We are attached rather deeply to our feelings. We are beings of strong beliefs. We worry about our loved-ones, friends, our careers, our finances and our health. The attachments to these fundamental aspects of our lives can bring us joy and suffering. More often than not they are the source of our suffering.
To quote Yoga-Vasishtha, the whole concern of our lives is to desire and to be doing, and then back to desiring again; but when all restless craving is rooted out of the mind, it becomes free from all anxieties…..Our desires our dislikes are two apes living in the tree of our hearts; while they continue to shake and agitate it, with their jogging and jolting, there can be no rest for it.
Ironically we are often obsessed and attached to aspects of life over which we have no control. This leads to an understandable frustration. Our minds are the source of this pain. When we let go of these obsessive fear and worries we can find peace. Because we habitually and naturally slip back into this mental and emotional turmoil we need to remind ourselves of its futility.
Letting go of attachments is not the same as ignoring or not caring. Because we care too much we need to be our own gurus. Sometimes we need to “overcorrect” our tendencies in order to establish a balance in our understanding.
So letting go should not result in feelings of guilt for not caring enough. Some of us live under the illusion that only by worrying will we prevent misfortune or adversity from occurring. That fallacy of thinking leads to the constant suffering that we seek to avoid.
Life will take us on a journey which is only partially within our control. Once we have examined our situation and done our best to set into motion our corrections and fixes, we need to release our attachments to the outcome.
Serenity comes with this awareness. It is the ultimate healing.