Attachment In Buddhism

The concept of attachment can be a complicated one. Most humans in the world have attachments to something or people in life that they believe are the key to their happiness and existence in general. Our desires pertain to those things that we wish to have more of in life, and our attachments are those things that do not change with time but rather stays as a result of those desires. However, in the Buddhist philosophy, attachments prevent one with fully living life. These attachments that people have, bind them down and serve as distractions becoming obstacles for current and present joy in life. This paper will argue that attachment results in suffering and prevents one from living fully and freely as a human and that to truly end suffering,

Once someone begins to crave something, they can easily cling on to that because their desire to have more of it continues on. The purpose of not being attached to things in life is to live a life where one is not bound down by those things that may prevent one from living fully. Siddhartha, or Buddha, was someone who had a realization about suffering and attachment. His early years were seen in a palace with his father who would provide Siddhartha with all the luxuries of life. He was kept away from suffering as his father’s goal was to always make sure that his son was happy and in his eyes, this could have only been done with wealth. However, once Siddhartha realizes that there is suffering, death, and misery, he realized that life, in general, is suffering. Not only that, he believed that suffering was a direct result of all the desires and cravings that one has. One of the issues with attachment is that when we are unable to satisfy our all of our desires, we can easily fall into anger. When one seeks too much, they also can experience suffering because they will do whatever it takes to get more of what has provided them with a short-lived moment of joy. Buddha’s idea of the “middle way” is something that one could follow if they have the intention of seeking enlightenment. This concept means to live in moderation in terms of self-indulgence. In the book titled, The Dhammapada, by Glenn Wallis, cravings are detailed in a manner that indicates the problem with attachment in life. Glenn states that “As a cut tree grows back if the root is undamaged and firm so too this pain emerges again and again if the tendency toward craving is not rooted out (Wallis, 70).” In this teaching, if one does not remember to remove these cravings from their life, it will still remain and only cause pain and suffering. Suffering, however, can