The WISDOM of FORGIVENESS

The WISDOM of FORGIVENESS

Intimate Conversations and Journeys

written by

HIs Holiness the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan

"After I escaped from Tibet, Lopon-Ia put in prison by Chinese,"

the Dalai Lama told me, "He stayed there eighteen years. When he finally free, he came to India. For twenty years, I did not see him. But he seemed the same. Of course looked older, But physically OK. His mind sharp after so many years in prison. He was still same gentle monk.

"He told me the Chinese forced him to denounce his religion. They tortured him many times in prison. I asked him whether he was ever afraid. Lopon-Ia then told me: 'Yes, there was one thing I was afraid of. I was afraid I may lose compassion for the Chinese.'

"I was very moved by this, and also very inspired."

The Dalai Lama paused. He tugged on his maroon robes and wrapped them tightly around him.

"Now. Lopon-Ia. Forgiveness helped him in prison. Because of forgiveness, his bad experience with Chinese not got worse. Mentally and emotionally, he didn't suffer too much. He knew he could not escape. So, better to accept reality than to be traumatized by it."

The Dalai Lama is convinced that Lopon-Ia's power of forgiveness helped in survive all those years in prison without irreparable damage to his psyche. On one of my European trips with the Dalai Lama, I met a man whose life, like Lopon-Ia's, was enhanced by forgiveness.

--------p.47-48

"Compassion is something like a sense of caring, a sense of concern for others' difficulties and pain," the Dalai Lama said.

"Not only family and friends, but all other people. Enmies also. Now, if we really analyze our feelings, one thing becomes clear. If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness, they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens.

At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only yourself own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear.

---------p.166