12 May Happiness is…letting go!
Letting Go of Attachment, from A to Zen
_ã–Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities._ã ~Dalai Lama
Editor_ã_s note: This is a guest post from Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha.
If there_ã_s one thing we all have in common it_ã_s that we want to feel happy; and on the other side of that coin, we want to avoid hurting. Yet we consistently put ourselves in situations that set us up for pain.
We pin our happiness to people, circumstances, and things and hold onto them for dear life. We stress about the possibility of losing them when something seems amiss. Then we melt into grief when something changes_ã”a lay off, a break up, a transfer.
We attach to feelings as if they define us, and ironically, not just positive ones. If you_ã_ve wallowed in regret or disappointment for years, it can seem safe and even comforting to suffer.
In trying to hold on to what_ã_s familiar, we limit our ability to experience joy in the present. A moment can_ã_t possibly radiate fully when you_ã_re suffocating it in fear.
When you stop trying to grasp, own, and control the world around you, you give it the freedom to fulfill you without the power to destroy you. That_ã_s why letting go is so important: letting go is letting happiness in.
It_ã_s no simple undertaking to let go of attachment_ã”not a one-time decision, like pulling off a band-aid. Instead, it_ã_s a day-to-day, moment-to-moment commitment that involves changing the way you experience and interact with everything you instinctively want to grasp.
The best approach is to start simple, at the beginning, and work your way to Zen.
Read more about happiness and attachment – just click here