Dear Friends,

It is my impression that we have a tendency to think of non-attachment around material things.  “I have a great house.  But I would still be happy if I had to live in a teepee.”  Certainly that is an aspect of non-attachment.  Another aspect is to not be attached to the results of our actions.  That can be really hard for goal-oriented people.

In reading the beautiful book, Swami Kriyananda As We Have Known Him, I enjoyed the chapter “A Strong Desire.”  A woman tried to resist a desire for many months, as Swami recommended.  But she finally admitted that she had been unable to resist that desire.  Swami then suggested, to her surprise, that she then follow the desire – which entailed a big change in her life – but that she do so with an attitude of non-attachment.  When she asked Swami if making this change was good or bad for her spiritually, Swami said that in itself, it was neither good nor bad.  He said:  “It is merely a thing. How it turns out for you depends on how you relate to it, whether with pride and ego, or with humility and devotion.”

Having a great teacher to discuss our challenges with is an extraordinary blessing.  Do you have a spiritual teacher you can talk to? It can be a bit risky if we rely on our perceptions to make decisions about giving into desires!  But this story illustrates that non-attachment can help us grow in many circumstances.

Many Blessings,
Nityananda