Renewal in the New Year

It takes a lot of work to become the person you want to be.  It takes practice and mental exercise every day.

“The inability or rather unwillingness of the human mind to let go of the past is beautifully illustrated in the story of two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, who were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains. Near a village, they came upon a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud 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. ‘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?’

“Now imagine what life would be like for someone who lives 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 of the majority of people on our planet. What a heavy burden of past they carry around with them in their minds.”
- Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose