The Law Of Detachment
By: Deepak Chopra
The sixth spiritual law of success is the Law of Detachment. The
Law of Detachment says that in order to acquire anything in the
physical universe, you have to relinquish your attachment to it.
This doesn’t mean you give up the intention to create your
desire. You don’t give up the intention, and you don’t give up
the desire. You give up your attachment to the result.
This is a very powerful thing to do. The moment you relinquish
your attachment to the result, combining one-pointed intention
with detachment at the same time, you will have that which you
desire. Anything you want can be acquired through detachment,
because detachment is based on the unquestioning belief in the
power of your true Self.
Attachment, on the other hand, is based on fear and insecurity
and the need for security is based on not knowing the true Self.
The source of wealth, of abundance, or of anything in the
physical world is the Self; it is the consciousness that knows
how to fulfill every need. Everything else is a symbol: cars,
houses, bank notes, clothes, or airplanes. Symbols are
transitory; they come and go. Chasing symbols is like settling
for the map instead of the territory. It creates anxiety; it ends
up making you feel hollow and empty inside, because you exchange
your Self for the symbols of your Self.
Attachment comes from poverty consciousness, because attachment
is always to symbols. Detachment is synonymous with wealth
consciousness, because with detachment there is freedom to
create. Only from detached involvement can one have joy and
laughter. Then the symbols of wealth are created spontaneously
and effortlessly. Without detachment we are prisoners of
helplessness, hopelessness, mundane needs, trivial concerns,
quiet desperation, and seriousness the distinctive features of
everyday mediocre existence and poverty consciousness.
True wealth consciousness is the ability to have anything you
want, anytime you want, and with least effort. To be grounded in
this experience you have to be grounded in the wisdom of
uncertainty. In this uncertainty you will find the freedom to
create anything you want.
People are constantly seeking security, and you will find that
seeking security is actually a very ephemeral thing. Even
attachment to money is a sign of insecurity. You might say, "When
I have X million dollars, then I’ll be secure. Then I’ll be
financially independent and I will retire. Then I will do all the
things I really want to do." But it never happens never happens.
Those who seek security chase it for a lifetime without ever
finding it. It remains elusive and ephemeral, because security
can never come from money alone. Attachment to money will always
create insecurity no matter how much money you have in the bank.
In fact, some of the people who have the most money are the most
insecure.
The search for security is an illusion. In ancient wisdom
traditions, the solution to this whole dilemma lies in the wisdom
of insecurity, or the wisdom of uncertainty. This means that the
search for security and certainty is actually an attachment to
the known. And what’s the known? The known is our past. The known
is nothing other than the prison of past conditioning. There’s no
evolution in that absolutely none at all. And when there is no
evolution, there is stagnation, entropy, disorder, and decay.
Uncertainty, on the other hand, is the fertile ground of pure
creativity and freedom. Uncertainty means stepping into the
unknown in every moment of our existence. The unknown is the
field of all possibilities, ever fresh, ever new, always open to
the creation of new manifestations. Without uncertainty and the
unknown, life is just the stale repetition of outworn memories.
You become the victim of the past, and your tormentor today is
your self left over from yesterday.
Relinquish your attachment to the known, step into the unknown,
and you will step into the field of all possibilities. In your
willingness to step into the unknown, you will have the wisdom of
uncertainty factored in. This means that in every moment of your
life, you will have excitement, adventure, mystery. You will
experience the fun of life the magic, the celebration, the
exhilaration, and the exultation of your own spirit.
Everyday you can look for the excitement of what may occur in the
field of all possibilities. When you experience uncertainty, you
are on the right path so don’t give it up. You don’t need to have
a complete and rigid idea of what you’ll be doing next week or
next year, because if you have a very clear idea of what’s going
to happen and you get rigidly attached to it, then you shut out a
whole range of possibilities.
