I’ve been working recently on the issue on non-attachment and how to
apply it to everyday life. One of the foremost question for me, isn’t it
possible that by applying the philosophy of non-attachment to your life that your quite possibly setting yourself up to abuse from other beings who might see this as a way to manipulate you? One of my failing graces has often been a trust in others often beyond their own capacity; if I should choose to trust without any attachment to outcome and find myself at the end of someone’s abuse isn’t that then my own fault? I guess I’m a bit confused on the fine line between not attaching to someone else’s actions and the wisdom to not getting involved in the first place. I hardly think that a life of complete separation from other people is a good choice for myself, but I’m also having a difficult time not judging others, or myself, when I feel that my good will has been abused.
Neither of these activities is non-attachment. It means to not attach
to your ego, attach action not to a doer. Non-attachment means to perform
your duties whatever they may be with the spirit of selfless service to
others. Anything other than that is self-serving and seeking for an
outcome. True non-attachment means only God is in your awareness. It is
described as such in Yoga Sutras I, 12 as vairagya and in the Bhagavad Gita
it is described as Karma Yoga.
However one should realize that this state of non-attachment is in the first
chapter archetype - that individual for whom samadhi is a naturally arising
experience. This is not due to sadhana as it is for archetype two,
described in the second chapter. Also one should note that this is preceded by the quality of abhyasa, consistent earnest practice carried out for a long period of time. Thus for one who is new to Yoga non-attachment is not likely to arise. But nonetheless Patanjali encourages one to practice with the intention for these two to be present in order for there to be success in Yoga. So for you perhaps you should examine what activities can I maintain a degree of disinterest in the results and pursue those activities.
For those activities for which you have a large vested interest, search
yourself to see if they are truly your duties or not. Or are you trying to
be of help to lessen someone else’s karma. If the latter then you will
never be free of the difficulties, one should always discover what is yours
and what is not.
To help someone is to be generous, but to perform their duty for them is
not. In ethical Yoga Therapy, both for a teacher and therapist, the
practitioners duty is not to do their yoga sadhana or put them into states
they cannot reach themselves. The role is simply to teach and share your
own sadhana with them. One of my teachers, who chooses to remain anonymous, said, “True gains come only from your personal practice, not from what arises when you are with a teacher or in a group”.