There is Power in Forgiving

There is Power in Forgiving

I had a number of conversations at the Ki Center last week concerning the power of forgiving and letting go. Must people have problems in forgiving because they feel that they have been victimized by an individual or group.  There is no power in playing the role of a victim. You obtain spiritual power when you learn to forgive and let go of the past.

Learning to let go of emotional thoughts of the past is an important part in bring balance to Mind, Body and Spirit. It is also a major factor in any proactive wellness strategy. The ability to forgive means to let go of the emotional story that we carry in our thoughts after a negative experience. After we have a negative experience we develop a story in our mind that relates to the emotions felt during that experience.

Negative emotions played over and over again in our thoughts about something that happen in the past can make us ill.Negative emotional thoughts have a direct relationship with vital body organs: sorrow and grief will affect the Lungs and Large Intestine, worry will affect the Spleen/Pancreas and Stomach, anger/ frustration will affect the Liver and Gallbladder.

My favorite story about the wisdom of letting go and forgiving is when two Zen monks were walking on a rainy muddy road near a village. After reaching the village they came upon a woman of the night in a beautiful silk kimono trying to cross the road. The mud was so deep that if she crossed she would ruin her beautiful Kimono. Observing this the senor monk picked the woman up and took her across the road.

The monks continued their walk in silence. Five hours later the junior monk could not restrain himself any longer. “Why did you pick that woman of the night up and carry her across the road, monks are not supposed to do that, he said’.  The senior monk smiled and said, “I put the woman down five hours ago, it seems that you are still carrying the woman; let her go the story that you are playing in your head can make you ill”