Clinging and Suffering

If someone were to ask me what I cling to in life, I might answer that I cling to those things I hold dear in my life, like my family, my friends, my vocation, and my faith.  All of these are very important to me, so I would say that I cling to these things, not wanting to lose them, wanting to keep them in my life.

I recently heard a comment though which has caused me to rethink this.  I learned that in Buddhism, clinging is linked to suffering.  When we cling to something, we suffer.  When we hold on tightly, when we are reluctant to let go, when we are grasping tightly to what we hold dear, this can create suffering.

The first example that comes to my mind is my children.  I love them very much, but when I cling to them, when I want what I think is best for them, or when I fear for them so much that I take over their lives and make them dependent on me, I create problems, mostly for my children.  But if I am grounded in my love for them and put my trust in their abilities, then I will know that the best way of loving them is by giving them the freedom they need to experience life on their own.

If I cling to my faith, am I letting it grow?  Am I being open to new possibilities?  Am I truly listening to the experiences of others and letting them change me?

Many communities cling to tradition and the way things have always been done.  In a world that is changing rapidly, many find security and safety in places that haven't changed or in rituals that remain the same.  If communities remain unchanged in the midst of a changing world, are they truly able to meet the needs of newcomers or of those outside the community crying out for help?  I'm not saying that communities need to react to every passing fad or use the changing world as a model for their own change.  Communities do need to be aware though of what is happening around them.  They need to discern and be open to new ideas that might bring fruit to their own community, that might help them meet the needs of those around them, and that might offer them a new vision and a new way of life.  Jesus said repeatedly in the gospel of Matthew, "You have heard it said...but I tell you..."  The old way or the way it's been done in the past isn't wrong or bad; it may just need to be reevaluated and given new life. 

I've been reciting Psalm 63, which in verse 8 reads, "I cling to you; your right hand upholds me."  When I say the words, "I cling to you," I imagine myself at Jesus' feet, clinging to his feet, a person in distress, crying out for help.  But when I imagine the second half of that verse, "your right hand upholds me," I see myself in the palm of God's hand, uplifted to the sky, facing out, and ready for what the world has for me.  Clinging has it's place, especially when we are in distress, but I would rather be upheld, open to what may come, knowing I'm being supported, feeling that holy presence as an ally on my journey.

May you find the freedom that comes with letting go of that to which you cling.  May you be enriched by new possibilities and new ideas.  May you feel God's right hand upholding you, loving you and supporting you on your journey.  May it be so.