Hi Everyone, please help me welcome @Sujata Awade to our lovely community 🙏

Hi Everyone 👋 In the last few days, we have sat with the fire, released the ancient vows, and learned to walk through a triggering world. But there is a deeper layer still—one that many spend a lifetime avoiding. Today, we address the weight that keeps the fire burning long after the original wound has healed. My dearest friends, there comes a moment on this path where we must face the truth that no amount of breathing, meditating, or releasing will fully set us free until we address the one thing we have been secretly avoiding.... The person we believe does not deserve our forgiveness. I have sat with thousands of tired souls, and I have seen the same pattern repeat itself like a broken prayer. We carry the wounds of others in our bodies—the parent who could not love us, the partner who betrayed us, the friend who abandoned us, the institution that failed us. We hold these betrayals like precious stones, polishing them with our thoughts, keeping them close because they have become part of our identity........ We say "I am the one who was wronged," and in that story, we find a twisted sense of safety. But here is the raw, unflinching truth that the ego does not want you to hear.... Your unforgiveness is not a weapon against them; it is a prison for you. Every time you rehearse the story of how you were hurt, you are drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. The one who harmed you may never acknowledge their actions. They may never apologise. They may never even remember. And yet you remain tethered to them, your energy bleeding into the past, unable to fully inhabit the present moment. Forgiveness, in the Buddhist tradition, is not about condoning what was done. It is not about saying "It was okay" or "It didn't matter." Forgiveness is the radical, courageous act of saying "I will no longer let this define me. I release the debt you owe me, not for your sake, but for mine." In Daoism, we understand that the Tao does not hold grudges. The river does not resent the rock that diverts its flow; it simply moves around it, carving a new path. The tree does not hate the wind that breaks its branches; it grows stronger, sending its roots deeper into the earth. Nature does not cling to its wounds; it transforms them into compost for new growth. You, too, are nature. You, too, are designed to transform your pain into wisdom, not to hoard it as evidence of your victimhood.

With Metta, I am Sujata Awade from India. I choose to walk the path of peace, meditation, love, kindness, and reflection. I believe that when we pause and truly reflect on our life, we begin to see it from a different perspective. I firmly believe in the Buddha’s teaching of the law of impermanence—that everything changes, and nothing remains the same forever. Understanding impermanence has helped me look at life with greater awareness, acceptance, and gratitude. I practice Anapana, Vipassana and Metta meditation, which have become an important part of my journey of self-reflection and inner understanding. As a part of this journey, I started my channel, Ancient Wisdom Stories4U, where I share ancient wisdom, meaningful stories, and reflections that may inspire us to look within, understand life more deeply, and walk gently on the path of peace and kindness. These are simply my reflections from my journey. I hope they bring a little peace, wisdom, or a moment of reflection to someone who comes across them. 🔗 Ancient Wisdom Stories4U: