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Letting Go to See Your True Nature
Searching for your true nature is the practice of getting rid of mental constructions, labels, and wrong perceptions accumulated over time. It is not about bringing something in, but taking things out, similar to the Ajanta Caves where temples are created by removing rocks rather than adding materials. To see the true nature, one must destroy the block of ignorance, sometimes requiring drastic means like the advice of Master Linji to “kill the Buddha” to shatter the mental notion of the Buddha. True study involves throwing away wrong understanding rather than accumulating intellectual luggage, which only makes the self heavier.
The wisdom of non-discrimination removes the three kinds of complexes: the complex of superiority, the complex of inferiority, and the complex of being equal. These are all built on the notion of self. This wisdom is illustrated by the right hand and the left hand; the right hand is never proud and instantly cares for the left hand if hurt, knowing they belong to the same body. The Sangha is an organism, and realizing this wisdom brings immeasurable happiness.
Ly means to abandon or let go, and Định means concentration. Ly sinh hỷ lạc: from the practice of letting go are born joy and happiness. Định sinh hỷ lạc: from the practice of concentration are born joy and happiness. Concentration keeps the awareness of conditions for happiness—like the blue sky or a loved one—alive in the here and the now. The practice of aimlessness, or la pratique de la non-poursuite, reminds us that we do not need to run or search, as the present moment contains all the wonders of life. “This is it.”
