Bliss

Author(s): Amarmuni
Publisher: Sanmati Gyan Pith Agra

Page 94

Attachment is bondage, detach ment liberation
79
people were happy indeed. Shortly, an old woman came by. She was the wife of a poor gardener. With much difficulty, she had saved half a pomegranate. When she placed it before Buddha as a gift, he immediately placed both his palms over it.
Can you imagine the shock of the rich people present there? Feeling proud over the gifts they had just given, they asked each other, "What is this? Our sacrifice of so much wealth was accepted with one palm where as this old woman's bit of pomegranate is greeted with both palms?"
Finally one of them asked Buddha, “Lord! Why have you given so much importance to this old woman's meagre gift?" The Buddha said with a smile, “After giving up as much as you have done, you would still have a lot left to enjoy. But this old woman has given away all she had in that bit of fruit! Her sacrifice is greater than the relinquishing of an entire nation. Therefore, I placed both my palms on it."
And therefore I reiterate, it is not the object, which is important, it is the feeling and intention behind it, which is important. The basis of possessiveness is desire and not the object. An object has no value in itself.
It is common knowledge that all religions and cults of the world permit their monks to possess a few basic worldly objects. It is possible that some keep less and some a bit more. But no one can operate in the complete absence of these basic essentials. In the mind of the monk, these objects are treated with detachment. And this is the key. Absence of attachment is non-possessiveness. In fact, not just detachment towards objects, but even detachment towards disciples is necessary in this framework.
Once during his wanderings, Ganadhara Sudharmā Svāmī met an old woodcutter. All his hair had turned grey and his frail body barely seemed able to lift the bundle of wood on his head as he panted with its weight. Sudharmā Svāmi was touched by his piteous state. With compassion, he asked, "Sir, may I ask you who you live with? How large is your family?" And thus the conversation began.