Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Non-Attachment and the Doctrine of Sealing for All Eternity

Non-Attachment and the Doctrine of Sealing for All Eternity

Last updated on: May 23, 2021 at 1:42 pm by Dan Peterson

Non-Attachment and the Doctrine of Sealing for All Eternity 2021-05-23T13:42:36-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mahatma Buddha (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

***

As will, I’m sure, be immediately apparent to those who are specialists, I am anything but an expert on Buddhism. But details on Buddhism aren’t really the point of the comment that follows. If I’ve got something wrong, or even the whole conception of Buddhism wrong, please concentrate on the more fundamental thought here:

As I understand his biography, the parents of Siddhārtha Gautama — later to be known as the Buddha (the “Enlightened One”) — isolated him in a palace through his childhood and early youth, carefully ensuring that he didn’t see poverty, suffering, ugliness, illness, or decrepitude, attempting to spare him even the awareness that such things existed. But, as was inevitable, he eventually got out and was deeply disturbed by what he encountered. Thereafter, he bent all his thought toward escape from suffering. And, after he had achieved enlightenment, he graciously chose to remain among ordinary unenlightened humans in order to show us the way to enlightenment — which is the principle of non-attachment. If we give up lust, cravings, and desires, we can achieve serenity and put ourselves beyond pain and sorrow.

I suppose that I could have, and probably should have, used Stoicism instead of Buddhism. But my fundamental point is served by (my misunderstanding of?) both.

There is certainly truth and value in non-attachment, at least as it is properly applied. It is a commonplace that we should not allow ourselves to become unduly attached to transient or relatively insignificant things (e.g. wealth, power, status, or physical beauty).

It seems to me, nevertheless, that the fundamental message of Christianity is in some ways distinctly opposed to the principle of non-attachment. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The notion that God is “without body, parts, or passions” — passions here meaning “emotions” — is thoroughly pagan, and thoroughly unbiblical. (See my 2013 Deseret News column “Might As Well Pray to a Rock.”) According to basic Christian teaching, Christ came into the world to suffer on our behalf, not to escape suffering. According to one of the greatest chapters in all of scripture, Moses 7, even God himself sorrows over the sins of humanity. And he seeks to save us. All of us. “God our Saviour . . . will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

And we, as disciples of Christ, are not directed to withdraw into non-attachment, but are told that “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8). We are commanded to take his message to everyone. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16;15). And we are not to retreat into a serenely hermitic distance from humankind, but to be fully engaged with the daily life around us. “A man filled with the love of God,” said the Prophet Joseph Smith, “is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.” “Anxious to bless the whole human race.” The word should probably, more properly, be eager. Whatever the word, though, it clearly doesn’t suggest “non-attachment.”

Now, I know enough about Buddhism to know that the distinction that I’m making isn’t quite fair. It’s not that simple. There were and are Buddhist missionaries. They didn’t simply withdraw into monastic seclusion. One of my personal heroes in the Mauryan emperor of India known as Ashoka. (See the 2012 Deseret News column “Indian ruler sowed seeds of Buddhism.”

But please remember, again, that my point here isn’t really about Buddhism at all. And I could easily have taken illustrations from elements of the broader Christian tradition itself. Most specifically, for my purposes here, Latter-day Saint Christians are not encouraged to secede into monastic isolation. Quite the contrary. We’re to be “in the world but not of the world.” We usually put the emphasis on not being “of the world.” But the principle also insists that we should be fully “in” it. Among the implications of this is that we’re to have, and to love, and to care for family and friends. To have and raise children. To care about grandchildren. In the doctrines of the Restoration, family is not just a pleasant earthly phenomenon for many people. Rather, it’s an eternal principle and goal. It is fundamental.

The trouble is that our occasions for pain are multiplied when we care about others. We are vulnerable to disappointments, betrayals, pains, and sorrows ourselves, as individual. But if, going in the opposite direction from complete non-attachment, we widen our circle to care about parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, extended family, friends, and colleagues, we greatly increase the likelihood that we will feel the sorrows, pains, betrayals, and disappointments, betrayals, pains, and sorrows of other people, and not merely our own. The metaphor that has long occurred to me with regard to this matter is that of a bubble enclosing us. The surface of the bubble represents our susceptibility to pain and hurt. By expanding our bubble in include others, we rapidly increase the surface of the bubble around us — and, thus, our liability to be hurt.

I’m thinking about these things today because of horrible news that I received early this afternoon. The grandson of one of my very favorite department colleagues, recently retired — a wonderfully kind and pleasant man who formerly chaired my department and whose wife is equally wonderful — was killed in a car accident on Tuesday, 18 May 2021, while serving as a Latter-day Saint missionary in Texas. I can scarcely imagine more horrific news. My heart is broken for these good people, whom I have known for more than half of my life, and for their family.

And now, just as I finish writing this, I learn that my wife’s last surviving uncle passed away today. She has only one aunt left. (I have no aunts or uncles anymore, and haven’t for several years.)

The more we care, the more we can be injured. So is the answer “non-attachment”? Not from the perspective of Christianity, and certainly not from the vantage point of the Restoration — both of which counsel greater attachment, not less. One of the most wonderful things about the Gospel is that, according to its teachings, widening our circle of love and caring not only increases our capacity to be hurt. It also increases our capacity to feel joy. Because the one is the inescapable flip side of the other.

We sorrow, when we sorrow, because we care. Would we prefer not to care about the people whom we love? Consider even the portrayal of the Savior himself at the tomb of Lazarus in Bethany, as depicted in John 11:35-36:

Jesus wept.

Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

But there is hope. Even in the darkest moments. To use the words of William Clayton, the message of the Gospel is that, in the end, we will be able to say “All is well! All is well!”

And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. (Alma 31:38)

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

But the night can often be very, very long, and the weeping is no less real just because we know that morning will follow.

Posted from Richmond, Virginia

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Previous Post

May 18, 2021

Twenty-Three Additional Theaters Will Screen "Witnesses" on Its Opening Weekend

Next Post

May 20, 2021 "Worlds Without Number"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I found the Book of the Law in the temple during repairs and wept when it was read to me. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joash Hezekiah Josiah Asa