Episode 122 - Non-attachment

Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox

In this episode, we explore attachment and some simple ways to practice non-attachment. The concept of non-attachment is often misunderstood. For example, we still love people even while practicing non-attachment. We still have homes, jobs, and goals even as we lesson our attachment. Non-attachment does not mean being separated from people or things, but changing the way we relate to them. Lessened worry and anxiety, peace of mind, and more enjoyment are only a few of the innumerable benefits that come from non-attachment,

Benefits of non-attachment

• Less worry
• Less anxiety
• Greater enjoyment in relationships
• Contentment and satisfaction
• Better mood
• Less stress
• A more peaceful mind

What is attachment?

Attachment arises from: Focusing on an object we find desirable, dwelling on it with inappropriate attention until our mind becomes glued to it, such that we feel we can’t be happy without it. Attachment is not desire. We desire many things in a positive, non-attached way, like brushing our teeth. What attachment involves is “sticky desire.” This type of desire is like sticking duct tape to a hairy arm; when it is ripped away it is VERY painful (like when we are ripped away from our object of attachment).

We experience attachment to:

• Things
• Status
• People
• Relationships
• Children
• Past
• Future
• Situations in the present being other than they are
• And much more…

Cut down the forest of craving, not the real tree;

the forest of craving breeds danger (of rebirth).

Cut down the forest of craving

as well as its undergrowth

and be free from craving.

So long as craving of man for woman is not cut down

and the slightest trace of it remains,

so long is his mind in bondage

as the calf is bound to its mother.

—Buddha, The Dhammapada

References with links

Buddha. The Dhammapada:Verses and Stories. https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=283