Why is losing your grip such a good thing? Everyone wants to be in charge, don’t they? Everyone wants to have a good life, a meaningful life, don’t they? That is what we are brain-washed to believe, isn’t it?

Leonard Cohen had everything. He came from a good family; he had good genes. He was well-mannered and gifted as a poet and writer.

But he wrote about the crack in everything instead of about having everything.

He has been gone over two years now. I play his music every night as I fall asleep. I never met him and yet I cannot forget him.

Before I came to know about Leonard, I had been on the path of awakening for many years. I had lost loved ones and struggled to know God and to love truth.

He said what my teacher Vernon Howard said and Leonard had his own teacher. Of course, Roshi was discredited, but that is another story.

We are talking about why it is so essential to lose your grip. You could go on and and on about the theories, but I am only interested in practice.

I didn’t want to lose my grip but it happened to me twice. “My life closed twice before it closed.” (Emily Dickinson)

Now I live a life where my grip does no good. I have nothing to be in charge of. I just think I do.

And so the masterpiece is not mine, couldn’t possibly be, never will be. Leonard seemed to know that and yet he continued to talk about the darkness, as do I.

I know much more about the darkness than I do the light. So does everyone else in this world.

Light is the masterpiece. Light over which we have no control. All we do is confess and say Hallelujah that that is the case.

Vicki Woodyard