The Art of Letting Be
Catching the thinking mind in its clever tricks
Aloha Lovelies,
As the date for this e-letter drew near, I wondered, “What will I write about?
I’m sailing through life right now. I feel peace and contentment. I have no dramatic challenges to share or amazing stories of how I’ve overcome them.
I had a difference of opinion in a group recently. But I handled it with relative ease and respect for differing points of view. The outcome may not be what I prefer. But I can accept that even if eventually it leads to leaving the group.
I no longer need to run to my therapist every time someone ruffles my feathers. I feel a confidence and clarity, an ability to stand up for myself in relationships.
I’m not beyond being triggered. I know what exactly would trigger me (or I think I do), and that it could disrupt my peace in a flash.
So, I’ve been wondering, how do I heal those deeper places in times when I mostly feel at peace? How do I heal the contents of my storehouse of karma and emotional propensities when I’m hardly triggered for months at a time?
I brought this “problem” to my women’s circle.
One woman said maybe I miss the drama. Things are effortless and flowing in my life. I’ve had many insights. Maybe I’ll be fine when bigger obstacles occur. Maybe I’ll respond differently from how I have in the past.
She has a point. I’m in a place of peace. Why can’t I just let it be and enjoy it while it lasts? Why do I need to make it into a problem to be solved?
The Buddha’s first Noble Truth, the Truth of Suffering, states: “Suffering exists.” But scholars often say that the word “suffering'“ would be better translated as “dissatisfaction” or “discontent.”
This seems to be the fundamental challenge for us humans. It’s so difficult for us to simply feel content—as evidenced by my need to create a problem to solve when I feel at peace.
This is where attachment and aversion come into play. I like this peace, but I have some aversion toward it as well. A part of me wants to push it away because I should be clearing my storehouse of karma, shouldn’t I?
This is what brings about suffering: The constant grasping at the desired and pushing away of the undesired. Ironically, you would think I would be attached to this peace instead of wanting to disrupt it by dredging up my emotional propensities.
The thinking mind is so clever. It never wants to let you alone for a moment.
And the truth is, I want to clear the storehouse of consciousness because I don’t want to feel pain again when triggered. Aversion, once again.
What if I could let go and allow this peace? And when it changes, what if I could let go and just allow whatever emotions come next to arise and play out?
As Ramana Maharishi has said:
“Let what comes come.
Let what goes go.
Find out what remains.”
That’s how you empty the storehouse of karma.
In a sense, this is the most basic instruction of mindfulness. Just observe your thoughts and emotions. Watch them arise, remain for a while, and dissolve. Don’t interfere.
But it’s also the highest teaching possible when you remove the observer and let what comes come and let what goes go.
I hope these ramblings make sense to you. If not now, maybe one day they will.
I invite your to practice with me this simple art of letting be.
I’m sure in the future, I’ll be back with a drama or two. I’m still amazingly human with tons of karma to play out. But maybe I’ll stop worrying about that.
[Image: Samson Katt]
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Until Next Time
After six weeks of almost continuous rain, we’ve had a few days of blue skies. What a blessing!
Thank you for reading. Until next time, stay safe, be happy, and let your love flow.
Sending you all my love and best wishes.
xo Sandra
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