Buddhist Sangha of South Jersey
Easy Practice
There are many, many books written on Buddhism and large numbers of teachers and systems of practice. All this can be quite confusing and difficult to sort out.We can practice in a way that is very simple and direct, yet fully realize ultimate liberation. The way to do this is just to let go.
Ajahn Sumedo is the first American abbot of a Theravada Buddhist monastery. Jack Kornfield quotes the Ajahn in Kornfield's book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.
"For minds obsessed by compulsive thinking and grasping, you simplify your meditation practices to just two words-'let go'-rather than try to develop this practice, and then develop that, achieve this and go into that. The grasping mind wants to read the suttas, to study the Abhidamma, and to learn Pali and Sanskrit, then the Madhyamika and the Prajna Paramita, get ordinations in the Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, write books and become a renowned authority on Buddhism.
Instead of becoming the world's expert on Buddhism and being invited to great international conferences, why not just 'let go', 'let go', 'let go'? For years I did nothing but this in my practice. Every time I tried to understand or figure things our, I'd say let go', 'let go', 'let go' until the desire would fade out. So I'm making it very simple for you, to save you from getting caught in an incredible amount of suffering. There's nothing more sorrowful than having to attend international Buddhist conferences. Some of you might have the desire to become the Buddha of the age, Maitreya, radiating love throughout the world. Instead, just be an earthworm who knows only two words - let go', 'let go', 'let go'. You see, ours is called the Lesser Vehicle, the Hinayana, so we have only these poverty-stricken practices."