Detachment is the Path to Peace.

Practice Peace

Over the last few years, I’ve been practicing detachment much more frequently and I noticed how it’s made me feel freer and more harmonious.

Much of human suffering stems from resistance to change. What if we loosened our grip on permanence? Would we feel more bliss? Would it set us free?

The concept of detachment in the Buddhist tradition means “Participating fully in life without clinging to what cannot last.”

In Buddhism the root of all human suffering is from attachment—clinging to external ideals like wealth, status, and appearance, as well as relationships, possessions, expectations, fixed identity, pleasure, and how we perceive ourselves.

When we hold on ever so tightly to these concepts our emotions and fear of loss can overcome us in ways that keep us trapped, as if living like a prisoner in our own mind, body, and spirit. Grasping leads to an endless spiral of suffering—it keeps us stuck in unwanted feelings of despair.

How can we experience joy when we’re stuck in lower frequencies of despair and fear?

First, it’s important to understand what non-attachment is. What is it exactly?

It means we can relate to things with an open awareness and flexibility, knowing that all things and people are in a constant state of change. When we can “let go” and practice acceptance of the fact that all things are temporary, we move toward a path of inner peace. For example, you can:

• experience an emotion like sadness while not allowing it to consume you

• pursue success while not permitting it to define your entire self-worth

• accept change more openly

• feel pain while not letting it destroy you

• love without possessiveness

• avoid defining yourself by your roles, titles, and external things

Our mind can play tricks on us. But we have the power to discipline the mind by practicing non-attachment on a consistent basis. I encourage you to begin experimenting with a few Buddhist practices that cultivate non-attachment (afterwards, write down observations on how you feel):

• Meditation: training the mind to develop clarity, calm, awareness, and emotional balance via focused attention (visualizations and/or affirmations)

• Compassion: a sincere desire to understand and lessen the suffering of others through kindness and empathy

• Mindfulness: pay full attention to the present moment (feelings, thoughts, sensations, surroundings) without judgment

• Observe your thoughts and refrain from identifying with them: take notice of your thoughts as temporary (floating by like a cloud) rather than perceiving them as absolute truth or as your identity.

On my healing journey, I engaged in implementing these practices on a consistent basis and experienced a transformative sense of peace for the first time in decades. These peace practices released me from the confines of my own distorted thinking, loosening my grip from attachments, and enjoying my simple existence—without clinging to people, the material world, and other ideals. I also write about these in my recent book, Life Hacks for Healing & Harmony, teaching the reader how these can help them overcome the challenges they face.

Remember that detachment is the path to peace.

You have the power to suffer less. You can choose peace and shift your focus to a way of being that is more harmonious. The path to freedom awaits you. Practice non-attachment and notice the subtle differences in your mind, body, spirit. Do you feel lighter and more blissful? Are you smiling or laughing out of nowhere?

Joy and peace are your true essence. You were born into this world with those qualities. My message for you today is do not be afraid to go on a self-discovery/healing journey. Because now is the time to “come home to yourself.” You only have one life, and you owe it to yourself to enjoy it while you’re here!

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Yours truly,

Tara Mae Temple, Author of Life Hacks for Healing & Harmony