KARMA #7

 

DESIROUS ATTACHMENT

“More possessions – more worry.

More generosity – more peace.

There is nothing wrong with possessions, only to being possessed by them.” Hillel

Its not the need that is our spiritual enemy but the want!

There are many aspects of self-cherishing's desirous attachments which are often driven by greed: 

“Greed is not stilled with money any more than thirst with salt water.” Ksemendra

The ego is never satisfied, the more it gets the more it wants. Gratification is only temporary, until ego's next attainment. The more 'stuff' we have - the more the need to maintain it which detracts from our spiritual work.

“Give up owning things and being somebody. Quit existing.” Rumi

The other faces of ego enhanced by our

Possessions

are

Persona, Pride, Prestige, Power

“There is no room for God in him who is full of himself. The sages tell us concerning the proud man; God says; “I and s/he cannot dwell together in the world.” Talmud

"God cannot be realized if there is the slightest trace of pride."

The Upanishads

and the most toxic

Power, Fame or Infamy

"Power corrupts and complete power corrupts completely."

Lord Acton

Greed can lead to harmful behavior patters; malice, hatred, anger, rage and scandal or vile speech. When we look the autocratic leaders on the planet we note a total disobedience to several of the Ten Commandments.

Thou shall not covet...

Thou shall not bear false witness...

Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...

Given full power, greed becomes an enslaver of the greedy – fear becomes first a bully, then a torturer and then a killer.  

... and even 'stealing' from their subjects and soliciting murder.

Yet they get elected!

“By attributing worth to tangible objects humans becomes attracted to them; attraction brings desire for them; desire leads to competition and dispute. These create anger and the result is delusion. Delusion completely overcomes man’s sense of right and wrong.” Srimad Bhagavata

There is nothing wrong with desire but being attached to the object of one's desire has karmic implications.

Sometimes one can actually 'become' the object of one's desire. Embracing the nature of impermanence is the remedy for this dysfunction. We need to attend to our needs rather than out wants.

Moreover, the one who dies with the most toys does not win but loses spiritually. The fewer the attachments we have the easier it will be when we eventually cross the veil between the worlds and face a spiritual tribunal who will evaluate our karma.

Karmic merit arises out of attachment to spiritual transformation and non-attachment to the material.

We are given the challenge of being in a sentient body and now more than ever the limitless temptations of technology and its offerings. Steve Jobs once instructed his employees that their task at Apple was not to give people what they needed but to tell them what they wanted. Many entrepreneurs follow this mantra.  

The Ancestors teach that ulterior motives are greatly under-rated. It is good to donate money in order to build a hospital or anything else that can help humanity but if it is attached to an agenda it may be karmically neutral or negative depending on the intention. It is better to give charity than not to give it, but the act may not have spiritual merit.

 

Emperor Wu asked, “I’ve built temples and ordained monastics; what merit is there in this?”
Bodhidharma replied, “No merit.”

 

It depends not only on what we do, but why we do it, how we do it, and when we do it.

 

There is always enough as long as one is free from the compulsion for more. Narrow mind is about having – Spacious mind is about being.

“  … Abundance is not an achievement of the acquisitive but rather a legacy of the perceptive – a realization of plenty – not an acquiring of more – a delight not a desire.” Hillel

Karma also dictates that we have to find equanimity, inner peace and happiness with our basic needs and to focus on Self Realization rather than actualization of the little self. This brings true happiness.

 

Of all the teachings of the sages some most agreed upon as being both fundamental and elemental were those about abundance and delight.

 

Desirous Attachment is antithetical to the principle of impermanence. We cannot take 'it' with us. At the end of the day the only thing we can take is our karma and our experiences.

Moreover, material attachments can hamper the soul’s journey during transition after death causing the spirit to either become earth bound (lost between the worlds) or to inherit a lower vibration in the Astral.

The only things that live on are love, truth and the soul.

Non-Attachment is not the same as detachment which implies denial, resignation, desperation, a giving up, rather than a giving in to a higher vibration and something much bigger than oneself.

 

Concerning detachment, one of its paths leads to a lifeless world without enthusiasm or hope, a place of indifference where one could become ensnared in hidden traps of dejection and despair, where one no longer cares to love nor dares to trust.