The Buddha's step-mother and most senior bhikkhuni, Venerable Mahāpajāpati, came to him for a teaching in brief that she could use for ardent practice. We can use this advice to guide our practice today and our relationship with the world.
We know there is a need for letting go when we experience suffering, but how do we do it? When we find that we can't let go just because we want to, we need to know how to put in the causes and conditions so the practice ripens in letting go.
Our experience may not match what we've read in the suttas or heard teachers describe. The encouragement here is to use the teachings as guideposts and learn for ourselves what works and what doesn't.
Turn away from the measuring mind to track how experience is, and the arising and passing of stress. In this way, we engage with the ‘noble pleasure’ that leads to samadhi.
