The inability or rather unwillingness of the human mind to let go of the past is beautifully illustrated in this story of two Zen Monks, Tanzan and Ekido, who were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains.
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As they neared a village, they came upon a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud was so deep it would have ruined the silk kimono she was wearing. Tanzan at once picked her up and carried her to the other side. The monks walked on in silence. Five hours later, as they were approaching the lodging temple, Ekido couldn’t restrain himself any longer.
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“Why did you carry that girl across the road?” he asked. “We monks are not supposed to do things like that.”
“I put the girl down hours ago,” said Tanzan. “Are you still carrying her?”
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Now imagine what life would be like for someone who lived like Ekido all the time, unable or unwilling to let go internally of situations, accumulating more and more “stuff” inside, and you get a sense of what life is like for the majority (99%) of people on our planet.
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What a heavy burden of past that people carry around in their minds.
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The past lives in you as memories, but memories in themselves are not a problem. In fact, it is only through memory that we learn from the past and from past mistakes.
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It is only when memories, that is thoughts about the past, take you over completely that they turn into a burden, turn problematic, and become part of your sense of self.
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Your personality, which is conditioned by the past, then becomes your prison.
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This story from Eckhart Tolle’s book called A New Earth begs the question - Are YOU holding on to the past?
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Cody