Q: I feel so much pain in my heart. Can you speak of how to experience forgiveness?
John: By never, ever being hard on your self again.
Q: How do you do that?
John: By never judging yourself based on anything that you’ve ever learned, never judging yourself based on anything that you’ve ever believed; by letting your whole heart be totally naked, and letting it stay naked.
Q: It stays naked by not reacting to the mind’s thoughts?
John: Not believing them. Not dressing your heart up.
Q: Do you mean with beliefs?
John: Not dressing up your heart with what is supposed to be, not dressing it up with what could be, not dressing up your heart with what you want it to be, but letting all of the clothing on your heart come off, and being gentle with what’s left over. No longer needing others to like you and no longer needing your self to like you.
What’s left over is the most tender okayness that needs no help. Very gently give up on your self, and be content with being simply okay as is.
Q: My heart thanks you.
John: Let your whole self be reduced until all that’s left over is a smile, then you’ve found your self. It’s as simple as that. When all that is left over of your self is a simple smile, then you’ll no longer have a single problem within: the end of your misery and the end of your whole life as you’ve known it.
