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Nic · 09-30-2013, 05:49 PM

"One does not find forgiveness by way of prostration and self-recrimination or guilt. Forgiveness is a journey of the self. The pathway to forgiveness is accomplished in these steps:

1 - acknowledge each harmful behavior;
2 - explore in a calm and earnest manner, from the root, the personal actions that have caused harm;
3 - put into action the things you have learned; and
4 - remove from yourself the label of "bad", taking the label of "human" instead.

Forgiveness is the state of being found at the end of this journey.

What about forgiveness from others, Master? How do we get others to forgive us the injuries we have dealt them?

Forgiveness from others does not exist. This is a nonsense idea. There is no state of grace that can be bestowed by someone who has declared themselves an injured party. The injured party is not an enlightened being simply because he or she has been injured, just as the offending party is not somehow wreathed in a cloud of disgrace because he or she has done harm. Generally speaking, there are no enlightened people, only enlightened activities.

Doesn't the person who has been harmed deserve something from the one who has injured them? Do they receive nothing for their pain?

If the person dealing the injury has sincerely undertaken a journey of forgiveness, the person who has been harmed has been given all they are owed and more. There is no more they need be given unless the laws of the land have been violated. That is a matter best deliberated by others.

Listen to me. You have been taught that forgiveness is power; power to bestow relief upon someone you believe has done harm. This is not so. This is wrong thinking. When harm has been done, all concerned occupy the same moment. No one is removed from the circumstances that led to that moment. To be truly free of that moment one must choose the journey toward forgiveness. Those who have been harmed must also take this journey of four steps. They must acknowledge the injurious behavior that caused the harm in question and carefully explore, from the earliest moment, each personal action that contributed to that state of injury. They must adopt the changes in behavior that will stop the harmful act from occurring again and remove all labels but "human" from themselves. In this way they will also find a state of forgiveness. There is no granting to be done. There is only learning and being, exploring and doing. That is all.

But those things all sound the same Master! What the injured party does sounds no different from what must be done by the one who dealt the the injury in the first place.

Yes! Yes! Very good! You understand exactly!"

from "Conversations with Shunryu Suzuki"

09-30-2013, 05:49 PM	#13456
Nic Member How Do You Identify?: Male (FtM) Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: I am her North and she is my Star. Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Northampton, MA Posts: 195 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,029 Thanked 765 Times in 131 Posts Rep Power: 16841396	"One does not find forgiveness by way of prostration and self-recrimination or guilt. Forgiveness is a journey of the self. The pathway to forgiveness is accomplished in these steps: 1 - acknowledge each harmful behavior; 2 - explore in a calm and earnest manner, from the root, the personal actions that have caused harm; 3 - put into action the things you have learned; and 4 - remove from yourself the label of "bad", taking the label of "human" instead. Forgiveness is the state of being found at the end of this journey. What about forgiveness from others, Master? How do we get others to forgive us the injuries we have dealt them? Forgiveness from others does not exist. This is a nonsense idea. There is no state of grace that can be bestowed by someone who has declared themselves an injured party. The injured party is not an enlightened being simply because he or she has been injured, just as the offending party is not somehow wreathed in a cloud of disgrace because he or she has done harm. Generally speaking, there are no enlightened people, only enlightened activities. Doesn't the person who has been harmed deserve something from the one who has injured them? Do they receive nothing for their pain? If the person dealing the injury has sincerely undertaken a journey of forgiveness, the person who has been harmed has been given all they are owed and more. There is no more they need be given unless the laws of the land have been violated. That is a matter best deliberated by others. Listen to me. You have been taught that forgiveness is power; power to bestow relief upon someone you believe has done harm. This is not so. This is wrong thinking. When harm has been done, all concerned occupy the same moment. No one is removed from the circumstances that led to that moment. To be truly free of that moment one must choose the journey toward forgiveness. Those who have been harmed must also take this journey of four steps. They must acknowledge the injurious behavior that caused the harm in question and carefully explore, from the earliest moment, each personal action that contributed to that state of injury. They must adopt the changes in behavior that will stop the harmful act from occurring again and remove all labels but "human" from themselves. In this way they will also find a state of forgiveness. There is no granting to be done. There is only learning and being, exploring and doing. That is all. But those things all sound the same Master! What the injured party does sounds no different from what must be done by the one who dealt the the injury in the first place. Yes! Yes! Very good! You understand exactly!" from "Conversations with Shunryu Suzuki" __________________ "Trust is a verb." Street Buddha.