Dear Cheryl:

Your second husband of two years decided to separate from you and is traveling, while you and your son (from a previous marriage) stayed behind. You are in the process of selling the house you live in. You are angry at him, seeing that you were a chapter in his book, disposable, and he has easily moved on. You would like to get rid of the anger and are looking for the Buddhist principles of non attachment and forgiveness to help you in eliminating your anger. Did I paraphrase your post correctly?

If so, this is my input: no Buddhist or other principle can interfere with the principles of nature. We feel angry because we were hurt (that’s a principle). The anger, like any emotion, carries in it a message (another principle of nature): something you need to examine, to figure out, and maybe an action you need to take. It is following this examination that when there is nothing for you to do, when you cannot change a situation, then the Buddhist principle of Acceptance (Radical Acceptance, a term my therapist taught me) is useful. Through such acceptance, an un-attachment takes place, a letting ho (the title of your thread).

Regarding your anger: You wrote that you feel disposable. At first he was obsessed with you, pushed you into marrying him. I suppose that made you feel special, like a big chapter in his book, the final chapter? And then, after a short while, he decided to close that chapter. Tell me more about your anger..?

anita