Comments on: Forgiveness http://www.open-secrets.com/perceptions/forgiveness/ Exploring the Obvious Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:40:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John http://www.open-secrets.com/perceptions/forgiveness/comment-page-1/#comment-279 John Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:41:27 +0000 http://www.open-secrets.com/?p=674#comment-279 Nancy - I think the mind has gotten a bad rap. The mind/heart split is as prevalent as the mind/body split in our culture - maybe more. The challenge in working the "higher mind" always rests with the issue of identity. Having said that, I think we see the situation more or less in the same light. The dominant organ of perception in the act of forgiveness is the heart. When the mind is informed and influenced by the heart's perception, the history is no longer part of the identification and the mind is freed from future reactivity around the situation. Nancy – I think the mind has gotten a bad rap. The mind/heart split is as prevalent as the mind/body split in our culture – maybe more. The challenge in working the “higher mind” always rests with the issue of identity.

Having said that, I think we see the situation more or less in the same light. The dominant organ of perception in the act of forgiveness is the heart. When the mind is informed and influenced by the heart’s perception, the history is no longer part of the identification and the mind is freed from future reactivity around the situation.

]]> By: Nancy http://www.open-secrets.com/perceptions/forgiveness/comment-page-1/#comment-278 Nancy Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:35:10 +0000 http://www.open-secrets.com/?p=674#comment-278 Hi John, In terms of forgiveness, I agree with your ideas on an open, all encompassing heart. What a beautiful thing that is to behold and experience. Beyond beautiful. In my opinion it is our only hope for growth, spirituality, psychological well being, nurturance, change. It's pretty much everything. But the use of the mind, I'm not so sure about. I don't think it "erases" very well. I find it works much better to tap into one's highest mind to really think about the situation, pain, hurt. A deeper understanding can often follow, so the problem, pain, hurt kind of ripens and changes and falls away on it's own like fruit falling from a tree. Then this often acrobatic mind over matter thing is no longer required. Instead you have walked into a different place, you have more of yourself to live your life with... I have lived in an ashram, studied several authors (I love Suzuki as well), and bounced around in life. Perhaps you can guess what I was hinting at in my thoughts on using one's mind. I am a psychotherapist now, and have had a lot of my own psychotherapy. I know a lot of people go "uck pooey!" when they hear the work "psychotherapy". And I agree, in many, perhaps most, cases. But there is a small group of analytic therapist in the SF and the Berkeley area that are working, in my opinion, with this "higher mind", ie thinking with an open, all encompassing heart. (What other kind of intelligence really matters? So these concepts of "heart" and "mind" are perhaps really one and the same thing, or useless on their own.) And that is where I am putting my heart and mind, my time, my money, my soul, my profession, my life energy. I love it. (And all professions can run on this same energy supply.) Please respond if you like at my email address. (One of your friend's friends told my about your web page. It is very impressive.) Hi John,

In terms of forgiveness, I agree with your ideas on an open, all encompassing heart. What a beautiful thing that is to behold and experience. Beyond beautiful. In my opinion it is our only hope for growth, spirituality, psychological well being, nurturance, change. It’s pretty much everything.

But the use of the mind, I’m not so sure about. I don’t think it “erases” very well. I find it works much better to tap into one’s highest mind to really think about the situation, pain, hurt. A deeper understanding can often follow, so the problem, pain, hurt kind of ripens and changes and falls away on it’s own like fruit falling from a tree. Then this often acrobatic mind over matter thing is no longer required. Instead you have walked into a different place, you have more of yourself to live your life with…

I have lived in an ashram, studied several authors (I love Suzuki as well), and bounced around in life. Perhaps you can guess what I was hinting at in my thoughts on using one’s mind. I am a psychotherapist now, and have had a lot of my own psychotherapy. I know a lot of people go “uck pooey!” when they hear the work “psychotherapy”. And I agree, in many, perhaps most, cases. But there is a small group of analytic therapist in the SF and the Berkeley area that are working, in my opinion, with this “higher mind”, ie thinking with an open, all encompassing heart. (What other kind of intelligence really matters? So these concepts of “heart” and “mind” are perhaps really one and the same thing, or useless on their own.) And that is where I am putting my heart and mind, my time, my money, my soul, my profession, my life energy. I love it. (And all professions can run on this same energy supply.)

Please respond if you like at my email address. (One of your friend’s friends told my about your web page. It is very impressive.)

]]> By: John http://www.open-secrets.com/perceptions/forgiveness/comment-page-1/#comment-277 John Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:26:08 +0000 http://www.open-secrets.com/?p=674#comment-277 I think one could say that strength is fundamentally expansiveness. Strength shows up in our experience as vitality, aliveness, discrimination, and other ways, but if you look into the experience, there is usually an expansive quality there. Our capacities expand beyond the contained limits of the ego as well as the known world of the soul. Strength moves, supports and protects the soul as she moves into deeper revelation of her nature. I think one could say that strength is fundamentally expansiveness. Strength shows up in our experience as vitality, aliveness, discrimination, and other ways, but if you look into the experience, there is usually an expansive quality there. Our capacities expand beyond the contained limits of the ego as well as the known world of the soul.

Strength moves, supports and protects the soul as she moves into deeper revelation of her nature.

]]> By: Lou http://www.open-secrets.com/perceptions/forgiveness/comment-page-1/#comment-274 Lou Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:41:35 +0000 http://www.open-secrets.com/?p=674#comment-274 Just out of curiosity, how would you define true strength? Just out of curiosity, how would you define true strength?

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