One characteristic of the field of all possibilities is infinite
correlation. The field can orchestrate an infinity of space-time
events to bring about the outcome that is intended. But when you
are attached, your intention gets locked into a rigid mindset and
you lose the fluidity, the creativity, and the spontaneity
inherent in the field. When you get attached, you freeze your
desire from that infinite fluidity and flexibility into a rigid
framework, which interferes with the whole process of creation.
The Law of Detachment does not interfere with the Law of
Intention and Desire with goal-setting. You still have the
intention of going in a certain direction, you still have a goal.
However, between point A and point B there are infinite
possibilities. With uncertainty factored in, you might change
direction in any moment if you find a higher ideal, or if you
find something more exciting. You are also less likely to force
solutions on problems, which enables you to stay alert to
opportunities.
The Law of Detachment accelerates the whole process of evolution.
When you understand this law, you don’t feel compelled to force
solutions. When you force solutions on problems, you only create
new problems. But when you put your attention on the uncertainty,
and you witness the uncertainty while you expectantly wait for
the solution to emerge out of the chaos and the confusion, then
what emerges is something very fabulous and exciting.
This state of alertness your preparedness in the present, in the
field of uncertainty meets with your goal and your intention and
allows you to seize the opportunity. What’s the opportunity? It’s
contained within every problem that you have in your life. Every
single problem that you have in your life is the seed of an
opportunity for some greater benefit. Once you have that
perception, you open up to a whole range of possibilities and
this keeps the mystery, the wonder, the excitement, the adventure
alive.
You can look at every problem you have in your life as an
opportunity for some greater benefit. You can stay alert to
opportunities by being grounded in the wisdom of uncertainty.
When your preparedness meets opportunity, the solution will
spontaneously appear.
What comes out of that is often called "good luck." Good luck is
nothing but preparedness and opportunity coming together. When
the two are mixed together with an alert witnessing of the chaos,
a solution emerges that will be of evolutionary benefit to you
and to all those that you come into contact with. This is the
perfect recipe for success, and it is based on the Law of
Detachment.
Applying The Law Of Detachment
I will put the Law of Detachment into effect by making a
commitment to take the following steps:
1. Today I will commit myself to detachment. I will allow myself
and those around me the freedom to be as they are. I will not
rigidly impose my idea of how things should be. I will not force
solutions on problems, thereby creating new problems. I will
participate in everything with detached involvement.
2. Today I will factor in uncertainty as an essential ingredient
of my experience. In my willingness to accept uncertainty,
solutions will spontaneously emerge out of the problem, out of
the confusion, disorder, and chaos. The more uncertain things
seem to be, the more secure I will feel, because uncertainty is
my path to freedom. Through the wisdom of uncertainty, I will
find my security.
3. I will step into the field of all possibilities and anticipate
the excitement that can occur when I remain open to an infinity
of choices. When I step into the field of all possibilities, I
will experience all the fun, adventure, magic, and mystery of
life.
Summary & Conclusion
The universal mind choreographs everything that is happening in
billions of galaxies with elegant precision and unfaltering
intelligence. Its intelligence is ultimate and supreme, and it
permeates every fiber of existence: from the smallest to the
largest, from the atom to the cosmos. Everything that is alive is
an expression of this intelligence. And this intelligence
operates through The Seven Spiritual Laws.
If you look at any cell in the human body, you will see through
its functioning the expression of these laws. Every cell, whether
it’s a stomach cell, or a heart cell, or a brain cell, has its
birth in the Law of Pure Potentiality. DNA is a perfect example
of pure potentiality; in fact, it is the material expression of
pure potentiality. The same DNA existing in every cell expresses
itself in different ways in order to fulfill the unique
requirements of that particular cell.
Each cell also operates through the Law of Giving. A cell is
alive and healthy when it is in a state of balance and
equilibrium. This state of equilibrium is one of fulfillment and
harmony, but it is maintained by a constant give and take. Each
cell gives to and supports every other cell, and in turn is
nourished by every other cell. The cell is always in a state of
dynamic flow and the flow is never interrupted. In fact, the flow
is the very essence of the life of the cell. And only by
maintaining this flow of giving is the cell able to receive and
thus continue its vibrant existence.
