Clinging is the worst form of attachment. A restless form of attachment which does not allow you to settle down. If you haven't settled down, it will be hard to apply awareness. Your mind is full of the object which you are clinging on to.

Often we get so caught up in this 'Clinging' that we barely even notice we are caught by it, we never sit back and get any perspective on this ongoing craving or deep uncontrollable desire that we have.  

Understanding Clinging

We need to get a good understanding on how all types of desires work, not just one particular desire. Understanding the creation of the 'clinging' will help us understand how to overcome it. So this is what I want to spend some time about here and show how the process of desires and sensual pleasures repeats in our lives – eating issues, addiction problems, cheating on our spouses etc. These are all 'clinging' in one form or another, even down to the subtle stuff like desire for a morning cup of tea or a wanting for a hug from your little one.

What do we cling on to 

According to Buddhist teaching there are five types of phenomena (aggregates) which serves as objects which we cling on to. They are :

Step #1 : Identifying the form

Once we identify the different objects we cling on to, we can start being aware of the attachment associated to these objects.

That sounded easy but as you know this is not easily done. An example can help you understand the workings of this. I am currently fond of 'honey roasted peanuts'. I eat them almost regularly because I have this plastic see through bottle sitting on the kitchen counter and its clearly in sight. The object of my attachment is the visible form 'honey roasted peanuts'. But there is another form associated with it and that is the form of taste.

Step #2 : Identifying the Sensation , Perception or Formation

Once you have identified the forms, you can start identifying the sensation associated with the form. So in my example it could be sensation of craving. A formation of temporary hunger. A perception that eating the snack can take your mind off something boring you are doing.

Step #3: Watching the Desire

A desire arises almost as soon as the sensation arises. People usually confuse the two. The sensation in the step above is the trigger to the desire.

This is where awareness plays a vital role. We have gone through a process of identifying the form, finding the associated sensations and identifying the desire triggered by the sensations.

Just watching the desire as an observer will reduce the impact the desire has on you. The proper response is to let go of the desire little-by-little. By not pushing the desire away, by not fighting it or resisting it, you become automatically detached but your need to take action does not automatically happen. This last line is very important and I sincerely advice you to read that again.

We need to be constantly aware and vigilant so that as any desires arises we can observe it and see it for what it is, not act on it, and just let it pass.  As you do this the desire’s propensity to be repeated reduces until eventually it ceases to arise any more.  This is that path to the cessation of suffering and the real path to simply being happy.