These days, many people have heard the saying, “Let it go.” But what does this mean, exactly, when applied to daily life? A recent survey of modern dictionary listings for the phrase offers a wide range of definitions, including such sometimes contradictory instructions as: abandon inhibition; be more relaxed; stop pursuing particular desires; accept things as they are; let go of painful memories or thoughts; allow life to carry you to a new place; stop holding on to someone or something; forget the past or the future. The phrase conjures images of a child letting a helium balloon fly untethered into the atmosphere or of a hand opening to let what it has been holding drop uncontrollably to the ground. In short, though, is it wise to interpret this saying to mean we should stop taking personal responsibility for our lives and let something else guide our actions?
On this topic of letting go, Sadhguru was asked the following question: “After a long time I have just learned to let go and let things happen. But you recently told me that I had to work towards it. I am very confused, Sadhguru!”
Sadhguru replied, “Now that you are confused, that’s good. That’s the intention, to keep you always confused. If you are confused, it means you are still looking. It means you still don’t know. Please understand, there are only two ways for your mind to be right now. There’s no such thing as “let go” in your mind. Either it is confused or it has made some conclusion. I always prefer to have you confused rather than being in some stupid conclusion about what it is.”
“I know this has been talked about too much and written about everywhere – “You must let go.” You don’t even know what you should let go of. “Let go” is another idea and opinion of yours about life. As long as you are alive, you are not really able to let go. At the most, if you are fortunate, you may place your life in someone else’s hands with trust. That’s the biggest thing you can do. Letting go is just a phrase that never happens. It’s just that your mind has acquired a new formula.”
“This has become a mantra for all kinds of people – drug addicts, sex maniacs, fatalists and for those who are afraid of taking their life into their hands and creating what they should. “Oh, we have let go.” You have left your lives in the hands of the planets and stars. This kind of “let go” will let you down.”
“Once, a hypnotist bombastically said he would take everyone in the hall together into a “let go” state of hypnosis all at once. “I want you each to keep your eyes on this antique watch. It’s a very special watch. It has been in my family for six generations,” he said. He began to swing the watch gently back and forth, while quietly chanting, “Watch the watch, watch the watch, watch the watch…” The crowd became mesmerized as the watch swayed back and forth, back and forth, light gleaming off its polished surface. Hundreds of pairs of eyes followed the swaying watch. Suddenly, it slipped from the hypnotist’s fingers and fell to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces. “Shit,” said the hypnotist. It took three weeks to clean up the theatre!”
“This is what will happen with such a philosophy. It’s not a ‘let go,’ it is just a convenience that you have chosen. So don’t bother about this. Don’t be ready to just jump into a new bandwagon and say, ‘This is my new belief – yoga belief!’ Yoga is not about believing, it is about having the courage to see that ‘I don’t know anything.’ Once you see, ‘I do not know anything,’ the longing to know will become like a fire. Once this fire arises, knowing is not far away because what you need to know is not sitting on top of the mountain, it is within. The only reason you don’t know is because you never focused yourself in that direction – you are settling for other entertainment. If you really long to know, there is no one who can stop you from knowing. No power on the earth can stop you because what is within you cannot be denied to you by anyone.”
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