Hello, you are listening to the Secular Buddhism Podcast and this is episode number 27.

I am your host Noah Rochetta and today I'm talking about understanding non-attachment.

Welcome back to the Secular Buddhism Podcast.

This is a weekly podcast that focuses on Buddhist concepts, topics and teachings presented for a secular minded audience.

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So let's jump into this week's topic.

Understanding non-attachment.

This is a topic I wanted to discuss because it's come up a few times in recent workshops that I've done, where the understanding of non-attachment is...

I think a little bit misconstrued.

Typically, there's the response or asking for clarification on whether or not it's okay to be attached, specifically, usually referring to loved ones like spouse or children or parents.

And so I want to clarify this topic a little bit more because non-attachment is a very important part of understanding Buddhist philosophical thought.

But I want to be clear about what exactly non-attachment is, or perhaps more specifically what it's not.

Because I think when we think of the word attached, and if I were to think I'm attached to my kids or to my wife,

we don't necessarily view that in a negative connotation.

And I don't think we should.

The type of non-attachment that's being talked about in Buddhist thought has less to do with what you own or what you hold onto versus how that holds onto you.

So, for instance, I heard a recent quote that said, non-attachment doesn't mean we don't own things.

It means we don't allow things to own us.

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