Picture: Bald eagle in flight by my brother, Mark
We learn detachment in large and small ways throughout our days. Attachment is the ultimate cause of suffering for all mankind, thus says Buddha, Krishna and in so many words the great spiritual giants throughout time.
Today we were packed and driving down the road, a large bald eagle flew along with us when driving off the island; a good omen. Later sprinkles on the windshield turned to rain and called for turning on the wipers; they did not go on. It is a small thing in life, being delayed, a change of venue for the day; instead of driving south it became a matter of making arrangements for repair when a new fuse did not fix the problem.
A small instance with a lesson. Attachment is being shackled to an idea of what should happen. Such a simple notion; and how anxious, fearful, lustful, angry, needy and greedy we can become based on an idea—delusion’s grip that keeps us in ignorance and suffering. The idea of leaving on a trip, days of solid preparation that evaporate into mist in an instant.
Fifteen months ago a similar hoped-for venture was interrupted, beginning in Utah and culminating in an emergency trip home from Nevada when anemia due to a cancerous infection brought all travel plans to an abrupt halt (it now seems another lifetime ago). It can be anything that goes other than how we plan: loss, death, trauma, disappointment, failure, poverty, hunger, illness–so many lessons in detachment.
And how are we to be detached? We live in the world, we make plans, we have expectations, we strive to do better, to be better, to be organized and work hard–how are we to do all of that and not be attached? It is not an easy thing, it is one reason yogis, mystics and monks seek out seclusion; to make it easier to be simple, to leave behind expectations.
But even that is not a guarantee; ashrams, monasteries and religious organizations are oftentimes battlegrounds for competing egos, filled with even higher expectations of how things are supposed to be–creating even more attachment. There is a saying that helps describes this, “Wherever you go, there you are!”
The easiest way to detachment is by keeping your attention on God—surrendering everything at His feet. Cultivate the notion that God is in control of everything, including your thoughts and the world around you. Feel that God is the sole reality, and if He wills it, nothing can stop a thing from happening, and if He does not, no amount of energy will change it; all is in His Keeping.
In the beginning you base this faith on what spiritual masters tell you. Later, through direct experience you come to the realization that God’s omnipotence is a precise description of the highest reality. As you surrender all that you are to God, even positive plans and desires, and you accept that His will reigns supreme, then you are at peace.
This does not mean you do not strive, work, and fight for a good idea God has given you. But when you face frustration and disappointment—you surrender yourself to Him. This gives you the courage and strength to carry on in the face of obstacles, or the ability to accept something new if that is what God wishes for you. You are God’s faithful servant, and whether it all goes your way or not, you are focused on fulfilling His will, listening to His direction, being a perfect instrument in His hands. This gives you perfect equanimity in good times and bad, in victory or defeat, in health or sickness—it is all He, it is all He!
Tomorrow we will hear from the repair folks and plan to be on our way south once again. Will that plan align with tomorrow’s reality? We will know by day’s end. In the meantime we plan, we work, we strive and move toward to an ideal given to us by the Infinite, and we balance this movement with total surrender to what He chooses for us—each and every moment.