Letting go...

 

"Do everything with a mind that lets go. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end"

By Achaan Chah

 This morning, after my morning sunrise prayers,  I sat watching this flock of pigeons, jumping up in the strong winds and flying almost in place, suspended in air, flapping away and not moving forward.  And then all at once they landed.  Almost immediately one pigeon would jump into the wind and the rest of the flock followed.  Again flapping away and not moving forward..suspended just about were they jumped into the wind.

I wondered why did they not just stay on the ground.  Why jump up and do this over and over and not really fly about and around. Might the wind be too strong for them?   Perhaps this is the morning exercise for fitness that pigeons do to stay fit and in sinc with one another to remain in a flock.  To travel in the flock.

Just after having these thoughts ,all the pigeons flew, together, straight  into the strong wind , across the ocean and toward the rising sun!