Part 13 - Clinging: Freezing Craving into Identity
“What one clings to, one identifies with.”
— SN 22.83
What is clinging?
Clinging (upādāna) is craving with commitment.
Where craving says:
“I want this.”
Clinging says:
“I am this.”
It is not just desire —
it is identity formation.
Four expressions of clinging
The Buddha detailed four kinds:
1️⃣ Sensuality Clinging (kāma-upādāna)
Pleasure as life’s meaning
→ “Without this, I am incomplete.”
2️⃣ View Clinging (diṭṭhi-upādāna)
Opinions mistaken as truth
→ “This belief defines me.”
3️⃣ Ritual & Identity Clinging (sīlabbata-upādāna)
Rules as security
→ “If I follow this perfectly, I am safe.”
4️⃣ Self-Doctrine Clinging (attavādupādāna)
Belief in a controlling “I”
→ “There is a real me behind this.”
Each one is a different disguise
of the same delusion:
“I must defend who I am.”
The psychology of clinging
Craving was about getting.
Clinging is about being.
It feels like:
- certainty
- pride
- righteousness
- fear of loss
- defensiveness
- hurt when challenged
Clinging says:
“This must not change.”
in a world that only changes.
Thus stress is guaranteed.
Why clinging is so dangerous
Because clinging:
- blocks change
- strengthens identity
- multiplies suffering
The self becomes:
- the one who desires
- the one who defends
- the one who suffers
Clinging locks the chain in place.
How to see clinging directly
Notice what feels:
- non-negotiable
- offensive when questioned
- necessary for survival
- “too personal” to examine
Where the mind says:
“Don’t touch this.”
That is clinging.
There, the self is located.
Culmination Link for Part 13
Craving seeks experience.
Clinging becomes the experiencer.
This identity then:
- must be protected
- must continue
- must suffer
Thus:
Clinging is the moment
where suffering becomes inevitable
as long as the chain continues.
Let go of what is clung to →
there is no one left to suffer.
Dependent Origination is undone
right where identity hardens.