Forgiveness is one of the hardest things that we can put into practice. Forgiveness gives us an opportunity to heal and let our hearts expand. We can forgive but it's hard to forget the pain and suffering we've gone through. Forgiving someone doesn't give them a pass or excuse their bad behavior. Forgiving gives us an opportunity to process the pain that we've been through. I once experienced another monk I had to forgive, but we had to have a talk first so I could understand his behaviors. Every time we were in a group setting he would give me a little punch in the arm. Over time the friendly punches in the arm became more and more powerful. I had wondered why he was hurting me in this way. I eventually sat him down and asked him about this and he said that he was sorry and that I reminded him of his dad. His dad had left them as a teenager. The point of the story is that in order for me to forgive him I had to have some backstory on his behaviors. Once I found out why he was acting this way, it was easier for me to forgive him. https://MonkMindset.com