17 October 2021 — FORGIVENESS

Following on from yesterday’s blog which dealt with forgiving and forgetting rather than holding a grudge, today I use a quotation from H.H. The X1Vth Dalai Lama which reads:

FORGIVENESS

IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE CONSTRUCTIVE

IF PEOPLE TRIED TO UNDERSTAND THEIR SUPPOSED ENEMIES.

LEARNING TO FORGIVE IS MUCH MORE USEFUL

THAN MERELY PICKING UP A STONE AND

THROWING IT AT THE OBJECT OF ONE’S ANGER.

THE MORE SO WHEN THE PROVOCATION IS EXTREME.

FOR IT IS UNDER THE GREATEST ADVERSITY

THAT THERE EXISTS THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR DOING GOOD

BOTH FOR ONESELF AND OTHERS.

I assume that the phrase ‘picking up a stone and throwing it’ is merely allegorical and that it refers to our mind consuming itself with angry thoughts and with hatred. The Dalai Lama suggests that the more angry and upset one is there is less likelihood of actually acting in a negative way. In other words when we reach boiling point and our negativity momentarily explodes as it were we are presented with the choice of reigning in the anger and exploring WHY we are so upset. And more often than not with a little bit of subjective enquiry we are able to turn things around = FORGIVE AND FORGET and ‘do good both for oneself and others.’

PONDER POINTS: How I felt upon reading this was ….. the last time I allowed my mind to consume itself with anger towards someone was when ….the situation was resolved when … I remember being in a position of ‘great adversity’ and being able to turn it around by doing good for myself and others when ….