Letting It Go At Once

 

Yutang Lin

 

 

Right at the juncture of matters arising
Tell others to let it go
Without seeing opportunities for changes
Nor having preferable solutions on hand
How could one just let it go

If one needs to wait till there is no problem
       And only then can one let it go
Human existence is hardly without problems
Then throughout this life one couldn't help but
       To live day by day with a burdened mind

Instead of living the whole life with incessant worries
Wouldn't it be better to let the burdened mind go at once
It is impossible to have all things go one's way
And yet it is feasible to try to handle matters one by one as they arise

Each one has individual wishes that could not be fulfilled
Do as much as one could and that is all one could do
Having understood to let it go amounts to gaining more peace of mind
Couldn't let it go is only to add burdens of mind in wasting energies

Waiting till one has earned sufficient money
       And will begin Dharma practices only then
What could one really achieve in Dharma then
Only till one has much wealth will one engage in almsgiving
Such people simply remain penniless in making donations
Whatever one could do now should be done right away
Only then can one hope to improve the quality of this existence

 

Written in Chinese and translated on October 8, 2011
El Cerrito, California