Mindfulness teaches us not to hold onto things, not to be attached, not to live in the past.

One day two monks set out for a walk and they came across a choppy stream to cross. There, stood a young maiden dressed in silk. She was clearly at a loss as to how to cross without getting muddy and wet. Without thinking twice, the elder monk picked her up and put her over his shoulder and waded across to the other side. The younger monk, dismayed and uneasy followed.

Upon reaching the other side, the elder monk put the maiden down gently. She paid her respects and walked on. The monks then continued on their way. As they navigated through the forest, the younger monk, still troubled by what he’d seen, said, “How could you do that? We aren’t even supposed to make eye contact with women let alone pick them up and carry them!” The elder monk turned to the younger monk and said, “Oh, are you still carrying her?  I put her down when I reached the other side of the stream”. And with that, the elder monk continued leading the way through the forest, leaving the younger monk to contemplate his words.

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The compassion of the elder monk to put the needs of the maiden before his own spiritual practice, and his mental ability to then let go of the fact that he had strayed from the path of his personal commitment, without feeling guilty or disappointed, is a lesson for us all.

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We mustn’t allow yesterday’s actions to affect today’s progress, because letting go of the past is necessary to truly thrive today. We must also accept the transient nature of life; that Mother Nature will demand us to adapt and change as and when she sees fit. This will involve personal sacrifice for the greater good, as it did for the elder monk in the story. To resist this transience will only bring about mental suffering.

 

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Victor Frankl