Aparigraha: Non-Clinging

by

Mitch Hall

    Aparigraha, is the fifth yama (basic ethical principle) in raja yoga as well as the fifth mahavrata (major vow) of Jainism. Aparigraha has been varyingly translated into English as non-greed, non-possessiveness, non-possession, non-clinging, and non-grasping. “The term usually means to limit possessions to what is necessary or important, which changes with the time period, though sadhus would not have any possessions”(Wikipedia).  Similarly, Gandhi wrote that, “Non-possession means that we should not hoard anything that we do not need today” (Gandhi, 1944). A scholar of Gandhi’s thought noted the close connections between aparigraha and asteya (non-stealing): “aparigraha is almost a corollary of asteya. In order to follow the dictum of non-thieving one must have as few possessions as possible” (Desai, n.d.). Because giving up possessions would be impractical for many, Gandhi proposed the ideal of trusteeship:

    A trustee is expected to use the income of the trust solely to the advantage of the beneficiaries. In the case of wealthy people the beneficiaries are all the employees and underlings connected with the wealth. So, all income from the business or the land should     be shared-with the employees or tillers of the land. The owner turned trustee should avail himself of the bare minimum, thus narrowing the economic gap between himself and his dependents (Desai).

    The spiritually inspired ideal of aparigraha, as presented above, is antithetical to the pattern that prevails currently in the US. In this country,which has “the greatest disparity of wealth in the entire industrialized world,” “the wealthiest one per cent of the population owns more than the bottom 95 per cent” (Gutman, 2002), and the disparity has been growing, and at a faster pace, year by year. Furthermore, the accumulations of the wealthiest people have reached staggering proportions. “In 1982, the first year of the Forbes 400 list, it took about $159 million in today's dollars to make the list; this year, the minimum price of entry was $1.3 billion” (Arango & Creswell, 2008). Far from acting, in a spirit of aprarigraha, as trustees for employees, tenants, and citizens, the super-wealthy are leaving the rest of the population in increasingly difficult, often dire, conditions:

    Today, one in five Americans is unemployed, underemployed or just plain out of work.     One in nine families can't make the minimum payment on their credit cards. One in eight mortgages is in default or foreclosure. One in eight Americans is on food stamps. More     than 120,000 families are filing for bankruptcy every month. The economic crisis has wiped more than $5 trillion from pensions and savings, has left family balance sheets upside down, and threatens to put ten million homeowners out on the street (Warren, 2009).

When comparable data are considered on a worldwide scale with reference to the countries of the global south, the story becomes even grimmer. Suffice it to say here that much tragedy occurs when aparigraha and the other yamas are absent from public policy, business as usual, and personal ethics. Aparigraha, as already noted is intrinsically related to asteya, and also to such spiritual values as ahimsa (non-violence) and satya (truth). The structural and direct violence resulting from extreme socioeconomic stratification is egregious, and truth is often violated to justify such violence.

    Perhaps one of the biggest illusions, if not lies, is the popular notion that accumulating material possessions brings happiness. Social scientists who have conducted empirical research in many countries have repeatedly discovered that “not only does having more things prove to be unfulfilling, but people for whom affluence is a priority in life tend to experience an unusual degree of anxiety and depression as well as a lower overall level of well-being” (Kohn, 1999). Additionally, a focus on material acquisition was associated with lower self-esteem, and higher likelihood of using cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs. It is important to note that this research reveals the unhappiness and emptiness of lives that are dedicated to possessions, or other extrinsic goals, rather than to the more primary, intrinsic goals of cultivating close, warm, interpersonal relationships, self-awareness, and altruistic contributions to the welfare of others.

    What leads some people to become overly materialistic? One study of 18-year-olds may provide an answer. Those “for whom financial success was especially important turned out to be disproportionately likely to have mothers who were not very nurturing” but were “cold and controlling” (Kohn, 1999). In other words, when the primary gratification of love was missing from the beginning of life, some turn, rather futilely, to secondary gratifications of material accumulation.

    The personal and social misery resulting from a cultural emphasis on materialism led at the beginning of the 21st century for those who are prosperous to a malaise characterized by

    ...big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and     diminished civility.  We are excelling at making a living but too often failing at making a life.  We celebrated our prosperity but yearned for purpose.  We cherished our freedoms but longed for connection. In an age of plenty, we were feeling spiritual hunger.  These facets of life lead us to a startling conclusion:  Our becoming better off materially has not     made us better off psychologically (Speth, 2008, p. 137).

    The psychologist Erich Fromm (1976) dedicated a book to exploring the differences between two existential modes of being, one primarily oriented to being, the other to having. He began his treatise citing spiritual teachers, such as Buddha and Jesus, who advocated values consonant  with the yama of aparigraha being discussed here. Fromm saw both personal and societal health as dependent on the being mode, and he characterized the having mode as harmful to life. As we have seen above, empirical research supports the truth that aparigraha, as a core value of raja yoga is consistent with human happiness. It is also a needed antidote to the toxic economic system of capitalism that is currently increasing the gap between rich and poor, producing so much misery, and destroying the earth’s ecological balance.

    Just as aparigraha is relevant to material possessions, it could also be applied to non-material areas of life, such as not clinging to a fixed point of view, a self-image, an ideology, a person who does not want to stay in a relationship, a job that is no longer fulfilling, and more. Ultimately, as living beings, we will die, and at that time we will no longer be able to possess these bodies or minds. Learning to let go of possessiveness while living may help initiate us to spiritual wisdom.

    In closing, I shall reflect on the relevance of aparigraha to my own present life. Although living in this US society, I have not accumulated any wealth, property, or tangible assets. I drive a modest car and live simply. I have dedicated my career to service through education; advocacy of peace, social justice, children’s rights, and nonviolence; writing; and mental health counseling. I do not have a “nest egg.” Although I turn 67 this month, I continue to work with a non-profit agency as a counselor for underprivileged youth, to write for peace, and to pursue training to become a yoga teacher for both my own health and to bring the benefits of yoga to others. I live by a faith that I shall be able to maintain myself through my labors, provided that I stay true to my spiritual calling. My joy is in warm friendships, learning, cultivating spiritual awareness, sharing, and helping other. Somehow I’ve managed to make it this far, although it has not always been easy, and I am enjoying the journey and thankful for life.

References

Arango, T. & Creswell, J. (2008). The money’s still there, but Wall Street won’t be the same. New York Times, October 5, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/business/worldbusiness/05iht-era.1.16695364.html

Desai, K. (n.d.). The eleven vows of Mahatma Gandhi-Their observance and relevance. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/activities/ee.ssay_elevenvows.htm

Fromm, E. (1976). To have or to be? New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

Gandhi, M. K. (1944). Bapu-ke-Aashirvad, Nov. 25,1944. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from http://wwwgandhi-manibhavan.org/gandhiiphilosophy/philosophy_11vows.htm

Gutman, H. (2002). Economic inequality in US. Dawn, July 1, 2002. Retrieved December 15, 2009 from http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0701-05.htm

Kohn, A. (1999). In pursuit of affluence, at a high price. New York Times, February 2, 1999.

Speth, J. G. (2008). The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Warren, E. (2009). America without a middle class. It’s not far away as you might think. AlterNet, December 5, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2009 from http://www.alternet.org/story/144388/

Wikipedia. Aparigraha, Retrieved December 13, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/    Aparigraha