A Lesson In Non-Attachment
 

Namaste and blessings to all.

There is nothing like the Christmas and School Holiday period to make us more aware and mindful of not only those who suffer financially, but those who suffer emotionally and/or both.

Christmas is like 'Maya on speed' as people rush to buy more material possessions others don't need to show them how much they 'love them'.

It is that time of year where greed is good, as long as it is in the name of a religion....and people go crazy, like insane maniacs trying to be more 'socially competitive' than their average neighbour - because you know it's all about who's gotta have the biggest tree...

How humans manage to get a car space in a car park is totally beyond my level of comprehension because I never can...and why parents can't get others to babysit toddlers while they do shopping is totally beyond me too...it's too much, too much to bring an under 5 year-old into a crowded mall at Christmas time...but the parents are teaching their offspring how to be attached from a very early age..."do you like that dear? no, you cannot have it" and the child throws a tantrum in the middle of the department store.

And so it was, I saw a huge basket full of twine, bead and crystal bracelets for $1 each and I spent a whole twenty minutes going through the lot of them and choosing the best 5 out of the bunch, the 5 I was going to buy and as I chose them, I placed them on the shelf next to the basket.

After choosing 5, I was about to gather them up and proceed to the register, when my mother called me and I turned around for all of a few seconds - in which time, another shopper, a lady came up while I was distracted, took those 5 bracelets off the shelf and started making her way to the register.

I chased after her with an 'excuse me, I was going to buy those' to which she replied "tough luck because I am buying them" and I was ropable...I hope she liked those bracelets I chose for her...I must have good taste...but I was angry...for all of 5 minutes and threw a tantrum like one of those 2 year-olds...

At the end of it I was like "oh well, that's 5 items less I have to worry about being attached to" and I could see the whole lesson the universe was teaching me - it was so plain as day - "you don't need things like that".

I don't know if it was defiance which made me buy the Shiva statue I saw in "Tibet World" for $30 straight afterwards - I figured that material objects were just material objects anyway and if I was going to have one, this is as good as any and besides, there was nobody rushing in to get it before I did...lol

After this, mum gave me a lecture about 'saving money' and I could never see the whole point of that. Why 'look at' money? It is meant to be kept in circulation....and I got the whole 'rainy day' philosophy - but when it rains, she still won't spend the money.

I told her that 'miser' and 'misery' stem from the same word.

Both my parents were misers and the whole family 'did without' because of it, their hoarding of money - it made me a total spendthrift because of it and money has no relevance to me, I either have it or I do not and more often it's the latter but I don't care.

So, A Hindu gave herself a Christmas present and is now telling Buddhists all about it...

Weirder things have happened, right?

Well, I admire your ability to be philosophical about what must've been a maddening episode, I think I'd have been marinating in murderous rage for the rest of the day :D

'Tis an interesting time of year to be contemplating the whole notion of non-attachment, that's for sure. Maybe it's my age (or perhaps I'm just so darned spiritually advanced :tongue: ), but I struggle to think of anything I really want for Christmas these days; if anyone asks, I usually plump for DVDs or books. This year I decided I'd quite like 'Be Here Now' by Ram Dass, and wouldn't you know it, it ain't going to be here, now (well, tomorrow), it's coming from America so it'll be here in the middle of January :laughing11:

I'm sure there's a lesson in that, too, but for the time being I think I'll just purse my lips and sulk like a child :binkybaby:

Thank you for that and as far as Ram Dass is concerned, I much preferred Grist For The Mill, but Be Here Now does not disappoint.

I folllowed him from the time he was Richard Alpert, doing research at Harvard into psychedelics, with his 'partner in crime', Timothy Leary...but that is a tale for another day.

you know life can be all very simple if you keep it simple ,
make waves and end up in the waves ,
be silent and all comes to a rest ,
be love and all becomes love
be happy and all becomes happiness

Yes, breath in, breath out....simple

Necromancer,

We like freedom of thinking, life, relationship, buying things....... but we can't avoid our parents love. They may be sometimes seem unreasonable but they're all a way of attachment of love. And they can't be indifferent with their children but in someway seem to be can't bear to part. You may be look apathetic and don't forget that's blissful. My words are a bit clever pun but your mother is what she can be quite solicitive for you.

Ol' Rich sure has led an eventful life, no question about that :laughing11: I've never heard of 'Grist For The Mill', I'll have to read up on it :smile:

Cute and funny story, Necro.