March 8, 2023
Fellow Waker Uppers
Letting go. What does that phrase mean to you? It seems to cover a lot of ground, but one thing I have ascertained: it’s far easier said than done. Simple but not easy, if you will. It can also mean, or be defined, in so many different ways. Here are some examples of that: Letting go of the idea you will one day be rich. Letting go of the preconceived notion of how something should turn out (a meeting, a weekend away, etc). Letting go of grievances. Letting go of anger. Letting go of a certain old hangup that is impeding your peaceful progress.
It’s certainly difficult to stop thinking about something, especially when those thoughts can seem so involuntary. Could we rephrase the parameters? “I’m involved in much bigger things in the present, so I can no longer be trifled with that old thought anymore.” Could work? “I’m happy and I exist in happiness, so I won’t come back down into XYZ thought anymore.” The paradox is seemingly that the more we push a thought away, the more persistently it shows up. How the heck are we supposed to send it down the river when the damn thing doesn’t float? I guess we’re going to have to acknowledge the obstacle, for starters. There it is – that thought exists. Only in my mind, but nonetheless. Then I suppose we’ll need to unwrap why we think a certain way about it and how it makes us feel. Thoughts dictate feelings, so those two angles are inexorably tied together?
One interesting thing about thoughts is how temporary they all are. They emerge from nothing, exist, and then float away into non-existence again rather quickly. Not unlike waves in the ocean…For the most part, the current thought will be gone soon. So, if a thought makes us feel a certain way and yet it’s completely temporary, that seems to allow for a lot of room to maneuver. What you’re thinking about right now will be washed out to sea shortly. Is there any reason to tie much importance to the current thought? Let’s take it a step further. Maybe some situation or event is stirring up a thousand thoughts in your head like dry leaves in a storm. We’ve all been there. Maybe you acted poorly. Or someone was nasty to you. Perhaps someone broke your heart. It’s all relative, but let’s term this the ‘heavier stuff’. The mind tends to dwell on these scenarios. What if we could use the mind to defeat the mind? “I acted poorly in that situation and it made me feel embarrassed. However, I’m taking the curriculum. The next time a similar scenario reveals itself, I will…” Or “Gosh, that person was really mean to me. If that ever happens again I’m going to…” Acknowledging a situation and then setting up your mind for the next round helps to paddle past it. When it has been unwrapped and is less of a ‘now’ problem, it tends to rent less space in our head.
Letting go also means letting go of attachment to outcomes. We all have images and hopes as to what a particular outcome will be. When that is incongruent with what actually occurs, it can cause strife within the mind. This tends to be a springboard for anger, anxiety, and a whole host of unhealthy emotions. To that end, I’ve actually started cultivating the letting go upfront at times. As in, I don’t really want to attend a certain obligation, but I’m going to reframe it into something else. How can I utilize it to help me awaken? What if I were to pass away in my sleep tonight – would I treat this last commitment differently? Is said event really that bad? Is it permanent? Those little recalibrations are the mind actively defeating the mind. Turns out the mind is actually the cause of, and solution to, its own hangups! I guess the question eventually becomes: when do we let go of letting go? Is that required to fit through the door to awakening as well? Didn’t we make up the problem and the solution?
Peace and love to all beings,
Jesse