[One sound of the bell.]

Dear Thay, at forty-four years old, I still carry the shame and guilt of not having been loved enough during my childhood. And so, I notice that I quote unquote sabotage my personal and emotional life when it has the chance to improve, as if I were constantly seeking to relive this painful situation. Paradoxically, it reassures me, because I know this situation well. Can you tell me how to free myself from this grip of the past? Thank you.

Dearest Thay, at forty-four years old, I still carry the shame and guilt of not having been loved enough during my childhood. And so, I notice that I sabotage my personal and emotional life when it has the chance to improve, as if I were constantly seeking to relive this painful situation. Paradoxically, it reassures me, because I know this situation well. Can you tell me how to free myself from this grip of the past? Thank you.

The question has to do with the future and the past. If we do not have, if we do not possess a beautiful past, then we can very well build a beautiful past using the present moment. If you were happy during your childhood, then you have a beautiful past. That is the foundation of happiness for the present and for the future. But if you did not have a beautiful past, then in this teaching, it is possible to build a beautiful past. By using the present moment.

This is because we have the seeds of love within us. And now that we know the Dharma and the practice, we can water the seed of love in us at every moment. And every time we water the seed of love, the energy of love is born and passes into the past. It is born in the present moment and passes into the past. In this way, you have the chance to create a past starting from the present moment.

So, there is no regret. And the past will become the future. This is because everything we think, everything we say, and everything we do is stored in the past. And it prepares to present itself in the future, as the future, and to manifest in the present. So, it is an open door. Therefore, we must make good use of the present moment in order to build a past. And that past will become the future and will manifest in the present.