One day a young man came to see the Buddha and asked him to explain his teachings but in simple terms.
The Buddha: Do you have a son?

Young Man: Yes, I do.

The Buddha: Does your brother have a son?

Young Man: Yes, he does.

The Buddha: Do your neighbors have a son?

Young Man: Yes, they do.

The Buddha: Do the persons not known to you personally have sons?

Young Man: Yes, they do lord.

The Buddha: Well, then tell me if your son dies, how sad will you be?

Young Man: Venerable sir, I would feel incredibly sad, I would not be able to bear that news. I would feel, that my entire world had collapsed, I cannot imagine whether I could make it through.

The Buddha: If your brother’s son dies, how sad will you feel?

Young Man: Sir, I would feel devastated, but not to the extent if my own son dies.

The Buddha: If your neighbor’s son dies, how sad will you feel?

Young Man: Lord, I would feel some sadness, but not to the extent if my brother’s son dies.

The Buddha: If the son of a person not known to you personally dies, how sad will you feel?

Young Man: I would not feel any sadness.

The Buddha: Then the extent of the sadness is relative, to your what.

After thinking for a moment the young man replied

Young Man: Sir, the level of sadness is relative to the extent, to which I hold the sadness, is ‘me’ or ‘mine’?

The Buddha: Very well, when you took your son to the beach, did he not play with sandcastles?

Young Man: Yes, he did

The Buddha: when the ocean waves broke the sandcastles, did your son cry?

Young Man: Yes, he did.

The Buddha: did you cry too?

Young Man: I did not.

The Buddha: Why did you not cry?

Young Man: Sir, the child cries because he thinks the castle is pretty and permanent.

The Buddha: Hence, he is attached to it. I knew the sandcastle is not permanent. So I did not cry when the waves broke it down.

The Buddha: Now you understand right. If you do not see the truth as it is, you will keep on going through this endless samsara. There is no difference between kids who cry when their sandcastles are swept by the waves and you, you see in life; in your life.

The Buddha taught about non-attachment, nothing in this world is permanent If you attach yourself to something or someone. You also have to live with the consequences once the things or people you like and love leave you. we suffer because we attach ourselves to external things, which, in essence, are beyond our control.