The Causes of Our Suffering.
#WednesdayWisdom
“Letting go” must be the easiest sounding instruction in Buddhism yet one of the most difficult to actualise. It is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Indeed, Ajahn Chah tells the story of one of his monks who, when half the roof blew off his kuti (a hut, his dwelling place) he decided to simply ‘let go’ and not be bothered about it simply moving his things from one side to the other when it rained or the sun shone in! Needless to say, Ajahn Chah explained to him that this is not what is meant by ‘letting go’ and that he was still acting out of ignorance and delusion. If it is this hard for seasoned practitioners how are we beginners on the path supposed to be able to get it right?
If we can get to the point where we truly understand that it is our wanting things to be other than they are which is the cause of our suffering then we can feel that we are making progress. Quite simply, things we like we want more of and things we don’t like we want to get rid of.
- Why not have a look at this today in your own life. Whatever comes up notice your reaction. Even some of the simplest things can cause us to feel like or dislike, this is the first thing we notice and then our emotions kick in and we start to make a story around it based on past experiences, memories etc.
- These continuous proliferations are what make us suffer and it takes a lot of practice to be able to recognise the things which cause our personal suffering and to learn how to overcome them
- Desire and aversion, wanting and not wanting, liking and disliking. If we can learn how to control our reactions to these and ‘let go’ of our attachment to them we really can begin to eliminate the causes of our suffering
May this teaching lead you to happiness; may it help you grow in truth. May you be freed from the suffering of birth and death.
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