What is it that clings?

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being5
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What is it that clings?

Post by being5 »

We have this wonderful, very precise description of reality given by the Buddha (and others who have followed his path and experienced it themselves - some of them here on DW even!).
So, in terms of each discrete momentary arising of the five aggregates and consciousness (is the word citta?) what is it that clings instead of letting it rise and fall -what, exactly, grabs on?

thanks
being5
kidd
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by kidd »

Is clinging being attached to seeing things as they're not, rather than seeing them as they are?

:juggling:
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christopher:::
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by christopher::: »

kidd wrote:Is clinging being attached to seeing things as they're not, rather than seeing them as they are?

:juggling:
indeed.... :juggling:
So, in terms of each discrete momentary arising of the five aggregates and consciousness (is the word citta?) what is it that clings instead of letting it rise and fall -what, exactly, grabs on?
My understanding (so far) is that its the arising aggregates- patterns of thought and emotion specifically- that do the clinging. In a sense the samsaric mind is kinda like a monkey chattering, or a dog chasing his own tail....

Image

Our minds and consciousness (citta) are originally pure, calm, aware... but then emotions and thoughts spin these stories inside of us, which we cling to (or rather, which cling to one another) and believe themselves to be reality...

they/we are not.

:heart: :buddha1: :spy:
Last edited by christopher::: on Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
"As Buddhists, we should aim to develop relationships that are not predominated by grasping and clinging. Our relationships should be characterised by the brahmaviharas of metta (loving kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), karuna (compassion), and upekkha (equanimity)."
~post by Ben, Jul 02, 2009
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retrofuturist
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

Q: What is it that clings?
A: Clinging

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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zavk
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by zavk »

Hi Being5

I'll leave it those who are more well read to point you to specific suttas that address this question. But I suspect a closer look at the twelve links of dependent origination might help and also that sutta (sorry I can't remember the title) where the Buddha talks about 'in seeing there's only seeing; in hearing there's only hearing'.

As far as my limited experience goes, this question 'What is it that clings' in itself provides a kind of answer. There are certainly answers to be found by reading up on clinging or by becoming more familiar with the logic of how the khandas or aggregates work. But I think the question can also be approached in a more experiential manner whereby we simply let the question steep (like a teabag) in our everyday experience.

For me, I find that the more I engage with the dhamma (meditation, ethical conduct, dana, etc) the more I discern this habit of craving-clinging. But even as I investigate craving-clinging, I find that I cannot really put a finger on 'what' or 'who' it is that craves and clings. This does produce a certain sense of perplexity or curiosity. This element of curiosity makes me want to inquire deeper (i.e. continue with meditation, ethical conduct, dana, etc). In the meantime, I find that the grosser forms of craving-clinging in my daily life seem to be diminishing.
With metta,
zavk
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by pink_trike »

zavk wrote:But even as I investigate craving-clinging, I find that I cannot really put a finger on 'what' or 'who' it is that craves and clings.
Free fall! :rofl:
Vision is Mind
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss

- Dawa Gyaltsen

---

Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
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christopher:::
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by christopher::: »

zavk wrote: For me, I find that the more I engage with the dhamma (meditation, ethical conduct, dana, etc) the more I discern this habit of craving-clinging. But even as I investigate craving-clinging, I find that I cannot really put a finger on 'what' or 'who' it is that craves and clings. This does produce a certain sense of perplexity or curiosity. This element of curiosity makes me want to inquire deeper (i.e. continue with meditation, ethical conduct, dana, etc). In the meantime, I find that the grosser forms of craving-clinging in my daily life seem to be diminishing.
Yep, very well stated.

:namaste:
"As Buddhists, we should aim to develop relationships that are not predominated by grasping and clinging. Our relationships should be characterised by the brahmaviharas of metta (loving kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), karuna (compassion), and upekkha (equanimity)."
~post by Ben, Jul 02, 2009
being5
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by being5 »

christopher::: wrote:
zavk wrote: For me, I find that the more I engage with the dhamma (meditation, ethical conduct, dana, etc) the more I discern this habit of craving-clinging. But even as I investigate craving-clinging, I find that I cannot really put a finger on 'what' or 'who' it is that craves and clings. This does produce a certain sense of perplexity or curiosity. This element of curiosity makes me want to inquire deeper (i.e. continue with meditation, ethical conduct, dana, etc). In the meantime, I find that the grosser forms of craving-clinging in my daily life seem to be diminishing.
Yep, very well stated.

