I'd like to invite you to get into your meditation posture,
Whatever your body needs in this moment.
Sitting upright,
Or lying down,
Shifting,
Moving,
Whatever the body needs.
And at first,
We arrive with the breath,
With the body just settling,
Pilling the soil before we turn our attention.
The topic at hand just to arrive,
Just to settle,
Turning our gaze inward,
Connecting with the breath,
Letting go,
Letting go,
As much as possible,
Offering up the thoughts,
The cares,
The worries,
The activities that have come before,
All the words.
And just connecting with the breath and the body in this moment,
Taking refuge in the simplicity and the beauty,
The grace of this moment,
Of being alive,
And just sitting and breathing,
Being breathed.
This is enough.
This is enough in this moment.
Just this breath is enough.
Just this in-breath is enough.
And in the enoughness,
There is a sacredness,
Beauty,
As if entering this moment,
This moment's experience with all.
We're all Alice's in Wonderland.
This breath,
This moment's experience is a wonderland,
This breath breathing itself,
Not to be taken for granted.
And if thoughts are arising,
It's okay.
Noticing,
Noticing the balloons of thought,
So you're opening your hand,
Letting go of the strings,
Let them float away,
Letting go,
Releasing,
Ah,
Feeling lighter.
And if the thoughts feel heavy like rocks,
Can we not hold them,
Weight down by them,
But just respectfully,
Lovingly put them down for now?
Thank you.
Not now.
Pick you up and I have more space.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Not now.
Now,
I would like to invite you as we incline our minds or hearts towards the practice of forgiveness.
I'd like to invite you to bring to mind an image of yourself as a beloved other.
This image could be of you at this time,
At this age,
Or a different age.
Maybe younger.
See what brings up a sense of connection for you,
The present image or past.
And you can explore going back and forth,
You don't have to stick to one if one doesn't work.
Connecting with the thing that sets you apart,
Connecting with the felt sense of yourself.
As this beloved other,
This being,
This being who has goodness,
Who has kindness,
Has good intentions and aspires to live according to values that they hold,
That they uphold,
They hold dear.
This being who has gifts,
Capacities,
Aptitudes,
The ways they show up in the world.
Seeing,
Seeing,
Appreciating this person's goodness,
Inner radiance.
The ways they are generous,
The ways they are kind,
The ways they are thoughtful,
Or whatever the gifts are,
That you well know.
And also connecting with the ways,
This being,
This image of yourself as the beloved other,
The way they suffer,
The challenges they have physically,
With their body,
Emotionally,
Appreciating,
Connecting with the complexity,
The complexity of their inner life,
Their goodness,
Their challenges.
And for any ways,
For any ways that in the past you have not seen this beloved other fully,
For all the ways you have neglected them perhaps,
Forsaken them,
Haven't treated them well,
Haven't been kind to them,
Have berated them,
Have been judgmental,
Asking,
Asking for forgiveness for all the ways that have harmed you,
Dear beloved other,
It was me,
For all the ways have unknowingly harmed you.
I ask you for forgiveness for all the ways knowingly or unknowingly I have harmed you by doing,
Choosing what's not best for you in action,
In deeds,
In thoughts,
In words.
I ask you for your forgiveness.
In any ways I have abused you.
In body,
In thoughts,
In speech,
In any ways I have forsaken you or abused you.
I am sorry.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
In any ways that I haven't been kind or generous to you,
I ask for your forgiveness.
For any ways I haven't completely seen you,
Your fullness.
Your grace,
Your capacities,
Your strength,
Your inner beauty,
Your inner light,
It will remind you,
Taking you for granted.
I ask for your forgiveness.
In any ways that I have harmed you.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
I ask for your forgiveness.
Now see if it's possible to shift perspectives.
I'm looking at yourself from this perspective of this beloved other that is you in your full beauty,
Grace,
The fullness of your being,
The fullness of your being with access in ways that may not be fully understandable to you,
Fully access to your kindness,
Forgiveness.
Looking at yourself in your humanity,
In your common humanity,
Doing the best you can.
Knowing the best you can to navigate in this life with all the causes and conditions of your life.
And as much as possible,
Offering forgiveness.
In all the ways I've been harmed knowingly or unknowingly,
Not being protected,
Being stood up for,
Being undermined,
Not cared for,
Berated,
Judged.
As much as possible in this moment,
As much as is available to me,
I forgive you.
I offer you forgiveness,
Fully knowing the causes and conditions of your life,
Of this life,
Of my life that you've been doing the best you've been able to.
I offer you,
I offer myself forgiveness.
See which direction works better for you,
You can better connect with.
I'll stick with you.
I let go as much as possible and forgive for all the ways I've been harmed,
Not seen fully,
Not appreciated fully.
Making peace with you,
Making peace with myself.
I start with you.
I electriclift within you.
You've been able to.
If you could have done any better you would have.
As much as possible in this moment,
I forgive you.
Okay.
And for the last moment of this practice,
However this practice period was,
Whether there was sleepiness,
Distracted thoughts,
Judgments,
Ah,
Releasing,
Offering forgiveness to yourself,
It was exactly as it had to be,
Releasing,
Letting go.
May all beings be free,
Including ourselves.
