JUNE MEDITATION PROGRAM

THEME:  NON-ATTACHMENT

This month’s meditations focus on non-attachment which means non-grasping; it does not mean that you do not care.  We have a tendency to cling to ideas, beliefs, thoughts, emotions, relationships, situations, locations we love, and our possessions. It is this attachment which is at the root of our disappointments and disillusionments and that keeps us from fresh ways of experiencing and understanding ourselves and ultimately from living in peace and joy.  Non-attachment is not to be mistaken for indifference.  Rather, practising non-attachment produces a more balanced approach to living – one in which compassion, tolerance and understanding blossom!

Reflections on Non-Attachment

The practice of non-attachment is one of the most advanced spiritual lessons for it signals an understanding of ego ways and the grip of the mind on seeking to be in control.  The expression, “let go and let God” is at the heart of what non-attachment is all about.  Put forth intentions for highest and best outcome and then step back, allowing the unfoldment to take place.

Too often we are swept up in chasing phantoms of our distorted self-image or we invest ourselves in living up to an external image that others have of us.  Freedom and joy come from stripping down these artificial constructs.  When we liberate ourselves from these do we open the door to greater awareness and to following our knowing heart in regard to our path and purpose in life.

Meditations

Non-Attachment to Expectations from Meditation

It is natural to place expectations on the meditation experience.  When we have a “good” meditation we want to replicate it each time.  When we have a meditation during which we are restless or we are held hostage to our thoughts or we daydream or we dose off, we are disappointed and we feel let down by the meditation. Enter the meditation with an open heart and an open mind around what will happen during the meditation. Release any expectations that you bring to the meditation and put aside comparisons between any two meditations you have had or comparisons about how you “judge” your progress in meditation is going relative to anybody else.  Observe how you feel after a meditation in which you suspend all expectations of what will happen during the meditation.

Non-Attachment to Your Experiences

When you grasp at words, things, situations, and people, you limit yourself, reducing the self to what you are grasping at – i.e., being like this, having that problem, being affected by this painful word or that unpleasant experience, possessing this “good” trait or that “bad” one.  Allow yourself to take a more expansive and open view in which you are not defined by your expectations of self or others. During the meditation select a situation or perspective that you have been clinging to and put forth the intention to let go of your attachment to it.  Become aware over time of the shifts that result within you from non-attachment.

Accepting Nature

Nothing remains stationary, not even natural habitats.  Nature too is subject to change over time due to external forces.  Any grasping even when it relates to the “beautiful” is still attachment.  As you enter the meditation focus on letting go any expectations you may be holding tightly regarding Nature, her role, and how she should behave.  You may wish to begin and close this meditation by drumming or playing a crystal singing bowl if you have one or a CD of the same.

Balance and Equanimity