asceticism
I'm in a Hindu Tradition class this semester, and as some of the things we're learning are so oddly relevant to recurring issues in my life, I thought I'd write a little about it.
So central to Buddhism and many branches of Hindu thought is the idea that what causes suffering in this world is our attachment to our lives, to people, to things, and our desire to continue life and our relations with people. But separation is inevitable, as death is, so we suffer. I think most anyone has suffered from separation from people or loved ones, and even if it's not a constant thought, most people are afraid of death. For me, the prospect of death totally freaks me out. As much as I have a tendency to become depressed/ welcome ideas of suicide, the idea of "nothing" and of death scares me more than anything. And attachment, well, that's just me. I become so attached to people, I have such a hard time letting go, I am constantly needing to reaffirm my relations with people, the second I see I am losing someone I become sad and hurt and try to hold onto it as long as I can. And I guess most people are that to a degree, but it's been such a problem in my life, that I know I've taken it to the extreme. And reading all of this, having my problems spelled out so clearly, and being offered a solution is all so crazy and relevant.
So anyway, if attachment and desire lead to all this suffering, then the way to end it is to let go of desire and attachment and in Buddhism you eventually reach nirvana. And a lot of this is closing yourself off from the world. In Upanishadic branches of Hinduism, it is the realization of the atman, the Self, and the idea there is that the Self is everything and there is no distuingishing factor between things, it is all the same and therefore to realize your Self and soul is to gain knowledge of the whole world, etc etc. And this, like nirvana, is when you end the cycle of death and rebirth, and the end of suffering.
Anyway, I'm not looking to actually reach some sort of enlightenment stage, nor do I really necessarily believe in reincarnation and therefore don't really desire a release from it. The idea of the atman is an interesting and rather radical concept as well (for me, no more out there than the Bible in my opinion), but I've taken some things from it. Even if I don't believe that I am everything and the only thing I should love is myself (okay it sounds like narcissism but it makes a lot of sense if you read about it), I still can understand the power of the self and why it's so necessary to fully realize it, for the body does decay, as do the senses, as do relations with people, as does everything material, and something more essential behind it all, like a soul or atman, is a very appealing idea.
What I'm trying to make sense of is the idea of letting go of attachments and desires in the general sense, because that really requires a sort of withdrawal from people and the material world. I'm not, at least not at this point, looking to become an ascetic in the extreme sense, but I really do agree with this theory behind suffering and yet at the same time, in my life, I've placed so much value on the people that I have come across. In no way am I about to give that up completely, but is there any way I can at least start gravitating towards a decreased attachment to it all? Should I be even trying to attain that?
What does everyone think? I want to hear people's opinions on this subject. Thanks!
So central to Buddhism and many branches of Hindu thought is the idea that what causes suffering in this world is our attachment to our lives, to people, to things, and our desire to continue life and our relations with people. But separation is inevitable, as death is, so we suffer. I think most anyone has suffered from separation from people or loved ones, and even if it's not a constant thought, most people are afraid of death. For me, the prospect of death totally freaks me out. As much as I have a tendency to become depressed/ welcome ideas of suicide, the idea of "nothing" and of death scares me more than anything. And attachment, well, that's just me. I become so attached to people, I have such a hard time letting go, I am constantly needing to reaffirm my relations with people, the second I see I am losing someone I become sad and hurt and try to hold onto it as long as I can. And I guess most people are that to a degree, but it's been such a problem in my life, that I know I've taken it to the extreme. And reading all of this, having my problems spelled out so clearly, and being offered a solution is all so crazy and relevant.
So anyway, if attachment and desire lead to all this suffering, then the way to end it is to let go of desire and attachment and in Buddhism you eventually reach nirvana. And a lot of this is closing yourself off from the world. In Upanishadic branches of Hinduism, it is the realization of the atman, the Self, and the idea there is that the Self is everything and there is no distuingishing factor between things, it is all the same and therefore to realize your Self and soul is to gain knowledge of the whole world, etc etc. And this, like nirvana, is when you end the cycle of death and rebirth, and the end of suffering.
Anyway, I'm not looking to actually reach some sort of enlightenment stage, nor do I really necessarily believe in reincarnation and therefore don't really desire a release from it. The idea of the atman is an interesting and rather radical concept as well (for me, no more out there than the Bible in my opinion), but I've taken some things from it. Even if I don't believe that I am everything and the only thing I should love is myself (okay it sounds like narcissism but it makes a lot of sense if you read about it), I still can understand the power of the self and why it's so necessary to fully realize it, for the body does decay, as do the senses, as do relations with people, as does everything material, and something more essential behind it all, like a soul or atman, is a very appealing idea.
What I'm trying to make sense of is the idea of letting go of attachments and desires in the general sense, because that really requires a sort of withdrawal from people and the material world. I'm not, at least not at this point, looking to become an ascetic in the extreme sense, but I really do agree with this theory behind suffering and yet at the same time, in my life, I've placed so much value on the people that I have come across. In no way am I about to give that up completely, but is there any way I can at least start gravitating towards a decreased attachment to it all? Should I be even trying to attain that?
What does everyone think? I want to hear people's opinions on this subject. Thanks!