The Law of Karma is exquisitely executed by every cell, because
built into its intelligence is the most appropriate and precisely
correct response to every situation as it occurs.
The Law of Least Effort is also exquisitely executed by every
cell in the body: it does its job with quiet efficiency in the
state of restful alertness.
Through the Law of Intention and Desire, every intention of every
cell harnesses the infinite organizing power of nature’s
intelligence. Even a simple intention such as metabolizing a
molecule of sugar immediately sets off a symphony of events in
the body where precise amounts of hormones have to be secreted at
precise moments to convert this molecule of sugar into pure
creative energy.
Of course, every cell expresses the Law of Detachment. It is
detached from the outcome of its intentions. It doesn’t stumble
or falter because its behavior is a function of life-centered,
present-moment awareness.
Each cell also expresses the Law of Dharma. Each cell must
discover its own source, the higher self; it must serve its
fellow beings, and express its unique talents. Heart cells,
stomach cells, and immune cells all have their source in the
higher self, the field of pure potentiality. And because they are
directly linked to this cosmic computer, they can express their
unique talents with effortless ease and timeless awareness. Only
by expressing their unique talents can they maintain both their
own integrity and the integrity of the whole body. The internal
dialogue of every cell in the human body is, "How can I help?”
The heart cells want to help the immune cells, the immune cells
want to help the stomach and lung cells, and the brain cells are
listening to and helping every other cell. Every cell in the
human body has only one function: to help every other cell.
By looking at the behavior of the cells of our own body, we can
observe the most extraordinary and efficient expression of The
Seven Spiritual Laws. This is the genius of nature’s
intelligence. These are the thoughts of God the rest are details.
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success are powerful principles that
will enable you to attain self-mastery. If you put your attention
on these laws and practice the steps outlined in this book, you
will see that you can manifest anything you want all the
affluence, money, and success that you desire. You will also see
that your life becomes more joyful and abundant in every way, for
these laws are also the spiritual laws of life that make living
worthwhile.
There is a natural sequence for the application of these laws in
your daily life that may help you to remember them. The Law of
Pure Potentiality is experienced through silence, through
meditation, through non-judgment, through communion with nature,
but it is activated by the Law of Giving. The principle here is
to learn to give that which you seek. That’s how you activate the
Law of Pure Potentiality. If you seek affluence, give affluence;
if you seek money, give money; if you seek love, appreciation,
and affection, then learn to give love, appreciation, and
affection.
Through your actions in the Law of Giving you activate the Law of
Karma. You create good karma, and good karma makes everything in
life easy. You notice that you don’t have to expend a lot of
effort to fulfill your desires, which automatically leads to an
understanding of the Law of Least Effort. When everything is easy
and effortless, and your desires keep getting fulfilled, you
spontaneously begin to understand the Law of Intention and
Desire. Fulfilling your desires with effortless ease makes it
easy for you to practice the Law of Detachment.
Finally, as you begin to understand a11 the above laws, you begin
to focus on your true purpose in life, which leads to the Law of
Dharma. Through the use of this law, by expressing your unique
talents and fulfilling the needs of your fellow humans, you begin
to create whatever you want, whenever you want it. You become
carefree and joyful, and your life becomes an expression of
unbounded love.
We are travelers on a cosmic journey stardust, swirling and
dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is
eternal. But the expressions of life are ephemeral, momentary,
transient. Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, once said,
This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds.
To watch the birth and death of beings is like
looking at the movements of a dance.
A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky,
Rushing by like a torrent down a steep mountain.
We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to
love, to share. This is a precious moment, but it is transient.
It is a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share with caring,
lightheartedness, and love, we will create abundance and joy for
each other. And then this moment will have been worthwhile.
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