Attachment & Aversion both are considered to be the obstacles to Enlightenment.Spiritual aspirant must not leave the things of this world too much;but he must not hate them either.Buddha’s beautiful quote can help one to remain detached,
Removing the obstacles of Attachment & aversion is compared to washing of a piece of dirty cloth in Patanjali Yoga sutras.In this context,the Mind is compared to a dirty cloth.Although as a child,our mind was immaculate as the Source;but the conditioned life we experience on the Earth made our minds impure due to attachment,aversion,greed,anger & other similar impurities.
Now,to wash a dirty cloth,first the dirt must be loosened with the soap & then washed away by clean water.Here,the Soap represents the preliminary step which includes study,various disciplines & practice of mindfulness.Water represents the practice of meditation.
The important point is that both soap & water are indispensable if the ‘cloth’ of Mind is to be properly cleansed.The one can’t be used effectively without the other.It is because of this Buddha said that there is no Meditation without wisdom & there is no wisdom without meditation.
Wisdom can be considered to be the transformation of intellectual or bookish knowledge into real personal experience.For the application,the correct knowledge must be acquired.Acquiring the knowledge of Soul is the first step on Spiritual Path.Once the Knowledge is acquired,it must be meditated upon.
Meditation is the principal instrument through which wisdom is gained.Just like we sharpen a pencil for a purpose (ie.for the purpose of writing),similarly we sharpen our minds through mediation (& Mindfulness) for the purpose of gaining Wisdom.
