Forgiveness is an essential ingredient of bodhichitta practice. It allows us to let go of the past and make a fresh start. Forgiveness cannot be forced. When we are brave enough to open our hearts to ourselves, however, forgiveness will emerge.
There is a simple practice we can do to cultivate forgiveness. First we acknowledge what we feel--shame, revenge, embarassment, remorse. Then we forgive ourselves for being human. Then, in the spirit of not wallowing in the pain, we let go and make a fresh start. We don't have to carry the burden with us anymore. We can acknowledge, forgive, and start anew. If we practice this way, little by little we'll learn to abide with the feeling of regret for having hurt ourselves and others. We will also learn self-forgiveness. Eventually, at our own speed, we'll even find our capacity to forgive those who have done us harm. We will discover forgiveness as a natural expression of the open heart, an expression of our basic goodness. The potential is inherent in every moment. Each moment is an oppurtunity to make a fresh start.
1 comment:
I am just passing along the wisdom here, but I do believe that it works. Practicing forgiving ourselves, gradually we'll get better and be able to actually do it. Forgiving ourselves is the root of forgiving others. That's so true! For a couple of reasons. Number one, holding resentments against others is often a defense mechanism to prop up your own ego against insecurity. By accepting myself, truly, flaws and all, I no longer need to artificially prop myself up by cutting others down. Number two, we often resent those qualities in others that we dislike in ourselves. By forgiving ourselves, we remove the root cause of the external resentment. Number three, forgiving ourselves is pretty hard. Once we do that, forgiving others is child's play.
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