Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Each of us has many wants and wishes along with many problems associated with them. We chase after our wants and our wishes and fight against the whole army of their associated problems constantly, every day, all our life. You can see that living such a life is very tiring and unproductive, because we spend all our energy and time to struggle constantly, fighting against many things forever besieging us, without rest and without a chance to win them all.

There must be a strategy to handle life more wisely and effectively.

The host of things we are dealing with every day are the visible part of a tree – trunk, branches and leaves – though looking sick, they all are not the real problems but only the visible symptoms of a big main problem in the root of the tree. The root, where all problems arise, needs to be fixed so that the sick tree can be cured.

For us, the root of our body is the mind – our mind.

The Dhammapada (Kinh Pháp Cú) opens with these simple words: “The mind precedes everything. The mind is chief. The mind creates.” (Ý dẫn đầu các pháp, Ý làm chủ, Ý tạo – bản dịch Thích Minh Châu)

The mind is chief. The mind creates everything. It means our mind is the root of everything in our life – our mind is the root that produces the tree trunk and the foliage of our life. All the problems of the tree come from the root, and the solution for the tree also comes from the root.

To solve all the problems of the tree, we need to go to the root to fix them. To solve all the problems of our life, we need to go to the mind to find the root solution.

There are mountains of Buddhist books talking about training our mind, but all those different methods of training have only one goal: “A totally free mind (an absolutely liberated mind) – not attached to anything at all.”

A free mind (or a liberated mind) is like the sky, with all kinds of clouds come and go. The sky always lets clouds come and go at will; sky doesn’t try to keep clouds with it. Our mind can see everything  comes in and goes away, but should never attach itself to anything. The mind should let things come and go freely.

That is non-attachment (vô chấp). When we achieve total non-attachment, nothing can bother us – no tie, no bound, no restraint, total liberation – and that state is called Nirvana (Niết Bàn).

Non-attachment means you can have anything come into your life. You can own it, such as money, but you are not attached to it – when money comes, you let it come and use it; when money goes, you watch it go like watching clouds going – no stress. When you use money, use it generously to help the poor and the needy, and don’t be stingy – stinginess is a sign of attachment. But you can manage money reasonably and economically – wasting money is also a sin, because Heaven gives you money to manage well to take care of you and help others, not to waste.

That is non-attachment.

And non-attchment means non-attachment to anything. You can have and use everything, but are not attached to anything.

If you are not attached to anything, you will not be stressed from chasing after or fighting for anything. What comes, comes, what goes, goes. Your mind is always empty and quiet as the sky with passing clouds.

That is the root solution to clear off all life problems: Don’t attach yourself to anything – whatever comes, let it come; whatever goes, let it go.

You can have everything, just don’t attach to anything. That is the root solution for all your life problems.

Wish all of us know the absolute freedom.

With compassion,

Hoành

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