Understanding the heart Let go - The Rike

The more we let go, the more relief and peace we feel, which is completely different from the accumulated habit, the more anxious and tired we are.

One day, while the Buddha was sitting quietly in the forest with the ordained monks, suddenly a farmer from afar rushed up and asked, "Monks, do you see my herd of twelve cows passing by here?" The Buddha was silent for a few seconds and then slowly replied, "We have been sitting here since noon, but we have not seen any cows passing by. Let's try to find the other side." The disappointed farmer turned away and stomped his feet and cried, "Oh my God! Just lost a few sesame poles, now that you have lost a whole herd of cows, you must have dissipated all production. How can I live!" Waiting for the farmer to disappear, the Buddha looked at his students and said quietly, "We don't have any cows to lose, do we?"

The Buddha wanted to remind students who live in a very conducive condition for spiritual development – an environment that is not disturbed by achievements, losses, praise – to try to cherish it. Not succeeding spiritually in such conditions is a great mistake. Because they are always supported by the earl from food, medicine, clothing, even love. It's not that they can't afford to support themselves. Just because they want to devote all their time and energy to focusing on developing meditation, to gain broad understanding and love. Besides, staying away from the material world to stifle enjoyment, and not creating material things but shrugging yourself off from others when begging for food is a very important practice. The idea of "me" and "mine" is always enlightened, replaced by the enlightenment of the interconnectedness of all things in this world in the selfless being, from which all beings can be loved.

Although letting go of material things is only part of the baggage of a spiritual teacher, it is also a very courageous act. Looking back, we always seem to cling to material things, even ordinary items, let alone high-end amenities. Especially in this era, people have to rely on machines a lot. What does it feel like to spend a few days without using our phones, watching TV or going online? Or we're used to sitting in an air-conditioned car and avoiding dust, but for some reason we have to use the bus, do we find it uncomfortable? Or are we living in very comfortable living conditions, suddenly losing our jobs, so all expenses must be convenient, do we feel safe? Of course, we will get used to living in deprivation if circumstances dictate. However, in order to give up good emotions to accept bad emotions, we must have the right attitude, a strong will, and a long enough time to adapt.

When we have adapted to a less enjoyable lifestyle, we suddenly find our space very large. We have plenty of time and inspiration to look deeply into every object or problem that is happening. We feel that the energy within us is no longer as scattered as it used to be. Although we are reluctant to live in such conditions, when we experience it for a while, we also realize that life has very mysterious things that we can only come into contact with when we dare to stay away from the gravitational aura of matter. True, matter itself is not sinful, but its gravitational power has the ability to awaken our existing greed and drain our life force. So many ancient tragedies happen also from the power of matter. Therefore, the sages always put themselves in a lifestyle of "trivial inadequacy" – that is, a lifestyle that does not fully satisfy the three most basic human living needs: eating, dressing and sleeping. The less we grasp and rely on external conditions, the more we nurture and promote our inner values. It's a very natural principle. And if we keep fiddling with the mediocre, we will definitely lose the extraordinary.

Although we do not want to become sages, we should also study this intellectual way to improve the quality of our spiritual life. Maybe our boat can't move forward because it's too heavy and full. To rescue it, we had to have the courage to put a few large boxes into the sea, even though they were precious. Letting go becomes a rewarding practice only when it stands between the struggle of our favorite habits and the attitude of not clinging, not because we don't need it anymore to let go. The strange thing is that the more we let go, the more relief and peace we feel. It is completely different from the habit that the more you accumulate, the more tired and anxious you are. Moreover, there are many people around who are in need, so letting go of our possessions is an opportunity for us to show kindness.

We are more likely to recognize the attractiveness of material comfort, but less likely to detect the "addictive" power of mental comfort. Sometimes we drive dozens of miles to a friend's house, just to get them to acknowledge or praise our work. If we are flatly disparaged by our partner, without sparing judgment, then we are dissatisfied and discouraged immediately. Sometimes we find all sorts of ways, including fake tricks or tricks, to get people's attention and respect. But when we are suddenly slandered by bad guys in the press, or expose personal life stories, we can easily break down or try to retaliate. We think all of these reactions are natural because it's a necessary human instinct to defend ourselves. However, when we forget that we are striving for the true value of happiness, we cannot hold on to our old instincts. These comforts are satisfying, but they awaken the disturbing mass within us.

Recognition, praise, respect or love all bring very attractive emotions, who doesn't like it. But if we like it, we don't like things that create bad feelings like denial, disparagement, contempt, or hate. While the nature of life is constantly changing, no thing or thing stays in a constant state. The things we love to achieve make us addicted, and if we don't, they make us miserable. So, trying to grasp the things we like and trying to resist the things we don't like, that's not a wise attitude. I'm going to be exhausted.

For example, when we want to open our hearts to help someone, but we are immediately repulsed by their careless or impermissive behavior. If we let go of that petty demand, narrowing down the conditions of self-satisfaction to only one heart towards help, then giving will happen. Both the giver and receiver benefit. Especially, once we let go of craving, we move up to a higher level of consciousness. Just like when the other person insults or hurts us, they owe us a bad feeling. According to the law of emotional balance, the person must accept that we return a bad emotion with some proportionate action. But we accept to let go, to accept loss, which means we have accepted to "give" that person an emotional debt. In fact, sooner or later, the universe will withdraw his energy and convert it into another energy to compensate for us. So, although we genuinely let go, the receptive part is sometimes even more.

We deserve respect, but we do not feel proud and despise others, because we are aware that everyone has good things. Worthy of praise, but we are always aware that this achievement is thanks to the help of many hands, so we are always humble. We deserve to be loved, but we are always aware that this is luck, so we try to limit our demands and possessions. To know how to limit oneself to all enjoyment, even if that enjoyment is worthy of one's contributions, is the attitude of the mind. In addition, the practice of letting go helps us release the evil energies that are destroying our minds, protecting the seeds of holiness. Thereby, we will keep our mental mechanism always operating in the direction of the universe, removing the boundaries that divide or oppose between individuals. As a result, our existence in the midst of this life will surely be stable for a long time.

Letting go of material comfort is already difficult, letting go of mental comfort will be even more difficult. However, if it is difficult for us to let go, we will receive back the space of freedom in our souls. To be able to do these things, we must practice letting go of the bigotry or petty calculations that always occur in life. Practice watching our mind naturally without judging or imposing it as soon as we want. Even though we know we haven't really let go, but understanding the reason and constantly observing the process will one day get through it.

To let go of our mental comforts is to release our beloved "cows." Since these are "cows" with no clear form, it is easy to mistakenly think that we are completely "proletarian". So we need to ask sincere confidants or groups to help us know which "cows" we are stuck in. If there are twelve cows, we will have twelve worries; if there are five cows, we have five worries; If there is only one cow, we have only one worry. Of course, we only accept this exclusion when we are faced with a choice between the habit of enjoyment and letting go in order to be disengaged. When we have decided to practice letting go of our ego's favorite emotions, we have officially embarked on the path of leisure of the saints, knowing that the road is far away.

Bothered to grasp
only the Hundred Years from now and not
to return to make the white
clouds Gently float around.