Letting Go

~ By Ajahn Jayasāro ~

The heart of our practice lies in letting go. Through our training in silā, we let go of unwise actions and speech. Through our training in samādhi, we let go of the hindrances. Through our training in paññā, we let go of the attachments that conceal the true nature of things, and that bind us to the wheel of birth-and-death.

One frustrated student complained to Ajahn Cha that it was so difficult to let go. He replied that the defilements are like red hot coals. If we were to hold a red hot lump of coal in our hands, we wouldn’t have to struggle to let it go. We would do so instinctively, and without hesitation. The reason we can’t let go of the defilements is because we cannot, as yet, see clearly enough how they burn us.

Ajahn Cha would tell his students to be patient, and to persevere in the three-fold training. Above all, he would say, keep observing and investigating the drawbacks of the defilements and the rewards of letting them go.

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"Food for the Heart", a series of Dhamma teachings handwritten weekly is posted on the Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives page with Ajahn's kind permission.

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For other teachings by Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website.