Attachments: True and False

Ecology of Human Being in Multidimensional Space / Attachments: True and False

Attachments: True and False

The philosophical term attachments denotes the state of being firmly and for a long time attached by the indriyas to some objects. These can be parents, children, spouses, objects of sexual attraction, money, luxury items, high social status, favorite work, friends, one’s own body, various kinds of food, alcoholic beverages, tobacco or other psychedelics. One may also be attached to gambling, etc.

In other words, we can see that attachments can be apparently harmful, not apparently harmful or even quite useful at certain stages of the person’s development. It is the latter that at times “get us moving” in various situations, and “moving” with quite an emotional uplift. It is much worse if a person is inactive, if he lives a lazy life.

Let us look at the following analogy: one can steer an automobile or a ship only provided that they are moving; but if they do not have their own engine actively working — it is extremely hard or impossible to direct or turn them anywhere.

The same is with man: if he lives an active life, even though without correct understanding or the meaning of his life and of his Supreme Goal, — then his moving allows God to create many learning situations for him. Only in this case he is developing and preparing himself for further spiritual ascents.

… In religious books one may sometimes encounter a character of a seemingly positive hero, who suddenly gives up taking care about his family and leaves to become a hermit in hope of spiritual achievements. This is painted as an exemplary “cutting of attachments”.

But there is no truth in this. This way of “detaching” oneself is not only unjustified from the ethical standpoint, but also does not make any sense. Attachments should be replaced, as opposed to being dropped through an “act of volition”. We should try to fall in Love with God. This is difficult to accomplish overnight. But we need to set this as our goal and ask God to help us. And then love for God will grow, as we study Him with an inquisitive mind through reading books, engaging in spiritual conversations, and personally asking Him to show, to reveal Himself, to let us feel his Love in full, to instruct us through a Revelation… This is what correct initial distribution of our indriyas would be.

Later on, when we start to feel real reciprocity of our love, the relationships with God progress even faster, love gradually turns into passion, into a new attachment… And this new — true — attachment and passion gradually displace all the others.

… This is how I have lived my life. Raised in the atheistic environment, I first heard about reality of God’s existence only at the age of 27. But at that time nobody could explain to me what hides behind this. The Orthodox Church provided first mystical experiences, but it failed to answer the question about what God really is: God-the-Father has been simply lost there. Although He was the central figure in the Teachings of Jesus Christ. Reading books allowed me to widen my spiritual horizon, but at that time there was no book in which everything would be presented in such a detailed and simple way as in the one you are reading now.

I have never had an incarnate Guru — a spiritual Teacher, who would know all the way to God. There was none of them around me at that time apparently. And this is good, partially. Since having an incarnate Guru, on the one hand, allows one to receive explanations and learn practical methods for working on one’s self-perfection. But, on the other hand, relationships with Him creates attachment to His incarnate form, instead of His Consciousness; in this case the goal is not the Highest but an intermediate one, and not all disciples are capable of switching to the Highest Goal — the Consciousness of God-the-Father.

At that time God set before me, a scientist with already a considerable research experience, immediately the Highest Goal — Himself in all His Universal Totality.

And I fell in Love with Him.

And then everything was quite simple: I started, as they say, to “push my way through”. I started going to Him; other people started following me — many of them were joining and leaving. But they could not keep up with my speed and with my intensity. Some were stepping aside quietly, some were protesting and demanding a “special” kind of love for them, and hated me when they were not getting it. Some people were betraying me, doing mean things to me; others were defaming me, sometimes in public. Some people robbed me. There were even those who were killing my body.

But I went on without looking back, falling in love with people, getting involved in quarrels, or avenging myself for the mean and cruel murder, although I found out the names of my murderers. I did not allow myself to stop because of the “attachments” to my honor, reputation, or my body, in the end.

I have never had disciples, to whom I would sell the highest knowledge. What I did have were friends, whom I loved very much. And I was giving to them my spiritual experience and myself. I lived for them and for God. I could not sell my love for money! Their progress was my reward.

I loved them very much. But when they were leaving — I was not “attached” to them and forgot about them right away.

I have never made — quite sincerely — a slightest attempt to make any of those, who left me, get back. On the contrary, I encouraged them to leave — so that not to overburden them with a load of knowledge unbearable to them. Some were leaving, being unable to understand me anymore — God was bringing to me the others, who were more prepared… I loved them even more, for they understood me better… But I still did not get “attached” to them: I was totally focused on my main love — the love for God.

And whatever amounts of mud envious people, betrayers and slanderers were throwing at me — I came out victor of all the arguments: God accepted me in Himself; I learned to merge with Him in the Embrace of Love. I have won! It was not someone else that I conquered. No! I conquered myself, without causing any suffering to anyone, having become another kind of person — the kind that God needed.

I have won, and now I am calling you to the same Victory!

And I am grateful to God and to all those, who were going by my side, for my Victory, those who loved and hated me: through you God enriched me and directed my life. Peace to all of you!