Like day and night, life is a mixture of joy and sadness. The primary cause of our sadness in life is that we are unable to let go of the pain from our past because we hold it so firmly.
Put your stone of sorrow down as soon as you can if you truly wish to live in a state of joy. A story is presented here based on this lesson.
A wise saint once resided in an ancient temple in a village. A man approached him one day and enquired, "Is there any method to remain happy in this life?"
The saint acknowledged that a secret existed, but in order to learn it, you must accompany me into the forest. They both began to walk after the man nodded.
The man was given a large stone by Saint, who instructed him to carry it while walking behind him. The man eventually began to have hand pain, yet he kept walking behind him while remaining silent.
When the ache became intolerable, he informed the saint that he was unable to move with this large stone even one step further.
The saint then urged him to set down this stone after noticing his bad condition. The man felt a great sense of comfort as soon as the stone was put down.
How did you feel when you lifted this stone, the Saint questioned the guy. The man said, "In the beginning, the pain was less, therefore my attention was more on you and less on the stone.
But as time went on, my suffering increased, and I began to focus less on you and more on the stone. There came a moment when all I could think about was this stone and the pain...
The Saint again asked him,how did you feel when you put down the stone.