard concept to grasp

I don't come from a picture perfect family, honestly, I don't care about them. Also, 95% of my friends are "online". I have no real attachments so I live by my rules and do want I want to do without fear of criticism from "loved ones".

And paraphrasing Socrates, "Death would be like all of time in a single night in which you slept so soundly, you did not even dream. I count this as a gain."

Be careful not to confuse love with attachment.

I think it mostly means that before we die, we shouldn't miss our material possesions. We should realise that alll we need is within us, including our family and friends.

Originally Posted by Jess

Be careful not to confuse love with attachment.
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I got farther into my book and they said, " do not confuse love with attachments, If you truely love someone you will not need to be attached"

Originally Posted by dropout14

I got farther into my book and they said, " do not confuse love with attachments, If you truely love someone you will not need to be attached"
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The book is true.

It is attachment that causes one to come back into physical existences.

All things are oneself... Let go and feel the peace...

This regards rather to saving all of those attached to you from suffering caused by your death. If you don't belong to any family, clan, group, in short nobody knows you personaly, then who is to suffer from your absence in this world?
No ties, no cry.

Originally Posted by Rav1

This regards rather to saving all of those attached to you from suffering caused by your death. If you don't belong to any family, clan, group, in short nobody knows you personaly, then who is to suffer from your absence in this world?
No ties, no cry.
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Thats not what it is saying i dont think, what i get from what you wrote is that it says you should give up every human interaction, i dont know if i agree

Nobody forces you to agree. Just think, who is gonna to suffer more - you or your family and friends?
After you're gone as every of us, let's not leave any grievance aginst anyone. That's it.