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Precept 5:
Be detached from desire your whole
life
“Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they
are fed; the only animal that is never satisfied.” ― Henry
George
Monk:
Over the centuries countless sages have advocated detachment
from desire in an attempt to raise humanity above our baser
instincts. For example, the Desert Fathers were the earliest recorded
Christian monastic order. Living in the Egyptian desert around 270
AD, their goal was to separate themselves from worldly yearnings so
as to focus more clearly on the divine. This, of course, conjures up
the images of gray-bearded holy men living in caves or on
mountaintops disassociated from the world. In reality that sort of
thing doesn’t happen very much. These early monastics may have
set themselves apart from desire as much as possible, but they still
had a community. The Desert Fathers did spend large amounts of
time in solitude but they also spent time visiting one another,
counseling each another and, of course, celebrating communal
worship. Their existence was solitary, but far from lonely.
As you can see there is a distinction here. Being detached from
desires is clearly a good thing, but being detached from the
community of your fellow man is not. That mistake should never be
made. Being hard to read or emotionally inaccessible is not a
detachment from desire, it is a weak man or woman’s imitation of
detachment. The idea of being the loner, one who walks a solitary
path, is inaccessible, has no relationships, and sports an
unbreakable exterior shell is anathema. Humans are social animals,
so self-selected outcasts aren’t strong; they simply wear masks that
hide their internal weaknesses.
Being a loner may be an immature way of expressing yourself, but it
is a popular one. Many songs targeted at teenagers, especially
young men, have the “I walk alone” teen angst theme. It sells a lot of
records, but this is true of far more than music. The icon of the lone
warrior has been made pervasive in movies and books as well. Inigo
Montoya, Lone Wolf McQuade, The Man with No Name, The Bride
(Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill), all legends of cinema. The singular man
or woman, the avenger, the bringer of justice, the outsider who is
smart, strong, and in control, this is an idea that has gone viral in the
vernacular of today’s youth. Nevertheless, these men and women
are all cartoons. They are symbols and should not be mistaken for
complete, well-rounded, or real individuals. To have very few desires
is a characteristic of personal control few people ever experience.
However, in attempting to express that ideal we must be wary of
cutting ourselves off from humanity. The human experience is a
communal one, it always has been, and always will be one of
grouping and self-selection.
That covers the detachment part of Musashi’s precept, but let’s focus
on the desire half of the equation too for bit. The word desire is
almost always used with a sexual undertone in the west. The word
denotes juiciness, an emotion that if given half a chance would break
its lease, just simmering under the topic. Listen to these two
statements: (1) “I really want this job,” and (2) “I really desire this
job.” One statement is of the gut, while the other one is of the loins.
Musashi is admonishing us to control both and I must say that I
agree with his sentiment.
Musashi himself clearly had agendas, most of which were self-
serving. He must have had wants and desires too. But, the discipline
that he demonstrated early on and carried throughout his life showed
that he had a great deal of control over his wants and desires. In
fact, Musashi was almost machine-like in his endeavors, fighting,
and killing for whatever side happened to suit his needs at the time
with no discernible allegiance to faith, family, or friends.
Nevertheless,
Musashi
distinguished
himself
from
the
aforementioned icons of the dangerous loner, the wild-west
gunslinger, or masterless
ronin
who wandered the land needing little
in the way of possessions. Musashi’s human contact was utilitarian.
In real life Musashi gathered disciples and passed on his fighting
style, his artwork, and his writings. In fact, he did just what the
Desert Fathers did, but in a different way.
We would do well to follow this example. By controlling our desires
we escape the random path, more easily chart the course of our life
to meet whatever destiny we have in mind. It’s a great precept, and
of course, a challenging one.
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