Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Compassion  

They have made mistakes. But after all, we are only human. Who among us is without faults? Within them lies fear and confusion, each time they stumble.

 What they truly need is not judgment of right and wrong, not a love tainted with authority or punishment, but a listening ear, one that understands deeply and feels compassion down to the very roots of their suffering.

As someone in a position of guidance, a parent, elder, or teacher, our task is to accept every circumstance of those under our care. Compassion is the first gate that leads to forgiveness. “Yes, they were wrong.” Precisely so, that is why our forgiveness is needed. Who would ever need forgiveness for doing right? Thus, true forgiveness is born…

Only when we set aside the high walls of our ego, the pride of being a parent, a senior, a mentor, can we gently gather the other into our embrace and offer true forbearance. Without our compassion, who knows where they would wander after their mistakes, lost in blame, sorrow, pain, or despair.

When we open the eyes of loving-kindness, spread wide the arms of understanding, and use the heart of compassion to warm lives that have gone astray, in that very moment, we become Bodhisattvas of Understanding and Love.

This world is deeply in need of such Bodhisattvas… For those who stumble, they are, in truth, the ones we love.