About a quarter of a century ago, someone asked me the difference,
and rather than think about the question, (or why I was being asked), I wrote the following.

Detached . . . Attached
You must realize       You must realize
where you are       where you are
in you.       in you.

    Most of the       You aren't your
sensory inputs you have       body or any of its     
are situated in your head       sensory organs           
(tongue, nose, eyes, ears)       or internal organs        
   which makes sense,       because you use them.
because where all       Lose an eye and  
these inputs are registered       where are you?             
    is in the brain,       Lose all five senses
   and if you have       and where are you?
only a short distance to go,       Stop thinking               
  the less problem       and where are you?
with garbled information       Your thoughts,          
and cut circuitry       like your eyes,  
    you will have.       are tools you use.
"Where are you"       If you try to  
 "Right here."       think yourself
The body in which       to that point    
you presently reside,       it will be like      
         you usually mean.       swimming up a waterfall...
                            because your thoughts
                                  emanate from that point.   

"Did you hear what I said?"                                 
"Oh, I'm sorry.       Science says   
I was somewhere else."       a nerve-synapse takes 
       How? In your head?       a certain amount of time,
    You can't go anywhere,       some fraction of a second.
 but there are times...       How many nerve synapses
     where are you when       are there to a thought?
you're dreaming or asleep?       How long does it take?    
                           Time.               

Usually, in a dream,                           
 your sensory inputs       You're at least that
    are less detailed,       time and distance away
     but you don't stop       from the point you are.
        to think about       Time and space prevent
     how "unreal" it was       your touching your self.
    until you "wake up."       But this delay is hardly
          Well, WAKE UP!...       preventing you from living.

alt="Mindful Webworks" width="150" height="25"> /

/ Detached ... Attached, page 2 of 3

Oh, you're not dreaming?       Living goes on          
 How do you know?       even if that SELF
         When I dream,       of which you are aware
and when I realize       ceases to be      
 it was a dream,       aware of itself.
             I wake up.                             

                             The animal processes of
Oh, you're not dreaming?       Living go on             
 How do you know?       even if that SELF
         When I dream,       of which you are aware
and when I realize       ceases to be      
 it was a dream,       aware of itself.
             I wake up.       The animal processes of
Dreaming is another       seeing, sensing,   
state of consciousness       reacting, surviving,  
that you play around in       and propagation        
while your body rests.       are continued.        
Wakefulness is the       Any bush or cow   
state of consciousness       does that much.       
utilizing the       Mind is what?
        "rational" levels       Even plants seem to react
     of your mind.       to violent intent.

  When dreaming,       There are levels
         you're detached       where the border between
      from your body.       living and non-living
 You aren't using       seem to dissolve.
      your normal senses,       Where all this leaves us,
 but sometimes       as an existent
sound and feeling,       and experiential  
and sometimes light,       physical being,     
from the "real" world       is a set of          
           will cross       electrical, chemical,
       into your dreams.       and mechanical reactions
                              which can be reproduced
                                     in a well-equipped laboratory.

But wakefulness:                       
is it any more real       This makes         
       than a dream?       every physical thing
How real is something       you sense or do,     
      you see in a dream       including your thoughts,
while you're dreaming?       inextricably bound to 
Perhaps as valid and real       the physical plane.      
as what you see                      
around you right now.                           

alt="Mindful Webworks" width="150" height="25"> /

/ Detached ... Attached, page 3 of 3

                            But if you accept    
But you don't use your eyes       that that SELF is not      
to see that dream world.       your senses             
 If light and senses       or body or thoughts,
      and thoughts of this       where can you possibly be?
state of consciousness       Either self-awareness 
are affecting your       is just thoughts, 
     dream-consciousness,       and natural animal nature
   how much does       is all there is,
your dreaming world       and this page is a 
      affect this one?       useless diversion from
      Which of these       reacting, surviving,
are you living in,       propagating,      
           really?       or self-awareness,
If they affect each other       that self-aware point    
 constantly,       is something
 we are living in both       outside space and time
states of awareness       which therefore    
 all the time.       sets man free
       It's just more of one       of his mortal animal nature,
and less of the other       (or rather gives him 
                 depending on       the freedom to be free of it)
         how you're attuned.       and makes him a human being.
Ever been deep in thought                                
and fall into a dream?                             

                             Now, if you are not   
                                 your body, or your senses,
     Now, what if       or your thoughts,
  there are other       or your emotions,
states of consciousness...       or your desires,          
          just that close,       if you aren't any of that,
   just that real,       what good are you,
          all the time?       and what are you up to?