The 7 Levels of Forgiveness | Which One is Yours?

"It is in forgiving that we are forgiven, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned."

-Saint Francis of Asisi

In order to feel free, happy and satisfied, we need to constantly forgive and forget; not just to extend our love to everyone, even the people who hurt us, but also to show our love to ourselves.

Forgiveness from the point of view of one's self, is a wise thing to do as it frees us from anger and resentment that keep us boiling inside.

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

-Lord Buddha

The energy of anger and resentment is extremely dirty. It can contaminate our aura and our chakras. The effects are not only emotional disorders, appearing as bitterness, sadness and dissatisfaction, but also physical ailments as well which will appear in the long run. Problems such as High Blood Pressure, Severe Kidney Ailments, Arthritis, Asthma and even Cancer are examples of physical ailments that are caused by accumulation of negative lower emotions especially anger and resentment.

Therefore, for the sake of our own health and well-being, we need to educate ourselves to be able to forgive, forget and continue living and loving.

Based on Master Choa Kok Sui's teachings, forgiveness is practiced by different people based on their level of maturity, and can range from Level 0 to Level 7.

Reach Level 7 and see how your life gets filled with constant joy, happiness, calmness, stillness and inner peace!

In this level, the person is unable to forgive the offender and keeps on thinking about him and the unpleasant event over and over again. The effect is not only so much pain and suffering in the current lifetime, but also extended emotional attachments and problems in the future incarnations.

According to great spiritual teachers including Master Choa Kok Sui, two things bind souls together: love and hatred.

By loving a person deeply, there are higher chances of meeting and being with the beloved soul in the future incarnations. These are the people that we love and feel comfortable and connected with even from the first few moments of being together.

The sad news is that "hatred" also binds souls together as there is a lesson in the relationship to be learnt. The lesson is love!

Therefore the relationship between the two souls who hate each other often gets closer and closer, to teach them to love one another. Most of the couples that have difficult relationships, parents and children who cannot get along, brothers and sisters that have a hard time being together fall under this category. They need to learn to love each other, break the wicked cycle and let go.

"Anger and Hatred bind people together! When you Hate someone, it creates an "Energy Link" with the person. You become chained to the person and your Soul becomes entangled with that person. If you want to be free, you must Forgive people."

-Master Choa Kok Sui

The good news on the other hand is that to break this cycle, forgiveness of one person is enough!

So to avoid being with the people that seem to be a pain in the neck to us, we need to forgive them, forget the unpleasant event and let go. We can keep on blessing them with love while keeping our distance from them.

Level-1 At the moment of death

 

In this level, normally the person gathers everyone at the moment of death and forgives all and asks all of them to forgive him back.

In this level, although the current lifetime seems ruined by keeping so much anger, resentment and bitterness inside, at least the future lifetimes are saved!

Level-2 After several years

Here, the soul, after several years realizes that keeping anger and resentment only affects him. In some occasions the person who has caused hurt, might not be even aware of his action.

Therefore he decides to forgive and let go of the pain and suffering.

As discussed earlier, anger and resentment is like a hot coal. Justified or unjustified, it burns us inside and the effect is usually physical and emotional problems. Once the person realizes this truth, that forgiveness is for his own sake, he will forgive.

"Forgiveness is the economy of the heart… forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."

-Hannah More

Although a few years have passed in feeling unhappy and dissatisfied, the following years of life can be spent in happiness and joy.

In fact it is not always easy to forgive, especially if the pain and injury is high. Therefore some people in some cases need to consciously forgive and forget to release the pain and let go of the negative accumulated emotions. There are in fact Forgiveness Techniques that can help us forgive easier and in shorter time. Achieving Oneness with the Higher Soul reveals some of such forgiveness techniques.

Level-3 After several months

In level 3, the person has already achieved a certain level of maturity and the Heart chakra is developed to a certain degree. Therefore the person cannot keep anger and resentment for long, not more than a few months. So once he cools down and recovers from the unpleasant event, he forgives the other person and continues his life.

Level-4 After a few weeks

In this level, for the person to calm down will take only a few weeks. After few weeks of entanglement with lower emotions and thinking about the unpleasant event, the person decides to let go.

Forgiveness in this case gives a feeling of freedom and lightness, as though a heavy load has been removed from the system.

Level-5 After a few days

A person who forgives in a few days is already familiar with the concept of forgiveness and has experienced its effects in life.

Although he is still in the process of getting more mature and developing the Heart further, he can forgive and forget in a few days.

Level-6 After a few hours

Level 6 is already very high and not everybody can practice it all the time. In Level 6, the person forgives in just a few hours.

Any unpleasant event or happening, makes the Solar Plexus chakra work erratically. The result is experiencing lots of negative lower emotions.

It is normal and natural to feel hurt, angry or irritated, but the key is not to keep holding such negative emotions inside.

After a few hours, when the Solar Plexus chakra normalizes, the person can let go of the negative emotions, forgives the offender consciously and cuts the negative links connecting him to the offender. This will bring about calmness, happiness and peace.

