This is the third talk in a series on the facets of universal love of the

Awakening Heart and we started with loving kindness which is the response of the

heart when we see the beauty and the mystery and the goodness that's here and

then the second was on compassion and we really emphasize self-compassion when

we can really get the suffering within our own beings the response of

tenderness and care. So tonight we're going to be exploring forgiveness which

is the compassion that arises when we have we put up some sort of

armoring of the heart and the heart starts to melt when we begin to see the

suffering and others we forgive others when when we begin to let ourselves feel

the vulnerability that's there. So it's an all-important process in our

evolution and it's a universal one for all of us because our nervous systems

are designed when we feel wounded and we all get wounded to tense up and create

some sort of an armoring. So we're designed to do that we're designed to be

angry and we're designed to try to protect ourselves from further hurt it's

all natural and we also have this gift of having this awareness that can see

how we're armoring and see where it's causing harm and begin to soften and

open and let go. So forgiving is a part of our capacity and really to fully

wake up to wake up beyond the separate defended ego itself it's something

that each of us is in some way exploring. And in the Buddhist tradition

forgiveness is considered the precursor to loving kindness that your heart just

can't be open and flowing with love if you're I'm blaming and resentful and

holding against others. So for that reason I reflect on it often in my own life

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