Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived in a small village. The farmer had a beautiful garden that he tended to with great care. Every day, he would water the plants, weed the soil, and tend to the flowers.

One day, a terrible storm came and destroyed the garden. The farmer was devastated. He tried to salvage what he could, but it was too late. He felt a deep sense of loss and despair.

For weeks, the farmer could not bring himself to leave his home. He remained inside, grieving for the garden that he had lost. But as the days passed, he began to realize that he could not bring the garden back. He needed to let go of his attachment to it and move on.

So the farmer decided to start a new garden. He began to plant new flowers, water the soil, and tend to the new growth. At first, it was difficult. He found himself constantly comparing the new garden to the old one, and feeling a sense of disappointment when it did not measure up.

But gradually, the farmer began to appreciate the new garden for what it was. He saw the beauty in the new flowers and the potential for growth. He let go of his attachment to the old garden, and embraced the new one with open arms.

The farmer learned that letting go was not about forgetting or denying the past, but about accepting change and moving forward. He saw that life was full of cycles of growth and loss, and that the key to happiness was not in holding on to what had been, but in embracing what was yet to come.

In the end, the farmer’s new garden flourished, and he found a sense of peace and contentment that he had not felt in a long time. And he realized that sometimes, letting go of what we have lost is the only way to make room for what we are meant to find.