When it comes to pain in human experience, no one is excused. There is a spectrum of pain and healing in life that runs the gamut from annoyance, to heartbreak, to atrocity. Each path to forgiveness is unique. Your path will likely be framed by several variables:
| Scope of Loss
Bic Pen Ice Cream Money Time Life Opportunity Identity A Partner A Child A Race or Culture
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| Permanence/Reversibility
Immediately Replaceable Some Substitute Eventually Available Forever and Completely Irreplaceable
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| Our Choice/Control in the matter
Accidental An assigned task in a chosen job Purposeful & Directed
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| Sense of Responsibility/Ownership
Nothing to do with you Mutually Responsible Your choice led to this (Rear-end car crash) (We both forgot to lock (Made a bad business decision) the door and got robbed)
|
| Amount of Information
All understandings Both party’s sides of the story Understand ‘What happened’ Confusion
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Perceived Intent of Offender
To serve your life directly to serve others to serve only him/herself to harm intentionally
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Exercise in Tonglen
To begin this practice, sit in a meditative posture, whether sitting on a floor comfortably, in a chair, or even lying down. Any position in which you can relax and focus on your thoughts will do.
- Close your eyes and begin to settle in. Feel your openness to the coming practice, and notice your thoughts peacefully as a distant stream, without attachment.
2.Begin to focus on your breath. Notice the little sensations that come with it: the rising of your chest, the tickling around your nose, the ebb and flow.
3. With your inhalations, imagine taking in heavy, hot air. With your exhalations, see if you feel cool, light air.
4. Breath in what negative feelings you have experienced as of late. Again, doing this without attachment, only notice the feelings as experiences and imagine them as you inhale.
5. On the exhales, breathe out a sense of well-being.
6. Again on the inhalations, take in negative emotions and suffering, recognizing them fully and authentically, welcoming them with willingness and non-attachment.
7. Breathe out healing, love, and wellness. Envision a pouring out of material well-being with your exhalations.
8. Now on your inhales, open your heart to the suffering of the world. Your friends and loved ones…all of the pain and hardships they have faced, you take it all into your chest as you breathe in, letting it dissolve into your being.
9. Breathe out cool light, envisioning a spring gushing with radiant healing air from a plentiful source. You are pouring your feelings of care, love, and compassion out into the world.
