Tag: forgiveness

Where Do We Go From Here?

We are living in profoundly turbulent times, though, we are not bound by them. Rather, we are the source and substance of our own experience.

And it is only through great compassion, both for ourselves and others, that we may begin to understand and subsequently weather through the influence of our fears.

This most recent wave of violence has touched many hearts. Likewise, it has marked the full weight of our despair. We feel powerless to help, yet still we try.

Why?

Because, in our heart we know what must be done.

We must be willing to look within, to disentangle the complexity of our feelings from the greater need. The world is under siege, but we – we are its legacy. Even when we are not yet ready.

There is a poem written by Desmond and Mpho Tutu; one which extends an invitation to heal.

“I want to be willing to forgive
But I dare not ask for the will to forgive
In case you give it to me
And I am not yet ready
I am not yet ready for my heart to soften
I am not yet ready to be vulnerable again
Not yet ready to see that there is humanity in my tormentor’s eyes
Or that the one who hurt me may also have cried
I am at the prayer before the prayer of forgiveness
I am not yet ready for the journey
I am not yet interested in the path
Grant me the will to want to forgive
Grant it to me not yet but soon.”

The anger and horror that we feel is a slow poison, further isolating and robbing us of our peace. We are locked in the nightmare, until we awaken.

Though we may not yet be ready to forgive – the capacity is always there…and that’s what binds us as humans.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️

Where Do We Choose to Take Our Rest?

There was a story recently in our local newspaper. A man who had lost his son was asked to speak at the trial of the man accused of killing him.

Everyone following had expected to hear words of condemnation and hate. They assumed the grief far too great for any one man to bear.

And yet, when the time came for the man to address the court he looked directly into the eyes of the accused and said, “I forgive so that someday you may forgive yourself.” He then hugged him and whispered, ‘Do good things.’

Imagine the strength of this beautiful soul honoring the love of a child through his own debilitating pain. Through the blurred veil of tears, he recognized the wounds of another. In this moment, he wished only to console.

Could you or I effect the same?

Just as the wave crashes, it also recedes. And, asking nothing in return – it washes away all traces of impact. As we stand at its edges, we find peace in its roar.

Forgiveness is, I believe, within the nature of all living creatures. It binds itself to a continuity of peace, opening our wounds to the furthest reaches of a newfound hope. Is it faith? Is it belief?

In the end, we must ask ourselves – where do we wish to take our rest?

In the company and service of others? Or locked within the calcifications of pain?

It is not only our choice, my friends – it is our humanity.

Namaste ❤️

On Beginning Anew.

When I was a little girl, I remember stealing a piece of penny candy from a local grocery shop. I was too young to understand that what I had done was ‘wrong’ – not until years later, that is, when I overheard a group of older boys talking about a similar scenario.

“That’s shoplifting,” I remember one shouting. “You could go to jail for that!”

From that moment on, my innocence was tainted. I felt guilty and shamed, so much so, that I eventually returned to the ‘scene of my crime’ to offer the shopkeeper my apology. Of course, I was in my twenties at the time and the shop had already changed hands several times.

“Everyone makes mistakes,” the manager said. “Why not just forget about it and let it go?”

Beginning anew is a fundament practice in our Buddhist teachings. It helps to engage and ultimately set free the burdens we carry. But, more so – it grants us permission.

As Thich Nhat Hanh once described;

“Beginning Anew is not to ask for forgiveness. Beginning Anew is to change your mind and heart, to transform the ignorance that brought about wrong actions of body, speech, and mind, and to help you cultivate your mind of love.”

In this mind of love, we begin to disentangle the countless aspects of our suffering. And all hinderances dissolve in the wake of forgiveness.

I, alone, helped to construct the condition. And, only I could help to clear it away.

A little something to remember, my friends.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

A Tenuring of Spirit.

I remember working in a small coffee shop on the North Shore of Hawaii. It was a meager wage, given the nature of the work to be done – nonstop from dawn till dusk; though, I was grateful nonetheless.

