from such thoughts as,
"They abused me, mistreated me,
molested me, robbed me,"
hatred is vanquished.
Dhammapada verse 4
If we have held for a long time to thoughts of ill-will, we can forget how it feels to be simply happy. Our minds can become so accustomed to negativity that unhappiness seems to be the norm. But just as the essential nature of water is pure and clear, so the essential nature of our hearts is calm and bright. Painful things do happen in life and memories don’t necessarily disappear as we wish. However we do need to know that adding resentment to memories is adding something extra. It is not an obligation. Releasing ourselves from negative thoughts may not be as difficult as it appears. Honestly acknowledging to ourselves that we do have this choice, to allow memories to be memories - nothing extra - leads to letting go and moving on.
With Metta,
Ajahn Munindo
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