During one of his lectures Buddhist teacher, Piya Tan, talked about what the Buddha meant when he said that “nothing is worth clinging to.”

Tan explained that if we understand nothing is worth clinging to, and move on with happiness, whatever we do next will be even better. He said that this gives us an inner sense of satisfaction and happiness that no one can take away. That we suffer pain when we depend on external things and others for recognition and happiness. This all made good sense to me.

So I started thinking about what it means to not cling to anything. Really. Anything. 

I was reminded of the day over twenty years ago when I did the very first lesson in A Course in Miracles. The instruction for Lesson One is to sit quietly and look around saying, “Nothing I see in this room (on this street, from this window, in this place) means anything.” 

All was going well until my eyes fell on my cat, Sug.  Next on a photo of one of my nephews.  Hm.  Now this was getting challenging.  I felt tension arise at the mere thought that my cat or my nephew had – well – no meaning!  A sense of panic  followed as if in some way I was renouncing them. That they might simply vanish before my eyes if I pursued this exercise.

In those seconds, I wanted to cling to them. To affirm how important they were. To reject the thought that they had ‘no meaning.’

Then I got it.There was nothing mystical or destructive going on. This was just another way of helping me get free of the belief that I need to cling to things. Try in some way to make them last or have more meaning. In this letting go process I became acquainted – however, fleetingly – with a way of being in the moment and able to live like beautiful flowers “Who are not anxious about tomorrrow but live with ease in the timeless now and are provided for abundantly.” 

Quite a reward for letting go.

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