Workshop on Attachment, Led by Bill Stauffer (Part 1)

Understanding attachments and working to let them go is at the heart of the Buddha’s spiritual path. 

 The second Noble Truths tell us there is a cause of suffering and that cause is the three poisons: attachments, aversions, and ignorance.  Thus, as long as I continue to have attachments I will continue to create suffering. If I weaken my attachments then I weaken the cause of future suffering. In this way, I can move in the direction of “the supreme good fortune and well-being” of awakening.

However, what the Buddha meant by attachment is often misunderstood and these misunderstandings can be a hindrance for my practice.

• Some common misunderstandings about attachment:
  • If I give up attachments then I will be drifting through life.  It’s not healthy to be drifting.
  • I love my friends and family so much that I could never give up my attachment to them.  I don’t want to give up my attachment to them.

The goals of this workshop include:

• Understanding what the Buddha meant when he spoke about attachment
• Clearing up common misunderstandings about attachment
• Understanding the various ways attachments cause suffering
• Understanding how to work with attachments in our daily life

We will examine what the Buddha meant by “attachment” by looking at various words the Buddha used to describe attachment.  We will consider teachings the Buddha gave about attachment.   We will discuss ways to practice nonattachment in everyday life.

Zoom Link TBA

Part II will occur Saturday July 23 10 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Eastern