Below is a series of short talks I gave in November 2023 on how to shift from resentment, anger, and ill-will to genuine forgiveness, as much for yourself as those who have caused you harm.
Beneath each talk are some related resources to explore that theme a little more deeply. I hope to add some guided meditations sometime soon.
- My favorite overview of forgiveness — both the theory and the tangible meditative practice, by Asher Wallis.
- A brief guide to forgiveness meditation by Bhante Vimalaramsi, which is based on his 50-page Forgiveness Meditation book. Also, here is a 20-minute guided meditation in this style.
- Desmond Tutu’s Full-length book, called “The Book of Forgiving.” For a short summary of the book, check out this article.
- To go more into self-forgiveness, see the prior links from Asher Wallis, Bhante Vimalaramsi, and Desmond Tutu. Each of them establishes the ground layer that can be applied to oneself or another person.
- To uproot the deeply-held stories that lead to resentment, ill-will and anger, Byron Katie’s “The Work” is an excellent tool. This brief guide explains the basic method, and she usually has people start with “The Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet.”