Translated By Tara Lau
People experience all kinds of suffering due to their attachments.
Attachment is a state of mind where individuals become obsessed with unrelenting stubbornness and persistence. This obsessiveness stems from their focus on their own ego, often leading to selfish actions at the expense of others.
Some people are extremely stubborn, insisting on their own points of view while obscuring the truth. This attachment causes them countless troubles.
Attachment is the common enemy of all sentient beings. It makes irritable people more impulsive, melancholic people more depressed, and cowardly people more indecisive. Attachment arises from greed, anger, and ignorance—what Buddhism refers to as the “three poisons.” These poisons are so potent that they cause endless suffering. Many people become obsessed with chasing pleasures tied to the five types of human desire: wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, believing these to be life’s greatest pleasures.
These attachments and obsessions are the root causes of suffering. Many people end up living in poverty, or harming others, due to their obsessive minds.
How does Buddhism teach us to eliminate these attachments? The answer lies in letting go. When adversity strikes—whether it’s career obstacles, marriage failures, family problems, or conflicts between friends—we must learn to let go. Let go of our worries, and do not cling to them. As the saying goes: “A pure mind is the only path; stepping back is a way to move forward.” This is not cowardice, but rather a positive means of overcoming attachment and returning to the wisdom we possess inherently.
The Heart Sutra teaches us to observe the “five aggregates,” “twelve bases,” and “eighteen fields,” encouraging us to release our attachment. In doing so, we can understand the “twelve causes and conditions,” embrace the four noble truths, and follow the six paramitas. This path leads to freedom of the mind, untroubled by external circumstances, and allows us to experience infinite inner peace, as mentioned in the sutra: “the heart is free of chaos.”
The Chan Master Wumen Huikai (1183-1260) once wrote: “Spring has flowers, autumn has the moon. Summer has cool breeze, and winter has snow. If nothing bothers the mind, with everything in tune, what a perfect moment in the world.”
In spring, flowers bloom; in autumn, the bright moon shines; in summer, there is a gentle breeze; in winter, there is frost and snow. These phenomena are impermanent and constantly changing, reflecting the cycles of arising, abiding, changing, and extinction of all things, as well as the joys and sorrows, prosperity and decline in life. The Zen master used the changing seasons as a metaphor for life’s experiences. “Worrying thoughts” refer to the many troubling ideas that cloud our minds. When you let go of these worries, and your heart is free, you are essentially the happiest person in the world.
