On the Attachment to Views

A Facebook friend recently responded to a post where I said, “Buddhism is not anti-intellectual because investigation is one of the factors of enlightenment.” She replied, “Intellectualism often leads to attachment to opinions and ideas — something the Buddha cautioned against as a cause of suffering.”

There is an element of truth in what she said. The Muni Sutta (Snp 1.12) offers insight into this. It says:

One does not form a perception of oneself in connection with what is seen, heard, or sensed, and does not form views in connection with precepts and practices. He is not led into bias by his preferences and opinions, and so is free from mental rigidity. Such a person is not offensive to others.

This passage highlights the Buddha’s emphasis on letting go of attachment to perceptions and opinions, a core teaching on non-attachment. In Buddhist thought, perceptions (our interpretations of sensory data) and views (our beliefs and opinions) are seen as mental constructs shaped by ignorance, desires, and conditioning. When we cling to our views, we can become defensive, dogmatic, and resistant to alternative perspectives.

This is not only a Buddhist insight but is also supported by modern cognitive science, which shows that our beliefs and emotions heavily influence how we interpret reality — a process known as “top-down…