How do I prepare myself to let go of my attachments?
Objective: To recognize the Buddha's discourse has prepared us for letting go.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
All the peace, contentment, joy, happiness and compassion.
Interbeing, Aimlessness and Signlessness
The 3 Dharma seals: impermanence, non self and nirvana
Be Kind. Be Gentle. Be Loving.
Historic and Ultimate awareness
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
I am a flower. I feel fresh.
Letting go of attachments is not a battle but a beautiful experience and the Discourse has prepared us for the letting go. Preparation began with our first in-breath. We were instructed not to judge it good, bad, desirable or 'not quite right'. We were just to accept it, then enjoy it for what it is, Life expressed. The realization of "I am alive" blooms and generates happiness and joy. Discovering that 'I am life's flower' and the resulting joy happen because we simply 'Let Go' of what we thought our breath should be. Attachments are the same, we simply 'Let Go' and happiness and joy immediately bloom.
The Established Pattern
Letting Go --> Freedom, Peace, Happiness and Joy
Evolutionary Attachments in our DNA
Some of our attachments were given to us before we were born. Attachments to food, shelter, community, natural resources were critical to survival and natural selection wove those traits into the DNA. Carbohydrates are our source of pure energy and weaving a desire for them into our DNA was necessary for survival. If they hadn't craved carbohydrates, they would have tired out too soon while being chased or during the chase. Our attachment to carbs is intricately tied to survival. That's a strong pull and we experience it every time we bite into our favorite sweets.
Attachments I Created
Another way to look at attachments is 'what is my relationship to this strong feeling or desired response?'. When we mindfully breathe with concentration, insight can answer this question for us. Understanding blooms and compassion can enter into our awareness.
There are many moments when we formed attachments in the past and they were formed with the same premise why DNA drives us to desire carbohydrates, to protect us from suffering. Maybe when we were young, our parents ate sweets when they were overwhelmed. So we do it now. Maybe we were emotionally hurt from close relationships so we have placed a shell around our hearts. The shell protects us for the past hurts and possible hurts to come. Maybe we were ignored and so we crave attention so we ensure being 'seen'. It doesn't feel good when we are not recognized. Maybe we don't feel good about ourselves so we gravitate to alcohol, food or hours in front of the screen. There are countless ways we all have formed attachments in an effort to soothe our suffering.
It Takes Courage
When your awareness is on the side of 'Letting Go', it can be scary, intimidating and/or overwhelming to begin the letting go. Remember, these attachments were established for survival and/or are attempts to relieve suffering. Your mind has well established neuro pathways that lead you into this attachment or relationship. The mind can create a natural fear if you break the pathway. This fear would be very helpful for our ancestors as they walked by those berries. They may fear not seeing more berries later in the day and conclude, "We better eat them now." The same goes for attachments created yesterday. I better do this now because I know suffering is going to follow.
Be Kind. Be Gentle. Be Loving
As Thay says, "Hello, My Darling. I am here for you." Kindly greet yourself and the pull of the attachments. Begin to mindfully breath so you can Gently listen for understanding. With understanding, you are in a position to Love all parts of you so you can 'Let Go.'
Again, the Discourse's Pattern Prepares Us
Remember, the discourse has prepared us for this moment. We have had many times of letting go resulting in freedom, peace, happiness, security of aimlessness and joy. This will be no different.
How I Love the Root
Once insight has offered understanding, I am prepared to Love myself into transition. I am very aware of the attachment and possibly how and when it formed but that isn't necessary. Insight will reveal the root in a way that is best for you to become aware of it and put you in the best position to love yourself. Trust your insight!
With this new understanding, I ask one more question. "What is my relationship within this attachment?" I move the focus more upon myself and less on the outwardly expression of the attachment. Insight responds with more transparency and I can look more deeply into the attachments and bonds I have formed. It's at this moment, I can most deeply Love myself. Then the conversation moves into:
I am here for you.
I can see why this is so painful. I can see how and why I feel so strongly to have created this attachment or created this relationship.
I am sharing the calmness of my breath with you so you can be soothed.
You don't have to be alone with all of this anymore.
I am sharing the fullness of the moment with you. Here you will have interbeing, aimlessness and through signlessness, you will see how you are never alone. Here is your sangha. Here is my true home.
Then I just breathe and BE. My mind will naturally do the rest as now it has a pathway to resolve the attachment's need.
The Three Dharma Seals
When the moment is right, look for the impermanence. Let Insight gently guide you to see the impermanence within the condition, the generated need and the attachment that drives the selected soothing attempt.
Resting in the calm and peace, look deeply into the attachment or into the relationship you've formed to see the non-self. Observe how the root of the relationship is dependent upon impermant conditions. Look for interbeing.
At this point, your awareness is shifting from the Historical into the Ultimate where nirvana can be experienced. You are sitting squarely in the awareness of life happening. You, the conditions, the created attachment, the attempted soothing is happening while life continues to move forward. You are an expression of life. You are the droplet of water riding the wave who discoveres she is water. Just as her fears and anxieties of the immentent crashing wave she's riding, she relaxes with freedom knowing this is not her end but continuation. She lets go of birth and death and embraces BEing. This a wonderful ride and the next will be its own wonderful expression of life. You are life flowering.
Thich Nhat Hanh quote:
"To be alive is already a miracle".
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Let's Sit and Be Together
Our focus is ground our self by watering our seeds of peace, freedom, happiness and joy from begin in the moment. Here is our true home. Here is the destination for our mind 'Let Go' of our attachments. We know this experience. As we let go, we'll know it more deeply and feel even more secure within our true home.
14 mins with bells at 2 mins
As I breath in, I enjoy my in-breathe. | As I breath-out, I kindly greet my body
Enjoy | Kindly Greet
Calm | Ease
I Gently greet my whole self. | I rest with the moment's peace.
Gently greet | Peace
Breathing in, I see myself as a flower | Breathing out, I feel fresh.
Flower | Fresh
Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain | Breathing out, I feel solid.
Mountain | Solid
Breathing in, I see myself as still water | Breathing out, I reflect things as they are.
Still Water | Reflecting
Breathing in, I see myself as space | Breathing out, I feel free
Space | Free
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.