Wednesday Wisdom: Knowing When to Let Go


Daily Buddhist [Wednesday Wisdom]

By Brendan Barca & Pema Sherpa

Age-old Buddhist wisdom for modern living. Weekly insight loved by over 18,000 practitioners. 🙏

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Knowing When to Let Go

The Buddha once told his students about a man who came to a wide, dangerous river.

There was no bridge, no boat, and no easy way across.

The man gathered branches, vines, and other materials and built a raft.

He pushed it into the water, climbed aboard, and used it to make his way safely to the other side.

The Buddha then asked his students:

What should the man do with the raft now that he has crossed the river? Should he carry it with him wherever he goes, simply because it helped him?

The answer is no.

The raft had served its purpose. The man should leave it behind and continue his journey. It doesn't matter how useful the raft was. Bringing it along would only make his journey ahead harder.

This teaching is a reminder that even something that helps us can become something we cling to.

A belief, a practice, an idea about ourselves, or even a spiritual teaching can become another thing we feel we need to hold onto.

Our aim shouldn't be to collect the things that help us and carry them forever.

It’s to use what helps us cross, recognize when it has served its purpose, and have the wisdom to let it go and keep moving on.

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Brendan & Pema

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