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Detachment
Detachment is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective. Detachment as release from desire and consequently from suffering is an important principle in the Bahá'í Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and Kabbalah.
In Christianity
Several stories in the New Testament teach the importance of detachment.
- The Beatitudes - "Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
- The Widow's Gift - a poor widow gave a humble gift of two coins but was considered to be the most generous gift as it was everything she had.
- The Undetached Official - a rich man asked Jesus what else should he do outside not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness, not defrauding, honoring his father and mother -- to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered by saying: "...sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor..."
The Christian teaching of life after death denotes an important concept where life on earth is temporary and that everything that causes us to be selfish, such as material gain and possessions, are inconsequential.
In Hinduism
The Hindu view of detachment comes from the understanding of the nature of existence and the true ultimate state sought is that of being in the moment. In other words, while one is responsible and active, one does not worry about the past or future. The detachment is towards the result of ones actions rather than towards everything in life.
In Judaism
The Jewish teaching on detachment as mentioned in the Old Testament is: "You shall not covet...anything that is your neighbor's... You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or anything that is your neighbor's. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".
In Taoism
The Tao Te Ching expressed the concept (in chapter 44) as:
Fame or Self: Which matters more?
Self or Wealth: Which is more precious?
Gain or Loss: Which is more painful?
He who is attached to things will suffer much.
He who saves will suffer heavy loss.
A contented man is rarely disappointed.
He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble.
He will stay forever safe.
Category:Virtues
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Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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