What is detachment? How to practice detachment.

The formula for detachment-

Understand what is attachment to figure out how to practice detachment.

 

To understand detachment, we first have to understand attachment. Attachment happens when we get the feeling that someone or something belongs to us or we belong to someone. It also happens when we expect something of others, situations or objects.

  Attachment is a feeling, an emotion generated by the self. Emotion is energy. Emotion is sometimes referred to as energy in motion.

  When one feels a sense of attachment toward a person, object or situation, a portion of one's energy is transferred to that person, object or situation. This transference establishes an energy link between the self and the recipient. An emotional bond is created. This gives a sense of attachment to the shelf.

 
This sense of attachment also creates fear in the self because we have lost a proportion of our energy to another. The self feels incomplete (due to loss of energy) and less confident. This leads to possessiveness. The person who is attached experiences a deep desire to control the recipients of the energies because he does not want his energy to dissipate.

  By feeling a sense of attachment, one is distributing one's vital energy to others- persons, objects and situations. Most of us call this love.

  The attachment also results when one identifies the self with an act ( doer-ship or ownership). This is called the creation of Karma. The Karmas thus created get attached to the self due to this identification.

  The more the attachment, the greater is the fear experienced by the person. All decisions about the objects of the attachment are coloured by this fear. These decisions are, therefore, not based on clarity.

  To experience clarity, one must cultivate detachment.

  What is detachment?

  Detachment means preventing the transfer of energy in the first place.

  Attachment happens when we feel something or someone belongs to us. The understanding that we own nothing, possess nothing helps. The sense of ownership has to vanish. One can think that one is a temporary custodian of things. If we analyse this, we will understand that thinking a person belongs to us is preposterous. A person is, after all, not a thing.

  With a person, we can think that we are in a temporary association. The word temporary is important because we usually want everything to be permanent in life, which is an expectation and, therefore, an attachment.

  If the association is temporary, we will value that association as long as it last and experience the best the association has to offer. And When It Breaks, there will be no regret or sadness or a sense of loss. This is true detachment.

  Try this exercise for detachment:

  1. Select an object, person or situation you want to detach from.

  2. Close your eyes and examine the feelings that you have for this object, person or situation.

  3. Keeping your eyes closed, imaging calling back all the feelings, one by one, to yourself. Imagine these energies coming back to you and filling the gaps they had left behind in your energy field when you had transferred that energy earlier to the object, person or situation.

  4. After receiving back these energies, check if anything has been left behind. Repeat step 3 till you become whole again.

  5. Open your eyes. You will feel fulfilled, relaxed and happy.

  6. Now recall your energies from the next object, person or situation you are attached to, till you feel complete and whole again.

 If you make it a habit to act without a sense of ownership (ego), you would have achieved detachment.

  Detachment is not indifference. Detachment means detaching oneself from interpreting another's intentions. Detachment means being neutral to praise and criticism- and the understanding that one does not possess anything. Detachment also means projecting unconditional love to others.

  The practice of detachment leads to great inner please which will radiate to others around you. When others feel this peace and radiation, they will ask you how you this state. It becomes a Win-Win situation for everyone.