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Practice and Let It Go

By  Vanessa Webb | 

 

Non-attachment does not mean that we don’t care, in fact it means we care more deeply. It’s our concept of what “caring” is that needs review.  We often associate “caring” from an attached frame of reference, whereas the ideal “caring” is freedom.  Non-attachment leads us to truly value what is presently in our lives and experience, letting go of the need to acquire more…this is where freedom lies.  Non-attachment means that we have the capacity to let things go from our lives when the time is right…if and when that time comes.

Everything in life is given from God and it will go back to God when it’s time.  What is given, we are to care for, appreciate, love and nourish while it’s with us, yet have the capacity to let it go when it is no longer required in our life.  And it’s not up to us to determine when this is.  When the time comes to let go, we will know in our inner most being, but it’s the struggle with the thinking mind that turns it into agony.  Holding on to anything beyond its time, or to something that was never meant to be ours in the first place, is toxic, and we do feel that when we listen deeply.  So you see, it’s not that our inner intelligence isn’t there, it’s that we pin that against our egoic desires and create struggle for ourselves.

image credit: trizworld gallery

What is wonderful about this (agonizing) non-attachment, is that our discernment evolves from such a practice, we begin to prioritize what is of value, and it’s this that means we care more deeply…because we value what remains.  We become less consumed in the maintenance that is required in a lifestyle of grasping…grasping at things that really only become distraction.  Refining our focus toward what we value means we will nourish it and tend to it, with the added respect of knowing when it’s time to give it back to Life.  We begin to hear when Life is asking for it back for the fulfillment of its purpose, but also for the fulfillment of yours.  The practice of Brahmacharya begins to define our practice of Aparigraha, likewise Vairagya; which in turn deepens our commitment to Brahmacharya.  This is where the deep capacity for caring and love is found.  

We’re then left facing Trust, and how do we deal with Trust within ourselves and in our concept of the life we’re living?  Are we willing to let go of what we think our life should be yet live it from our best selves?  There is a phenomenal amount of Trust involved in this which really comes down to our willingness to let go of Control.  You see how we break it down here, don’t you?  When we feel it’s more important to grasp at things and hold on to those things, being distracted by those things, then we’re letting our ego run the show, we’re telling it that it’s in command over our deeper intelligence.  And when we begin to shift that dynamic toward listening to and trusting our inner wisdom, the relationship with the ego will kick back, and do we have the willingness to ride that out?  Determination even?  We deserve to not be maintaining a life (of grasping) that wasn’t meant for us….we deserve to experience those people and things that are truly meant for us in this lifetime.  This is then, a life of value, a life on purpose, and a life worth cherishing. It flips our experience from a life of “mine” to a life of “what is meant for my purpose to be fulfilled”?  So, we practice Aparigraha without expectation of what the outcome will be. The discernment of the practice develops the ability to let go.