In short: in Buddhism, letting go means releasing our grip on what can't be held. The Buddha put it simply: "Mendicants, give up what's not yours. Giving it up will be for your welfare and happiness." (SN 22.33). Body, feelings, perceptions, choices and consciousness all change, so clinging to them as "me" or "mine" only adds suffering. Letting go isn't giving up on life; it's putting down an extra weight.
"Give up what's not yours"
"Mendicants, give up what's not yours. Giving it up will be for your welfare and happiness."
The Buddha then asks the monks: if someone gathered the grass, sticks and leaves in the grove where they sat, and burned them, would they feel "this person is burning us"? No, they answer, "because to us that's neither self nor belonging to self." In the same way, he says, the body and mind are not truly ours to own.
SN 22.33 · More: the five aggregates.
Read the full guide
Three images for letting go
- The raft: once you've crossed the river, you don't carry the raft on your head. Even good things are "for crossing over, not for holding on". (The parable of the raft)
- The second arrow: pain happens; the resisting is a second arrow we can learn not to shoot. (The second arrow)
- Resentment: the Buddha gave five ways to put down a grudge. (How to let go of resentment)
A 5-minute letting-go meditation
- Settle. Three slow breaths, each out-breath a little longer.
- Find the grip. What are you holding today: a worry, a plan, a hurt? Notice where it sits in the body.
- Name it. Silently: "This is a feeling. It came, and it will go."
- Loosen on the out-breath. With each out-breath, let the hands, shoulders and jaw soften, as if setting something down.
- Rest. For a minute, just breathe without holding anything. If the grip comes back, that's fine: begin again.
Try it
For a guided evening practice to close the day, open Practice and choose Evening.
Questions people ask
What does letting go mean in Buddhism?
Letting go means releasing our grip on things that can't be held: body, feelings, perceptions, choices and consciousness, which the Buddha says are 'not yours'. It isn't giving up on life or people; it's putting down the extra suffering that comes from clinging.
Does letting go mean not caring?
No. You can love people and work hard while letting go of the demand that everything stay as you want. The Buddha paired letting go with love and compassion.