April 16, 2026:
Letting Go; Throwing Away Notions & Wrong Perceptions
The Path of Emancipation, Parallax, 2000
Chapter 13 - Throwing Away Our Wrong Perceptions - Pages 197 - 210

Chapter 15 - Happiness Is Not and individual Matter - Pages 227 - 234

Verse 16:

Experiencing (observing) letting go, I breathe in.

(Or: I let go of all notions concerning dharmas.)

Experiencing (observing) letting go, I breathe out.

(Or: I let go of all notions concerning dharmas.)

Our practice sessions are open to anyone who would like to participate; there is no requirement to have attended prior sessions. 

Practice Exercises for April

1. 1. 1. We can cultivate the practice of letting go right in the midst of our meditation practice. Spend a few moments in the sitting position, settling into your breath and body. Feel your solid contact with the Earth through your sitting bones, thighs, feet - all the places where your body is in contact with the surface you are sitting on. Feel your weight settling into the base of your body and into the Earth beneath you. Then bring your awareness to your breathing, and:

a. Take a deep breath in and hold it for a brief moment, then as you completely release the 

    breath imagine all of your weight and energy flowing even further down into the Earth. 

    Breathe naturally for a few breaths, then,

b. Notice any areas of stress or tension in your body. Take another deep breath in, holding it 

    for a brief moment. As you slowly release your breath, imagine all of the tension in your 

    body flowing down into the Earth, slowly letting go of your tension. Breathe naturally for a 

    few breaths, then,

c. Take another deep breath in, holding it for a brief moment. Then slowly exhale, releasing all

    of your thoughts, allowing them to flow down into the Earth, letting go of all thinking.

Practice any or all of the above at the beginning of your meditation sessions, or as you feel moved, and see if it helps you let go and be more present.

1. 1. 2. Thay discusses the "emptiness of giving," or Dana Paramita, in our readings this month, teaching us that giving or helping should be done in the spirit of equanimity. Think about a time when you have helped someone physically or materially, and reflect on your thoughts and feelings about that act of generosity. Were you able to help or give in the spirit of interbeing, not thinking of the act as "me" helping "them?" Thay invites us to touch nondiscrimination between the giver, the gift and the receiver, so we can experience oneness with the receiver of our gift and the receiver can experience oneness with us and the gift as well. Journal or reflect on what sort of dynamic is alive when giving/helping in your personal relationships.

1. 1. 3. Continue to integrate the Three Earth Touchings (referred to in our text as the Three Prostrations) into your practice. Thay tells us the first Earth Touching helps us surrender, or let go of, our so-called separate self and embrace the stream of life across time. With the Second Earth Touching, we connect with every living being and phenomenon across space in the present moment, again letting go of our idea of a separate self and touching the nature of interbeing. In the Third prostration, we touch our no-self, interbeing nature as well as our nature of no birth and no death, letting go of the notions of existence and nonexistence, birth and death. You can practice with this video of the Earth Touchings led by Sister Chan Duc:  Touching the Earth with Sister Chan Duc. Or you may like to read the Earth Touchings regularly, following the most recent text of this practice on the Plum Village Website:  The Three Earth Touchings | Plum Village  

Enjoy your practice, dear friends! 🙏

Optional Recommended Resources

• Reading

Chapter 14: Optional Reading: Questions & Answers Session 3

• • Video and Song below