Non-attachment Philosophy

Sometimes life seems like a continuous cycle of suffering. One heartbreak follows another, we try to see the light but the darkness prevails eventually. I can't remember how many times I have been asked "would life always suck like this?" my answer usually is "probably." I am not totally an absurdist, but I do believe our animal brain default program is suffering. We don't remember the light because it is safe but we always remember the darkness because it is a threat. Meaning that although bad and good events in life probably occur similarly, we feel and remember them differently. Our brain tends to remember bad for a longer period for survival purposes. The question is, how we can skip this? How can we see life as it is not as a continuous cycle of suffering? For me, I found my answer in Buddhism; Buddhism as a philosophy of life. I found a lot of answers that resonate with me and made me not only more rational but way more human than I have ever been.

The Buddha in his first sermon declared the four noble truths which are considered the essence of Buddhism. Why this is important? because the four noble truths address suffering. Buddha's diagnosis of suffering linked to the human attachment to permanence for a temporary life. The first three noble truths addressed the existence and cause of suffering then the cessation of suffering through the fourth noble truth of the eight-fold path. Because human nature is programmed for survival and survival thrives on the idea of permanence. Therefore, the Buddha teachings are reprogramming to our animalistic nature and reforming it to reach enlightenment, not through the religious practice of the Buddha teaching but embracing its wisdom.

Our animalistic nature that seeks permanence in everything needs to be reformed to be able to understand the philosophy beyond our physical and emotional cravings. It is methodical in its approach to suffering and seeks the underlying causes of human suffering which provides psychological depth to the argument. I don’t believe that Buddha's teaching or Buddhism is a set of instructions that guarantee a life of happiness. Rather my personal belief that Buddhism is a break from organized religions which provided salvation through the submission to a set of rules. Buddhism at its core is a life philosophy that provides guidance to achieve level minded approach to life which can get us closer to enlightenment. Therefore, my understanding of the Buddha diagnosis for suffering is not constructed set of actions to break away from suffering rather a philosophy to embrace suffering as a part of the whole life. The Buddhist value of non-attachment doesn’t seek austerity for itself, rather the discipline which comes from it and the emotional regulation associated with it. 

Many argue that Buddha might ignored the human nature that is by default built on cravings (food-sex-curiosity …etc) however, my understanding of the Buddha wisdom is not to suppress the need but eliminate the excess. And if we embrace the truth of impermanence even then we can deeply understand that impermanence as it affects the positive side of our life it affects the negative and our temporary inability to suppress the excess is just a momentary mishap if we don’t get fixated on their happening. Simply put, Buddhism doesn't ask us to be inhuman. Rather embrace our humanness, our shortcomings, our victories, our happiness, and our misery because all of it no matter how strong it is, it will pass. The only permanent truth of this life is impermanence. The moment we understand that contradiction we will find our nirvana. And by the way, nirvana is not bliss or ecstasy. The literal translation of nirvana is blowing out as "liberation" liberation from all attachments and looking at life as the passer-by we are. Peacefully observing life knowing deeply that the cycle of life continues no matter how we feel about it.

The genius about the Buddha's philosophy and the hardest part is, it is a contradiction by itself. For so many years I opposed it because I thought it was irrational, how we can ask humans to be less human. But what I finally understood that it actually asks humans to be more human. When it promotes non-attachment, it doesn't mean to not feel at all. Rather feel it with humility, and let go because when we let go we earn our liberation, our freedom from suffering, from control. To embrace bravely the impermanence, and our inability to control life.  And that is nirvana: a release for samsara.

"The very first noble truth of the Buddha points out that suffering is inevitable for human beings as long as we believe that things last—that they don't disintegrate, that they can be counted on to satisfy our hunger for security."