Via Tricycle: The Buddhist Review \\\ Three Teachings on Non-Attachment

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April 16, 2026   Interest vs. Clinging   In the Latukikopama Sutta (MN 66), the Buddha tells a story to the Venerable Udayin about a quail who is tangled in a rotting vine and unable to free itself. Even though the vine is weak, the quail is ignorant and cannot escape. This sutta, known as the Discourse on the Simile of the Quail, reminds us that even minor attachments can be powerful, keeping us ensnared in unconscious habits or thought loops if left unchecked and unacknowledged.    It’s important to note, however, that it’s not the attachment—big or small—itself that poses the threat, but the attitude toward it. As Theravada monk Bhante Henepola Gunaratana explains, there’s a difference between interest and clinging. We can have interests—even desires to enjoy and succeed—without attachment.    Poet Jane Hirshfield zeroes in on the difference between the terms “detachment” and “nonattachment,” arguing that the latter leaves room for the interest, or passion, that fuels art. As she says, “Detachment implies the extinction of feeling. In non-attachment the river-life of emotion continues, only our relationship to it alters.” The artist creates out of desire or passion, but lets go of the finished product.    In this way, we don’t have to disconnect from our daily lives or abandon our passions. Our task is to refrain from clinging, and this week’s Three Teachings offers different stories to help us understand this crucial distinction.

Clinging By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana  In a teaching from his book Dependent Origination in Plain English, the Sri Lankan Theravada monk known as Bhante G drills down on the difference between interest and clinging, using the Discourse on the Simile of the Quail and also the metaphor of a hang glider to illustrate how overcoming grasping leads to freedom.

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Six Small Meditations on Desire By Jane Hirshfield Encouraging us to embrace the world as it is, including our desires, poet Jane Hirshfield implores us to see the difference between preference and attachment, and adds, “The taste of awakening is not flavorless, the energies of practice are not apathy or depression.”

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A Single Handful By Buddhadasa Bhikkhu  Telling a story about the Buddha in the forest, Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu explains that non-clinging is the heart of Buddhism, and the most important teaching to grasp. Holding a handful of leaves in his palm, the Buddha says that his knowledge is like all the leaves in the forest, but the only information a practitioner needs in order to escape dukkha, or suffering, is akin to the leaves that fit in the palm of his hand: “Nothing whatsoever should be clung to as ‘I’ or ‘mine.'”

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Via Daily Dharma: Be More Resolute

 

Support the Tricycle community with a donation » Be More Resolute What are you still attached to? What are you still infatuated with? Try to be more resolute! We come into this world alone, and we go alone.   Ajaan Funn Acaro, “To Be a Person Is to Be a Mara” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

‘Erasure’ and Other Poems By Chen Yuhong  Enjoy three poems by the Taiwanese writer Chen Yuhong, translated by George O’Connell and Diana Shi.  Read more »

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

 

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RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Bodily Action However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too bodily action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) When you have done an action with the body, reflect upon that same bodily action thus: “Has this action I have done with the body led to the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it has, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it has not, then be content and feel happy about it. (MN 61)

Reflection While contemplative practice emphasizes remaining in the present moment, there is also value in the skillful use of memory. Reflecting upon past actions is one form of this, when you can review whether you have acted appropriately or not in the past. When you admit your mistakes, you can undertake a commitment to act differently in the future. It is a way of openly acknowledging that you have learned from your mistakes. Daily Practice It is healthy to be truthful with yourself about actions you have done in the past that may have caused harm. A sure way to get such deeds out of the shadows and into the light is to share them openly with someone you trust. It is not that the other person will absolve you in some way, but by bringing things into the open you unburden yourself. Try admitting a misdeed to a good friend and see how it makes you feel. It will lighten the load. Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Daily Dharma: New Bodhisattvas

 

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New Bodhisattvas

Today our world calls out for new types of bodhisattvas who look for ways to address suffering, dukkha, as it is institutionalized in our social and political lives.   David Loy, “Why Buddhism Needs the West” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from False Speech

 

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RIGHT SPEECH Refraining from False Speech False speech is unhealthy. Refraining from false speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning false speech, one dwells refraining from false speech, is a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world. One does not in full awareness speak falsehood for one’s own ends or for another’s ends or for some trifling worldly end. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak falsely, but I shall abstain from false speech.” (MN 8) Such speech as you know to be true, correct, and beneficial, and which is welcome and agreeable to others—know the time to use such speech. (MN 58)

Reflection Of course it is important to refrain from false speech, but even right speech is to be wielded carefully. Generally it is appropriate to speak when what you are saying is beneficial—that is, when it is helping people emerge from what is unhealthy and become established on a healthy course. But even in this case there is something to be said for knowing when to speak up and when to remain silent. Daily Practice As you pay attention to your own speech patterns, notice if you ever find yourself praising people or telling them what they want to hear as a way of seeking favor. It is good to say things that please people, especially when it is true and beneficial, but you should still take care not to do so frivolously. The basic message here is just to take care to speak skillfully, even when you have positive things to say. Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Bodily Action One week from today: Refraining from Malicious Speech Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation \\\ Words of Wisdom - April 15, 2026 🌻

 

“You have to march in protest while recognizing your soul and the souls of your enemies. I can get into a protest and radiate peace and love so that the other people around me realize that same thing. That is what our charge is in that. To put it baldly – spread love.”   Source: Ram Dass – Here and Now – Ep. 126 – The Miracle of Maharaji with Larry Brilliant

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