Don't shun things in the material world - just go beyond them...
Hello Friends,
I went on to say that: "The only difference is that you need to question your overwhelming attachment to the material world. Just 'question' it; 'notice' it; 'observe' it. Even doing this small bit uplifts you in your spiritual quest."
Hello Friends,
Amazon (Canada)
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You would have noticed one suggestion in many spiritual discourses: sell your Ferrari to become a monk. In other words, abstinence is a precondition for any spiritual progression.
On the other hand, I have been exhorting through these pages, and have similarly dwelt on this in my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?, that any kind of drastic abstinence is not necessary.
I quote from Series 26:
"The other myth surrounding any mention of spirituality is the presumption that it entails living life as an ascetic, renouncing the material world. I have assured readers in some of my earlier posts that nothing like that is necessary. I did not do any of that myself while embarking on my journey towards BASIC HAPPINESS. I keep enjoying 'things' in life."
I went on to say that: "The only difference is that you need to question your overwhelming attachment to the material world. Just 'question' it; 'notice' it; 'observe' it. Even doing this small bit uplifts you in your spiritual quest."
I wish to counter the suspicion that we may have deep in our minds about this fundamental requirement of renunciation in any yearning for spirit in our lives. Please appreciate that noticing and questioning our overwhelming attachment to 'things' in life itself is helpful in our journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS.
Through this post, I wish to bring in another element that will further simplify the paradigm and encourage you to take the plunge into BASIC HAPPINESS.
Take the example of anything that you are strongly attached to, say, wealth or your house. Let me assert that both, wealth and residential property are important things in life. The suggestion is not that you neglect them. But are you completely defined by them? Do they occupy an overwhelming space in your consciousness? Are you horribly stuck with your wealth and property? That is the key question. One way is to question and notice our attachment to these things. Another way to approach this dilemma is to go beyond these attachments. As you gain more spirit in your life, you will be able to appreciate what it means to 'go beyond'.
In simple terms all it means is that you transcend your attachments and see life beyond them. So, there is no need to give up these things. Yet, you are not stuck with them. That is a beautiful state to be in. You are now well on your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Some writers have used a phrase: "transcend and include". That explains the wisdom of going beyond, instead of trying to practice complete detachment and renunciation. This stance also helps us to decide where to draw the line: how much of wealth or sex is enough.
Yes, sex is an excellent example for understanding what I am recommending here. Many spiritual discourses have recommended celibacy. Yet, ancient Indian tradition has celebrated eroticism.
My take is that instead of trying to put sex in good or bad buckets, be guided by your value system and enjoy it, but do not remain stuck with it. This is an excellent way to break free of obsessions and addictions, all of which are major impediments to our movement towards basic happiness. The key questions to ask yourself when you are attached to any thing is: Must I have it right now? Am I desperate about it? Will hell break loose if I do not get it now? If the honest answer is 'Yes' then pause and observe yourself. Notice your craving. You need not necessarily give up your attachment; try to move beyond it, so it is still there in your scheme of things, but you don't cling to it any more.
Now let's come back to wealth or possessions. I can anticipate readers wondering what a person who is still struggling to acquire a house should do. Should he shelve his plans? No. I repeat, owning a house is an important goal in life. But, having a goal is one thing, and being obsessed with that goal, or trying to derive a mistaken sense of completeness from the acquisition of the house is quite different. A planned progression towards a goal is a wise thing to do. We fall in a trap when there is a sense of desperation.
Ironically, those who have successfully acquired some basic things in life like a house or some wealth often keep craving for more. They do not know where to stop. As I keep writing, this craving is backed by the mistaken belief that more things will fill the fundamental void within us.
Makes sense? Read on.
Cheers!
Deepak Chatterjee
In simple terms all it means is that you transcend your attachments and see life beyond them. So, there is no need to give up these things. Yet, you are not stuck with them. That is a beautiful state to be in. You are now well on your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Some writers have used a phrase: "transcend and include". That explains the wisdom of going beyond, instead of trying to practice complete detachment and renunciation. This stance also helps us to decide where to draw the line: how much of wealth or sex is enough.
Yes, sex is an excellent example for understanding what I am recommending here. Many spiritual discourses have recommended celibacy. Yet, ancient Indian tradition has celebrated eroticism.
