Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this guided meditation, Venerable Thubten Chodron walks through a series of contemplative techniques to counteract attachment and clinging. She begins by asking students to call to mind something they crave intensely, imaginatively secure it, and then examine honestly whether it brings lasting happiness. She then explores the fear underlying attachment—how we catastrophize separation and loss—and invites practitioners to recognize the internal and external resources available to them even without the object of their desire. She introduces a shift in perspective on grief and loss: instead of mourning an imagined future that won’t happen, she suggests cultivating gratitude for time actually shared. Finally, she offers a practical technique of mentally offering the person or thing to the Buddha or other beings, transforming clinging into generosity. The session concludes with an encouragement to recognise that letting go brings calm, balance, and paradoxically, a deeper capacity to enjoy what we have.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 08 GM.mp3
UUID: 2b0c0f99-ac96-438c-ba57-0ea85e08b6e1
Teacher: Thubten Chodron Guided Med
Collection: Guided Meditation (Thubten Chodron Guided Med)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~798
Now we’ll do a meditation to actually counteract or transform our attachment. So think of a specific person or thing or place, something that you cling on to very much. And then imagine that you actually have it. Think that you’ve actually gotten what you crave, what you desire, and you have it in abundance. Really create the scene around you.
And after you’ve created that scene in which you secured what you’re attached to, then examine if you’re really happy. If that person or thing or situation has the power from its own side to bring you lasting happiness and satisfaction. And as you check up if the object of your attachment has the power to bring you lasting happiness and satisfaction. Question. Does anything external to me have the power to bring me full protection and satisfaction, happiness?
Our external things, external people, prestige, and so forth. Do these things really bring any kind of lasting security or happiness that we’re seeking? Our attachment is also very linked to fear because the more we’re attached to something, the more we fear losing it or the more we fear not getting it. And then our mind creates worst case scenarios that we convince ourselves are certain to happen when we don’t have what we’re attached to. So, again, make an example from your life and think that you’re separated from what you’re attached to.
You’re no longer with that person or in that place, have that job, whatever. And instead of letting your mind go crazy with fear and anxiety and projections, ask yourself what resources do I have to help me deal with the situation? In other words, even if I’m separated from what I’m hoping to have, what I desire, is it really gonna be that much of a catastrophe? There’s resources in the community that we can turn to for help. And, also, we have resources within ourselves, ways to work with our own mind and our emotion that will help us deal with the situation.
So think even if I don’t get what I’m attached to, what resources, external and internal, do I have access to that can help me? And through this, you realize that not getting what you’re attached to isn’t the end of the world. Especially in relationships with people when we’re separated from somebody that we’re attached to, that we care a great deal about, we grieve. And what we grieve for is not the past, but the future because we have an idea of how we want the future to be with that person, and it isn’t turning out the way we want it to. And so we grieve for a future that’s not going to happen.
So instead of doing that, what would it be like if we looked at the past where we were with the person and said how wonderful it was that I had the time that I did have to spend with the person. Doesn’t matter that we’re not together in the future, but I’m very happy that we were able to meet, that we were able to share, that we had whatever small amount of time we had together, and I’m satisfied with that. I’m content with that. So that’s another way to think to help us transform the attachment. And then another technique to help free ourselves from attachment is to mentally give the person or place or thing away.
So you can think of giving it away to other people and those other people becoming very happy. Or you can also think of offering it to the Buddha. And this is especially nice to do when we’re attached to people because often with people, we feel like they have to be with me. They have to be near me. But if we offer them to the Buddha and imagine the Buddha taking care of them, then we realize, actually, they’re much better off.
So that doesn’t mean that we leave our family and friends, but mentally, we offer, and that frees our mind from the clinging attachment. So think of people or things or whatever it is you’re attached to, and think of offering them either to the Buddha or to other living beings. And have a joyful mind of being able to offer. And as a conclusion, recognize that it’s possible for you to practice these methods of letting go of attachment. And that when you do, you feel very balanced.
You feel calm. And when you’re able to let go of the attachment, you’re actually able to enjoy those people or things more because you aren’t clinging. So see the benefits of counteracting the attachment and make a determination to try and do so in your daily life.