Finding the Inner Balance of Non-Attachment While Living in the World

In his epic poem, Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo writes: “He who would save himself lives bare and calm; He who would save the race must share its pain: Renunciation of the world, avoidance of interacting with the objects, actions, events and needs of the exte
al life, is frequently a chosen route for those who seek personal salvation. For those who wish to participate in the development of the divine manifestation, the idea of total immersion in the exte
al life, is not a solution either. Neither the ‘materialist denial’ nor the ‘refusal of the ascetic’ [as Sri Aurobindo terms these concepts in The Life Divine], provide the answer for the seeker looking to uplift and transform, rather than avoid or become immersed in the things of the world.

Virtually from the moment we are born, our family, friends, schools, and society at large inculcate in us the sense that we need to have a career, earn money, and acquire goods. On top of this general background, there is a very powerful media and marketing presence that drums these ideas into people day and night. It is no wonder that most people define themselves by what job they do, what money they earn, their financial well-being and status and the things they acquire.

The issue for the spiritual seeker, then, is how to interact with the fullness of life in the world, while at the same time, not being devoured by the lures of acquiring and owning things and all that comes along with that focus. The traditional solution of avoidance, renunciation, may be a solution for some, but it does not answer the question as to the significance and meaning of our lives.

In his book Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse takes up the theme of relationship to worldly success versus the life of a renunciate. The story partially reflects the tale of the Buddha, who was born as a prince, surrounded by luxury and the fulfillment of anything he could desire, but who eventually began to reflect on the issue of suffering, disease, old age, and death. In his tale, Hesse shows Siddhartha similarly abandoning the teachings of his family and his society and his worldly life to become a renunciate. He is dissatisfied with that path and decides to explore life in the world to all its depths, including acquisition of wealth and development of a family. This too is unsatisfying to him. He eventually meets a ferryman who does his job, while living a life of peace and inner contentment.

While Hesse winds up with the solution of a simple life, uncomplicated by career and conce
s for wealth, while carrying out a useful function in the world, such a solution does not fully address the question of the transformation and uplifting of life itself. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna explains to Arjuna that the true liberation is not through exte
al renunciation, but through the inner attitude one holds in the midst of all activities.

The challenge for most seekers, of course, is actually achieving this perspective and balance in the way one deals with the world. This takes a measure of inner growth, reflection, separation of one’s identification with the ego-personality and recognising the deeper meaning of life and the growth of the soul-personality, the psychic being. For most people, this is a long, patient effort of practice, as each life-circumstance challenges the individual and provides an opportunity for achieving this standpoint.

The Mother notes: “There should be no attachment to any object or any mode of life. You must be absolutely free. If you want to have the true yogic attitude, you must be able to accept everything that comes from the Divine and let it go easily and without regret. The attitude of the ascetic who says, ‘I want nothing’ and the attitude of the man of the world who says, ‘I want this thing’ are the same. The one may be as much attached to his renunciation as the other to his possession.”

“It is much more difficult not to be attached to the things you possess than to possess nothing. This is something that has been known for centuries. It requires a much greater quality not to be attached to the things one possesses than to be without any possessions or to reduce one’s possessions to a strict minimum. It is much more difficult. It is a much higher degree of moral worth. Simply this attitude: when a thing comes to you, to take it, use it; when for one reason or another it goes away, to let it go and not regret it. Not to refuse it when it comes, to know how to adapt yourself and not to regret it when it goes.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pg. 160