Letting Go of the Dust in Your Heart
Teachings from Namo Amituofo
Day 5 of the Hong Kong Winter Dharma Assembly, 15 October 2019
The Art of True Release
To let go is a profound practice. It can be achieved within the stillness of the heart, or it can be realised through the movements of your daily life. You may ask yourself: what kind of letting go is truly possible? People in this world often claim that it is difficult to let go of their burdens. They cling tightly to their experiences, their possessions, and their emotions. But have you ever stopped to consider what value or meaning lies within the things you find so difficult to release?
The Metaphor of Worldly Dust
Consider the dust of this world. It is much like a single grain of sand. While the sand of this world has a physical form, it is not something that should remain in your eyes, causing you pain and blurring your vision. This dust is scattered everywhere across the world. Have you ever truly paid attention to it? You have seen it many times, yet you have never felt the need to keep it in your heart. Why, then, do you treat the objects of your attachment with such different regard?
The Weight of Small Attachments
The things you, my child, are currently attached to are exactly like this dust and sand. Though each grain is minute in its physical form, in your heart, it appears as something vast and significant. This inability to let go of your attachments is, in reality, no different from holding onto a single grain of sand. The difference between what is large and what is small exists only within your own mind—within your heart of attachment.
Clearing the Path to Liberation
When you allow these grains of sand to settle within your heart, they become obstacles. They block your path to liberation and prevent you from transcending the cycle of birth and death. You must ask yourself: when you look at the matters that occupy your heart, what is their true value? Are they worth the weight of your eternal soul? When you see them for what they truly are—insignificant dust—you will find the strength to release them and return to the purity of your original nature.
Namo Amituofo.
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Faxi.
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
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