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THE NEW CHURCH FOR THE NEW AGE
DETACHMENT
+ NEW 4/19/06 + Detachment is the practice which is now popularly called “letting go and letting God.” As we become more and more committed to the essential practice of being still, detachment becomes more and more natural and desirable. As we detach from some of our earthly pleasures and pains and obsessions and addictions, we become more and more awakened to the glorious truth that we are enjoying the gifts of heaven right here, right now. Wow! Buddhist teacher Thubten Chodron says that this practice leads to a “calm, realistic, open, and accepting attitude.” As a result, “our relationships with others are harmonious, and in fact, our affection for them increases." Read more at a SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE web page on Thubten Chodron.
RESOURCES ON THE WEB:
NEW 1/29/07: Inner Frontier offers "Stages of the Path" by Joseph Naft. "The path" of awakening and awareness is linked to detachment from beginning to end. The more we let go, the more we know peace and freedom. Naft quotes Buddhist master Achaan Chah: "If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom."
NEW 1/28/07: Inner Frontier offers "Non-clinging: Letting Go of Attachments" by Joseph Naft. He links the heavenly attributes of freedom and joy to the practice of letting go: "On the road to freedom, we must let go of everything as me or mine. One wonderful aspect of the practice of non-clinging is that partial results accrue to us, even early in our path. If we learn not to identify with just a few kinds of thoughts or emotional reactions, we discover a little freedom and lightness, more joy as we walk through life. Non-clinging serves as its own reward."
NEW 4/21/06 + Detachment does not mean indifference. A Hindu teacher, Shakun Narain Kimatrai, clarifies the difference. She writes: "I believe that while being detached, one has to be loving and compassionate. Detachment, according to me, is to be and let be! Live and let live! After you have done your best, leave the rest! I believe that the only true detachment is from the desire of fruits of action." For more, read "Detachment and Love," a webpage found at dalsabzi.com.
NEW 4/21/06 + Father Bede Griffiths (1906-1993) contributed immensely to our wisdom and knowledge regarding the contemplative life. He focused considerable attention on the need for detachment which he calls an essential part of the process "to break the ego, to open beyond the ego, and open up to the Divine." For more, read "Satsang with Fr. Bede" a webpage found at bedegriffiths.com
NEW 4/19/06 + Thubten Chodron says that a better translation of the Buddhist teaching we ordinarily call "detachment" would be "non-attachment." Read more at a SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE page on Thubten Chodron.
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John@abundancetrek.com
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