From Buddhism: Fetter

The search for Truth, for realization, emancipation and enlightenment assume to most people the form of a positive quest. They even personify the object of their search, which become a pursuit of God or the Absolute. Though great spiritual men have declared that ‘the kingdom of God is within thee’, the search becomes a pursuit of an objectified imagination. But a ‘running after’ is also a running-away, an escape. In this pursuit, however, and not before, man feels that he is fettered, and his longing to be free, in order to become united with the object of his spiritual desire, become stronger. Feeling his impotency to break those chains with which he is fettered – whence he knows not – he tries to obtain help from outside. But in relying upon outside help he goes further and further away from the ‘kingdom’ within, and he merely makes new bonds which tie him down even stronger than before.

It is only the man who searches within that feels the weight of his fetters. There are millions who perceive no bond whatever and feel themselves free in the gratification of their sense-desire. Still, their very search for ever greater satisfactions of the sense proves the emptiness of their lives, which are bound by the gross chains of the flesh.

True freedom, real emancipation, cannot be had by running away with the fetters, with which we are shackled nor by amusing ourselves within the prison walls, nor by clinging to them, but by breaking those fetters and prison walls, which have been forged by tradition, convention, society and religion. To break these fetters we must know them, realize that they are fetters and not supports. When this is understood, it produces pure action (kriya), i.e. not action (kamma) which produces reaction (vipaka), as such action itself is a reaction to an environment which we have not understood. And this pure action without purposeful striving will break the spell of delusion, the fetters which keep us bound.

Delusion is intensified by the abuse of language. Sarcastically it has been said, that words are used to hide our thoughts. If we mean one thing, but we say something else, it can only lead to greater confusion. In the following pages words like ‘mind’ and ‘cause’ have not been use, except in connection with the views of others, because there is nothing corresponding to these sounds. “Mind” is the act of thinking, which may be more or less perfect in awareness, but remains action nevertheless. Mind in the sense of something which can think, is non-existent. Similarly “cause” in the ultimate sense does not exist outside the faith of the pious believer in God. Hence preference is given to expression like “condition”. It would have been good, if words like “I” and “Self” could have been omitted, for they too represent a non-existing entity; but their avoidance would cripple the language so much that speaking and writing would become impossible.

According to Buddhism there are ten fetters that bind beings to the samsaric existence. The texts enumerate them as follows: sakkaya ditthi, vicikiccha, silabbata paramasa, kamaraga, vyapada, ruparaga, aruparaga, mana, uddhacca, avijja. The first five of these are called the ‘lower fetters’ as they bind beings to the sensuous world. The latter five, ‘higher fetters’ because they bind beings to fine material and immaterial worlds. These fetters are gradually got rid of with the attainment of four spiritual stages.