No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more or less on a self-centered idea.
― Shunryu Suzuki
This fellow is following Suzuki's definition of 'beginner's mind,' as he leaves all his swords on the shore. His strategies, fundamental beliefs, and ideas about how things should be have been left behind. He has realized that the self-centered thoughts he tightly held greatly limited his world. Most every belief framework has a dividend plan of sorts - if you do this, you get that. Serve God well and go to heaven. Study hard and make good grades, then get a diploma. Be a responsible employee and be rewarded with a paycheck. Seems simple, right? But what happens if you're gay, and God thinks it's sinful? What if you struggle in school because of a learning disability? What if your employer wants you to do something unethical? Sometimes we must step out of the framework and into something more spacious. The handprint impressed upon the stone face is a reminder that every experience (good or bad) leaves a mark in the memory. Knee-jerk reactions are a strong indication that we are operating from an experience of which we may not be mindful. As Pema Chodron says, "they're like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we're stuck." Yet once we're aware of them, we can choose to allow their influence or not.
