Repentance, if we practice enough, can liberate us from the burden of past determinations. It says, I do not want my future to be determined by my past – and believe I can get rid of whatever ruts are currently there in my life. It comes with tears, melting the solid shape of our individual past: in the moment of repentance, we are fully present with God – that is, with everything that is. New connections can be made then, and a different trajectory becomes possible.

The same is true of Upheka meditation, or the practice of equanimity: it is a deliberate detachment from the past, an appeal to take actions today that, on their own impetus, will lead to positive consequences.