LogFAQs > #972298880

In Buddhist thought, suffering, dissatisfaction, disharmony are all caused by attachment/desire/clinginess. So if we are feeling suffering, dissatisfaction or disharmony, we must be attached, desiring (either for something or against something) or we are clung to an object, person, thoughts or emotion. We think these things are forever, but they are not. All is temporary.

Buddhism would want a person that is feeling a temporary emotion to first recognize it, not to avoid it. The next step would be to understand that we can feel a certain way, a specific emotion, but that doesn't make us that particular emotion. You could say yes, I feel anxious but I'm not an anxious person. Or yes, I feel angry but it doesn't mean I'm an angry person. This goes back to the idea of not being so attached or clingy to things. They are temporary, and meant to change. No need to hold onto them. But yes, do acknowledge them but also allow them to come and go like a guest visiting in your home. At some point they must leave.