Should Buddhists avoid close relationships?

Lay Buddhist ethics assume family and friendship. The tradition asks that love be generous rather than possessive, not that it be avoided.

Attachment

What is attachment in Buddhism — and is love attachment?

Attachment in Buddhism is the grip, not the bond. You can love someone completely and still not demand that they never change.

The teaching targets craving — the thirst that turns care into control.

“From craving arises sorrow; from craving arises fear. For one freed from craving there is no sorrow, and no fear.”

ParaphraseParaphrase of Dhammapada 216

Parents know this territory best. Loving a child means preparing, daily, to be left — and doing it anyway, warmly.

The test of whether affection has turned into attachment is simple: can the other person disappoint you and still be loved?

On loving someone who is leaving anyway.

Should Buddhists avoid close relationships?: Lay Buddhist ethics assume family and friendship. The tradition asks that love be generous rather than possessive, not that it be avoided.

Themes