Gabor Maté: On Addiction
& So Much More . . .

Gabor Maté at 35:24 in the video below: The Buddha was a great psychologist.
All the great spiritual teachers are wonderful psychologists, by the way, they see into the human soul. Buddha said that once you know the source of your suffering you’re already in the way towards healing.
Here Gabor explains “Forgive them Father for they know what they do,” what Jesus says:
Jesus knows these people persecuting him don’t know what they’re doing. That’s his greatness.
He’s in touch with deep Love and he sees the frailty of the very people that are killing him and he understands so he says, “Forgive them father for they don’t know what they do . . .”
That doesn’t mean you put up with it . . . somebody’s in an abusive relationship, understanding the person does not take away from you the necessity of, perhaps, leaving that relationship.
You still have to take care of yourself.
As a matter of fact in an abusive relationship, I’m not even saying that you should understand your partner’s behavior, I say you should understand your own.
You should understand why you’re still there.
What is it that’s compelling you to put up with this and to subject yourself to it?
What sense of shame keeps you believing that you deserve this?
So, I think in an abusive relationship, I don’t talk about forgiveness much.
I talk about self-awareness . . .
September 19, 2025


This lady embodies the ‘