Pulled By Our Own Attachments

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is a popular Sri Lankan Buddhist monks in the Theravadan tradition. He offers these words of wisdom today to show how we are pulled by our own attachments. These words of wisdom appeared in the Tricycle Daily Dharma last month.

Our attachments these days are many and mostly quite useless in the grand scope of things. We are attached to our iPhones, iPads, automobiles, computers, homes, music, sex, video games, sports, and many other things. We look for happiness in these objects, but seldom find lasting happiness.

When we look at these objects right in the face, we see that our attachment is nothing but ignorance.

Attachment, along with craving and thirst all lead us on the path of dukkha or suffering. This was made perfectly clear by the Buddha 2600 years ago in the First Noble Truth. We, as human beings, have yet to learn how to curb our appetites. We just want more and more. We forget that “To desire what you don’t have is to waste what you do have!”

Unable to See | July 26, 2014 Pulled by our own attachments, we are always chasing phantoms. Terrified, we run away from monsters created from our own aversions. So long as perception is distorted, we are unable to see the true nature of what is in front of us—nothing but an ever-changing collection of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts or concepts. —Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Like a Mirage”

We crave for forms that we see with our eyes. We crave for sounds that we can hear with our ears. We crave for pleasant odors that we can smell with our noses. We crave for tasty and delicious foods that we can taste with our tongues. We crave for touches in places in our bodies that make us feel good or feel loved. We crave for thoughts that we think in our minds that can make us happy.

We don’t realize the our whole existence is made up of these sights, sounds, odors, tastes, touches, and thoughts. There is basically nothing else. All of these, when taken together, make up our experience.

Why do you think we get so attached to the senses, the sense objects, and the sensations they produce? What are YOU attached to? Are any of the attachments worthy of abandoning?

This is perhaps one of the most popular books on meditation today. Enjoy.

Books by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Mindfulness in Plain English is one of the most influential books in the burgeoning field of mindfulness and a timeless classic introduction to meditation. This is a book that people read, love, and share – a book that people talk about, write abo… [Read More…]