There’s no guarantee that a memory is going to get you to the reality of the intention. The only way you can really see is by looking in the present moment.

"You want to settle down here with the purpose of understanding the intentions acting here in the present moment, because that’s the only place where you can really observe your intentions in action. If there’s any greed, anger, or delusion in the intention, you’re going to see it only in the present moment.

After it’s passed, that intention is just a memory — and you know how memory tends to color things depending on what you want to see, how it fits into a good or bad narrative about yourself. But it’s just a narrative. There’s no guarantee that it’s going to get you to the reality of the intention. The only way you can really see is by looking in the present moment."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Story behind Impatience" (Meditations3)

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