The coffee roaster would arrive in the earliest hours of morning, well before the first cup was poured. I remember him standing over the glowing coals of the makeshift roaster with wooden paddle in hand, leaning and listening for the sounds of transformation to begin.

“You hear that?” he’d shout over the grinding of roaster blades. “You can’t ever rush it. You have to let ’em tell you when they’re done.”

Most would have considered the job too grueling – particularly, at less than standard wage. And yet, for this wiry old man – the heat, the dust, the aching muscles and dripping sweat – was, in its own way, ‘perfection’.

While some may term this a ‘labor of love’, isn’t it more so a tenuring of spirit? A moment in which longer held ‘truths’ are dispelled, and matters of heart rest in leaves of courage.

We’d talk for hours, he and I – contemplating the wonders of life against the endlessness of horizon. How can one consider as ‘work’ that which ultimately delivers our peace?

Even these much smaller moments, my loves – have the capacity to transform and heal. Surround yourself with these everyday miracles – a blue sky, white fluffy clouds, and a moment shared over coffee with a friend.

A little something to consider, my friends ~ with love and peace…

Namaste ❤

The Gift in this Journey.

I had a teacher once, a Tibetan Buddhist who fled from his homeland hoping to escape the shadows of oppression.

The Chinese had advanced their troops, destroying all testaments of his faith. Those who refused to leave were either imprisoned or killed, considered ‘enemies of the state’ by the new regime.

Under the cover of night, he fled along with others through the unforgiving terrain. Ahead the snowy summits of the Himalayas loomed forebodingly in the distance, as the caravan lurched precariously through the 17,000 foot pass.

And, with each new step he was granted the opportunity to choose – “Do I question my faith or find peace within fear?”

“I was still learning,” he smiled, “though I knew the answer to be significant.” That our freedom is defined by the choices we make.

He could have easily found blame or hate, though instead – he kept his heart open.

“When we hate, we become separate,” he said. “And, when we are separate we can never be whole.”

I’ll never forget the time we spent together, and how each conversation lent its light to an undiscovered facet. In my life now, I try always to share his lessons forward – thankful for each step in his faith-affirming journey.

Wishing peace to all today, my loves…

Namaste ❤

On Becoming Whole.

A young woman approached me the other day. I could tell that her heart was heavy; something in her voice hinted at the sorrow.

She had left her home in southwest Indiana hoping to make a ‘fresh start’, as the saying goes. But what she had run from met her here though in alternate form – a broken marriage, a failed reconciliation and subsequent financial woes.

Though her efforts were well-guided, she was still forcing her way through – convinced that ‘a life left behind’ was the only thing left to do.

“I just don’t understand how this happened,” she said. “We were so happy. Everything was so perfect.”

Like most of us she was struggling to find the truth. She wanted desperately to understand the lies, the deceit, and the ultimate degradation of trust.

Though, as Dogen once wrote: “If you can’t find the truth where you are, where else can you expect to find it?”

She had hoped the moved might offer the benefit of a new life; however, we can never escape that which requires our service. Though certainly change may help to facilitate perspective – it can not do so with closed heart and narrowed vision.

So often we mistake healing with a lessening of pain. Though, truly to be ‘healed’ is to be made ‘whole’ again. And how can we made whole if we’re constantly fleeing?

A little something to consider my loves…

In peace…

Namaste ❤

The Forgiveness of Our Choosing.

Grief has its way, does it not? Of exposing the roots of memory’s tallest shadow – and, the seemingly irreconcilable aspects of heart.

We long for that which has passed; we plead for better days. We stand alone in the mists of our guilt-laden thoughts, fearful to allow soul’s forgiveness.

“Be thine own palace,” writes poet, John Donne. “Or the world’s thy jail.”

Yet, yielding ourselves to this expansiveness of light can often prove overwhelming. Though never, my loves – unbearable.

