FORGIVENESS

 

There are many reasons for giving and receiving forgiveness. These contrast with some popular dogmas and misconceptions such as;

 I don’t get mad I get even, forgiveness is being weak, I will never condone, reconcile, or forget ... etc. 

When there is a continual rerun of old tapes and stories we become and get stuck in our stories. This is counterproductive to spiritual transformation. Some of the biproducts of forgiveness are:

 

Compassion

“We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and we owe each other a terrible loyalty” G.K. Chesterton

 

Redemption

“A person cannot find redemption until he sees the flaws in his soul and tries to efface them. Whoever shuts out the realization of his flaws is shutting out redemption. We can only be redeemed to the extent to which we see ourselves.” The Talmud

 

Karma can be mitigated through forgiveness. Karma is about the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. Forgiveness can help to erase some of those consequences.

 

“It is very dangerous to go into eternity with possibilities which one has oneself prevented from becoming realities...”
Soren Kierkegaard

 

Merit on a judgmental level is the balancing of evil and good deeds.
Merit is the credit we receive on the side of good.
This may occur due to an entire life of great piety or because of a single kind act, long forgotten, a generous giving of self that was prompted by the heart's compassion in response to someone's need or want.

 

Cleansing

“Iniquities are etched upon our bones such that traces remain even when God forgives. One must acknowledge and confess the wrongdoing to have the stain cleansed and the record removed.“ Ezekiel

 

Healing

When you no longer need to be right, the perfection of your soul will shine through.

 

Hope

“…What you give to if not received is still not lost. Not getting back what you give and or not having what you give being received – neither way is a waste or loss.” J. O’donahue

Return to the Higher Self or Soul. Sacredness.

The soul yearns to do the Creator’s will and clings to the body when all is well.
A body caught up in cravings and attached to sentient pleasures distances the soul.
The soul withdraws causing illness.
The body’s attachment needs to be broken so the soul (essence) can return to the body.

 

“From the sound of my sighing has my essence (soul) cleaved onto my flesh (body.)” King David the psalmist

"Do not weigh (judge.) A soul that weighs, suffers harm." 

The Talmud

 

Forgiveness is critical in allowing redemption from soul sickness or loss. "Sighing" refers to the equanimity attained when the soul cleaves to the body again. This is similar to the parable of the prodigal son or daughter returning in wholeness to the divine Father/Mother.

 

Return is the key … joyously turning from doubt, suspicion and indifference to trust, hope and love. Return is speaking of the soul's essence again lodging comfortably in the body.

 

No one is perfect. All of us are on a journey towards spiritual perfection and some of us are further back along the countless wheels of our lifetimes than others. 

 

“S/He who still harbors an evil inclination has a great advantage. He who has no evil inclination at all cannot give perfect service. What counts is to restrain the blaze in the hours of desire and let it flow into the hours of prayer and service.”  Talmud

 

“To confront a person with his own shadow is to show him his own light.” Carl Jung

 

“To listen a soul into disclosure and discovery is the
greatest service one human being can offer another.” 

Quaker saying

 

Contrition and redemption are always possible no matter how strong the ego, how unskillful monkey mind or how dark the shadow or the evil inclination. However, one has to be capable of seeing it and having the strong intention to do something about it. We need to forgive and be forgiven.

 

Without forgiveness it will be difficult to truly find the serenity we desire to go forward. Ancient wisdom has shown, and now neuroscience is proving, that forgiveness may be vitally important for the one doing the forgiving not just the one who is being forgiven. The effects of guilt and shame include; a decrease in self-motivation and control, being less accountable rather than accountable as well as depression and “dis”-ease (sickness within) which can cause disease or illness.

Forgiveness increases the immune system and our T cell counts. AIDS patients who forgave the person that transmitted the virus lived longer and had fewer complication than those who had not. Compassion also enhances immunity. Cynicism relates to judgment and the tendency to hold a grudge. Cynicism decreases our T cells and immune system. Guilt, shame and lack of self-forgiveness (self-condemnation) can increase pro-inflammatory factors leading to atherosclerosis, some auto-immune disorders and some cancers. Forgiveness of Self and others is healthful! 

Click play and ponder

 02_Sacredness.mp3