All human beings carry remnants of their past
one way or another, within them,
which continues to unsettle their inner state
in an unpleasant way.
Thoughts of regrets, judgement, anger
become unsolicited daily visitors.
Yet, silently, viscerally deep down
all hope for one thing –
“If they could wake up one day,
In a state of equanimity, free from their conflicts
and Incessant chatter of the mind”.
Only if human mind worked that way!
Words of advice
to let go of painful memories and conflicts
shall be aplenty in society.
Common words today – from friends, family,
speakers and experts.
The advice seems benevolent and
points towards right direction.
The end goal is to let go.
But have these words of advice
truly given the results one seeks?
Do they bring about the paradigm shift
in one’s interiority?
Has this package of advice, which includes—
Practices of forgiveness, manifestation, gratitude journaling,
daily chanting, and visits to happiness programmes or sangha’s—
truly made a difference in
How one lets go, how one sees, and how one arrives?
Perhaps for some.
As these practices and rituals do create
a fleeting space for a good feeling.
My friend,
It does not take much effort to see clearly
how rumination over past events
remains a daily affair for many.
Over time,
most find a way to suppress them,
or perhaps their intensity may have faded.
But the conflicts of the past continue to remain alive.
If one holds onto something and
continues to suffers along with it for a long time,
it must be of great value to him.
As, to let go the dirt he holds,
he seeks no help or validation.
A heavy stone one carries
is put down rather quickly,
when its weight becomes unbearable.
Excess baggage is dropped from the shoulders,
when carrying is no longer worth the effort.
All naturally, without much effort or approval.
Nor any external voice offering
sermons or methods.
So, what can be of such value
that one is willing to live with a plethora of pain
but just cannot let it go?
Most people, not by choice,
but by not knowing or convenience,
prefer to live
with their regrets, pain and sufferings.
Rather, attempt to be free of them.
Simply because –
one does not even know
what one is truly holding, or
what is coming in the way.
As the mystical saying goes –
‘If the dead are not given a burial as the rituals demand,
their spirits may remain on this side,
haunting the living, until they are finally laid to rest”.
Painful memories and regrets,
haunt each one
in much the same way.
A proper burial is awaited, my friend.
Burying one’s unpleasant memories and experiences
requires accessing their source and
understanding what stands in the way.
I shall tell you the secret now –
What truly stands in the way,
is the one thing that is seldom examined,
something rarely questioned.
something of great value to each.
And that, my friend, is the Self.
“One has not truly forgiven until one arrives
at a place of understanding that –
there is nothing to forgive”.