Level-7 Within a few minutes

Reaching level 7 is actually the goal. One must be able to forgive instantly.

Forgiveness is the key to world peace.

By practicing forgiveness and releasing the emotional pain, not only we feel centered and emotionally calm, but also can function more effectively from the mental level.

The effect is clarity of mind, calmness of emotions and harmony and peace in relationships and in life. Constant forgiveness also increases the rate of healing and brings about better health.

"By Forgiving and Blessing, you stop wallowing in mud and you achieve Inner Peace and Freedom."

-Master Choa Kok Sui

 

Let's make it our firm resolution…

To forgive in just a few minutes and always radiate love!

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7 steps of forgiveness

Forgiveness is very desirable. For those who receive it, the burden of guilt is lifted. For those who give it, resentment and anger can be released, clearing the slate in a relationship and making room for peace.

Despite this, in everyday life forgiveness is not easy to achieve. Let's see if there is a way to offer genuine forgiveness, especially to those closest to you, because ironically, they are the ones you should forgive first and yet they are often the hardest to deal with.

Key Steps to Forgiveness

Here are the key steps involved:

Feel your emotions and face them directly.

Write down your reasons for not forgiving someone.

Ask yourself how motivated you are to offer forgiveness.

Let go of as much resentment and anger as you can, here and now.

Envision what the future would be like if you do forgive the other person.

Reconnect at a sincere positive level.

Find the place of forgiveness in your own awareness.

Each of these steps clears up a specific obstacle to forgiveness that may be inside you. Let's see how this works, step by step.

1. Feel Your Emotions and Face Them Directly

Resistance to forgiveness is fueled by emotions. You can rationalize why somebody else did something unforgivable, because deep down you feel angry, resentful, victimized, and hurt. Be honest with your grievance and go to the emotional level where it is rooted. Let the feeling be what it is. The purpose of this step is twofold, because if you confront your feelings, you also have the choice to release them.

Instead of jumping straight to forgiveness, take responsibility for your own emotions. If you can, let go of at least a small portion of your story of how things were supposed to go. Letting go is almost as hard as forgiving, I know. At least say to yourself, "Maybe if I let go of my interpretation of events and what is unfair, I don't have to be stuck with this feeling."

2. Write Down Your Reasons for Not Forgiving Someone

This is best done in the form of a letter addressed to the person you feel wronged you. List all your resentments and reasons in detail. Set the letter aside for a day and return to it to add anything else you forgot to say. When you are completely satisfied, put the letter away to consult later. Don't mail it. Its purpose was to get everything off your chest.

3. Ask Yourself How Motivated You Are to Offer Forgiveness

Before you started this process, you may have had little motivation to forgive the other person. There can be various reasons for this stubbornness, usually including righteous indignation. Now check to see if your resistance to forgiveness is ready to move. But don't set any expectation on yourself. If you are still mad as hell, if you feel devastated by hurt, or simply consider what was done to you unforgivable, it's better to know the truth than to pretend. No matter how weak or strong your motivation is, say to yourself, "All right, this is where I really am." Sometimes simply being honest with yourself begins to thaw the log jam.

4. Let Go of Resentment and Anger, Here and Now

You can only change what you are aware of, and by now you have gained self-awareness about the situation. Return to the letter that outlines all your grievances and reflect on each point one at a time. As you do, ask yourself, "Can I begin to let go of this resistance?" Don't force yourself to be magnanimous but stay with how you really feel.

Some items on your list will have begun to soften, and when you encounter this, say, "Maybe there is another interpretation of this event than the painful one I am holding on to." Release what you can and no more. At the same time, feel the burden of anger and resentment begin to lift. That's a positive feeling which will increase your motivation to keep with the forgiving process.

5. Envision What the Future Would Be Like If You Forgive the Other Person

Any place you feel your grievance beginning to melt away, pause and envision what it would feel like to be at peace with the other person. Sense the warmth in your heart. If it leads to tears or sobbing, that's okay—catharsis is a powerful emotion. If you can, feel the possibility of loving the other person, wishing them well, and setting them free—all of which is in your power.

6. Reconnect at a Sincere Positive Level

When you can't forgive someone, you usually isolate yourself from them, either physically or emotionally. Make an effort to repair this isolation and decide the appropriate level of reconnection. The safest course may be to write a note or send a card expressing your desire to reconnect and then leaving the next step to the other person. Be risk-averse here. You are treading on sensitive ground for both of you.

7. Find the Place of Forgiveness in Your Own Awareness

The final step of the forgiveness process is to shift your state of awareness. Forgiveness is a state of consciousness, not an action. Emotions get you closer to forgiveness yet they also block the way. If you remove the obstacles, it turns out that forgiveness is completely natural and generally far easier than you may have supposed.

More importantly, once you shift your awareness into forgiveness, there is a much smaller chance that you will relapse. The experience of being a forgiving person becomes part of your spiritual journey, something you deeply need and desire.

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