:namaste:
Yes, very well put. I also have this experience. Yet at other times it's like standing on the edge of a precipice and then instead of inquiring deeper (going over the edge?) fear comes, followed by retreat. It feels like "I"/"ego"/"sense of self"/"whatever it is that clings"/"me" feels too threatened and it all turns to fear.
perhaps as Christopher said
christopher::: wrote: but then emotions and thoughts spin these stories inside of us, which we cling to (or rather, which cling to one another)
zavk wrote: But I think the question can also be approached in a more experiential manner whereby we simply let the question steep (like a teabag) in our everyday experience.
Ah, I like this idea and turn of phrase very much.

being5
EOD
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by EOD »

being5 wrote:What is it that clings?
It's attention. It seems to me that (the focus) of attention likes to rest on or to stay with certain objects. An attractive/pleasant object for example easily catches our attention, like a magnet. And then our attention is stuck on that object. We don't want to separate. We cling.

Best wishes,

EOD
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christopher:::
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by christopher::: »

Some metaphors just occured to mind... sky diving, bunji jumping, snowboarding, scuba diving... bicycle riding or diving into a pool as a child... with all the above, if you practice and do it enough fear naturally drops away. Worst thing in the world would be to think too much, stand at the open door of an airplane, a high diving board or the top of a cliff looking down. You just have to surrender, let go, and jump, over and over and over again...

After awhile normal "reality" is seen for the constriction it is, fear has vanished, and taking that "leap of faith" feels like freedom....

jumping into the unknown now becomes something you actually look forward to....

:heart:
"As Buddhists, we should aim to develop relationships that are not predominated by grasping and clinging. Our relationships should be characterised by the brahmaviharas of metta (loving kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), karuna (compassion), and upekkha (equanimity)."
~post by Ben, Jul 02, 2009
chownah
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by chownah »

What is it that clings?

Two points of view on this:

1. A Theravadin point of view: "Clinging there is but no thing that clings."

2. A Saran Wrap point of view: "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that cling."

chownah
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by DNS »

being5 wrote: So, in terms of each discrete momentary arising of the five aggregates and consciousness (is the word citta?) what is it that clings instead of letting it rise and fall -what, exactly, grabs on?
The five aggregates acting in unison give the illusion of a self -- a perceived self if you will.

Each of the aggregates when examined individually is empty, no essence, no permanence whatsoever.

In the Milindapanha, the arahant Nagasensa describes it well with the talk on the chariot and the parts of the chariot.

Nagasena asks if the pole of the chariot is the chariot. Answer, no. Nagasena asks if the axel is the chariot or if the wheels are the chariot. Answer, no. Nagasena asks if the reins are the chariot. To this and further questions about the parts, the answer is no. Nagasena explains that the chariot is not something other than these parts. Yet the parts are not the chariot. Nagasena states that chariot is just a word, it exists, but only in relation to the parts. The concept "chariot" does not have an intrinsic, inherent value or place as something permanent. It is the same with the self. We certainly exist, just as a chariot exists, but it is more in terms of conventional language as opposed to absolute language.

Nagasena developed this excellent teaching from the wise words of Venerable Vajjira, a bhikkhuni who lived during the time of the Buddha. She once remarked:

"Just as, with an assemblage of parts, the word chariot is used, so when the aggregates exist, there is the convention of being."
Samyutta Nikaya 5.554
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Ngawang Drolma.
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by Ngawang Drolma. »

Is it too glib if I say it's ignorance that clings?

:anjali:
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Re: What is it that clings?

Post by Individual »

being5 wrote:We have this wonderful, very precise description of reality given by the Buddha (and others who have followed his path and experienced it themselves - some of them here on DW even!).
So, in terms of each discrete momentary arising of the five aggregates and consciousness (is the word citta?) what is it that clings instead of letting it rise and fall -what, exactly, grabs on?

thanks
being5
The standard answer is that it's a malformed question; the question itself is flawed.

It's sort of like you might be talking to a monotheist about evolution or the origin of the world. You say, "There is no God (because there is no evidence)" and they might reply, "So, what is it that created the world and created life?"

Implicit in the question, "What is it that clings\feels\lives\etc" is the presumption that there is something more than what is already present. To be clear, consciousness is a particularly complex phenomenon and in the 21st century, humans will make breakthroughs in this regard... But even then, the persistent skepticism will remain and be phrased in a different way. Having knowledge of the specific inner workings of consciousness, how it begins, how it ends or might be "reborn" after death, when all of this is known, even then, people might ask, "But WHAT IS IT that experiences this process?" But if you look directly at your experiences, there is nothing more: There is physical stuff, six sensory faculties, and contact between the two, and nothing more. Like God or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the ego is without any particular substance upon which to even begin a rational inquiry into what it might be. Like "racial background" it is something that doesn't exist in reality, but has the appearance of existing merely because there is a popular ignorance, a common agreement that it exists, and this influences how we think, act, and perceive things.

Does that answer your question? :)
The best things in life aren't things.

The Diamond Sutra
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