Here, Bhante Ānanda offers a beautiful teaching on attachment, the hindrances and acceptance. 🌼
Wishing you all continued happiness.
“Most people associate letting go of all attachments with simply abandoning responsibilities. Like a cold and stale act of abandonment, which does not convey the warmth of wisdom. Like being without attachments would come with the inability to care. Whereas in fact, it is the complete opposite.
Attachments are fully selfish based. There is nothing good about them. They are all about me, myself and I. “My own perception of reality not being satisfied.“ The mind becomes heavy and sad and angry, and at that point, that is what this person emits around them. It’s not a pleasant experience for anyone. Far from helping anyone at this point.
Hindrances are so called because they are hindrances to Love and care. They are inherently selfish. Not selfless. Selflessness is the only way to real genuine care. Undiluted. For one and all.
To think attachments are about caring is profound delusion.
Moreover, the deeper the bliss of Dhamma one sees and experiences, the more compassion naturally arises within the heart and a genuine willingness to help emerges. Calmly. With poise and serenity. One then clearly sees how others are hurting their own selves by not understanding Dhamma, how the mind works, and unfortunately, there is nothing to be done for them but to show the way.
Unless these people take actions for themselves on secure grounds, someone else cannot help. That is just the truth. And fighting against it is going to make things far worse. This is, also they understand, it is part of their wisdom. Truth is truth. Whether we like it or not. It’s not going to change it.
This is called ‘acceptance’.
Yet another manifestation of genuine wisdom and selflessness.
Then one becomes a true refuge for beings. Others do not need others’ burden to carry. Tapping into the bottomless well of happiness of Dhamma, one becomes a life generator instead of a life drainer.
And this cannot be done to any great extent with heavy attachments and a hindered mind. The ability to care is directly proportional to the ability to let go of selfishness. Ego-centred perspectives and wishes. Even for those who are closest to us.
If others who are dear to us go through great pain, wishing for their well-being is natural. That does not mean that one is attached. One does not need attachments to care. Care and compassion are qualities of the awakened mind. This is clear.
But the difference is that, the awakened mind is unshaken by the result. It only cares, it Loves and it gives. Because it is pure. It is not affected by the outcome. It doesn’t have a selfish agenda for itself at the end. “I will be happy if…” No. The agenda is to Love. For the awakened mind, there is no “if”. There is only this one way.
Forward.
It is always at its best.
Why would it wish for better?
For oneself or for others?
It would make no sense.
Anything else arising in the mind at that point is simply a hindrance.
Period.
It is automatically seen and understood as hurtful, detrimental and utterly unbeneficial. For oneself and also, for others around.
Sanditthiko.
Directly visible.
That is how genuine care truly works.
It is selfless and free, in its purest expression.
Anything other than that comes to defile that purity and bring down its brilliance.
Simple.”
🙏🏼 🙏🏼 🙏🏼 Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu, Bhante! 🌸