13-Minute Non-Attachment Meditation

Something a lot of people don’t know about me is that I have a secret obsession with the “little free libraries” you find in many neighborhoods these days. I can’t walk past one without perusing the books. Most of the time, it’s harlequin romances, old sports star’s autobiographies, and hilariously outdated self-help books. But sometimes, there are some real gems.

My most prized “little free library” find was a vintage book of Zen koans (think short, thought-provoking stories or parables). A little paperback, with a cool 70s abstract art cover, written by a Japanese monk and translated into English. This meditation is inspired by one of my favourite koans in that book- a story about non-attachment called “two monks and a woman”.

Why make a meditation about non-attachment? The Zen concept of non-attachment can be a useful one, especially in a world when it’s easy to feel overly attached to things (your possessions, your beauty, your identity, your phone…) Non-attachment doesn’t mean not caring about things, or giving everything up to become a monk up on a hill, alone. Non-attachment is more about freeing yourself from the stories you tell yourself, the illusions in your life, to make space for all the real stuff.

So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, or caught up in some story you’re telling yourself (I didn’t make the team because nobody likes me, I’ll never meet my soulmate because there’s something wrong with me) maybe give this short non-attachment meditation a go! Even if it’s just for a few minutes of a welcome distraction from everyday life.