The Teaching About Detachment

1. To be born with a human body is rare, and the time-span of life is short, so it should not be wasted. Ramdas says that you should carefully consider this with proper discernment.
2. If proper discrimination is not used in life, everything becomes a thoughtless endeavor. Without thoughtfulness, the human being becomes an impoverished person.
3. This comes about by one's own doing. Through laziness one becomes pitiful and destitute, and by keeping bad company one gets drowned in worldliness in a short period of time.
4. In youth, people are immature and do many foolish and destructive things, and the madness of sexual desire and passion runs rampant.
5. One who acts like a foolish and lazy young man is pitiful in all respects. Nobody gets any benefit from him. What more needs to be said?
6. Such a person does not take care of the necessary things in life, and even proper food and clothing are neglected. None of the best qualities can be found in him.
7. Such a person does not know how to speak or sit properly, and does not know how to behave appropriately in various situations. His mind and body are always diverted away from study and learning.
8. He does not read or write well, and he does not make meaningful enquiries, nor can he give good explanations. He does not practice any disciplined behavior because of his immaturity.
9. He does not understand anything for himself, and does not accept whatever he is taught. It is a foolish person who constantly speaks badly about virtuous people.
10. His way of thinking and behaving is such that he says one thing and does another. How can such a person ever lead a fulfilling spiritual life?
11. If because of some calamity in his life he changes his behavior and way of thinking, only then is there a place in his life for study and thoughtful reflection.
12. With concentration of your mind, hold steadfastly to spiritual practice. Put forth serious effort not to allow yourself to become lazy.
13. Give up all negative qualities. Study and adopt the best qualities. Learn by heart the statements contained in spiritual texts and poetry, and gain a firm understanding of their deep inner meaning.
14. Read and learn from many different poetic compositions, verses, and phrases. Observe the different poetic styles and forms of expression, so they can be used appropriately to impart knowledge according to various situations bringing about an uprising of joy in the hearts and minds of the listeners.
15. What is to be said in what situation must be realized with understanding. Why tire oneself unnecessarily doing wrong things?
16. Understand the minds of others so you can speak to them with proper respect. To simply continue on reciting whatever you have remembered without proper regard for the mind-set of others is foolish.
17. When speaking to others, be respectful and mindful of their current beliefs and spiritual practices. Be considerate of their beliefs and speak in ways that they can integrate what is being said. Studying various moods of music and rhythms can be helpful for this.
18. Make use of literature, music, and the telling of stories appropriate to the occasion so that correct understanding can be imparted. Through listening and reflecting upon what has been imparted, the listeners will progress in gaining the correct understanding of the meaning.
19. Learn many things by heart and continue to revisit what has been learned in order to refresh your memory. It is important to remember what has been said previously and to be consistent in what you say.
20. Remaining in solitude, continue to read and compare spiritual texts and discover their inner meaning. Accept and retain only what can be experientially verified.