Why am I talking about non-attachment as we head into the year 2020? Well, because it sets us up for a positive year and puts us in a frame of time to succeed.

What is Aparigraha?

Aparigraha is non-attachment. When I think about what it means to me personally, I think about the concept of ‘being’. Becoming attached to an outcome or clinging to a person/object, will often create suffering. We set expectations on what we think is best when we have an understanding that we are not the one in charge, then react to the way the situation turns out. It is always a losing battle.

Now if we go into the act of ‘being’ by observing the situation without attachment, then we are grateful for the existence of the person/object or accept the outcome.

Why I think this is Crucial in Our Journey

We all want to eliminate suffering, right? So why not just be? We continue to press forward towards what we think is right and unintentionally lose grasp of what is meant for us. As we focus on the external parts of being a human being, we lose connection with the self. Why is this crucial to our overall being? Well, it is our being.

I believe that we are happiest when we are living our life purpose, or Dharma in Sanskrit. When life gets hard, we are either experiencing a life situation that was put there to guide us in a given direction or mold us into a human being that will help us succeed along the path we are supposed to be on.

Non-Attachment helps us look at situations from a state that is unbiased. We see it for what it is and not what we want it to be. Of course we want to have the most highest paid job and the most attractive spouse, right? Well what if those things don’t lead us to where we are supposed to be? What if we would have been happier by following another path that took us down a road where we made a mediocre salary, had a spouse that wasn’t the best looking but made us happy and supported us on a path that made us happy? What would be the best thing for the self and in the long run? Of course the second right?

So why do we hold unto molds and things that we think we need??

The answer is, we shouldn’t.

Listen to What You Feel is Right, It Will Guide You to Where You are Supposed to Be

Clinging to something creates suffering. So in order to be happy, we must change our mindset about controlling the world around us and instead surrender to the process of life itself.