My good friend and I have been talking about detachment from things and situations that hinder us from growing spiritually.

Detachment and non-attachment are not mere fancy terms used in spirituality but concrete spiritual principles that should guide our spiritual practice. It is through detachment and non-attachment that we obtain complete liberation from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in this material world.

Jesus, for example, forewarned people about the attachment to material wealth and familial and romantic relationships, which often snatch us from the path of spiritual liberation. Unpurified material wealth serves as a cage since it makes us think that earning and saving money is our only goal in life and that nothing else is more important than profit.

Meanwhile, our relationships with our family, friends, and lovers can also hinder us from obtaining enlightenment since they are often used by the adversary to suppress our spiritual growth by making them constantly ask for our time, energy, and resources, usually in the unhealthiest way. When the latter happens, our attention to our spiritual practice will become shorter and shorter, until we are no longer interested in the practice itself.

I am not saying that we should not work and earn money and love our family, friends, and partners. What I am saying is that we must love God more for God is the source of all blessings and love in this world and the next.

Furthermore, when we love God more, help the poor and the marginalized more, and not abandon our spiritual practice (sadhana), rest assured that we will obtain more grace and love from different—and far greater—sources. Do not abandon grace; rather, embrace your mission as the servant of the God Almighty. Aum! [Dadaji]