Moving towards forgiveness is one of the three practices that lead us to a more happy and blissful life. The other two are gratitude and generosity, which you can learn about by clicking on the links.
Of the three practices, forgiveness is probably the most difficult for many people. This is because we hold on to our grudges. We hold on to our resentments. We hold on to our hurts – all in the name of self-protection.
Perhaps the most difficult people to forgive are our spouses and our parents. Many personal growth workshops, seminars, and programs are geared towards our parents such as the Hoffman Process, which I took in 1974.
In reality, all you need to do is to open your heart and follow the steps of the Forgiveness Exercise from last March.
In and email from Lama Surya Das on December 30, 2016, I read,
Let’s start by considering how and when to forgive each other and ourselves for whatever missteps may have been made. It’s nearly impossible to move forward and meaningfully evolve if negative energies such as resentment and regrets are still holding us back, weighing one down like old, excess baggage. Gratitude brings in more of the natural good, positive and healing forces; forgiving lets you release what is not healthy. Forgive and remember; learn the lessons so it doesn’t happen again. If you don’t learn now, you might get left back and have to go through very similar experiences again until you do, and can move on.
` Lama Surya Das from a Newness-Awareness for a New Year
I was immediately inspired to try to forgive the people who hurt me without even knowing it in order to get rid of what is not healthy.
Remember what Jack Kornfield wrote?
True forgiveness does not deny the suffering of the past but has a tremendous dignity and courage and power of love in it that says we will, and can, start again.
—Jack Kornfield, “A Change of Heart“
Will you begin the New Year by forgiving yourself, those who have harmed you, and those you have unwittingly harmed?
Books by Jack Kornfield
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The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peaceby You hold in your hand an invitation: To remember the transforming power of forgiveness and lovingkindness. To remember that no matter where you are and what you face, within your heart peace is possible. In this beautiful and graceful little book, internationally renowned Buddh… |
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