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Detachment and Connection Across Boundaries
When we hear the English word “attachment,” it is often a positive reaction.Some might go further to say “loving attachment” to spouse, children, family, and friends. By contrast “un-” or “de-” prefixes are seen as removal from interaction and imply indifference toward others. From the Buddhist perspective, attachment is seen as a construct of our thoughts and intentions. They are using the word in its meaning of “an addition to,” as when we have an attachment for our computer. Attachments are the “add-ons” we make to our concepts of self and others. I recently watched the fascinating documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” In the video, we get to see the octopus hiding herself from sharks by using her tentacles with their suction cups to pick up bits of pottery, metal, and glass, using the objects to wrap around her body so she is not recognized. For all the world, she looks like a pile of broken bits of glass and ceramics. This comes very close to the meaning of attachment used in Buddhist material. We add on external features that are constructed items not a part of us, used to present ourselves to others. If we want others to see us as smart, controlled, leaders, we attach attempts to display these features. When we hear of “detaching,” it means to put down the attachments and just be a pure view of who we are. It is by no means indifference, it is letting go of those aspects that obscure and misguide those around us.
放下與連結─跨越人際藩籬
當我們聽到英文單詞「attachment」（執著、依附、依戀）時，通常會有正面的反應。有些人可能會進一步說「loving attachment」，就是對配偶、子女、家人、朋友有「深情的依戀」。相對的，“un-”或“de-”這些前綴詞被視為脫離互動，暗示對他人的冷漠。從佛教的角度來看，「attachment」是我們思想和意圖所構建的產物。 佛教使用「attachment」這個詞時的意義更接近於「附加物」，就像我們在電腦上有一個附件一樣。也就是說，「執著」其實是我們對自我和他人概念所做的「附加」。
