[2026 April DCTB Mindfulness Tip]
Nonattachment is not apathy. Nonattachment is not protecting our bliss. Nonattachment is not about hiding from the world. Nonattachment is not about denying feelings. It is not about acting or pretending. Nonattachment happens naturally on the Buddhist path.
When we meditate and enter into silence – the inner stillness – we experience our innate Joy. This unconditioned peace is always present, no matter what is happening to or around us. Meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation are tools we use to recognize what we already are – a boundless field of blissful Light expressed in this world as Love.
Attachment means we have literally attached our happiness to something. The more we reaffirm our connection to Truth, the weaker our attachments become. Over time, we gently become nonattached to all that is transient. The whirlpool of existence continues to swirl, but instead of grasping at the waves we recognize we are the water itself. This recognition causes us to automatically let go of that which causes us the suffering of separation.
As we interact with the world, we experience the full range of human emotions – this is normal! Those who embrace the Buddhist path radiate a sense of peace and joy because they have glimpsed their true nature, not because they are repressing what they feel. When we follow the Path, our access to pure joy becomes so great that all transient emotions pale in comparison. That does not mean we don’t experience them. In fact, as we walk the Path, our ability to feel becomes more intense.
We feel the sorrow and the anger that arises when witnessing the horrors and injustices of this world. Those feelings and causes do not become our identity; we know from our practice we are much more than anything so transient. Nor do we turn away, pretending they do not exist simply because we have access to infinite joy and calming peace.
Sorrow and anger are calls to honor and protect that which we love. Even in the grip of these intense emotions, joy is present. That inner joy and peace becomes the anchor for our actions. Instead of thrashing about trying to protect our ideas and views, we cut through the noise and act from wisdom, which always takes the form of compassion.
If you feel overcome by the tsunami of emotion – whether the flavor is pleasant or painful – take a moment to return to your practice. Return your focus to your True Being. Do not diminish what you experience. Take it all in, embracing every sensation. Watch carefully for the attachments that hook your innate joy, the conditions that demand to be met before you allow the sense of peace. Do not fight them, do not repress them. Instead bring them into the light of your awareness and watch as the hooks melt.
This is the practice of Trikaya Buddhism. This is how nonattachment naturally arises.
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