that have led to this event.
9 . Accept that what has happened has already happened. There
is nothing you can do to change the past.
10 . Remind yourself: “In order to make the most positive
contribution to this situation, I must accept the reality of its
existence.”
11 . You can also choose to recite or reflect on one of the
following two passages, one from the Buddhist tradition, the
other from the Christian tradition:If something can be done about it,
what need is there for dejection?
And if nothing can be done about it,
what use is there for being dejected?
—Shantideva, The Way of the BodhisattvaGod, give us the grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
—Reinhold Niebuhr, The Serenity PrayerThe Fourfold Path of Forgiveness
The Archbishop became the world’s leading spokesperson on
forgiveness when he was asked to chair the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission in South Africa by then president Nelson Mandela. Over the
many decades since that pioneering effort to use truth, forgiveness, and
reconciliation to move beyond violent conflict, the Archbishop has been
asked, how exactly do we forgive? While most spiritual leaders,
including the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama, are adamant about the