Abandon any hope of fruition
The instruction to ‘Abandon any hope of fruition’ doesn’t mean we give up on life or training the mind or improving our well-being or that of others. Instead, it emphasizes the attitude we take, which is to let go of our expectations.
Practicing wholeheartedly without expecting results contains within it the fruit of non-attachment and liberation. For example, if we let go of our ideas about how a yoga pose should look and feel, we experience a kind of liberation. We are free from our own judgement and insecurities.
Observe this with any wholesome quality: when giving love, can you do so without expecting anything in return? We often give conditional love, using loving words and actions with hidden agendas. Notice when your love has strings attached. Do you feel a pull or longing to be loved in return?
When you are generous, do you expect generosity in return? Are you seeking recognition, or do you genuinely want to give without expectation?
When you are patient, are you hoping for a payoff, or have you let go into acceptance?
Love, generosity, and patience are endless and free—they are not ours, not commodities, and not transactional tools for meeting the ego’s needs.
Abandoning hope of fruition is not despair but a deep release and untangling of our confusion about reality. This practice helps uncover hidden agendas about what we think should happen, how we want to be seen by others, our urge for comfort over discomfort, and our desire for certainty over uncertainty.
Noticing the mind’s push-pull around wanting, longing, craving, and clinging unlocks insights into the three seals: suffering (dukkha), impermanence (anicca) and not-self (anattā).
Over time, we recognize the suffering inherent in narrow, self-interested intentions, which keep us hopelessly chasing but never finding lasting satisfaction. Ultimately, ‘abandoning hope of fruition’ reveals the truth that there is no one to attain enlightenment. The belief in an individual to gain results is the heart of the matter, the root of confusion, and the gate to liberation.
