It seems in the same theme doesn't it? So we're going to be having a Forgiveness meditation later in the retreat. Actually Forgiveness depends again on compassionate understanding and truthfulness. Looking inside ourselves, we can understand these energies within ourselves, and understand the ignorance that may have created it for ourselves. We have to learn how to forgive ourselves because its very difficult to forgive others if we can't forgive ourselves. It helps to be able to see people as more like that changing, flowing river I talked about at the beginning of the retreat. Not freezing them into that one moment where they caused difficulties, understanding that they probably had some greed, hatred or ignorance going through their mind. That perhaps they didn't have awareness to understand their thoughts and let them go.
Also to understand that they are causing suffering for themselves if they did unskillful actions to us. And we can learn how to forgive them; as well, the same with ourselves. Looking back at who we have been, understanding that we were clouded by greed, hatred and ignorance during some times in our life, understanding that we have the capacity to change that. We need to make a determination to try to change it, because we don't want to just forgive out of indifference. We make a determination to try to understand, to avoid doing unskillful actions for ourselves and others in the future. And seeing that everybody has the capacity to change.