We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
Breaking Free from the Image of the Past and Sticking to the Present Moment
There are latent forces called anuśaya (Sanskrit), tuỳ miên (Chinese/Vietnamese)—proclivities or sleeping tendencies down in our store consciousness (Ālaya-vijñāna) that secretly project “films” of past fear, craving, anger, complexes and keep us imprisoned in suffering. These buried images run our lives whenever a present sight, sound or thought touches the corresponding seed in us, triggering emotions as if the danger were still real.
Mindfulness can interrupt this process, reveal these films as mere images or ghosts of the past, and reprogram our “mental computer” by opening new neural pathways toward compassion and forgiveness. As practitioners, there are two things to do:
- Tell every projected film, “You are only a film. You are not reality.”
- Stay rooted in the present moment—sunshine, breathing, walking meditation, Sangha—so past images lose their power.
