I want it; I don't want it.

The Moment your mind has raised a request or a need and you want something, you have to go through an extensive process in your mind and body to achieve your want. This is strenuous. But you have a choice of saying that you don't want it. Before the want beomes a desire and you involuntarily start meditating on the very thought of a want, if you say NO,the very thought itself is uprooted and you don't have to go through the pain. Be it anything.


Let us take the example of smokers. Think of the first day one would have started to smoke. On the very day, when his mind fancied the act of smoking, there were a lot of fear and anxiety one has to go through. He first is scared of the very act of smoking. He asks himself " What will happen if my family comes to know that I am smoking? Will smoking cause cancer? Will I be addicted? Will people hate me if I smoke? Will there be any side effects? " and so on. And only if the mind works on nullifying all these questions with convincing answers, will it give a go ahead for the very act. Now once the mind ignores all these auto suggestions and questions, the
person takes up smoking and while in the act itself, the smoke initially causes irritation to the body and the person starts coughing. The Body tells the mind that it has to cease the act as it is causing dis-ease (Disease is nothing but dis ease). But the Mind pushes the body to go ahead convincing the body that the pain will pass through and soon he will be able to enjoy smoking. So, for the want (Smoking) to be fulfilled, the person has to go through this physical and mental trauma and slowly the person gets habituated and enjoys the act.Imagine if the person (actually his mind) has said NO to smoking in the very beginning. In such a case the
person(Mind and Body) need not go through the pain at all.


Over the years, the person has a thorough enjoyment and can't stay with out smoking. Imagine one final day, he decides to give up smoking. What does the person say to himself? He never says "I don't want to smoke". Instead he says " I WANT to quit smoking". Again the person has identified a WANT. To acheive what he wants he has to go through the same initial pain that he went through the first time he started to smoke. He has to force his body to renunciate smoking. His mind, he has to make powerful with the will of his heart to give up smoking.


This is the true meaning of attachment and detachment. Remember, If you are not attached to anything you don't have to detach your self. Attachment and detachment has to happen with the side effect of either happiness or pain. The only sutra which has no side effect is non attachment which is often misunderstood as detachment.It is highly impractical to practise non attachment over everything. But if your intellect decides, whether an attachment is worthy of an experience, then their will be no concept of detachment. It is either attachment or non attachment.