The student tries to walk gently and elegantly
but staggers. The teacher asks why.
“Because my companion hurt me deeply.”
“Ah,” says the teacher. “This much?”
and picks up a stone. “No,” says the student,
“this much,“ and picks up a much larger, heavy stone.
“Carry the stone,” says the teacher,
“and walk gently and elegantly.”
The student staggers and stumbles even more.
“At first your friend hurt you,” says the teacher,
“but now it is the stone that is hurting you.
The stone is your judgment
of how much your friend hurt you.
Set it down. That is all forgiveness is.
You are still hurt.
But you are not carrying the stone.”
“Ah,” says the student, “now I am free!”
“Not yet. Not until you have sit it down
seventy-seven times,
and no longer wish to pick it up.”
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light www.unfoldinglight.net
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