I feel that it is important to see hope for what it is. Hope is a desire for something which is not there now; it is therefore non-acceptance of what is. When we see an overcast sky and say “I hope it clears up,” we are immediately rejecting what is, which is an overcast sky.
When someone tells us that hope is a rejection of what is, we immediately indulge in word-play to deny it. We say that we can always accept what is, and hope for something better at the same time. I feel that true and total acceptance implies that we will not hope for anything else. One must let go of hope, including hope for liberation. Only then can one touch the stillness at the core of everything. Only then can we get an idea of why the Buddha referred to this as emptiness.