Inner Sufficiency

Life keeps us humble! I used to moonlight in the spiritual community for many years and felt that I had a much better life balance than these days when I have made spirituality my business. In my old profession my ego had many outlets, such as my craving for recognition, the desire to get looked up to, and the need to feel ‘loved’. The Catch 22 that I am facing these days is that there is no room for ego in our spiritual writings and interactions, yet, my ego is as present as it always way. So I end up romanizing my ego cravings which doesn’t help anyone.

Do you know what? Attachment is quite alright as long as we are willing to face what is. I am attached to the people I love, so what! I crave recognition because I am as human as they come. I love my little intellectual babies, the books that I am writing. What choice do we have but to acknowledge these attachments. The beauty of facing what is and being mindful about it is that we in fact a choice what exactly we do do with these attachment and are given a priceless opportunity to let go of our ego cravings when they stand in the way of experiencing true love.

A couple of examples in this direction, when we write to someone specifically, we can literally ‘smell’ the scent of co-dependency in comparison to the pure air of love. Who forces us to push the sent button? Or take my book projects. My New Year’s Resolution is to start every project with the needs of my target audience in mind rather than tooting my own horn in the name of spirituality. I have attached a note by J. Krishnamurti put together by Vinod Mittal this morning that sparked this note. ‘Inner sufficiency’ is what J. Krishnamurti asks for. My key goal for 2019!

The word attachment comes from the Italian attaccare, which means to grip something and hold on to it.

Why is one attached to a country, person, some experience, ideology, or definite conclusion? Why do people do this throughout the world?

Is it because we are inwardly insufficient in ourselves, lonely, that there is a sense of possession, whether it is of a piece of furniture, a house or a person? To possess something, to say ‘it is mine’ gives a great deal of pleasure. Is it that we human beings have nothing deeper, more vital, and therefore hold on to something very superficial, something that may pass away? We know unconsciously that it is passing away---but we still hold on. I’ve had an experience, something that suits me deeply, brings colour to my life, gives it meaning, and I hold on to the memory of that experience, which has gone, which is dead. Why do we do this?

Is it that one is afraid to be nothing, to have nothing to hold on to? Is it because possessing, holding, clinging to something gives us a great sense of security and well-being?

When we look at the different forms of attachment, why do we not see the consequences of it, the fear, the anxiety, the pain? To see it, and not allow for time to end it. Intelligence is to see the whole movement of attachment, both the inward and outward, the whole process of it, and the very perception of it is to end it.