Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh discusses what he calls the most important practice in Buddhist meditation—the practice of letting go or “throwing away.”

Wrong perceptions, ideas and notions are at the root of our suffering—they are the ground of all afflictions. In order for us to touch happiness in the here and now, we need to throw away the ideas and notions that prevent us from learning and growing. The Diamond Sutra suggestions four notions that should be thrown away: self, human being, living being and life span. The substantive portion of this talk is dedicated to elaborating on these notions as well as our attachment to views, pairs of extremes, and rules and rituals. The talk concludes with the suggestion that we write a letter to help suicide bombers throw away the notions that have created fear and hatred in their hearts.