Welcome to Thursday Tidbits, choice bits of information that celebrate our oneness with one another through our unique perspectives. It is how we connect, and it is how we have always connected but in the 21st century, the connection is immediate.
It occurs to me that in exploring peace I am also exploring unconditional love, whose existence we freely acknowledge in animals but when it comes to humans, we grow very quiet very quickly.
Yet, what if the connection between peace and unconditional love lies in the law of detachment, like a bridge between the two?
Deepak Chopra describes the law of detachment in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success as:
“In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty… In the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning.
“And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe.”
Therein, lies the rub, trusting in the wisdom of uncertainty, free from the conditions of our past or what Pema Chödrön calls “The Dream of Constant Okayness.”
“It’s not impermanence per se, or even knowing we’re going to die, that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught. Rather, it’s our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness.
“When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature, to our fundamental goodness.
“Another word for that is freedom—freedom from struggling against the fundamental ambiguity of being human” (Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes from Pema Chödrön)
And finally, from the Mundaka Upanishad:
“Like two golden birds perched on the selfsame tree, intimate friends, the ego and the Self dwell in the same body. The former eats the sweet and sour fruits of the tree of life, while the latter looks on in detachment.”
These are favorite quotes of mine that I read so frequently I can recite parts of them from memory, which is not to say that I live them, only that my memory is in constant retrieval mode. However, there are moments I visit Michael Singer’s “Seat of Self,” where I am aware of the world coming through my humanness but alas, I do not yet sit for long.
How about you? Are you familiar with the golden birds of the Mundaka Upanishad? Do you struggle with the inherent ambiguity of “constant okayness”? Is there wisdom or freedom in uncertainty? Are humans capable of unconditional love?
If questions are not what you seek, then here is a north Florida treasure, Hot Tamale, singing “Easy,” a song for all of us wherever we are in our awareness.
KM Huber's Blog 
Love these two: “In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty… In the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning.
“And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe.”
I’m working on these. Detatching from the responsibilities of the past to focus on the now, there is uncertainty and the unknown, the creative mind _is_ freer. Thanks for giving me a few more tools to work toward that detachment, unconditional love, and an open mind.
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Am a bit behind in responding to comments, Lynette, but like you, I work on detachment moment to moment. Some days it’s the past, other days it’s the future. Infrequently, I settle into the “seat of Self” (Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul) and simply experience what is.
Thank you for whoopensocker! What a great blog post, and I have linked it.
Karen
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Detachment and unconditional love – on the surface you wonder how they could go together but when you think about it it really makes sense…no judgement, no expectation..
🙂
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As you say, it makes sense, no judgment or expectation and there you are, in the field of infinite possibilities. Thanks for stopping by.
Karen
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TW Dittmer sent me 🙂 he knew I’d like your words..
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Tim says it all so well. So glad to have found you as well.
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My abnormal psych prof laughed at the idea of unconditional love. He said, “Do you mean to tell me if your son raped your daughter, you’d invite him for Thanksgiving dinner?” That prof was so smart, but he just didn’t get it. I invite people I LIKE to my table.
If I truly love myself, it is easy to love everyone. No matter what they’ve done. In my opinion, the “Ego” and the “Self” may be intimate, but they are not friends, only companions on the path.
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Well said, Deb! It is amazing the extremes some present, always the worst case scenario, but as your comment so beautifully illustrates, it is about loving from within ourselves first and then the rest falls into place.
Karen
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Love this, Karen. Thank you for delineating the bridge between unconditional love and peace. I remember you mentioning this bridge before, and I had no idea what you were talking about. This post makes it clear. I am beginning to understand the power of detachment. I love the idea that detachment leads to unconditional love rather than apathy.
I just heard Chopra on NPR yesterday and he was talking about species-specific perception of the world–how we are limited by our perceptions as humans. I thought about you and Cooper, and how animals can teach us so much because they have a completely different perception of reality, love, and acceptance.
{{{Hugs]}} Kozo
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Sorry I missed the Chopra interview on NPR; clearly, Chopra is a teacher for me. I am just beginning to appreciate how limited our perceptions are if we do not practice detachment, which opens up the field of infinite possibilities. Still, detachment seems a slippery slope until we remember to slide and not resist. A most thoughtful comment, Kozo, and thank you.
Karen
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Love the word play with slippery slope. I’m focusing on sliding rather than resisting this year thanks to you. 🙂
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You’ve got me thinking again. Can you smell those burnt synapses over there? 😉
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You will note the post is more the words of others than mine, including a song. I, too, can only aspire. Thanks, Tim!
Karen
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I have read “Conversations with God” and enjoyed it very much but perhaps a re-read is in order. My copy is always handy. Thanks for the suggestion!
Karen
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A lovely post and can resonate, this is my type of book. I love Deepak Chopra, if you ever get the chance read “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsh they are life changing books.
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