Description

So many of us suppress anger out of fear or cultural conditioning. I'm still learning to experience its unobstructed flow. At a meditation retreat, I asked Kornfield: how to deal with toxicity coming from someone you know adores you; who crosses your boundaries intermittently, then comes back to you with regret & affection? His advice: approach challenging situations while embodying your favorite spiritual teacher (Buddha, Teresa, etc—how would they act in your body?). Forgiveness has long been the province of morality & virtue. The biggest challenge is to find that sacred pause during contact, to release our identification with the problem & notice the experience of pain or fear; to catch, in the stillness, the freedom to act wisely before our habits arise. This piece depicts both boundary-crossing and tenderness. As a moment frozen in time, it allows me to hold both the magnitude of the injury and the humanity of the injurer; to slowly choose between forgiveness or fury.