Practical Wisdom with Dr. Rick Hanson
Oct 28, 2026 · 31 min · 10 segments
What keeps us holding on to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that cause us suffering? In this week’s talk, I explore four ways of letting go — in the body, of craving, in the mind, and of the…
Rick HansonHost
Last week, I talked about the great process really of gradual cultivation, sudden awakening, gradual cultivation, sudden awakening, kind of as an upward spiral.
Central to both of these, both to gradual cultivation and to sudden awakening, including that awakening to the good news that's always been there beneath the surface, right in front of our eyes, in effect, the good news about our own deep nature.
As Ajahn Chah, who I quoted early on in the meditation as saying that meditation is a process of being aware while letting go, aware and letting go, he said that if you let go a little, you'll have a little peace.
Then Ajahn Chah continued to say, if you let go a lot, you'll have a lot of peace.
Meanwhile, out there in the world, we can certainly take action, we can take strong action, including action that might look like gathering things together or holding on.
I think of my own experience rock climbing where In a literal sense, you don't want to let go, let's say.
But internal to ourselves, even as we are deliberate and focused, even fiery on behalf of others or ourselves, internally, there can be an ongoing releasing of things that cause suffering and harm.
To make this more experiential and concrete and specific for you, I suggest that you pick something that's been bothering you.
Or maybe something currently, some way you felt wronged or you've been struggling with a desire for something that's not so good for you or others, or just something that you're contracted about or it's been bothering you.
It'll be a more general example, not a specific one, about what to do when someone else truly has mistreated you, has been dismissive or hurtful, disrespectful, not treated oneself with respect, say.
And to make a key point, When we let go, it's not because there's something bad about our reactions that we're trying to get rid of.
Last week, I talked about the great process really of gradual cultivation, sudden awakening, gradual cultivation, sudden awakening, kind of as an upward spiral.
Central to both of these, both to gradual cultivation and to sudden awakening, including that awakening to the good news that's always been there beneath the surface, right in front of our eyes, in effect, the good news about our own deep nature.
As Ajahn Chah, who I quoted early on in the meditation as saying that meditation is a process of being aware while letting go, aware and letting go, he said that if you let go a little, you'll have a little peace.
Then Ajahn Chah continued to say, if you let go a lot, you'll have a lot of peace.
Meanwhile, out there in the world, we can certainly take action, we can take strong action, including action that might look like gathering things together or holding on.
I think of my own experience rock climbing where In a literal sense, you don't want to let go, let's say.
But internal to ourselves, even as we are deliberate and focused, even fiery on behalf of others or ourselves, internally, there can be an ongoing releasing of things that cause suffering and harm.
To make this more experiential and concrete and specific for you, I suggest that you pick something that's been bothering you.
Or maybe something currently, some way you felt wronged or you've been struggling with a desire for something that's not so good for you or others, or just something that you're contracted about or it's been bothering you.
It'll be a more general example, not a specific one, about what to do when someone else truly has mistreated you, has been dismissive or hurtful, disrespectful, not treated oneself with respect, say.
And to make a key point, When we let go, it's not because there's something bad about our reactions that we're trying to get rid of.
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