“Attachment & Illusion”
by Kelvin Chin
Meditation Teacher
NON-ATTACHMENT
Where does the notion of “non-attachment” come from?
It stems from the Vedic idea that we are not our thoughts and emotions. Those are our “experiences.” Instead, the teaching point the Vedic teachers were trying to get across was that we are the “experiencer.” Not the experiences. And that I think was their essential point. And I agree with that distinction.
A point of identification I would also call it. That we should not identify our thoughts and actions with “who we are.”
We are the experiencer. Not the experiences.
Make sense?
ILLUSION
Where does the notion of “illusion” come from in spirituality?
It stems from the Buddhist concept (Buddhism is an offshoot of the more ancient Vedic tradition) that the material world we see around us is also not “who we are” in our essence. So it is a similar concept to the previous one about “non-attachment.”
So while I agree with those in principle, I caution us in following those ideas “in practice.”
What do I mean by that?
What I mean is that the principles themselves as a description and suggestion of how we should view our waking state world are accurate and can be helpful, I think.
But I do not think they were meant to be used as a description of a technique or practice of how to change our mindset, our perspectives, or conscious awareness about the material and non-material worlds, or the relationship between the experiencer and his/her experiences.
THE MISTAKE
It is, in essence, a misapplication of the following principle: “The description of where you want to go is not identical to the description of how to get there.”
That, I think, is the most common mistake that has been made in spirituality for millennia:
A description of the goal has been taken to be the means for the path to get there
As I said above, the Vedic idea about non-attachment, and the Buddhist idea about illusion are both accurate descriptions of reality, that the material world is not all that exists. And that we should not get attached to our thoughts, desires and emotions since they are not who we are — we are our own unique individual minds which are experiencing those experiences.
However, how those ideas are put into a self-development practice is where the “rubber meets the road.” Because that inner practice determines all-important outcomes and effects in our daily lives.
Understanding that our mind is distinct from — and not the same as — our thoughts and emotions is an important knowledge point.
That said, using the notion of “non-attachment” as a meditation technique, where one tries to remain “unattached” from one’s thoughts and emotions is an unnecessary and ill-advised jump that often has unintended negative consequences. In my meditation teaching, I would describe that as a forcing of the mind to which the mind resists and then contracts from. This is the exact opposite of what a meditation technique is meant to promote.
Similarly, seeing the material world as “illusion” and using that as an inner mental practice can lead to a dislike — even a contempt and divorcing of oneself from the world 🌎 Long-term practice of such techniques can also lead to halting speech, indicating a lack of full integration of thought and emotion into the speech pattern and behavior.
Why does this happen?
Separation and control. By continually manipulating or forcing the mind into that state, a sort of “split” can occur.
Consistent practice leads to greater separation — separation of mind, body and spirit. Again, the exact opposite intent of meditation techniques.
A REDEFINITION
Instead, an effortless technique of allowing the mind to experience itself in a natural uncontrolled, non-manipulative way nurtures a growing state of connection within oneself. Integration. Coordination and balance among mind, body and spirit.
The goal or objective of any meditation technique should be the same. Allowing the mind to experience itself in this different way, different from applying the same rules that we apply in waking state, and instead applying “meditation rules” in meditation, that lead us to “allowing our mind to experience itself.”
That’s it. Nothing more complicated than that. But the rubber meets the road in how you get there. The practice itself.
So in the end, technique is everything. But once the pathway is established, and very familiar, even the technique will eventually drop away.
Those meditation teachers who understand and apply these basic principles are the ones who understand more fully how differently the mind operates in meditation than in any other state. Those are the teachers who can help you accelerate your self-knowing, your unique personal growth.
Kelvin H. Chin is a Meditation Teacher, Life After Life Expert, and Author of “Overcoming the Fear of Death,” “Marcus Aurelius Updated: 21st Century Meditations On Living Life” and “After the Afterlife: Memories of My Past Lives.” He learned to meditate at age 19, and has been teaching Turning Within Meditation and coaching others in their self-growth for 40 years. He helps people understand their life challenges through their individual belief systems, and helps them find their own solutions. His past life memories reach back many centuries, and he accesses those memories in his teaching and his coaching in the same way all coaches draw on their own available experiences for perspective and effective analogies. He can be reached at www.TurningWithin.org.