"In the end, all dependable satisfaction comes from the higher ground above and within, depending on how we choose to look at it. True satisfaction comes from the deathless dimension, not the temporary, transient, ephemeral, and material realm of joining and parting; it comes from a more invisible dimension, not merely from our plans and stratagem. Thus we rely on the ubiquitous religious impulse in human beings to find a love that transcends death -- a life that goes beyond this world where, as they say, moth and rust can destroy and corrupt. There is no way around this. This is not to denigrate our quotidian ordinary concerns, rather it is a way to bring deeper perspective to daily life, a way to bring a sense of the eternal into this time and space and in that way get perspective on our existence. We bring the timeless dimension right into the here and now. This is the realm of faith, of invisible connections, of interrelatedness."
(Lama Surya Das, Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be)
Working with attachments is the foundation of Buddhist practice. The first noble truth of Buddhism is that life is dukkha, which usually translates as suffering. More precisely, it is the recognition of life's transience and the suffering entailed in that recognition. The second noble truth is the recognition that what gives rise to dukkha is attachment (tanha, which translates literally as thirst) to things that are, by defintion, transient. The more we are attached to the things of this world, all of which are transient, the more we suffer. The third noble truth is that dukkha can be escaped through the eradication of attachments. The fourth noble truth is that the eightfold path offers the way to escape dukkha.
It is important to note that Buddhism recognizes that there are truly pleasurable things in the world; however, it is our attachment to those things that creates the suffering, not the things themselves. We can readily perceive that everything changes over time. However, most of us fight change because we are attached to things as they are right now. Whether it is something pleasurable, such as an old, ratty shirt that is comfortable, or something unpleasant, such as an abusive relationship, we cling to the status quo because we fear the unknown that change entails.
We all would benefit from looking at the ways we are attached to things and, therefore, creating suffering in our lives. There is no need to give up what we love, but we can change the way we hold those things. Instead of clinging to what makes us feel safe, we might release our attachments to those things and instead honor their presence in our lives. This applies to people as much as it does to things.
True enlightenment requires the cessation of attachment to this life. We don't reach this end in a single step, but it takes a first step to begin along the path.
2 comments:
This is interesting because it shows, I think, how religions differ. In many ways, Christianity and Buddhism share the same beliefs when it comes to the diagnosis of our problems - that we are too attached to the things of this transient world instead of being attached to the things that are eternal. The differences (and they are severe) come when we start to talk of the solution to our problem. Buddhism teaches that we need to sever our connections to the things of this world, to become detached, in order to escape suffering. Christianity teaches that the answer to suffering is to form new attachments to the God who created this world, and that these new attachments will enable us to withstand suffering, grow from it and make the world a better place. That is, Christianity teaches us not to escape from the world but to transform it.
Thanks for the post - it's enlightening (sorry!).
pax et bonum
John,
The differences are smaller than they may appear on the surface. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, is already present on Earth. Buddha taught that we are already in union with non-dual consciousness, even if we are unable to perceive it. Both are ways of saying we are one with God.
Jesus taught the surrender of personal desires and attachments as the way to God. Buddha taught the release of all attachments as a way to end the suffering associated with being attached to the things of the world -- and it is those attachments that prevent us from accessing the non-dual reality (Kingdom of Heaven) already within us.
The differences do not strike me as that great. Buddhism doesn't teach the escape from this world any more than Christianity does. The Bodhisattva vow requires all who attain enlightenment to assist all other sentient beings in acheiving enlightenment. Buddhists do not abandon the world to experience "one taste" -- in fact, Tibetan Buddhists use the material world as the tool to reach enlightnement. True tantra is about using the energies of the material world as fuel for the spiritual path. This requires that one see all things as manifestations of Spirit, of non-dual consciousness, or God.
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