A Buddhist Story About Letting Go

Good morning.

As we get ready to start another day filled with engagements and work from home,

I invite you to take the first few minutes of your morning to create a sense of calm and peace within.

My name is Somya and I will be guiding you through your practice today.

Presently,

The entire world is going through a shift.

We are looking at uncertain times and a future that we are not quite sure of yet.

Your mindfulness practice can act as a very powerful tool at this time to help you feel grounded and settled and to acknowledge any feelings of anxiety or stress that you may be experiencing.

On that note,

Let us experience this today morning.

And once you have found your seat,

Allow your feet to rest gently on the ground.

Lift all your toes away from the ground and then place them down one by one,

Starting from the pinky toe.

Noticing how does it feel to become aware of the skin on your feet as you place your big toes down.

Feel your connection with the earth beneath you,

Allowing your feet to rest.

Now move your awareness to the place where your body is coming in contact with your chair.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Drop your weight onto the surface underneath you,

Feeling supported.

Allow your hands to rest on your thighs,

Palms facing up or down or cupping in your lap,

Elbows close to the body.

Back is straight,

Shoulders are relaxed,

A gentle smile on your face.

Move your awareness to your fingertips and your palms.

Notice any sensation in your fingers,

Tingling or vibration or itchiness or nothing at all.

Just notice.

Now move your awareness to the top of your head and see if you can become aware of any sensations there.

Just become aware of what is happening without any judgement.

Setting your awareness down to your belly now.

Take a deep breath in,

Taking the breath all the way down to your belly,

Open your mouth,

Sigh it out.

Once again breathe in and let it go.

One last time,

Long breath in,

Full breath out.

Keep your awareness on the rising and falling of your belly for a couple of breaths,

Allowing your breathing to come back to its natural rhythm.

No pressure.

Keep your eyes closed and keep your focus on your breathing.

As I read out a short story to you.

This story has been taken from a Dharma talk that was given by Thich Nhat Hanh at the Plum Village.

The story goes like this,

One morning the Buddha was sitting with his monks in the woods.

They had just finished their mindful lunch and were about to start a question and answer session.

A peasant passed by and asked the Buddha,

Dear monk,

Have you seen my cows passing by here?

The Buddha said,

What cows?

My cows,

Six of them.

I don't know why but this morning they all ran away.

I had also cultivated three acres of sesame seeds but this year the insects ate them all.

I think I'm going to kill myself.

I have lost everything.

The Buddha said,

Dear friend,

We have not seen your cows passing by here.

You better look for them in the other direction.

After the farmer had gone,

The Buddha looked at his monks,

Smiled and said,

My dear friends,

Do you know that you're lucky you do not have any cows to lose?

Sometimes we possess a number of things and we think that these possessions are very crucial to our happiness,

Our safety.

But if you look deeply,

You'll see that maybe what you possess are obstacles for your happiness.

If you know how to let them go,

How to release your cows,

Happiness becomes possible.

So on this serene morning,

I invite you to quietly ask this question to yourself.

What do you need to let go of in order to experience joy?

What are you holding on to that may be keeping you from true joy?

With this,

I would now like to invite you back to the present,

Back to the room that you're in,

Ready to start this brand new day.

With so much going on in the world right now,

It is even more important for you to take care of yourself and of everyone who's around you.

So remember to keep yourself hydrated,

Wash your hands often and take regular breaks from the screen as you study or work from home.

Have a beautiful and productive day ahead.

Bye bye.