Williams, Emerald Pool, 1906
To enjoy anything, we cannot be attached to it. What
we usually try to do is capture any joy that comes our way before it can
escape. We try to cling to pleasure, but all we succeed in doing is
making ourselves frustrated because, whatever it promises, pleasure simply
cannot last. But if I am willing to kiss the joy as it flies, I say,
'Yes, this moment is beautiful. I won't grab it. I'll let it
go.' And I live with a mind at peace and a heart untroubled.
Pleasure comes and goes. When it goes, we don't need to cling to memories
of the past happiness or dwell on when it may come again. When we turn to
the past yearning, we are running away from the present. When we propel
ourselves into the future in anticipation, we are running away from the present.
This is the secret of the world's spiritual tradition called detachment:
If we don't cling to past or future we live entirely here and now, in "Eternity's sunrise."
Eknath Easwaran
No comments:
Post a Comment