In Buddhism,
There is a precept or a teaching known as non-attachment.
This teaching is about how holding on to things is often what creates suffering in life or in our mind.
I'd like to share this quote with you.
It comes from an interview that was done with a Buddhist teacher,
Thich Nhat Hanh,
Te for short.
He said this,
When I use the word cow,
Its first meaning is something that you think is essential for your happiness.
It is something you have never questioned.
A position in society,
A business,
A diploma,
An ideology.
But when you get it,
It seems you do not have the happiness you wanted and you continue to suffer.
Even if you actually have your cows.
We are invited to practice looking deeply into the nature of our cows to see whether they are really necessary for our well-being and happiness.
If we find out that it is only a cow that creates more anxiety and fear,
Then we will be able to let it go.
That is why I have asked all of us to practice looking deeply and to call our cows by their true names.
Maybe you have a job,
But you think it is not enough,
So you get a second job.
You work overtime thinking you need to create more opportunities to increase your wealth or fame.
You get sucked into that way of thinking for a long time,
But one day you find out that you are not really happy and you really want happiness.
You do not want to waste your energy and worries.
You are determined to let go of your cows.
Each of us can look at ourselves,
Identify our cows,
And then release them.
I appreciate what Thich Nhat Hanh has said in this quote from this interview,
And so I'd like us to explore this idea or lesson that he's offering to us.
I'm going to offer some questions of reflection based upon this quote.
I will leave moments of silence with some gentle music between each question.
That way you have the opportunity to either reflect on the question now or later,
Or I invite you as well if you'd like to journal while we do this practice together.
Whatever feels best for you.
If you would like to journal with each of the questions that I offer you during this time,
Go ahead and pause the track here,
Grab a journal,
And then start when you're ready.
Now,
As we move into these questions,
Based on what creates happiness for us,
Before we begin the questions of reflection,
Let's just take this moment to close our eyes,
Take a deep breath in,
Coming into connection with your body,
With where you are now,
Your present moment,
And allowing your breath to fill your whole body from your head to your toes,
Which is coming into this present moment.
And now,
Here's our first question of reflection.
Is there now,
Or was there in the past,
Something in life that you thought would bring you happiness by going after it?
Name your cow or cows now.
It can be goal-related,
Career-oriented,
A belief system,
Relationship.
So take this time now to name one or two of your own cows that you thought would bring you happiness or that you are currently pursuing.
Allow yourself to take this moment of silence to either reflect or journal on this question.
And now I'll have you take a deep breath in,
And exhale.
And now our second question of reflection.
Does the pursuit of this,
What you named in question one,
Make you happy or did it make you happy?
Why or why not?
And allow yourself to reflect or journal on this question now.
So take this time now in this moment of silence.
And now our third question of reflection.
Is there anything that you would do differently than you did in the past or that you are doing currently?
What might those things be?
Take this next moment of silence to see what arises from your heart that wishes to be shared with you.
And take a deep breath in,
And exhale.
And our fourth and final question of reflection.
Imagine now tending the cows of your life,
Keeping the ones that are sacred and the ones that bring you happiness,
And allowing those that are heavy or painful or burdensome to go.
In your imagination see which cows stay and see which cows go.
Allow yourself to see,
Feel or hear what comes forward and reflect or journal on this last question.
And take a deep breath in,
And exhale.
The strength that you need lies inside of you.
You are that living embodiment of your practice,
Of your life.
I'd like to honor the energies that have come forward by singing a Buddhist mantra.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
The jewel of the lotus of my heart grows from the mud of my life.
Allow this mantra to bless all that you have reflected on during this practice.
And take a deep breath in,
And exhale.
And take a deep breath in,
And exhale.
I'd like to close with this poem as a way of honoring the energies of our time together.
This poem is called,
Once More Turn Me to Gold by Dorothy Walters.
Every cell,
Each bone and covering,
Let me shine like a golden coin spinning in the summer sun.
A yellow leaf that falls to earth in early autumn,
Late spring.
Let me be a beacon for all yearning to pass this way,
To become pure like the alchemist's dream,
The Kabbalist's desire.
Let me be dipped in liquid gold,
Now luminous,
Radiant as the sun,
Complete at last.
Thank you so much for joining me for this practice today.
May your day be blessed and be full of light.
And may all the cows that bring you happiness and joy come home to you.
Have a beautiful day.
Namaste.
