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SPIRITUAL SCIENCE - A JOURNEY BACK TO YOUR TRUE SELF

PRACTICE 10: FORGIVENESS

Author: Hoàng Nhật Minh

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Created: 2026-05-03 21:16:39

Updated: 15:55pm 04/05/2026

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Book cover image Practice 10: Forgiveness

A disciple asked a Zen master:

Master, if someone hurts me, should I forgive them?

The master smiled.

If you do not forgive, you will carry that person on your shoulders for the rest of your life.

But I do not want to carry them!

Then put them down, my child.

Forgiveness does not change the past-but it opens a new future within us.

1) What this practice truly means

Forgiveness is not merely an action; it is a state of awareness.

It does not demand that we forget the hurt. It invites us to look deeply into the roots of suffering until we can understand that:

- Every harmful act is born from ignorance and fear.

- The person who wounded us is, in truth, wounded within their own soul.

When you see that clearly, the heart softens of its own accord-and forgiveness blossoms like a natural flower of understanding.

2) Steps for practising forgiveness

Step 1: Name the pain

Sit quietly, close your eyes, and allow the memory to arise.

Let the image of the person who hurt you appear-do not push it away, and do not judge it.

Simply look. Simply feel.

Notice what emotions are rising: anger, sadness, disappointment, humiliation… These are not enemies. They are unhealed energy.

To face the pain directly is to begin the journey into freedom.

Step 2: Understand-the root of forgiveness

Ask yourself:

- If I had been born and raised in their circumstances, would I have acted differently?

- What fear was driving them?

- What has this taught me about love-and about my own boundaries?

Understanding does not excuse what was wrong. It helps you see the whole picture, so you no longer remain trapped in the victim's corner.

Step 3: Release the energy of resentment

Breathe in deeply-breathe out slowly.

With each in-breath, imagine light entering you. With each out-breath, imagine heavy energy leaving the heart.

Whisper to yourself:

I choose to let go. I will no longer allow the past to control the present.

When the breath grows lighter, it means the energy of resentment has begun to dissolve.

Step 4: Send loving energy

Gently place a hand over your heart. Imagine the heart opening like a luminous flower.

Offer the other person a simple blessing:

May you be at peace.

May I be at peace.

May all of us be free.

Feel the light spreading through the body.

This is forgiveness in its truest form-not from the mind, but from the soul.

3) Practical ways to apply it

- Write a letter of forgiveness-without sending it. Write to release the energy.

- When old memories return, do not suppress them-breathe, and smile gently at the memory.

- If you can, say "thank you" to the one who once hurt you-because through them, you learned to love more deeply.

No one can keep hurting us forever-unless we refuse to let go.

4) The scientific basis of forgiveness

Neuroscience studies suggest:

- When we hold onto resentment, the amygdala repeatedly triggers fight-or-flight responses, increasing stress and weakening the immune system.

- When we forgive sincerely, the prefrontal cortex and areas associated with wellbeing (including the ventromedial PFC) become more active, supporting the release of oxytocin and serotonin and bringing a sense of ease.

In the map of consciousness proposed by Dr David R. Hawkins, the emotional energy of forgiveness is described as vibrating at around 600 Hz-comparable to unconditional love.

Forgiveness is not merely a moral ideal. It is biological and energetic therapy for the soul.

5) When forgiveness becomes meditation

Forgiveness is not only for the past.

Each time someone irritates us, we can practise forgiveness immediately by:

- pausing, breathing deeply, and smiling;

- telling ourselves: I forgive you, and I forgive myself. I am releasing myself-and this karmic entanglement-so that we may be free of all chains.

- letting go of the need to be right, and choosing love over victory.

Then forgiveness becomes a way of living, not an effortful task.

6) The essence of the practice

Forgiveness is a doorway into freedom.

When we forgive, the energy of love flows again.

When the energy of love flows, life blossoms.

And when life blossoms, suffering naturally falls away.

Practise forgiveness every day-for others, for circumstances, and most of all, for yourself.

Hoàng Nhật Minh
Excerpt from the book: Spiritual Science - A Journey Back To Your True Self

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