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THOUGHTS : TASSAJARA

MY NEW FAVORITE BUDDHIST PASSAGE

ABANDON HOPE

The word in Tibetan for hope is rewa; the word for fear is dokpa. More commonly, the re-dok is used, which combines the two. Hope and fear is a feeling with two sides. As long as there’s one, there’s always the other. This re-dok is the root of our pain. In the world of hope and fear, we always have to change the channel, change the temperature, change the music, because something is getting uneasy, something is getting restless, something is beginning to hurt, and we keep looking for alternatives. 

In a nontheistic state of mind, abandoning hope is an affirmation, the beginning of the beginning. You could even put “Abandon hope” on your refrigerator door instead of more conventional aspirations like “Every day in every way I’m getting better and better.”

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can’t simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment. 

Tags: Abandon Hope, Buddhism, Kate McClafferty, Pema Chodron