Detachment

Thanks to the holidays, and this pause between the Christmas and new year festivities, I had time to pick up and read Donna Farhi once again. And one particular insight struck me today:

Patanjali did not go as far as Christ in advising us to love our enemies: he offered a more realistic solution. At the very least, he advised, develop tolerance toward others. Maybe we’re not capable or ready to love these people, but developing detachment so that we’re not spinning our wheels can be a very high practice.

Amazingly, it speaks about Detachment - the very same thing I just read (weeks ago) from a Brahma Kumaris literature, The Art of Thinking by BK Jayanti (I once dreaded to learn what Brahma Kumaris is all about, but that was before the Yoga Immersion. Just because! haha! Maybe I should reserve that story for another post.).

Jayanti says Detachment doesn't mean cutting off nor running away. It means learning to separate the world outside from the inner world, to separate external things -- relationships, finances, job, etc. -- from our feelings and conscience. Doing so allows us to choose only the desired happy emotions, and to change the unhealthy, automatic responses we formed out of habit.

Oh, how timely it is to read such good reminders in this season of love, giving, and forgiveness. :)