Alan Watt’s Inspiration on Grasping

“So here’s the problem. I come and say to the teacher, ‘Teach me not to grasp.’ He says ‘Why do you want to know?’ And he shows you that the reason you want to stop grasping is that it’s a new form of grasping.”

Grasping is part of the human experience. We reach out for knowledge. We want answers to our questions. We hold on to what feels good. We search for Truth.

Not only is the mind constantly grasping or reaching for something, but our senses are too. We search with our eyes to find what we are looking for. We listen carefully to understand or disagree. We taste to discern what it is we are consuming. We reach out with a hand to make sure we are safe. Our bodies lean forward as we pay attention to what is in front of us.

All of this is “doing” with an intention in mind.

There is nothing you can “do” about grasping, but there is something that can be “undone”.

Beyond the thinking mind lies a place of inner knowing. One that we cannot find when we seek it out. Often, this wisdom comes when we are sleeping. (Have you ever woken up in the morning with new insights or a different way of seeing things?) It is revealed when we are open and ready to awaken to the unconscious part of ourselves.

For some people it will appear when they are in a place of worship and wonder. For others they sense it when they are creating, and touch into that deep inner inspiration. For others, it is revealed when they are in nature, and feel part of the beauty and immensity. For more people, it shows itself through the practice of meditation and yoga.

The undoing of grasping comes with new awareness and practice. We may call it letting go, yet it is really letting be. No action required.

Namaste