Letting go

As the Buddha said: "Life is suffering". One must learn to let go and surrender to a greater power. I have come to realize that all my life, I had been resisting change. As if I were driving with the breaks on! Life is change, life is impermanence. Everything dies...nothing remains. Holding on to impermanent things causes suffering.

As we are taught during Vipassana meditations, we must observe without resisting or grasping. While meditating, we experience physical pain and must learn to observe without judging and note the impermanence of the sensations. As we just observe without resisting, the painful sensations eventually disappear...and we realize that sensations, just like emotions, are impermanent. There is no need to grasp, no need to resist. Everything is in a continuous flow. Also, when we experience a good sensation during meditation, just like the one I have experienced...a feeling of bliss, of pure energy; we must not hold on to it either, because it is impermanent! As soon as I became aware of this pleasant sensation, it vanished and I was brought back to my senses!

The same goes with raw food. We must not become attached to it. We must let it unfold in a natural way. As our body detoxes, we become naturally attracted to those foods, activities, and people that are healthy for us. It is not a struggle anymore, just a way of life. But what happens when we are offered a cooked, so called unhealthy food? Should we remain attached to our habit or just accept it with appreciation? How do we deal with being a raw vegan and making exceptions?

When I was in the monastery, the food we were served was wholesome and strictly vegetarian. But, as we signed up for the retreat, we were asked about our eating habits. At that time I wasn't raw yet. During the course of the retreat, as we were being taught not to attach to impermanent objects, thoughts, sensations, or habits, we were also taught not to be attached to our eating habits. One day, instead of the usual succulent vegetarian meal with fruits, we were only served white bread as a meal. This was to teach us to let go. Although unhealthy, exceptionally eating white bread was not going to kill us. So, even wanting to be healthy is a form of attachment. It should not be the focus of our lives. In the Buddhist tradition; liberation from our worldly attachment is the goal. Freedom from suffering is only attained once we let go and remove the veil of ignorance.

As for eating animals, this is another question. The main reason I am not eating animals is an ethical and spiritual one. "Thou shall not kill" is certainly the most important commandment in all religions and it is one I choose to respect in its entirety.