In this solo reflection, we look at the mind’s “stickiness”—how craving pulls us off-center—and explore nonattachment as freedom, not austerity. Drawing from the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Buddha, and the poets, we unpack the ever-flowing river / ever-full sea image and land it in everyday life: work, family, food, phone use, and the little bargains we make with desire.

In this episode

• Nonattachment vs. renunciation: letting nothing own you
• Why the relief after “retail therapy” comes from the end of wanting, not the thing
• How to be with cravings without white-knuckling (the “just for now” approach)
• Welcoming withdrawals—insomnia, anxiety, vivid dreams—as teachers, not enemies
• The ocean image across traditions: steady in the middle of many rivers

Try this

• Pause the impulse: when a craving hits, wait a few minutes and feel it fully—no negotiating, just noticing
• Choose not now: you don’t need a lifetime vow; postpone once and re-check later
• Be gentle: meet slips with curiosity, not shame; begin again, like a river returning to the sea

Texts & voices referenced
James 1; Ecclesiastes; Jeremiah 17; John 4; the Bhagavad Gita; teachings of the Buddha; Rumi; Meister Eckhart; St. John of the Cross.

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