Practicing How to Release Tension from the Mind

Today's teaching begins with words often heard in exercise: release your tension. When an athlete is holding too much force in the body, a coach or director tells them to relax. If the body is tense, the next movement does not come out smoothly, and the body's motion is not natural.

The monk said the mind is the same. When the mind is tense, it tries to force everything, hold onto everything, and hardens under the burden of having to do well. The more this happens, the more the mind loses its naturalness, and the wise movement of the next moment is easily blocked.

Releasing tension from the mind does not mean doing nothing. Rather, it means putting down unnecessary strain and attachment so the mind's original naturalness can appear. Just as good movement comes when the body relaxes, words and actions continue more gently and rightly when the mind lets go of its force.

It is the same in practice. Awakening is not gained by forcibly grasping at it; it opens on the basis of a natural mind. And that mind should not remain only in wanting comfort for oneself, but should continue into a wider heart that hopes all beings awaken together and become peaceful.

Today, when you feel the mind becoming rigid, pause for a moment. As you release tension from your shoulders and hands, also let go of a little force in the mind. Within naturalness, the next word, the next action, and the next day will continue more peacefully.