04/02/2026
Food for Thought…
Attachments… the major source of disharmony… and suffering…
Attachments… in the short run, developing a habit that creates consistence can be very empowering… such as learning a new skill or habit that will empower a different aspect of your life… such as building empowering values and character traits…
However, remaining attached to those habits after they have achieved their goals can create disharmony…
So… how do we eliminate or minimize the disempowering attachments… that no longer serve us…
Daoism sees attachment as clinging that disrupts the natural flow (Dao), creates body‑mind tension, and fractures our sense of belonging…
Rather than encouraging indifference, it teaches skillful release… cultivating naturalness (ziran), non‑action (wu wei), and a fluid sense of self so attachments lose their power…
Core practices…
- Re‑orient to wu wei… Learn to do less that forces outcomes… Respond rather than react… pause before acting and ask what aligns with the situation’s natural unfolding….
This reduces compulsive grasping and encourages effortless, wise choices…
- Cultivate ziran and simplicity… Simplify possessions, obligations, and goals…
Living by needs rather than endless wants lowers stimuli that feed attachment and builds contentment…
- Sit and forget (zuo wang)… Meditative practice that loosens identity labels (name, role, past/future) and lets sensations pass without clutching, dissolving rigid self‑definitions and revealing a fluid self…
- Work with body and qi… Gentle qigong, tai chi, and breathwork move stuck emotional energy, ground attention in the lower dantian, calm agitation, and restore embodied presence…
- Practice appropriate detachment… Care openly without clinging… give and serve without expectation… so self‑worth isn’t tied to outcomes…
- Reflect on impermanence… Contemplating change exposes the illusion of permanence, softening fixations on people, roles, and things…
- Use small letting‑go rituals… Symbolic acts (writing and releasing, ritual breaths) make psychological release tangible and help internalize letting go…
- Balance discernment with acceptance… Accept what you cannot control while wisely choosing where to invest attachment… commitment remains, but aligned with the greater flow…
Practicalities…
Begin small… 5–15 minutes daily of sitting or qigong, declutter regularly, and insert mindful pauses before impulses…
Over time these practices transform attachment into freer, life‑affirming engagement, reducing suffering and restoring personal power…
All the Best!
H Perry Curtis, Master at Pampamisayoc Qi Gong