Dry up the remains of your past

In the five hindrances the the Buddha talks of restlessness and remorse which are two states of the mind that keep us from attaining perfect peace. Restlessness is the clinging to the future. Remorse is the guilt from the past. They both need to be abandoned. Of course the 5 hindrances are mentioned numerous times in the Suttas. Just my understanding :wink:

There is SN 35.146 on “old kamma”, which states the: “eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body & mind ought to be considered as old kamma”. While my personal interpretation is not mainstream, I think the phrase: “to be considered as (daṭṭhabbo)” means the sutta is not saying the sense organs are literally past kamma or are physically created from past kamma.

Instead, to me, the meaning of the sutta is the practitioner should not go beyond the sense organs in the present. In other words, arisings in the present moment are the closest thing to ‘old kamma’; and the response to those arisings is potentially ‘new kamma’.

:frog:

Now what, monks, is old kamma? The eye is to be seen (daṭṭhabbo) as old kamma, fabricated & willed, capable of being felt. The ear… The nose… The tongue… The body… The intellect is to be seen as old kamma, fabricated & willed, capable of being felt. This is called old kamma. SN 35.146

daṭṭhabba
fpp mfn.
to be seen; to be considered as (see diṭṭha)

diṭṭha
pp. of passati
seen; found; understood. (nt.), vision.

And what is new kamma? Whatever kamma one does now with the body, with speech or with the intellect: This is called new kamma.

And what is the cessation of kamma? Whoever touches the release that comes from the cessation of bodily kamma, verbal kamma & mental kamma: This is called the cessation of kamma.

SN 35.146

How about this sutta quote

(1) “Brahmin, I have abandoned those taints because of which I might have become a deva; I have cut them off at the root, made them like palm stumps, obliterated them so that they are no longer subject to future arising. (2) I have abandoned those taints because of which I might have become a gandhabba … (3) … might have become a yakkha … (4) … might have become a human being; I have cut them off at the root, made them like palm stumps, obliterated them so that they are no longer subject to future arising. Just as a blue, red, or white lotus flower, though born in the water and grown up in the water, rises above the water and stands unsoiled by the water, even so, though born in the world and grown up in the world, I have overcome the world and dwell unsoiled by the world. Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha. AN4.36

The Sutta Central translation says: “You should erase that which is past, and have nothing for the future,
if you take up nothing in the present you will live peacefully.” which is similar to H. Saddhatissa translation I was quoting. I think the issue is SC refer to Jatukanni’s question as Snp 5.12 while Saddhatissa reference is Snp 5.11.

Thanks, my mistake. I was getting very confused there, thinking that we were looking at different suttas: and we were. Carry on!