Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Bite-Sized Wisdom (6)




The final practice under consideration in this series of mental/spiritual activities is Forgiveness, which without a doubt is one of the most life-changing of all practices. In fact its impact is undeniably huge on anyone who chooses to forgive…often others, but sometimes the self as well. We can recount the instances where the need for forgiveness comes into play. Perhaps we have dealt with an abusive parent, an unjust situation or a bitter outcome, for instance. Sometimes it is we ourselves who carry shame over something we have done in the past that we now regret. The forgiveness mode is always about something in the past, something that clings to us like dull ache or maybe a raging memory that keeps the instance before us as if it happened yesterday.

Forgiveness equals freedom...

I have created a personal rubric about the use of forgiveness, to wit: Forgiveness equals freedom; unforgiveness equals bondage. In the forgiveness practice there is release…of whatever person, place or thing that caused wounds…so that we and whatever the other might be are free to live our lives in the uplift of a free estate, even if it takes a while to fully forgive. On the other hand, that which remains unforgiven attaches to us in memory as a place we can never go, not in mind nor in physical circumstance.

Forgiving can be difficult...

There is no question that forgiving can be difficult, which is why it is a practice. It does not always happen all at once and can take repeated efforts. This is the nature of practice, and it may be a surprise to discover that some of the most difficult of forgiveness practices involves ourselves. To forgive is to choose to be whole again, to love more completely rather remain in a state of brokenness, and it is worth every effort to regain the spiritual light that the freedom of forgiveness brings.

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You might also enjoy reading "On Pain."

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