"Its just letting go," the wise one said.

"If you want to be at peace, if you want to feel the love of God in your heart, if you
want to savor the present moment, then just let go of all the constraints you have put
upon yourself."

"That's all there is to it."

"Simple, isn't it?"

But oh how difficult it is --->

Letting Go - How Difficult It Is
Years of personal experience,
combined with centuries of cultural learning,
have taught us the importance of holding on.

We hold on to our desires
We hold on to what we think we need.
We hold on to what promises us happiness.

We hold on to our possessions.
We hold on to our image of who we are
We hold on to our ideas of what is right.

We hold on to our theories.
We hold on to our beliefs.
We hold on to our attitudes.
We hold on to our judgements.

We hold on to the past
We hold on to the future.

We hold on to our grievances.
We hold on to our fears.
We hold on to our loves
We hold on to our lovers.

We hold on to money.

We hold on to our thoughts.
We hold on to our illusions.

We hold on to our gods.
We hold on to our bodies.
We hold on to our lives

But why do we hold on?--->

Why do we hold on?
Maybe we believe that our safety lies in holding on,
That losing our grip could spell disaster,
Or we may believe that holding on is the way to salvation.

But do we really know it is safer to hold on?
Would letting go really be so bad?
Do we really gain from holding on?

It is the role of the teacher to show us that such security is illusory.
That holding on only holds us back.
That our salvation lies in letting go.

Our holding on is a constraint we've placed upon ourselves.
It is an attitude, a way of thinking.
And our thinking - unlike the weather or the movements of the planets -
is one thing we have complete control over.

The task of the teacher is to show us that we can change our minds, and
that it is safe to do so.