What are you attached to?

A place to discuss casual topics amongst spiritual friends.
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No_Mind
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What are you attached to?

Post by No_Mind »

I have found everyone is attached to something .. something they obsess over. For some it is their dog, for some their house, for some their hair and for some their hi-fi system.

What do you own or possess (as part of your body or your possessions) that you are really, really attached to? (as in faintest damage .. invisible damage to it causes you mental anguish)

:namaste:
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
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bodom
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by bodom »

As far as material possessions, my Dhamma books. I have collected probably close to 200 books. The bookshelf pictured here are my sutta collections and books in the Thai Forest Tradition.
The rest boxed up consist of commentaries, Mahasi, Goenka, western Dhamma teachers and Zen books.
FB_IMG_1520336967833.jpg
FB_IMG_1520336967833.jpg (23.1 KiB) Viewed 3423 times
:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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Sam Vara
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by Sam Vara »

No_Mind wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:31 am What do you own or possess (as part of your body or your possessions) that you are really, really attached to? (as in faintest damage .. invisible damage to it causes you mental anguish)
They don't count as possessions, of course, but the only things for which any damage leads to my unhappiness is my children. Then my wife, then the cat.

Having lived long enough to see the ravages inflicted on my body and possessions, nothing there would really bother me. Sure, catastrophic injury or incapacity would temporarily upset me, but far less than it would in the past, and I have the sense that I could cope with it without freaking out. Damage to objects I own would probably anger me if deliberate and malevolent, but I think I would recover quickly.
denise
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by denise »

my sight
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Lucas Oliveira
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

I ask myself this question in meditation, when I begin to feel that peace, freshness, well-being.

why not devote more to this peace? What is holding me back?

Meanwhile I continue to meditate ...

:anjali:
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Veer-Zinda
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by Veer-Zinda »

My health (which only goes so far as not being ill, rather than a healthy lifestyle); physical comfort; personal space and freedom from nuisance or intrusion of any sort; friends and family; books, films, TV and music; and my opinions.

I think my attachment to some of these is greater than others, but I would definitely say that any threat to my health or physical comfort is something I have a greater problem dealing with. I hate going to the dentist, for example, and end up deferring treatment because it's more comfortable now, even though it won't be later on.

I think I've made more progress with freeing myself from attachment to my opinions... But you know, that's just my opinion :tongue:
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool." - Richard Feynman
thepea
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by thepea »

Veer-Zinda wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:12 pm My health (which only goes so far as not being ill, rather than a healthy lifestyle); physical comfort; personal space and freedom from nuisance or intrusion of any sort; friends and family; books, films, TV and music; and my opinions.

I think my attachment to some of these is greater than others, but I would definitely say that any threat to my health or physical comfort is something I have a greater problem dealing with. I hate going to the dentist, for example, and end up deferring treatment because it's more comfortable now, even though it won't be later on.

I think I've made more progress with freeing myself from attachment to my opinions... But you know, that's just my opinion :tongue:
I’m in the same boat.😀
binocular
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by binocular »

I won't go into all the details of my attachments, but I'll point out one that I've noticed the other day: I'm attached to growing roses in our garden. The problem is that roses (at least many cultivars) get diseases easily, and so require (a lot of) treatment with pesticides, fungicides etc. Especially here, locally, all roses are affected by a fungal disease and plant lice. So in order to grow roses here, a lot of breaking the first precept is necessary.

I've been thinking, "Why insist in growing roses? There are other, perennial and seasonal plants that blossom abundantly and which require minimum or even no treatment with pesticides etc.. Why not grow those?" The attachment to growing roses is really just an attachment to particular shapes and colors, and to the social status ascribed to them.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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ganegaar
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by ganegaar »

:goodpost:
Thank you. This got me thinking " what am I attached to!"..
Oops looks like i am attached to everything, seriously! including to the very post I write here..(some strange sense of wanting to be recognised!)
I am attached to myself !
thank you so much!
Sīlepatiṭṭhāya naro sapañño, cittaṃ paññañca bhāvayaṃ;
Ātāpī nipako bhikkhu, so imaṃ vijaṭaye jaṭanti.
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Dhammarakkhito
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by Dhammarakkhito »

bodom wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:52 am As far as material possessions, my Dhamma books. I have collected probably close to 200 books. The bookshelf pictured here are my sutta collections and books in the Thai Forest Tradition.
The rest boxed up consist of commentaries, Mahasi, Goenka, western Dhamma teachers and Zen books.

FB_IMG_1520336967833.jpg
:namaste:
give some away, that will be great merit
dhammadāna, the highest gift is dhamma
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bodom
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by bodom »

Dhammarakkhito wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:56 am
bodom wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:52 am As far as material possessions, my Dhamma books. I have collected probably close to 200 books. The bookshelf pictured here are my sutta collections and books in the Thai Forest Tradition.
The rest boxed up consist of commentaries, Mahasi, Goenka, western Dhamma teachers and Zen books.

FB_IMG_1520336967833.jpg
:namaste:
give some away, that will be great merit
dhammadāna, the highest gift is dhamma
Hi dhammarakkhito.

I've donated nearly 100 books to the San Antonio Zen over the past 3 years.

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
sentinel
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by sentinel »

binocular wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:29 am I won't go into all the details of my attachments, but I'll point out one that I've noticed the other day: I'm attached to growing roses in our garden. The problem is that roses (at least many cultivars) get diseases easily, and so require (a lot of) treatment with pesticides, fungicides etc. Especially here, locally, all roses are affected by a fungal disease and plant lice. So in order to grow roses here, a lot of breaking the first precept is necessary.

I've been thinking, "Why insist in growing roses? There are other, perennial and seasonal plants that blossom abundantly and which require minimum or even no treatment with pesticides etc.. Why not grow those?" The attachment to growing roses is really just an attachment to particular shapes and colors, and to the social status ascribed to them.
Hi there , perhaps you could try to spray ,
1). Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon cooking oil in 4 litres of water.
2).1part of milk with 7 part of water to spray .
3). Mix 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar to 5 liters of water. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and soap to make sure that it sticks to the leaves. Spray on plant early morning or evening to prevent leaf burn .

Hope this helps .
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by Spiny Norman »

I am addicted to Buddhist practice. The National 'Elf can't do nuffink to 'elp. :tongue:
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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No_Mind
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by No_Mind »

bodom wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:52 am As far as material possessions, my Dhamma books. I have collected probably close to 200 books. The bookshelf pictured here are my sutta collections and books in the Thai Forest Tradition.
The rest boxed up consist of commentaries, Mahasi, Goenka, western Dhamma teachers and Zen books.

FB_IMG_1520336967833.jpg
:namaste:
Rather stupid question but sincere one.

Which shelf is which part of the Pali Canon? It is impressive collection.

:namaste:
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
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bodom
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Re: What are you attached to?

Post by bodom »

No_Mind wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 2:43 pm
bodom wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:52 am As far as material possessions, my Dhamma books. I have collected probably close to 200 books. The bookshelf pictured here are my sutta collections and books in the Thai Forest Tradition.
The rest boxed up consist of commentaries, Mahasi, Goenka, western Dhamma teachers and Zen books.

FB_IMG_1520336967833.jpg
:namaste:
Rather stupid question but sincere one.

Which shelf is which part of the Pali Canon? It is impressive collection.

:namaste:
Hi no-mind.

The top shelf is reserved for Bhikkhu Bodhi's Nikaya translation series, including his newest Suttanipata translation, and also Thanissaro's 5 Nikaya and Vinaya anthologies, and Nyanaponika's sutta collections.

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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