This week’s topic for reflection is letting go. Letting go of course is the opposite of clinging. While clinging requires effort, letting go doesn’t necessarily. What is necessary in order to let go? Does letting go mean forgetting or not caring? When is it not advisable to let go and when is it even not possible to let go? For example when living with a loss it might take months or years to go through the grieving process. Hearing or saying let it go is not helpful or advisable.
For me letting go brings up thoughts about responsibility, freedom, spontaneity and openness. Letting go might entail letting something in. Holding something as in letting it be. Letting go of the opposition, the judgement.
For those of us in our later years, letting go of what was becomes a way of life that we don’t have a choice about. Our bodies are wearing out and breaking down along with mental abilities. While spending more time, effort and focus taking care of our many needs it can feel like a loosing battle. It is all about loosing and letting go. It can also be a growth phase spiritually. Letting go done authentically is simultaneously opening up and expanding. It’s not about getting smaller but including more and sharing more. There is no need to accumulate more and more. You can’t take it with you so give it all away, forever. There’s no time to waste.
Zazen meditation is based on being present, open and awake. Is it possible to hold this present moment? What kind of discipline or effort is required to stay present in this ever flowing moment? Think of a time when you were effortlessly present and involved. Was spontaneity, aliveness and freedom also present? Isn’t it wonderful to be trusting enough to just be yourself? When you meditate you don’t need to report to anyone about how or who you are. Let go of everything else and just be present, open and awake. You don’t have to know anything or be anything special. Let go of all the should’s. Let it in, let it out, let it be. You can fix things or make things better later.
Letting go seems hard
We’re all in this together
May we all be free
Do you have a haiku or poem to share with us?
Commentaires