Sutra 2.15
The discriminating person knows that attachment to worldly objects leads to fear, anxiety, reinforcement of samskaras and constant change.
Through attachment to the pleasure of possession of objects, wealth, and relationships, suffering is the inevitable outcome. With discrimination (viveka) we experience that all these things come to us naturally, but they also leave us in time. Looking for happiness in attachment to pleasure is the cause of suffering. We all know the anger of betrayal, the frustration of expectation, and the grief of loss. Why do we persist in this suffering? Perhaps it’s cultural; everyone does it. But you have stepped upon this path of yoga, the path less traveled by. There is hope of transcendence of the commonplace.
Renouncing objects, wealth and relationships does not end the suffering. All these things come and go as a natural part of life, but attachment is the klesha that corrupts everything that comes to us. True renunciation is simply letting go of attachment and giving ourselves fully to the dharma of whatever comes to us; then, ultimately, we easily release whatever leaves us.
In Sutra 2.7 of this book we began to detach from the rajasic and tamasic kleshas because they are easier than the sattvic afflictions to release. Now we are at the part where we release attachment to the sattvic afflictions (reverence, love, compassion).
Love is not something we do to someone else; love is something we are. In the depths of meditation we feel the sweetness of just being. This is the love of our nature. A great saint tells us: Love is motiveless tenderness of the heart. If we are in this state of motiveless tenderness, aren’t we loving everyone we touch? There is nothing else to do about it. It is the dharma of relationship to be centered in the heart, to be motiveless in action and tender in our affection. It’s not a great leap to think we can be motiveless and tender, and at the same time be unattached to the outcome of our actions. This is a powerful and life-changing practice that begins with meditation and ends with happiness every moment and freedom from the karmic cycle.
What is the basic fear in relationship? That we will be abandoned? The bliss of the Self will never leave us. Who we truly are is perpetually happy and content.
Dennis Hill
Patanjali Yoga Sutras
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