How to let go of the past?
HOW TO LET GO OF THE PAST? A WONDERFUL ANSWER BY A BUDDHIST MONK A woman once asked an old Buddhist monk: āHow do I let go of my past? The memories still hurt me. The regrets still follow me. No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to move on.ā The old monk smiled gently and asked her: āIf you were carrying a heavy bag of stones for many years⦠what would happen?ā The woman replied, āMy body would become tired and weak.ā The monk nodded. āYour mind works the same way. Every regret, betrayal, heartbreak, guilt, and painful memory you refuse to release becomes another stone you continue carrying.ā The woman asked, āBut how do I stop carrying it?ā The monk picked up a glass of water and held it in front of her. āIf I hold this for one minute, it feels light. If I hold it for one hour, it becomes painful. If I hold it all day, my arm becomes numb. The weight never changed. Only the length of time I kept holding it.ā Then he looked at her and said: āYour past is the same. The pain is real⦠but much of your suffering comes from continuously holding onto it.ā The woman lowered her head quietly. āBut I donāt know how to let go,ā she whispered. The monk replied: āYou let go by accepting that the past cannot be changed. By forgiving yourself for who you were when you knew less. By understanding that pain taught you what comfort never could. And by finally realizing that you do not have to keep punishing yourself to prove that you learned the lesson.ā Then he smiled and said: āThe past is a place of reference, not residence. Visit it only to learn⦠not to live there forever.ā