Aparigraha: Non-Hoarding

Aparigraha: Non-Hoarding

by Breezy Jackson

This month, we focus on the fifth and final Yama: aparigraha or non-hoarding. The concept of aparigraha extends beyond the procurement of and attachment to objects. It can also apply to food, relationships, and ideas about yourself and the world around you.  The essentail practice of aparigraha is about answering the question - what is enough? 

Desire is a perfectly human quality.  We might desire certain physical or intellectual qualities, a relationship, food or material objects.  Though desire in and of itself is neither inherently positive or negative, when out of balance it can lead to suffering. Untempered desire leads to more desire to control what cannot be controlled.  Practitioners of aparigraha recognize the transient nature of the world, and instead of trying to control what cannot be controlled, they open their hearts and hands to possibility. Where some might see emptiness or ending, these practitioners see space and new beginning. Instead of living in nostalgia of better times or waiting for the better life ahead, they greet each moment with wonder and gratitude, watch it pass, and greet the next moment. In addition, those that observe aparigraha know that every being is inherently worthy of love and respect, and they do not require outside reassurance of their intrinsic nature. Finally they adhere to this simple wisdom: happiness is not having what you want, happiness is wanting what you have.

This month consider the following exercise relating to aparigraha. What attachments and cravings do you notice in your life? Watch arise without judgment, and then fade away.