Thich Nhat Hanh - On Letting Go
“To
“let go” means to let go of something. That something may be an object
of our mind, something we've created, like an idea, feeling, desire, or
belief. Getting stuck on that idea could bring a lot of unhappiness and
anxiety. We'd like to let it go, but how? It’s not enough just to want
to let it go; we have to recognize it first as being something real. We
have to look deeply into its nature and where it has come from, because
ideas are born from feelings, emotions, and past experiences, from
things we've seen and heard. With the energy of mindfulness and
concentration we can look deeply and discover the roots of the idea,
feeling, emotion, or desire. Mindfulness and concentration bring about
insight, and insight can help us release the object in our mind.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Relax
“Letting
go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.
If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or
possessions - we cannot be free.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
“We
have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of
the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of
constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got
this from our parents. Carried away by our worries, we're unable to live
fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can't really
be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off
before we can really enjoy life. We speculate, dream, strategize, and
plan for these ‘conditions of happiness’ we want to have in the future;
and we continually chase after that future, even while we sleep. We may
have fears about the future because we don't know how it's going to turn
out, and these worries and anxieties keep us from enjoying being here
now.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives
“If
you know how to be happy with the wonders of life that are already
there for you to enjoy, you don't need to stress your mind and your body
by striving harder and harder, and you don't need to stress this planet
by purchasing more and more stuff. The Earth belongs to our children.
We have already borrowed too much from it, from them; and the way things
have been going, we're not sure we'll be able to give it back to them
in decent shape. And who are our children, actually? They are us,
because they are our own continuation. So we've been shortchanging our
own selves. Much of our modern way of life is permeated by mindless
overborrowing. The more we borrow, the more we lose. That's why it's
critical that we wake up and see we don't need to do that anymore.
What's already available in the here and now is plenty for us to be
nourished, to be happy. Only that kind of insight will get us, each one
of us, to stop engaging in the compulsive, self-sabotaging behaviors of
our species. We need a collective awakening. One Buddha is not enough.
All of us have to become Buddhas in order for our planet to have a
chance. Fortunately, we have the power to wake up, to touch
enlightenment from moment to moment, in our very own ordinary and, yes,
busy lives. So let's start right now. Peace is your every breath.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives
“Buddhism
teaches that joy and happiness arise from letting go. Please sit down
and take an inventory of your life. There are things you’ve been hanging
on to that really are not useful and deprive you of your freedom. Find
the courage to let them go.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives
“I have arrived, I am home in the here, in the now. I am solid, I am free. In the ultimate I dwell.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives
These and other books by Thich Nhat Hanh are available for sale at Parallax Press at parallax.org and plumvillage.shop
