Probably the most misunderstood term in Western Buddhist circles
is that usually translated as 'attachment'. Too many have got it
into their head that they shouldn't be attached to anything. Thus
jokes abound such as the one on why the houses of Buddhists have
dirt in the corners - because they don't allow even their vacuum
cleaner any attachments. Some misguided pseudo-Buddhists criticise
those living a moral life as being attached to their precepts and
thus praise immoral action as a sign of deep wisdom. Bah! Others in
traditional Buddhist circles create fear of deep meditation by
incorrectly stating that you will only get attached to the Jhanas.
It all goes too far. Perhaps the pinnacle of mischievous
misinformation was said by Rajneesh who claimed "I am so detached,
I am not even attached to detachment" and thus conveniently excused
all his excesses.
The Pali work in question is UPADANA, literally meaning 'a taking
up'. It is commonly used indicating a 'fuel', which sustains a
process, such as the oil in a lamp being the fuel/upadana for the
flame. It is related to craving (TANHA). For example, craving is
reaching out for the delicious cup of coffee, Upadana is picking it
up. Even though you think that you can easily put the cup of coffee
down again, though your hand is not superglued to the cup, it is
still Upadana. You have picked it up. You have grasped.
Fortunately not all Upadana is un-Buddhist. The Lord Buddha only
specified four groups of Upadana: 'taking up' the five senses,
'taking up' wrong views, 'taking up' the idea that liberation may
be attained simply through rites and initiations, and 'taking up'
the view of a self. There are many other things that one may 'take
up' or grasp, but the point is that only these four groups lead to
rebirth, only these four are fuel for future existence and further
suffering, only these four are to be avoided.
Thus taking up the practice of compassion, taking up the practice
of the Five Precepts or the greater precepts of a monk or nun, and
taking up the practice of meditation - these are not un-Buddhist
and it is mischievous to discourage them by calling them
'attachments'. Keeping the Five Precepts is, in fact, a letting go
of coarse desires like lust, greed and violence. Practising
compassion is a letting go of self-centredness and practising
meditation is letting go of past, future, thinking and much else.
The achievement of Jhana is no more than the letting go of the
world of the five senses to gain access to the mind. Nibbana is the
letting go once and for all of greed, hatred and delusion, the
seeds of rebirth. Parinibbana is the final letting go of body and
mind (the Five Khandhas). It is wrong to suggest that any of these
stages of letting go are the same as attachment.
The path is like a ladder. One grasps the rung above and lets go of
the rung below to pull oneself up. Soon, the rung just grasped is
the rung one is now standing on. Now is the time to let go of that
rung as one grasps an even higher rung to raise oneself further. If
one never grasped anything, one would remain spiritually
stupid.
To those without wisdom, letting go may often appear as attachment.
For example a bird on the branch of a tree at night appears to be
attaching firmly to the branch, but it has actually let go and is
fully asleep. When a bird lets go and the muscles around its claws
begin to relax they close on the branch. The more it relaxes, the
more the claws tighten. That's why you never see a bird fall off a
perch even when they are asleep. It may look like attachment but,
in fact, it is letting go. Letting go often leads to stillness, not
moving from where you are, which is why it is sometimes mistaken as
attachment.
So don't be put off by well-meaning but misinformed L-plate
Buddhists who have completely misunderstood Upadana and attachment.
Attach without fear to your precepts, your meditation object and to
the path for it will lead to Nibbana. And don't forget to purchase
the attachments for your vacuum cleaner too!
Ajahn Brahmavamso
BSWA Newsletter, December 1999
