I'm sort of confused about the idea of detachment in Buddhism?

What does it mean to be detached in a Buddhist sense?

To me, it means you don't care about anything, but if that were true of Buddhism, it would be pointless to care about reaching enlightenment or helping others to end their suffering.

Does it just mean that you don't love any one thing or person more than anything else?

I don't know if I could get used to that idea. The only thing I really care about are my pets, and I don't know if I could just not love them anymore...

So, could anyone help me out with this?

That's a common mistake and many westerners conclude Buddhism is about complete self-denial, which would be the extreme asceticism Gautama ultimately rejected.

There is a subtle distinction:
Buddhism is not about eliminating desire.
It is about eliminating ATTACHMENT to desire.

In other words, a lack of compassion towards the self is still a lack of compassion.
It's all about balance.

The ultimate goal of Buddhism is how to attain the Extinction of Suffering. The Buddha taught us to detach from desire and passion because they cause suffering.

You love your pets, pod, hobbies, hopes and dreams for the future because they make you feel happy. But are you certain that the happiness depending on other people, animals and things are permanent?

This happiness is like something that lies ahead, waiting for a winner to grab it. It is like almost winning it, but letting it slip out of one?s hand and lie ahead again. It tempts and urges the mind to struggle all the time in the hope that one will finally possess everlasting happiness.

As a matter of fact, happiness that we search for is only an illusion (mirage) that is unrealizable. We often think if only we could get it, if only we could have it, if only we could avoid it, we would be happy. We ignorantly hold the belief that knowledge, wealth, a family, relatives and friends, reputation, power, joy, health and so on bring about happiness. We strive painstakingly for happiness without realizing what happiness really is.

Buddhism does not teach us to search for happiness that is an illusion like that, but teaches us to study Suffering (Dukkha), which is a fact of life. It is only Buddhism that answers questions about suffering directly. It also tells us the Cause of Suffering and the practices towards the Extinction of Suffering. If we study Suffering until we can attain the Extinction of Suffering, then, we will immediately penetrate happiness that is overwhelming, perfect and present right before our very eyes (Nirvana, Nibbana).

This edit is to respond to Sttb's answer. For your information, I read books and also practice Vipassana. I always like to read your answers because of your extraordinary knowledge in Buddhism. But the drawback of having too much knowledge is Mana (conceit) which is one of the higher fetters that one needs to let go before the enlightenment.

Your answer is out of your character this time and I disagree in several points, such as the ultimate goal of Buddhism, the happiness, Dukkha and its duty (I copy the below passage from the 4Th link), and detachment(first, one has to detach from external objects, then ones body and lastly, ones mind.)

The duty of The Four Noble Truth is very important for using it efficiently. If we don?t know its duty we may practice it in the wrong way and we may not earn the benefit of using The Four Noble Truth and don?t solve the problem. The followings are the duty.

1. In Dukkha we have to specify suffering. It means that we have to know and understand condition or manner of suffering or problem.

2. In Smudaya we have to vacate the cause of problem. It means that first we have to find the original cause of problem. After we found the original cause, we have to vacate or eradicate that original cause of suffering or problem.

3. In Nirodha we have to succeed in solving problem. It means achievement in the end of suffering or problem.

4. In Dukkhanirodhakhaminipatipada we have to try to make progress. It means that we must attempt to achieve the target we aimed.

What causes you to be happy or unhappy? We human beings mistakenly thinking to get is the causes of all happiness; so we spend 95% of our life, time and efforts to get what we think will give us happiness, reminding 5% to take care our survival needs, like going to bathroom, drink liquid, eat food and sleep.

To understand what happiness is we must examine what is the Nature of Suffering? Not the other way around! Unlike another answerer, he seems to have read Buddhism books, yet he didn't fully understand the true teaching or theories of Buddhism. He assumes Buddhism is the teaching of understand of Suffering, and therefore he assumes the happiness is illusion.

We must understand the Nature of Suffering but it is not our main concern; rather it is the byproduct of our activities in pursuing the Happiness. It is true, most people confuse illustrious getting their desires fulfilled as happiness, if that is the case, and then this mundane happiness is truly an illusion as this answerer said. But the happiness in Buddhism I am talking about is, the ?Nirvana is Happiness?; the ultimate happiness that is every bit real, therefore the pursuing of Happiness is the ultimate teaching in Buddhism.

