Date: 07/26/2025 07/27/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Knowledge
Where Does Attachment Come From
In the view of the Dharma, attachment is at the root of suffering. The Buddha taught that it is not the world itself that binds us, but our grasping—the clinging mind that insists on holding, controlling, possessing. To truly understand suffering and move toward freedom, we must ask: Where does attachment come from? And how can we see through it rather than be trapped by it?
The first source of attachment is ignorance (avidyā). This is not merely a lack of information, but a deep misunderstanding of reality. We fail to see that all things are impermanent, interdependent, and without fixed self. Believing that things are permanent or can satisfy us forever, we reach out to grasp them. We crave what is pleasant, resist what is unpleasant, and fear what is uncertain. This act of grasping—of trying to freeze or control the flowing river of life—is the birth of attachment.
At the heart of this grasping is the illusion of a separate, fixed self. All forms of attachment revolve around the idea of “me” and “mine”: my body, my feelings, my status, my success, my beliefs. We build our world around this self, and then suffer when reality doesn’t conform to our preferences. The forces of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three poisons—arise from this “I-making.” And attachment is their constant companion.
Attachment also stems from a misunderstanding of happiness. We are conditioned to believe that pleasure equals happiness, and we chase experiences that stimulate our senses or validate our identity. Yet these pleasures are fleeting, and the more we try to hold onto them, the more dissatisfaction grows. We become trapped in a cycle of wanting more, fearing loss, and resisting change. In this way, attachment arises not from joy, but from our resistance to letting life flow.
Another source of attachment is habitual conditioning. Over countless lifetimes—and reinforced in daily life—we’ve developed habitual reactions: to cling to what feels good, to reject what feels threatening, to control what feels uncertain. These responses often occur below conscious awareness. Even when we know that attachment causes suffering, we may still feel unable to let go because the momentum of habit is so strong.
Buddhism does not tell us to suppress desire or sever emotional connections. Rather, it invites us to observe the roots of attachment with awareness. When we start to notice how attachment arises—what we cling to, why we cling, and what it feels like—we begin to see that it never truly satisfies. In that clarity, the grip of attachment begins to loosen naturally.
In this light, attachment is not an enemy—it is a starting point for practice. It shows us where we are stuck, and thus where we can begin to awaken. By investigating attachment with honesty and curiosity, we see that it is not a fixed trait but a conditioned pattern. And like all patterns, it can be unlearned.
Letting go is not a forced rejection—it is the fruit of deep understanding. As we become more intimate with the nature of attachment, we no longer need it. When the mind is no longer driven by ignorance or consumed by self-centeredness, it becomes open, soft, and free. And in that freedom, what once felt essential to grasp, now falls away like a leaf in autumn—gently, naturally, without regret.
