Still Struggling to Let Go? Try This Powerful Affirmation

The Story of the Student and the Stones

A young man once approached Zen Master Joshu and asked, "Master, I have suffered a lot. I want to forget my past. How do I let go of it?"

Joshu handed the student a large sack filled with heavy stones and said, "Carry this with you wherever you go."

The student carried the sack from morning until night, through forests, over rivers, into villages.

His back hurt, his legs wobbled, but he didn’t question the monk’s teaching.

Days later, he returned.

"Master," he said, "this burden is unbearable. Why did you ask me to carry it?"

The monk replied, "Did you really have to?"

The man hesitated. "I thought I did... but no. I could have put it down at any moment."

Joshu smiled, "Then why didn't you?"

"Because I respect you. I want to learn from you."

"You carry my weight because you want something from me. What do you want from your past, for which you carry it?"

At that moment, the student understood.

He set the bag down, bowed and walked away.

Stop Trying to Change the Past

The past is not clay you can reshape.

It is stone—already carved, already set.

No amount of regret can change the past, and no amount of worry can change the future.

But you think it is clay, and you want to change it.

This is why it remains.

You don’t need to rewrite it. You only need to release it.

Understand all you can, but know when limits of understanding have been reached.

Then all you have to do, is let it go.

How to Release the Past

When fear arises, say to yourself:
"This is not who I am. I am rooted in the present. Fear is an illusion about a future that does not exist. This is my past leaving."

When painful memories surface, say to yourself:
"These are echoes of a story that no longer exists. I am here, now. This is my past leaving."

When old habits want to repeat, say to yourself:
"I do not intend to escape this moment. I am whole as I am. This is just my past leaving."

When self-doubt clouds your mind, say to yourself:
"I am not limited by these thoughts. I believe in myself, and belief is all I need. This is just my past leaving."

When emotional pain arises, say to yourself:
"This is a passing storm. I am not the dark clouds, the winds, or the thunder. I am the clear sky behind it. This is my past leaving."

The past does not hold you. It is only passing through.

Let it leave.