‘The root of suffering is attachment’
The Buddha’s phrase, ‘The root of suffering is attachment,’ captures a fundamental insight into the human condition and the origin of suffering in Buddhist philosophy.
To fully understand the significance of this quote, we must first examine the core teachings of Buddhism, specifically the Four Noble Truths and the concept of attachment (Tanha), as well as the implications of this teaching for personal transformation and liberation from suffering.
The Four Noble Truths:
The concept that ‘the root of suffering is attachment’ is closely related to the First Noble Truth, which declares that life is filled with misery (Dukkha).
Suffering, according to Buddhist philosophy, includes not just physical pain and mental misery, but also a pervasive sense of dissatisfaction and discontent caused by our insatiable longing for and attachment to fleeting phenomena.
The Second Noble Truth states that craving or attachment is the source of suffering (Tanha). This craving takes several forms, including craving for sensory pleasures, craving for existence or becoming, and craving for non-existence or annihilation.
Finally, attachment stems from our fundamental ignorance (Avijja) of the true nature of reality, in which we hold onto ephemeral events as…