Whereas some people dwell in getting their mundane desires fulfilled, and then they are disappointed when they failed and can?t have their cake and eat it too; they get distraught, bend out of shapes, become upset and unhappiness, then this is truly the Sufferings for them. So therefore we must learn to be detaching from the outcomes of the activities of getting our desires fulfilled.

Many things we held dear to our heart in this Samsara world are love, friendship, companionship, money, wealth, cars and house,? etc.; but they are merely illusions of this life. You may have all of above as your procession for a while, or for a long time, or even for the rest of your life; but in the end there is nothing you truly gain or can truly held on to for eternity, as all things are impermanent.

You will die, your wealth can be lost, your lover can fall out of love with you, your body and all thing materials will fall apart. When you die, all things you processed will be left behind, nothing you can take with you. In the final end, what is there for you? And what is truly everlasting?

For most, when getting is happiness and when losing is suffering; as human we get some and we lost some, if we have the attitude of Detachment, if we can get what we want we can be happy and enjoy them; or if we lost them we might be upset for a bit but it won?t cause extreme Suffering.

Therefore Buddhism teachings suggest that we carry our life with attitude of Detachment, then we won?t be extremely upset which causes pain and suffering; and if we do get, we won?t be over joy and develop fear for lost of what we got, if we do then it turns into a type of suffering again.

***

How do we develop detachment, an attitude of Non- attachment? First we need to examine what is the motive of why we need something, or why do we want them dearly; then we analyze do we really need it badly or it was just a momentarily passion? After a logical analysis we may come to conclusion that a particular attachment is unnecessary passion of our needy mind, and we can logically write off and cross off the attachments, over time the attachments to that particular passion will fade like last year?s rose. This process is by logical deduction in Buddhism.

Any other way is more difficult for book Buddhists, and that is where you need training in real practices of meditation and Yoga Tantra, which cannot be done without a teacher. As we practice we come to realization of impermanence, all material and solid things fade into nothingness, so do our wrongful passions and attachments. Comes times you realize the 4 Noble Truth; then realizing the urgency of limited time in our life and what we can do to leave a mark or to obtain a permanence is more important than a trivial passions and attachments

When you feel happiness, do not let that overwhelmed you.
When you feel sad, do not let that overwhelmed you.

If you can keep yourself form being overwhelmed by emotions, you will achieve stability.
That is detachment in Buddhism.

True 'detachment'... means being 'detached' not from other people's problems and sorrows (or indeed from those of the various other beings with which we share this life on earth), but from our own worldly impulses: sense-desires, greed for power and influence and self-assertion, anger and hatred. It is not only not incompatible with 'love': it is in fact the only way in which real love ? loving ones neighbor as oneself ? can find full expression."

I want you to try this: think back to a favorite toy that you had when you were much younger ... one that you are not that interested in anymore. You outgrew it ... it's not that you stopped caring about anything. You grew, and as you grew, your perspectives and interests changed and what used to appeal to you greatly no longer does. This is not a reason for sorrow ... in fact, you probably feel quite good about the fact that you are no longer that small child.

In Buddhism, as you grow in your Practice, your perspectives and interests will change, and you will find that some of the things that now interest you will come to no longer interest you. And - this is the important point - in Buddhism, the detachment from something happens as a result of a change in perspective ... detachment is not something that you try to force or make happen on its own. It is like outgrowing your toys ... you don't try to take the toys from a child and tell them to grow up ... you allow them to set the toys aside when they no longer want them.

This detachment ends up being in regard to things that have to do with "me" and "mine". As far as your pets, you will not love them any less. As a matter of fact, you will love them more, because your care for their well-being will have nothing to do with what you get out of it emotionally.

But ... and this is where it gets really interesting ... you will find that you start to love ALL other beings, all people, all creatures, with the same compassion and loving kindness that you have for your pets. This is not a love that is dependent on what you get out of it, and it is not a love that is bothered if you are not loved back. This becomes an incredibly rich place to be ... no longer pushed around by your fears, annoyances or anger; no longer twisted inside with cravings; but reacting to everything with the same sense of love with which you react to your pets. And approaching every moment of life with a sense of wonder and acceptance and curiosity, regardless of what it is that is actually happening. Not a bad place to be, at all.