If you're like most people, you had a complex relationship with your mother. Fortunately, you resolved (saw through) whatever problems she presented in the past, and were able to accept her just as she was. You were very lucky in this respect.
The goal is not to live like robots, totally detached from everything. It is to live life fully, love fully, and feel whatever arises fully, both the "good" stuff and the "bad" stuff. Attachment is different than love; it's a kind of psychological dependency--a clinginess. Love is open and free and does not cling.
Spiritual teachings are like signposts, but over-thinking them or getting attached to them is to ignore where they're pointing. To become a Buddhist Master, Buddhism has to be left behind, and to become a Sufi Master, Islam has to be left behind. The reason that there aren't many Christian Masters is that even Christ has to be left behind, and not many Christians can do that (Ha ha). This is why a famous Zen Master said, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him" (ie. don't let anything become a frozen idol that comes between you and the living truth).
Here are three koans that, if seen through, fully explicate the issue: (hint: the answers are not verbal)
1. Are you attached to your mother now?
2. Were you attached to your mother when she was alive?
3. If you have a child, are you attached to your child?
If the answers are clear, you will probably smile and shed a tear. If the answers are clear, please don't post the answers on the forum. It might steal someone else's joy of discovering and acknowledging the truth for herself.
The goal is not to live like robots, totally detached from everything. It is to live life fully, love fully, and feel whatever arises fully, both the "good" stuff and the "bad" stuff. Attachment is different than love; it's a kind of psychological dependency--a clinginess. Love is open and free and does not cling.
Spiritual teachings are like signposts, but over-thinking them or getting attached to them is to ignore where they're pointing. To become a Buddhist Master, Buddhism has to be left behind, and to become a Sufi Master, Islam has to be left behind. The reason that there aren't many Christian Masters is that even Christ has to be left behind, and not many Christians can do that (Ha ha). This is why a famous Zen Master said, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him" (ie. don't let anything become a frozen idol that comes between you and the living truth).
Here are three koans that, if seen through, fully explicate the issue: (hint: the answers are not verbal)
1. Are you attached to your mother now?
2. Were you attached to your mother when she was alive?
3. If you have a child, are you attached to your child?
If the answers are clear, you will probably smile and shed a tear. If the answers are clear, please don't post the answers on the forum. It might steal someone else's joy of discovering and acknowledging the truth for herself.