My take is that instead of trying to put sex in good or bad buckets, be guided by your value system and enjoy it, but do not remain stuck with it. This is an excellent way to break free of obsessions and addictions, all of which are major impediments to our movement towards basic happiness. The key questions to ask yourself when you are attached to any thing is: Must I have it right now? Am I desperate about it? Will hell break loose if I do not get it now? If the honest answer is 'Yes' then pause and observe yourself. Notice your craving. You need not necessarily give up your attachment; try to move beyond it, so it is still there in your scheme of things, but you don't cling to it any more.
Now let's come back to wealth or possessions. I can anticipate readers wondering what a person who is still struggling to acquire a house should do. Should he shelve his plans? No. I repeat, owning a house is an important goal in life. But, having a goal is one thing, and being obsessed with that goal, or trying to derive a mistaken sense of completeness from the acquisition of the house is quite different. A planned progression towards a goal is a wise thing to do. We fall in a trap when there is a sense of desperation.
Ironically, those who have successfully acquired some basic things in life like a house or some wealth often keep craving for more. They do not know where to stop. As I keep writing, this craving is backed by the mistaken belief that more things will fill the fundamental void within us.
Cheers!
Deepak Chatterjee
chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944
@Deepak33C
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Could not agree more, Deepakji.
ReplyDeleteI have been following your blog and your practical approach to happiness and contentment. Your book has been a leading light for me to show the path of happiness amongst all the failures, flailings, triumphs, trials and tribulations.
Renunciation is no way to attain happiness. Depriving oneself of basic necessities of life can only bring only depravity. Maslow’s theorem of hierarchy of needs stands good for every human being without exception. Everybody must go through the ladder – there are no express lifts to self-actualization.
Now a question. The definition of basic needs changes with spatial and temporal considerations. My grand father did not have any idea about television and my father had some faint idea about utility of a mobile phone. However, these two are ‘basic necessities’ for my daughters. And these ‘basic necessities’ are add-on on the bare minimums, like food and a roof over the head. With times, the definition of ‘basic’ is bound to expand.
How does one cope with these added necessities? Just give in to them? At what time an ‘advanced necessity’ becomes a ‘basic necessity’?
I had a basic iPhone. Now, after iPhone 5 in my hand, I’m totally detached from my old iPhone. Come iPhone 6, and I will be detached from my iPhone 5 too. Question is, is my detachment here not just driven by my want for newer and better technology, instead of some higher purpose of life? If updating my phone with every newer version part of my need or greed? And how can such invention of new needs ever give me containment?
Will be interesting to hear from a monk, who strives to attain happiness while driving his Ferrari and not after selling it off.
Jai Jeet Singh, IPS
Inspector General of Police,
State Intelligence, Maharashtra,
Mumbai
Hello Jai Jeet,
DeleteYou have raised a very interesting thought on Maslow's Need Hierarchy. Before I come to that, I wish to state that I brought in Maslow only to highlight the similarity of "a progression" to higher or more evolved existence. Humanity is moving towards a higher existence, but there is pain on the way. I was also impressed by the level of self actualization described by Maslow, which seemed to me akin to a higher self. So, Maslow was only an incidental reference.
Coming to your specific query about where to draw the line between basic needs and higher needs, I agree with you that the needs evolve over time. Yet, need hierarchy will stay. In other words, Safety Needs shall always be above Physiological Needs, Need to Belong will be higher than Safety Needs and Esteem Needs will be still higher, Within these general baskets, there could be reordering with time, or newer needs could crop up.
Coming now to the excellent example of your mobile phone and the need to upgrade it, the question to honestly ask is whether we are secretly using some 'need' to 'complete' ourselves or feed our ego. Today, by all means, we NEED a mobile phone. Every time there is a prospect of upgrading it, do I just go by what use I put a mobile phone to, or do I go by other considerations? This is a ticklish question that each one of us has to honestly and peacefully answer to ourselves. If the advanced features of a mobile phone or camera or car are of value, by all means go for it. Since you have read ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?, I suggest you go through the chapter on Brand Loyalty (page 116) once again. It is entirely on this. You will love it :)