A Meditation From Can We Ever Truly Forgive?

Forgiveness is possible in many cases but in this heart, not all. Not all, yet, anyway. I wish I could forgive the people who caused me grave harm. Because not doing that feels like allowing something to fester.

At the very least, I can forgive myself for not forgiving. Maybe you can do that, too, if forgiveness is challenging for you. It’s a start.

Transcript

So,

Taking a comfortable posture that is supportive of you right in this moment.

Taking a few deep breaths,

Especially if you feel like there's anything that needs to be recalibrated after considering someone in your life who maybe has caused you harm,

Or some time in your life when maybe you caused harm.

And if your conscience is clear and your history is clear,

Then right now I would say just bring up some gladness,

You know,

And sit with that gladness.

Because there's nothing more important than lifting up the gladness that we have when we know that we are living a skillful life,

That we have acted with wholesome intentions and actions.

So,

In other words,

Don't look for something.

Don't go looking for trouble.

And if there is something that you have said or done that you want to forgive yourself for,

And you want to work with that,

Then we can do that now.

Or if there is someone who you want to forgive and you don't have a way to do that yet,

Or you're not even sure that's the wise thing to do,

Then we can work with that.

And we'll just work with self-compassion for a few minutes.

So taking the hand and placing it on the heart,

If that's accessible to you,

And you're in a space where that feels appropriate and safe.

And beginning to just tap gently at the heart space,

Activating the autonomic nervous system and sending a basic sense of well-being to the body.

And then calling to mind the person you want to forgive,

And that may be yourself,

And that may be someone else.

Or the sense of wondering if you should forgive someone but not feeling forgiving,

Or even knowing if that's appropriate.

That sense of maybe clenchedness,

Or it might be stuckness,

Calling that to mind,

Calling it to your attention.

It's already there in the body.

Bringing your attention to it.

And just saying to yourself,

This is a difficult thing.

This is a difficult situation.

There is harm,

There was harm.

May I forgive myself.

Causing harm or for not being able to forgive someone else.

This is just how it is right now.

May I forgive myself for causing harm or for not being able to forgive someone else.

I am human.

These things happen and I'm not alone.

I'm human and these things happen.

We're all in this together.

May all beings be safe.

May I be safe and may all beings be safe.