Introduction

We human beings are deeply attached to people, money, and success, and this attachment creates much suffering in life. Osho and Jiddu Krishnamurti, two of the most profound spiritual teachers of the 20th century, spent their lives helping us understand why attachment arises and how it steals our freedom and intelligence. This article explores their insights in simple, clear language, so that we can reflect on our own lives and perhaps see the possibility of living without the burden of attachment.

What is Attachment?

Attachment means clinging to someone or something in the hope that it will give us security, love, or meaning. We become dependent on people, possessions, and achievements because we feel incomplete inside. The mind whispers:

• “If I have this person, I will not feel lonely.”
• “If I have money, I will not feel insecure.”
• “If I achieve success, I will not feel small.”

This inner emptiness becomes the ground on which attachment grows. Both Osho and Krishnamurti point out that we attach because we are afraid to face ourselves as we are—empty, lonely, insecure. Instead of meeting this reality directly, we escape into clinging.

Attachment to People

When it comes to people, our attachment is often mistaken for love. We say, “I love this person, I cannot live without them,” but on close examination, much of this is not love but dependence.

Krishnamurti asked: “Can love exist where there is attachment?”

He explained that love means freedom, while attachment means fear of losing. If I claim to love someone but constantly fear they might leave me, try to control them, or suffer when they don’t behave as I want, then it is not love—it is clinging.

Osho’s Perspective on Love & Attachment

Osho said that when two lonely people come together, they only create a deeper loneliness, because both are using each other as a crutch. True love comes when you are whole within yourself. Then you do not depend on the other; you share. But as long as we are incomplete, attachment will remain, and with attachment comes jealousy, fear, and pain.

Attachment to Money

Money is another powerful object of attachment. Why? Because money gives us a sense of security and power. The mind believes:

• “If I have enough money, I am safe.”
• “If I am rich, I will be respected.”
• “If I have wealth, I can avoid suffering.”

Krishnamurti once said: “The more you have, the more you are afraid to lose.”

No matter how much we have, fear remains. Osho reminded us that money can buy comfort, but not peace. You can buy a bed but not sleep, medicine but not health, a house but not love. Money becomes a projection of our hope to end insecurity, and because of this illusion, we sacrifice joy and freedom in endless pursuit of wealth.

Attachment to Success

From childhood, society teaches us that we must “be somebody.” Success, fame, and power are presented as measures of our worth. We compare ourselves with others, compete, and climb higher, believing that only then will we be fulfilled. But the satisfaction of success is short-lived. Soon fear of failure returns.

Krishnamurti said: “The desire for success is born from comparison, and comparison is violence.”

Osho also described success as an ego trip. The ego always wants recognition, applause, respect. Even when it gets them, it remains hungry, asking for more. In this endless race, we become slaves to ambition, forgetting to live in the present.

The Common Root of Attachment

If we observe carefully, attachment to people, money, and success all have the same root—fear and emptiness inside. We are afraid to be nothing, so we cling to something. Krishnamurti pointed out that freedom begins by simply seeing this fact without escape.

Awareness According to Osho

Osho said that awareness is the key. If you bring awareness to your attachments, you will see how they make you dependent and miserable. In that very seeing, the grip of attachment begins to loosen naturally. You don’t need to renounce money, people, or success. You only need to see clearly the falseness of attachment.

Living Without Clinging

To live without attachment does not mean living without relationships, comfort, or work. It means living without clinging. You can love deeply, but without possessiveness. You can use money wisely, but without greed. You can work passionately, but without the obsession of proving yourself.

Osho said: “Live in the world, but don’t let the world live in you.”

Krishnamurti said: “To live without attachment is to live with great compassion, with great intelligence.”

Key Takeaways

• Attachment grows from inner emptiness and fear.
• Attachment to people is often dependence, not love.
• Money provides comfort but cannot remove insecurity.
• Success is an endless race driven by ego and comparison.
• Awareness and observation dissolve attachment naturally.
• Freedom comes not by renouncing life but by living without clinging.

Conclusion

Both Osho and Jiddu Krishnamurti point to a simple but profound truth: attachment is bondage, awareness is freedom. When we are no longer enslaved by people, money, or success, we begin to relate to life with freshness, love, and clarity. True joy is not in clinging but in living fully, moment to moment, without fear of losing. To see this truth for ourselves is the beginning of real transformation.