Posts Tagged ‘Resting in Radical Forgiveness’
Forgiveness Brings Peace to All
Thursday, October 21st, 2010
“I want to forgive my father for kicking me out of the house, hating and rejecting me. And I want to forgive myself for believing him.” ~Email from a teenager
How has forgiveness brought peace to your life and your heart?
According to Positive Psychology founder, Martin Seligman, forgiveness can actually increase our overall health and well-being. As Seligman says, “People who are forgiving have less anger, less depression, less hostility, and are less neurotic and less vengeful. Forgiveness increases your own happiness.”
When asked if he has forgiven China, the Dalai Lama said (paraphrased): “They’ve stolen my land and country. I’m not going to let them steal my mind.”
To deepen your experiences of forgiveness, register for the upcoming 4-week course on radical forgiveness:
Resting in Radical Forgiveness 4-Week Telecourse
In this 4-week telecourse we will deeply examine forgiveness from many points of view. We will see where we are carrying the pain of not forgiving and why it is important to be free. We will spend time looking at the 4 levels of forgiveness.
You will leave the course with a deeper understanding of resting in radical forgiveness and the impact it has on your daily life. Guided meditation/imagery, deep listening, examining world views, and inspired writing are all a part of this course.
Mon., November 1, 8, 15, & 22, 2010. 8:00PM – 9:00PM(EST)
Investment: $99 (Limited to 10 participants).
Location: On the phone. The teleconference number will be given upon registration.
Pre-Registration Required: Email Mary Anne Flanagan at maflanagan@toningtheom.com
How Do You Show Yourself Compassion?
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
While giving my forgiveness telecourse, I read a quote by Pema Chodron:
“It all starts with loving-kindness for oneself, which in turn becomes loving-kindness for others. As the barriers come down around our own hearts, we are less afraid of other people. We are more able to hear what is being said, see what is front of our eyes, and work in accord with what happens rather than struggle against it.”
The forgiveness course is about making space for more love, peace and forgiveness in our hearts and in our lives. Each week has a specific focus and last week our focus was compassion. I shared with students my definition of compassion:
Compassion is our capacity to love – without the story attached to it. It’s the acts of doing and the heart of being. It’s being our own best friend & having the capacity to befriend others.
I ask students in the course to share how they show themselves loving-kindness and compassion. We take time to reflect and write down a few ways we are compassionate with ourselves. In every course, many students struggle to name ways of how they treat themselves with loving-kindness and compassion. It reminds me of how hard we are on ourselves and that giving comes from our capacity to give to ourselves too. Compassion is our ability to find relief and lead with our hearts.
The invitation is to practice compassion with yourself. Notice ways you show yourself loving-kindness. Ask how does loving-kindness and compassion show up in my life and HOW do I respond when it does?
As the Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Mary Anne