The Tao of Forgiveness: The Healing Power of Forgiving Others and Yourself

by William Martin

Bestselling Taoist author William Martin brings the power of the Tao to the essential practice of forgiveness, creating a unique path from guilt, blame, and shame to peace of mind and freedom.

How do we forgive when forgiveness seems impossible? William Martin, author of the bestselling The Parent's Tao Te Ching , provides practical and time honored answers. He weaves excerpts from the ancient sacred Taoist scriptures together with insightful teaching stories, bringing the practice of forgiveness to readers of all spiritual backgrounds. Each chapter contains two parts-a journey toward forgiveness and a practical exercise in forgiving-and also includes personal anecdotes, poems, and simple exercises.

With the devastating personal and societal damage caused by resentment, anger, guilt, and shame in mind, Martin patiently and compassionately helps readers overcome the ills of "holding on" with the openness of the Tao. In this accessible work, he illustrates how forgiveness is freedom and that the pathway to overcoming anger is also the way to spiritual liberation.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

William Martin is an award-winning author whose work expresses the practical wisdom and inspiration of Taoist thought for contemporary readers. He is the spouse of Nancy, the father of Lara and John, and the grandfather of Jillian and Andrew.

A native of California, Bill graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Electronic Engineering. After four years working for the Navy as a research scientist, he returned to graduate school. He earned a Masters degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He did not find himself fitting within the Christian Church clergy structure so, guided by his love of the Tao Te Ching, he began to seek his own way. He spent two decades in private practice as a Marriage and Family Counselor in Phoenix, Arizona, and taught counseling for many years at Rio Salado College in Phoenix. He has been a student of the Tao for four decades.

In 1998 he and Nancy decided to simplify their lives so they sold most of their possessions, left their careers, gathered their remaining belongings into a 5X8 foot U-Hall trailer and moved to the Oregon coast. Nancy worked at a small Inn and Bill wrote a book. In 1999, after a year of strolling along the beaches, walking through the forests, and feeling the intense joy of the natural world, they moved to the mountains of Northern California. They live a somewhat private existence, connecting with their close friends and with their individual work. They walk, read, enjoy qigong and cherish their life together. Nancy is a traditional bookbinder, restoring old books and creating hand-bound editions of new ones (www.nwbookbinding.com). Bill continues to write and paint in the Taoist tradition.

Reviews

[Lanigan Vitaceae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago, but the lessons have stayed with me and encouraged me to pass on the stories to others.

[Chris Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I will come back to many times in the future. But I suppose that's true of any book centered on spiritual growth. The framework of The Tao of Forgiveness - a series of 22 stories designed to impart a lesson (although not in the academic sense) revolving around the broad topic of forgiveness - makes it easily digestible and quite accessible.

Of course, not every story seems directly applicable to me at this point in my life. I suspect that will change a year from now, two years from now, even a week from now.

Martin writes with a sense of wisdom infused with humor and compassion, a most Taoist approach I must say. It felt like conversing with a favorite uncle who you know has lived an interesting life and learned a lot.

[MHN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched so many corners of my mind, my soul, and so many of my sub-personalities. Im so glad I came across this book in a bookstore in BKK 2 years ago. And Im so glad I only came back to finish this book at this point of time, during this phase - seemingly like a transition phase for my life.
Thank you. Im so grateful.

[Mrs. Melgar-Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it so much I loaned it to a friend.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful book for those of us who find the riddles of the Tao infinitely puzzling and always just out of reach. Martin's Western sensibilities ground the book in everyday concerns that are actually everyday for folks who live in the world of mortgages, cars, and jobs. What I like about him is that he admits to anger, frustration, and pet peeves -- all the ordinary stuff of fighting traffic, going to the dentist, and so on. The 'exercises' typically involve tea and sitting cross-legged, though, and they tend to get a little precious. But the stories are very approachable and helpful.

[Alex Kartelias · Rating 5 out of 5]

We do ourselves a lot of damage by looking at the world and ourselves in terms of worthiness, deserving, justice and correctness. Doing so we block off The Love of The Tao/Real from our lives and this impacts our ability to be compassionate to others. This book is great because it deals with the virtue of forgiveness from all kinds of angle's; in ways we normally ignore. Highly recommend it to those who long to make love a more present part of their lives.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the combination of meditations, personal stories and exercises. While parts of this book did not resonate with me at all, it provided very good 'food for thought' on a difficult subject.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and useful book for spiritual progression. Loved every word.