Hello again,
Dear friends,
And welcome to a meditation on forgiveness and restoring peace.
Let's together find a comfortable but alert position in which to sit or recline.
You can allow your eyes to be gently closed and just pay attention to the body and see if there are any minor adjustments that will help you maintain the position for the duration of the meditation.
You can rest your hands comfortably on your legs or in your lap or anywhere away from technology or interruptions.
We'll just start with concentration practice to help our minds settle and arrive in our present time experience.
Just allow your breathing to be natural.
Just notice where in your body you can feel your breath most easily.
It might be in the stomach or abdomen where you can feel a rising and falling as the body breathes.
Or it might be in the chest where you can notice the expansion contraction as the body inhales and exhales.
You might even put a hand on your abdomen or your chest and really feel the expansion of your body along with your breath.
Breathing in,
I calm myself.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a precious moment.
You may notice the mind wandering and that's okay.
Breathing this offers us an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness and concentration.
Each time we notice the mind wandering,
We're strengthening our ability to recognize our present experience.
And each time we bring the mind back to the breath,
We strengthen our ability to refocus.
These distractions are perfect opportunities to learn and grow.
Now we'll begin with the practice of offering forgiveness with the compassionate reminder that all of us are unskillful at times.
And we'll start with the practice of self-forgiveness.
We begin with ourselves because the willingness to forgive ourselves and let go of self-resentment is fundamental to our ability to truly forgive others.
There are many ways that we have hurt and harmed ourselves.
We may have betrayed or abandoned ourselves many times from places of fear,
Pain,
And misunderstanding.
Feel your own precious body and life as you are today with a sense of self-compassion and non-judgment.
Let yourself become aware of the ways you may have hurt or harmed yourself.
Become open to the sorrows and remorse you've carried from this.
And as much as you can,
Give yourself permission to release these burdens.
Breathing gently,
Repeat silently to yourself the following phrases.
I forgive myself for the ways I've hurt myself.
I've acted out of fear,
Pain,
And misunderstanding,
And I offer myself forgiveness.
At least for this moment,
I forgive myself.
And feelings contrary to forgiveness like irritation,
Anger,
Or guilt may come up for us.
If this happens,
It may help to imagine yourself as a young child before the pain,
Fear,
And misunderstandings.
And offer that innocent child forgiveness as a way of expressing love to yourself.
Repeat these phrases,
Letting the feelings permeate your body,
Mind,
Heart.
Try to tell them to yourself with as much sincerity as you can in this moment.
I forgive myself for the ways I've hurt myself.
I've acted out of fear,
Pain,
And misunderstanding,
And I offer myself forgiveness.
At least for this moment,
I forgive myself.
Great.
Moving on from self-forgiveness,
Let's turn toward others whom we would like to forgive.
There are many ways that we've been harmed by others.
We may have been abandoned or traumatized in thoughts,
Words,
And actions of others,
Sometimes unknowingly.
Aiming for self-compassion,
Be open to the sorrow that you have carried from these actions by others in the past.
And give yourself permission to release this burden of pain,
At least for today,
By extending forgiveness and reminding ourselves that all of us are unskillful at times.
And if your heart is ready,
You can bring to mind the people who may have hurt you,
And silently repeat the following phrases.
I remember the ways you've harmed me from your own fear,
Pain,
And misunderstanding.
I've carried this pain in my heart for too long.
At least for today,
I offer you forgiveness.
To all who have caused me harm,
I forgive you.
Sometimes it can be difficult to offer forgiveness when we bring to mind someone who's caused us deep harm,
But it's helpful to remember that when I offer this forgiveness,
I'm not doing it for this person.
I'm doing it for the end of suffering,
For peace,
Whether that's peace in my heart,
Peace for that person,
Or peace in society.
So if you find that you've gotten lost in stories,
Memories,
Or frustrations,
That's okay.
Just return to the phrases,
Repeating them while holding the person or persons you're forgiving in your mind with as much sincerity as you can.
Again,
I remember the ways you've harmed me from your own fear,
Pain,
And misunderstandings.
I've carried this pain in my heart for too long.
At least for today,
I offer you forgiveness.
To all who have caused me harm,
I forgive you.
In letting go of this offering of forgiveness to others,
Let's move on to asking forgiveness for the harms we may have caused.
There are many ways that we have hurt and harmed others.
We have been unskillful at times,
Often from a place of our own fear,
Pain,
And misunderstanding.
As a non-judgmental observer,
Let yourself remember and visualize ways you've hurt others and picture each memory that still burdens your heart.
Be open to your own remorse and regret for these harms,
And give yourself permission to finally release these burdens and ask for forgiveness.
In asking for forgiveness,
You may focus on a specific person,
Or you may think of several people you'd like to ask.
However you choose to do it,
Offer each person in your mind the following phrases.
I know I have harmed you based on my own fear,
Pain,
Or misunderstanding.
I was unskillful and I set the intention not to repeat this harm.
Wishing you peace,
I ask for your forgiveness.
Please forgive me.
Whoever comes up in your heart and mind that needs to hear it,
Acknowledge the harm you may have caused and repeat the phrases to them.
I know I have harmed you based on my own fear,
Pain,
Or misunderstanding.
I was unskillful and I set the intention not to repeat this harm.
With a wish of peace,
I ask for your forgiveness.
Please forgive me.
Now,
Letting go of all thoughts of others,
Return your focus to your own body,
Mind,
And heart in the present moment.
Take a moment to consider something relatively unnoticed that you have to be grateful for today.
For example,
Sometimes we might take the breath for granted until one day we hear someone say,
I can't breathe.
Today I am grateful for my breath.
And let's bring our attention back to the breath.
Breathing in,
I calm myself.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a precious moment.
As this meditation comes to a close,
Notice any changes that have occurred in you.
Do you feel any discomfort or tension?
Perhaps you're feeling a new lightness,
Warmth,
Relaxation,
Relief,
Or joy.
Then,
Whenever you're ready,
Feel free to allow your eyes to open and gently return your attention to the space around you.
Thank you for your practice together today.
