Learning How to Let Things Go: A Guest Post by Shunmyo Masuno

Few know how to live a life with minimal attachments like Buddhist monks. Now you can tap into their expertise to free up your own life, whether you’re bogged down by mental hang-ups, physical clutter or something else entirely. Read on for Shunmyo Masuno’s exclusive essay on where writing How to Let Things Go began for him.

One day, while I was chatting with my editor, he complained to me about social media, saying, “All it does is make me angry or depressed. I know you’ll say, ‘Why don’t you just stop using it?’, but I just can’t… It’s really stressful.”

This is what I told him: “What you need is to learn how to let things go.”

“To let things go?”

“Yes. Don’t use social media more than you have to. Don’t react to every comment from people you don’t know. Don’t waste energy on things you can’t control.”

“How do I do that?”

“For example, don’t look at your phone after 9 p.m. Stick to that. It’ll be difficult at first, but after a week you’ll get used to it and start to feel more relaxed. And if you also try doing some zazen (seated Zen meditation) at night, you’ll feel even more at ease.”

“I see. I’d like to hear more advice like that, Reverend. Let’s make the subject of the next book ‘how to let things go’!”

That is how this book began.

In our modern age, we are constantly being bombarded with information. It’s not just at work, either. Most of us probably check the news, social media, and email while we’re exercising, commuting, or even eating.

Things are more convenient than ever before. But does this bring us joy and happiness? Don’t we always feel irritated, on edge, and stressed out? If you can relate, I recommend that you read this book so you can learn how to let things go.

From practical methods for fostering a relaxed state of mind, such as meditation and zazen, to teachings such as “honrai muichimotsu” (in the beginning there was nothing; we are born naked and empty-handed. Therefore, there is nothing to be attached to), Zen offers many tips for learning how to let things go.

There are five key principles: (1) don’t get involved unnecessarily, (2) don’t worry about everything, (3) don’t react unnecessarily, (4) don’t waste your energy, and (5) don’t make everything black and white.

Now, let’s forget about the things we can’t control and focus on the things we can. If we do that, then we increase our chances of living each day happy, relaxed, and healthy.