Our past

Very often , our past catch up with us. whether it had been a good or bad story. Sinful or glorious.  Our past bcome much of a burden as we struggle through life . As my teacher , Ajahn Brahm remind us to live in the present and leaving one bag of our past and one bag of the future behind us which will free us to be in the " present".

Why have our bag for the past is so difficult to let go ? It is the memory , the experience and the sentiments which was brought forward by our mind. All these film scripts can be replayed many times and at anytime if our mind is not discipline or when we lapse in our focus or concentrations.

Sometimes, our mind down played our sins or make justification for been bad to self excuse us from the bad things that we have done.  Often an act have good and bad intentions and we intend to justify our sins and glorify our merits. This is the ego in us that is playing the trick. Any actions to protect or safeguard us is deemed to be good even if it is bad for other people even if it is a sinful act.  This is the self justificating mechanism in us. We can do no wrong and by nature, we are a self protecting creature. This is our instinct.

In our past, there are so many rights or wrongs in our undertaking and it is the past and we should let it go. But, the bodily mechanism cannot undo the act or let go of it. We can only make our past smaller or bigger or let it float in the surface or keep deep in our memory. If our mind is discipline , we can make it smaller and smaller or keep it deeper and deeper. We cannot totally eradicate it and it is just like the crack in the mirror , it cannot heal together as if there is no happenings.

This bodily function to hold on or to let go is a very mysterous function and it is control totally by our mind. There is a wise saying that nobody can hurt us if we do not want to be hurt by an act or incident because it is entitely our power to decide whether we are happy or not. Nobody can make us happey or sad  and it is entitely dependent on us. Like letting go the past , it is in the power of the mind.

But to be honest to ourself , we have to be frank in looking into every sinful act that we have done ie those act that has hurt others. Sometimes, we do not know of its existence and unknowingly, we did those acts that hurt others. That is why people said that some people have " bad characters". Who will want to do sinful things but the in built mechanism  of everyone is for themselves and that is why it often it happens to be hurting others.

Life is complicated but if we are aware of our past and let it be what it have been and let it go.

Namaste.