Ordinary Mind Zen School Attachment, Detachment, Non attachment
Jun 21, 2023
Explores how clinging to desires creates suffering and resistance. Compares fear-based aloof detachment with mature non-attachment rooted in engagement. Shares Zen stories that illustrate compassionate action followed by letting go. Discusses lay practice, myths about celibacy, and how practice reduces fear to enable wholehearted, non-attached love.
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Attachment Is Resistance To Life
- Attachment causes suffering because we resist life's constant change and try to hold people, things, or ideas as possessions.
- Geoff Dawson explains that clinging to permanence puts us out of step with life's impermanence and creates ongoing dissatisfaction.
Detachment Is Fear Not Freedom
- Detached aloofness is a fear-based avoidance that cuts you off from life and creates isolation.
- Geoff Dawson contrasts detachment with non-attachment, noting detachment arises from holding back to avoid hurt.
Monk Carries Woman Then Lets Go
- A Zen story: an older monk carries a young woman across a muddy stream and later tells a younger monk he isn't still carrying her.
- Geoff Dawson uses this story to illustrate non-attachment as acting then letting go immediately.