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>>The Tao of Forgiveness
>>
>>
>>One day, the sage gave the disciple an empty sack and a basket of potatoes.
>>'Think of all the people who have done or said something
>>against you in the recent past, especially those who you cannot forgive.
>>
>>For each of them, inscribe the name on a potato and put it in the sack.'
>>
>>The disciple came up quite a few names, and soon his sack was heavy with
>>potatoes.
>>
>>'Carry the sack with you wherever you go for a week,' said the sage. 'We'll
>>talk after that.'
>>
>>At first, the disciple thought nothing of it. Carrying the sack was not
>>particularly difficult. But after a while, it became more of a burden. It
>>sometimes got in the way, and it seemed to require more effort to carry as
>>time went on, even though its weight remained the same.
>>
>>After a few days, the sack began to smell. The carved potatoes gave off a
>>ripe odor. Not only were they increasingly inconvenient to carry around, they
>>were also becoming rather unpleasant.
>>
>>Finally, the week was over. The sage summoned the disciple. 'Any thoughts
>>about all this?'
>>
>>'Yes, Master,' the disciple replied. 'When we are unable to forgive others,
>>we carry negative feelings with us everywhere, much like these potatoes. That
>>negativity becomes a burden to us and, after a while, it festers.'
>>
>>'Yes, that is exactly what happens when one holds a grudge. So, how can we
>>lighten the load?'
>>
>>'We must strive to forgive.'
>>
>>'Forgiving someone is the equivalent of removing the corresponding potato
>>from the sack. How many of your transgressors are you able to forgive?'
>>
>>'I've thought about it quite a bit, Master,' the disciple said. 'It required
>>much effort, but I have decided to forgive all of them.'
>>
>>'Very well, we can remove all the potatoes. Were there any more people who
>>transgressed against you this last week?'
>>
>>The disciple thought for a while and admitted there were. Then he felt panic
>>when he realized his empty sack was about to get filled up again.
>>
>>'Master,' he asked, 'if we continue like this, wouldn't there always be
>>potatoes in the sack week after week?'
>>
>>'Yes, as long as people speak or act against you in some way, you will always
>>have potatoes.'
>>
>>'But Master, we can never control what others do. So what good is the Tao in
>>this case?'
>>
>>'We're not at the realm of the Tao yet. Everything we have talked about so
>>far is the conventional approach to forgiveness. It is the same thing that
>>many philosophies and most religions preach - we must constantly strive to
>>forgive, for it is an important virtue. This is not the Tao because there is
>>no striving in the Tao.'
>>
>>'Then what is the Tao, Master?'
>>
>>'You can figure it out. If the potatoes are negative feelings, then what is
>>the sack?'
>>
>>'The sack is... That which allows me to hold on to the negativity. It is
>>something within us that makes us dwell on feeling offended.... Ah, it is my
>>inflated sense of self-importance. '
>>
>>'And what will happen if you let go of it?'
>>
>>'Then... The things that people do or say against me no longer seem like such
>>a major issue.'
>>
>>'In that case, you won't have any names to inscribe on potatoes. That means
>>no more weight to carry around, and no more bad smells.
>>
>>The Tao of forgiveness is a conscious decision to not just to remove some
>>potatoes... but to relinquish the entire sack.
>>
>>LET US ALL GIVE UP THAT SACK!!!
>>
>>
>>
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