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Letting Go of the Five Desires
Letting go is not a rejection of everything, but rather letting go of wrong perceptions about the five sensual desires—wealth, sex, fame, food—when our insight into the value and the impermanent, non-self nature of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and objects of mind is solid enough. It is our wrong perceptions that drive us to chase after craving; only when we clearly understand the innocent yet impermanent nature of these objects can we enjoy them freely without being caught. The practice of Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment encourages us to use form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and objects of mind as doors to enter the ultimate dimension, called the ultimate reality or nirvana, instead of abandoning them.
In the Hindu tradition—which corresponds to the historical and philosophical context of Buddhism—the spiritual path is divided into four major stages, guiding us from chasing desires to renunciation:
- Stage 1: the five sensual desires (wealth, sex, fame, food)
- Stage 2: personal career, letting go of some desires to achieve success
- Stage 3: service, merging the individual self into a greater self
- Stage 4: renunciation, letting go of everything to seek the eternal
The teachings on Brahman also show two approaches:
- Saguna Brahman, through the three qualities of Sat-Cit-Ananda (being, consciousness, bliss)
- Nirguna Brahman, emphasizing the ultimate reality that cannot be described in words
At Plum Village, the insight of impermanence, non-self, and interbeing is combined with two main paths of practice:
- Jnana Yoga (the path of wisdom, direct contemplation)
- Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion, intimacy in action)
All daily activities—from cooking, cleaning, to walking meditation—are practices of letting go and service, nourishing happiness and at the same time opening the door to the ultimate dimension through insight.