Letting Go

Thich Nhat Hanh – No Mud, no Lotus.

Letting go is Thich Nhat Hanh’s first principle for transforming suffering. Letting go of attachments. He tells a story of a wealthy person who lived in a mansion and was afraid behind his walls that he would be robbed or murdered for his wealth. When he left to become a monk with few possessions, he felt safe for the first time in his life.

We are asked:

What are we afraid of losing?

Write a list.

How can we let go of our belief that they are completely necessary?

Work through the list and know that some may take a day to surrender and some a year.

Remember that in Buddhism, letting go, brings happiness.

Reference: Thich Nhat Hanh. (2014). No Mud, No Lotus. Parallax Press: Berkeley, California. p. 57.