The Heart Of Forgiveness

Jack KornfieldWhile we are on the subject of forgiveness, I’d like to present what the prominent teacher, Jack Kornfield has to say about the ancient heart of forgiveness. The talk was give at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

The center is run by , who was one of the participants in The Compassionate Brain sponsored by Sounds True and hosted by Rick Hanson.

Jack tells us,

One of the great messages if you get nothing else today is that the potential for the human heart to open for compassion, connectedness, openness, wisdom, the sense of the sacred, love to grow in us is almost unbounded and I use the word, ‘us’ quite deliberately. It’s not limited to any particular person. It is there in us and there are ways to do it.

He talks for a while about forgiveness from the Buddhist texts and quotes from Viktor Frankel,

We who lived through the concentration camps can remember those who walked through the huts comforting others and giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number but their very existence but their very existence points to the last and greatest of all human freedoms the freedom – the freedom to choose your spirit no matter what the circumstances of life.

Jack tells a lot of amazing stories and talks about the 12 principles of forgiveness. I’ll be sharing these tomorrow.  He concludes with a practice session.

Jack Kornfield is a wonderful and knowledgeable teacher. I love the way he prepares his talks with stories and quotes inside and outside of Buddhism. I’ve met him several times and like him a lot.

How will you forgive yourself? How will you forgive others? Please share.

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