EGO’S TRIAD  #7

FORGIVENESS

“Forgiveness is the most completing gift we can experience for we all have its sweet need…” John O’donahue 

Holding a grudge is not only bad karma but unhealthful. We need to take that albatross off our necks and stop being at war with our grievances and grudges, no matter how hard it may be. 

"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside, ain't gonna study war no more." African American spiritual song.

“Return” is the key – not in the sense of repentance but rather joyously turning from doubt, suspicion and indifference to trust, hope and love.

Equanimity and spiritual transformation are interdependent. Those committed to a spiritual path are more likely to find inner peace.

Forgiveness and cleaning the slate not only create equanimity but studies have shown that forgiveness can be healthful and may increase T cell counts. Forgiveness and inner peace begin with forgiving ourselves. Once that is done it is easier to forgive others. God, Jesus will forgive us from anything we have done to Him ie. our Higher Self. But outside of that we have to engage personally with those who harmed us or whom we harmed. Cleaning the slate is also key to a peaceful crossing when its time to cross the veil between world at the end of days.

 

Repent with joy

(what we have done to our Selves and to others.)
Forgive with joy

(what others have done to us.)
You are returning to your-Self and are back on the path.

The Prodigal son/daughter returning to the Father/Mother in a state of grace.

On the other hand being cynical, judgmental and holding a grudge can increase pro-inflammatory factors which can cause certain diseases.

“Why do the ancient masters esteem the Tao? Because being one with the Tao, when you seek you find, when you make a mistake you are forgiven. That is why everyone loves it.” 

Lao-Tsu

For many, attachments to sensory pleasures create only temporary happiness. We are here to enjoy, but enjoy responsibly. Being in a sensory body is a gift which we lose when we cross over to the other side. Sensory deprivation is antithetical to our spiritual trajectory and to well-being. We are here to savor the senses and will be held accountable to the extent we did not or did not. However, reveling in the senses without consideration of the consequences is a recipe for addiction, soul sickness, even soul loss and misery. Excesses and addictions to; 'sex, drugs, rock and roll', alcohol, gambling, porn, will compromise health and sabotage equanimity and spiritual transformation.

"Joy is not incidental to one's spiritual path, it is vital." Rev. Nachman

The way to God is through the senses. From the senses will I behold the Creator.

Body-Mind-Spirit cannot be separated. Concerning the body - we do not want to spend most our energy bailing out water from a 'leaky boat' that we have to navigate down the river of life. We need to maintain our bodies to the best of our bodies's abilities for balance and harmony. Yoga has an eight limbed path to enlightenment. Two of these are sensory; asanas (postures), and breath meditation (pranayama.)

THE FALLACY OF PERFECTION

Trying to be perfect - something we may have learned from our parents or elsewhere - can be a recipe for unhappiness. There should always be;

a sufficiency of excellence unto itself.

We need to strive for excellence especially in our spiritual work which should take precedence over most things once the supply lines are guaranteed. There comes a time when perseverating and spending precious energy on a project already well done becomes wasteful. Attempts to get a minimal, relatively meaningless degree of improvement using a maximal amount of one's time can be an unhappy compulsion. True 'Perfection' is an unattainable goal. One can always do something a tiny bit better and it will still never be perfect.

When it comes to enlightenment or Self-realization which may imply a fixed point, the Ancestors prefer the word 'Becoming.' We never get there but can attain a level that can earn us a place amongst other Self-realized beings in the various Enlightened realms.