Just as it takes time for the scent of a wine bottle
to fade away,
it takes time for the scent of our habits
to be extinguished.
For some time after we wash and dry a wine bottle the scent will remain. The habit of scent remains although the wine is gone. It will take more time for the scent to dissipate completely.
It is the same with our habits, too many of which unfortunately are not good. Even after we stop acting on a habit, for example getting angry or being greedy, their “scent,” their habit energy, remains. This is why it is so hard to break our habits.
The wine bottle only held wine for a few years and yet it takes considerable time for the scent to completely dissipate. Compare this to our habits, which have existed since time without beginning.
Like the wine bottle, we carry the scent of habits within us. It will take a long time of not acting on the habits for the scent to finally be gone. A long time for our anger and greed to be completely extinguished.
But as Yoda would say, “happen, it will.”