Philosophy, meditation, soul, healing, yoga, restorative, forgiveness

Transcript

Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Hello. My name is Brett. Today I'm going to read you a little short story out of a book called Soul Stories. The author's name is Gary Zukav. I'm jumping into the middle of the book. This chapter is called forgiveness. Kill him, said the brother. His face was set like stone. Kill him, said the mother, through her tears. Kill him! Said the sister. Her voice quivering around the council fire. Each member of the family spoke in the balance lay the life of a young man sitting restlessly Outside. Murder is a terrible thing. Murder of a friend is more terrible yet, yet there he sat, the blood of his friends still on his hands awaiting his fate. Let us think this through smoke. The grandfather softly, sorrow deepened the lines in his wrinkled face. Generations spoke through him, will killing him. Return our boy to us. No, no, no. The word slowly moved around the torture circle. Sometimes whispered, sometimes murmured, sometimes spoken spitefully, will killing him. Help feed our people, ask the old man, his steady eyes. No, then, no, then. No, moved around the circle. My brother speaks, said the great uncle. All faces turned toward him. A tear ran slowly down his cheek. Let us look at this matter carefully. They did not. They did look at it carefully. They deliberated through the night. Then they called the young man to his fate. See that teepee, they said, pointing to the T. P of the young man he had killed. He nodded. It's yours. Now see those horses, they said, pointing to the dead man's horses. He nodded again. They are yours, now. You are now our son. You will take the place of the one you have killed. He looked up slowly at the faces surrounding him. His new life had begun, and so had There's Brown bear looked across the table That happened in the late 1800s. He said. They could have killed him. Tribal law gave them the right. I sat amazed at Brown bears words. They sank into me. Could the family of a murdered boy adopt the murderer as their son? The young man became a devoted son. Brown bear continued. By the time he died, he was known in all the tribes as the model of a loving son. This is forgiveness. Authentically empowered people forgive naturally. They forgive because they do not want to carry the burden of not forgiving like heavy suitcases through a crowded airport. The family of the murdered boy could have killed his father. Instead they took him as their son. That changed their lives and his. They did not know how their decision would affect the young man, but they felt the effect of it on themselves. They did not have to hate him. They did not have to live with the death in their hearts as well as the death of their son. Have you ever thought that somebody treated you so badly? Then thought about it again and again. How did it make you feel? Were you angry or sad or frightened? That is what you gave up until you forgive. You cannot use all your creativity Part of you is thinking about what you have forgiven. Do you want to live your life in that way? Have you not forgiven? Do you want to live your life in that way? Is it worth? It? Is anything worth That? Forgiveness and harmony go together when you forgive somebody, nothing stands between you and that person. Even if the person you forgive does not like you, you have laid your suitcases down. You travel lightly when you are harmonious, You are playful, You delight in people not forgiving, stops this forgiving opens the door to it. Harmony does not only mean harmony with other people. Are you in harmony with yourself? Do parts of yourself frighten you or make you angry? Can you forgive those parts? Are you afraid of dropping the ball losing the deal or failing the test? Imagine that each time you get angry at yourself you put a brick into a backpack that you were wearing. Can you enjoy yourself while you're wearing a backpack full of bricks? Are you in harmony with the universe? Do you think it wronged you? How happy can you be while you are holding a grudge against the universe? This is the real issue. What you feel about the universe shows what you feel about yourself. Are you afraid of your anger? You will also be afraid of an angry universe? The universe isn't angry, but you will be afraid that it is hating yourself and hating the universe are the same thing. Loving yourself and loving the universe are the same thing. Not forgiving the universe is a heavy burden to carry. Why not lighten your load? In fact, why not get rid of it? If forgiving the universe seems more than you can do? Start by forgiving another person put down one suitcase at a time. That is how you create great harmony. It is also how you forgive.