The truth is – we, ourselves, divine these fates. And, we alone, determine our journey.

Whether to suffer a pain tethered to past, or to encourage the wonderment of tomorrow.

Let this be our choosing.

To some, grief is an unwelcome guest. While to others, a guide to forgiveness.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

Faith Upon a Fallen Leaf.

I wish I could remember who it was who once said, the key to happiness is a bad memory.

A little tongue in cheek, certainly – though, there is some truth behind these words.

Meaning, our lives are often impeded through clinging — holding on to that which stings. And, causes faith to crumble – like a leaf succumbing to Winter’s heir. Made friable through these circumstances of change.

But as the falls, it expresses its unity – and ‘oneness’ with this tempo of Earth.

It does not blame the tree for this destination of ‘ground’. Rather, it begs to join this circle of life — sustenance for the roots below.

And neither does it blame the shifting Sun, which once rose gold within its veins.

There’s a lesson to be learned here, my friends: do we allow the transition or force complaint? Do we find our faith in fallen leaf?

And, knowing that this change itself represents the best of what might be.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

This Blessing of Being.

Maya Angelou once spoke of forgiveness, that it was the greatest gift that we might ever share. “Love recognizes no barriers,” she said. “It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

And, hope is what we need most of all.

Hope is the catalyst for shared understanding. It is the empathy we see reflected in another’s eyes. It serves us in our quest for humanity; to reach through where otherwise disinclined. As grief threatens to force Freedom’s wings, hope begs Soul’s liberation.

“I am grateful to have been loved and to be loved now,” she once said. “And, to be able to love, because – that liberates. Love liberates. It doesn’t just hold; that’s ego. Love liberates.”

My darlings, today this message couldn’t be clearer.

There’s been much in the press regarding the separation of heart from human; questions raised as to the viability of an everlasting peace. But, there is a sense of boldness inferred – a request to raise compassion over ego. And, forgiveness – our primary obstacle.

To forgive is to lessen this burden; to free our hearts to contemplate what might be – rather, than holding tightly to that which has passed.

On this day, I wish to share an inspiration through video; and the blessing of always ‘doing right.’

In peace…

Namaste ♥

Learning to Embrace Our Mistakes.

Why is it so difficult to learn to forgive ourselves?

One small, innocuous ‘mistake’ and our minds are sent instantly spinning. We feel upset, unsettledness, and regret – our inner voice tearing the very fabric of our inner peace.

We dread them because they expose our vulnerabilities. And, in spirit’s ‘defense’, we scramble to assign fault or affix blame.

But, the truth is – we all make mistakes. Life isn’t always perfect, my darlings – and, (spoiler alert) neither are we. Though, it’s often within these pockets of ‘perfectly imperfect’ – that a renewed faith, hope and resilience are born.

In fact, it’s often that which we’ve learned to despair which helps to make us ‘better’ humans.

Mistakes humble, forcing clarity and perspective. They shake us from our ‘comfort zones’, helping to initiate a moment of reflection.

Though, more so, they create the circumstances and condition by which the roots of shared understanding may take hold.

And yet, still our instinct is to run away; to push immediately past, and onward to better things.

Though, in doing so – we fail to understand; that we can not make progress without making mistakes. Even the Buddha suffered the pains of his own enlightenment. He overcompensated for the earlier luxury of his being, torturing himself in the name of spirituality.

Though, eventually even he found his middle way.

So often, we develop a sense of rigidity surrounding our mistakes. We forget their crucial role in helping us to gain insight.

As Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche once wrote in Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness:

“We could blame the organization; we could blame the government; we could blame the police force; we could blame the weather; we could blame the food; we could blame the highways; we could blame our own motorcars, our own clothes; we could blame an infinite variety of things. But it is we who are not letting go.”

My darlings, it’s these very mistakes – as awful as they might seem – which help us to transform these ‘limitations of being’.

And, this is the simple truth within each and every one – that when we learn to embrace them, we can finally let it all go.

Namaste.