Here’s a short story I read today that I’d like to share with everyone.
It was autumn. Red foliage fluttered in the zen garden. Little monk asked Master, “These leaves are so beautiful, but why do they fall?”
Master smiled. “Winter is coming, the tree can’t hold on to so many leaves, so it must choose. The tree doesn’t give up, so it must choose to let go.”
It was winter. Little monk saw elder monks turning over the cisterns one by one. He asked Master, “There’s still good water in many of them, why must we pour the water out?
Master smiled. “Because when the water freezes, it will crack the tanks. To save them for the future, we should unload them now.”
A blizzard came, sweeping piles of thick snow onto the junipers. Master asked the little monk to help him tip the potted saplings over. The little monk was confused. “Aren’t saplings supposed to stand straight? Why lie them down?”
Master replied, “Don’t you see how the snow is weighing them down? By laying them down, we are protecting them. We give them a rest, so they may stand after the snow.”
The winter was harsh and long, and with a recession, the temple’s offering box was running empty. Even the little monk was looking to the Master anxiously.
Master said to the little monk, “Have you been eating or wearing less?” “Go see for yourself, how many clothes are there in the closet? How many piles of firewood are there in the shed? How many bags of potatoes are there in the barn? Stop thinking about what we don’t have, and think about what we do have; the hard times will pass, and spring will come. You need to let go of your worries, by being more mindful of what you have. This will calm your heart.”
Spring finally arrived, and the thawing snow made for even more blossoms than last year. Worshippers returned, and the offering box was full again. It was then that Master set off on a very long journey. Little monk ran up to him at the mountain gate. “Master! When you are gone, what are we to do?”
Master smiled and waved his hand. “You have already learned how to let go, to unload, to rest up and to calm down. Why should I not be rest assured?”
Letting go is not rejection. It’s not indulging and it’s not abandonment. it’s not giving up.
If you’ve learned to pick up, you must also learn to put down.
If you’ve learned to acquire, you must also learn to unload.
If you’ve learned to strive, you must also learn to rest.
If you’ve learned to care, you must also learn to trust.
If you’ve learned to hold on, you must also learn to let go.
