by Dada Vedaprajinananda

Recently I gave a meditation workshop in England and touched on the issue of non-attachment. Yoga philosophy tells us that we shouldn’t be morbidly attached to physical objects because they are transitory and perishable. If we can remember that our self-worth and being do not depend on these physical objects then we will be better off.

This is easy to read about as a philosophy but difficult to practice in daily life. In fact during my workshop I said to the participants “You can read that everything is Cosmic Consciousness and that your inner Self is imperishable, but if you go outside and find that your car has been stolen, you will forget about this philosophy in a second.” I mentioned this in order to emphasize the difference between knowing something intellectually and actually being able to live according to that idea.

There is an old story from India that deals with this theme.  Once there was an aspiring yogi who was studying at the ashram of a great master. One day the master came and told the yogi, that he would have to go to a greater teacher to get his next lesson in spirituality.  The yogi was curious about this and asked who this master was.  His teacher told him that he had to go to the residence of the king, whose name was Janaka, and study under him. The young yogi was surprised, because he wondered how a ruler with so many worldly possessions and affairs could teach something to a monk like him.

In any case, the young yogi did as his master instructed and presented himself at the king’s palace. The king gave him a room and courtyard where he could continue with his yoga and meditation practices but did not give him any special lessons.  The young yogi was surprised and wondered when he would learn something from the king.

The yogi was living according to monastic rules and had only two sets of clothing, which he washed daily by hand. One day the entire palace and surrounding kingdom was engulfed by a huge fire. While this was happening the young yogi’s clothing was drying on the line and the flames were getting close to it. He was alarmed because that was all he had and started to move to save his garments. At that moment he looked up and saw the king calmly looking at the flames that were destroying his entire kingdom. The king said, “even if the fire consumes all my worldly possessions, I will remain calm.”

At that moment, the yogi realized that the king was actually a man with deep spiritual realizations, because he was able to live in the world and deal with so many physical objects but he did not forget “the bigger picture” and understood that his real wealth was not in the physical world.

I mentioned this story because I wanted to drive home the point that in order to really live life in a more balanced way, you have to do more than read books on philosophy. In order to reach the state of mind that the king possessed, you have to do deep meditation.

I have been meditating for close to forty years now, but the lesson that the young yogi learned that day is not so easy to grasp and we are constantly being tested. For example, only a few hours after my workshop, I gave a music concert at nearby café.  I wanted to use my guitar capo on some songs and asked a companion to look in the guitar case for it.

I am quite particular with this little piece of equipment, and it is usually in a special compartment in the case.  The friend said that the capo was not there. I played on without it but was a little annoyed. After the concert, I told my friend that it is an inexpensive item and I can get another one. He said “but you need it.” It was true but I wasn’t going to let the loss of a $10 piece of equipment spoil my day. Anyway, the next day when we were packing up from the music festival we found the capo, so that matter was finished.

However, my test in non-attachment was not over. When I was at the airport check-in counter, on my way out of England, the clerk asked me if I wanted to take my guitar onboard with me in the cabin. It is a bit big and heavy and I usually put it in the checked baggage so I told her to check it in. The flight was not a direct flight, and I had to change planes. When I arrived at my final destination (Tirana, Albania) I went to get my baggage. My suitcase was there but the guitar was not on the luggage carousel.  When the conveyer belt stopped moving, signaling that everyone’s luggage had been delivered and the guitar was nowhere to be seen, then I realized that I should have listened to the clerk and taken the guitar onboard with me.

The guitar is a bit more expensive than the capo and I rely on it a great deal more, but I also knew that if it was indeed stolen or lost, it could be replaced. I put in a claim with the luggage handlers, who suggested that it was probably left at the airport where I transited and went home. The next morning I continued practicing my music, using an old guitar that I keep at home. A few hours later I got a call from the airport telling me that my guitar had arrived. The temporary loss of the capo and then the guitar were indeed unpleasant but it was a nice little lesson in learning how to put everything in its proper perspective.