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| Peanut and Mango guy Old Mysore City |
Here I am in my wonderful little Mysore...The land of Ashtanga yoga, Mysore Pak, and birthplace of the enlightened yogi...Most of the western people start their day downing espresso at 5am for a 6am yoga practice....followed by a nice breakfast at one of the local cafes and then it's off to chanting, Sanskrit, or yoga sutra classes to study the tradition that is older than the dirt we wash out of out yoga rugs every week. Here the yogi is in his or her constant fight to attain the concept of detachment. In doing so there breeds a non-awareness of the reality of the constant world moving around them. I often see and hear of people struggling with not just the concept of detachment but also the constant worry of their return home and the attachment they have with the people, places, things, and ideas they left behind.
Detachment in accordance to the Webster Dictionary by definition.
...Expressed as non-attachment, is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective...
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| Old Mysore City Fish Fry |
I find the concept boring and self destructive myself. I also see this concept as a way to hide from the Universal responsibility we all have as souls in this life we continue to be born into. Do we detach from the feelings of sadness we experience when we see starving animals, children, and people on the streets by looking away and pretending it doesn't exist... turning our head and ignoring their pain with the logic being it is their karma?...If this is so... then fuck detachment...
The Guru will teach of detachment of material things, people, places and ideas saying it breeds greed and with greed comes corruption and malice and nonhuman behavior. The Guru will also continue to teach as long as the student has attachment to the Guru...So in this there is a hypocrisy?...You will see some Gurus who are wearing gold and charging large amounts of money to Western students for the teachings of the teachers that came before their teachers...Is this the Guru's way of helping the Westerner release the attachment of their money or independent thought? It is wise and selfless of the Guru to charge large prices, buy expensive things, build large houses, and buy expensive cars so he may help the Westerner release his or her attachment of their hard earned money...and...teach of Brahmacharya(non-excess)...and of Santosha (contentment)?..because I know in my heart the Guru would give all of his riches up in the rising of tomorrows sun if needed?...Yes?...No?...Maybe?...
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| Mysore Lake |
People leave here and go home to their families and try to continue the concept of detachment by closing off feelings and emotions for there homes, material goods, people, spouses, friends, and beliefs only to wake up a few weeks, months, years, later to see life doesn't work with out attachment. The truth is if detachment were real... We would experience our life with out remorse, feeling, social bonding, fear, joy, or love because we would be non-attached... I do believe this sounds a lot like Psychopath behavior... So the teaching continues and people's struggle continue... Can a human detach from just bad behavior?... I don't think so...Where there is good is there not bad? To have light you must have dark... To have an upward slope there has to be a downward slope...to have detachment...attachment...so where is the line in the dirt? So to the Guru I ask...Are you ok with out the student?... Would you be ok with the number being one?... Or are you attached to the number in the thousands?... Is it the money?... or is it the Yoga? Either way...It's attachment.
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| A local in Old Mysore City |
So if attachment is bad...I'm game... I love the way it feels when I see my family after a long period of time going solo, I love the way my dog Oliver pounces me when I walk in the door and licks me in the face, I love the taste of bacon, my dad's French bread, I love my home and friends and family... so am I a pawn of Attachment?...Fuck yea... I'm ok with it...I also love that when I see pain I feel pain...When I see sickness I feel sickness...When I see mistreatment of animals, people, and the world it pisses me off and I want to do something about it...Detachment?... Hell no... I am attached... and in that attachment I find my yoga... and my Guru...
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| The gang at Santosha..I'm really attached to this place and group |
