Monday Mindfulness -releasing the cows

[Jim T]

Told by Master Thich Nhat Hanh

"One day the Buddha was sitting in the wood with thirty or forty
monks. They had an excellent lunch and they were enjoying the company
of each other. There was a farmer passing by and the farmer was very
unhappy. He asked the Buddha and the monks whether they had seen his
cows passing by. The Buddha said they had not seen any cows passing
by.
The farmer said, "Monks, I'm so unhappy. I have twelve cows and I
don't know why they all ran away. I have also a few acres of a sesame
seed plantation and the insects have eaten up everything. I suffer so
much I think I am going to kill myself.

The Buddha said, "My friend, we have not seen any cows passing by
here. You might like to look for them in the other direction."

So the farmer thanked him and ran away, and the Buddha turned to his
monks and said, "My dear friends, you are the happiest people in the
world. You don't have any cows to lose. If you have too many cows to
take care of, you will be very busy.

"That is why, in order to be happy, you have to learn the art of cow
releasing (laughter). You release the cows one by one. In the
beginning you thought that those cows were essential to your
happiness, and you tried to get more and more cows. But now you
realize that cows are not really conditions for your happiness; they
constitute an obstacle for your happiness. That is why you are
determined to release your cows."

Take a piece of paper, and make a list, Write down as "cows," all of
the things you think you need for well-being and happiness. You don't
need them. Let them go.

It is important to identify your cows by their "true names" so you can
release them...
take a minute to practice by writing down your cows.. and pick which
ones you can let go in the present moment..

uncover..discover... discard...