Let YOUR Attachments GO!

Buddhism contends that all suffering comes from clinging to a specific outcome or experience that leads to problems. We use our minds to create scenarios and methods, which is fine unless you have one particular scene in mind and something different happens. No matter how positive the outcome, it causes us to suffer because it isn’t how we imagined it. Today avoid clinging tightly to situations we are going to experience, possessions we have accumulated, or any outcomes we encounter.

Enjoy the Day

The present moment always has the potential for enjoyment and peace. But too often, we look at a moment and lament the missing things. It is too human to look at something great and complain about missing things. Big days, weddings, graduations, or other milestone moments have this potential. If you build them up so big in your mind, you become attached to this perfect image. One slight variance will cause pain because our attachment is being destroyed.

Let the situation be; the present moment is what it is. There may be rain on your wedding day. Your choice is to embrace it or reject it. To deny reality is delusional, and experiencing pain when happiness is correct is also unsound. Each day has the same challenge rolled up in it. Be angry and upset about what is not happening, or be happy and grateful for what is happening. Let go of the attachment you have built up in your mind.

Things are Things

People make a lot of money to create brainwashing advertisements that make you feel bad about yourself, so you will seek solace in purchasing a product you don’t need. Our attachment builds that we need things to be popular, happy, and essential. Things are just things, and they do not lead to long-lasting happiness. Our attachment to accumulating possessions to build up our feelings of self-worth is one of the main culprits of suffering because buying something to make you feel good about yourself is an unsound equation.

Buying things is not bad; it is the attachment to them and what they mean to your self-esteem that is unhealthy. Your worth is based on what is inside you, never what is outside. Look for your honesty, integrity, kindness, generosity, and love carried around on the inside, and that is where your worth comes from. Stop being manipulated into thinking a new car, house, or bike will solve all your problems. Building attachments to things outside of yourself cause pain and suffering because they are never enough in the end. Let go of the idea that things are what life is all about. Life is about experiences.

Be Open to How Things Work Out

All things in life are going to move down a path. We set intentions for what we want to accomplish, experience, and do. Then we become attached to the method to achieve these things. Even though we may need to learn something to become what we want or have other experiences to make us successful at what we want to be. We often get in our way because we can’t imagine making something we want to come into reality. That causes suffering. But the world has been working just fine for thousands and thousands of years. Life will put you where you need to go.

Then, the choice is to let go of your attachments to the method and achieve the goal. Take action in front of you today and enjoy doing it. Each yard you move down the field will lead to a touchdown, but enjoy the trip and do the work you need to do along the journey of life. It makes no sense to set a goal for something you would like to accomplish and then eliminate the experiences that will get you there. The good stuff makes life enjoyable—learning to experience joy in the daily moments we all have available to us. Let go of the attachment to how you think things should go and allow them to happen as they do. To fight against reality is a definition of crazy.

Take a moment today and look at the things you are doing. Are they for a bigger purpose? A new job? A race you will run? A wedding? Accumulation of wealth? Regardless, look at how you feel about it and honestly look at the attachments you have built up about the outcome. Are they rigid? What if you got what you wanted, but it came differently? Would you be OK with that? Or would you be angry? Look at what you are attached to today and practice letting them go. All we are guaranteed in life is this very moment. Learn to find joy in it.

 “Attachment is the source of all suffering.” Buddha

 “Attachment is another name of disappointment and pain. Vishal”

“Things are as they are; we suffer because we imagined different.” Anonymous

 “Accept what comes and allow it to leave when it’s time.” Anonymous