3. Forgiveness - Thou Shall Forgive
Priyam sarvasya pasyata uta sudra utarye
—Atharva Veda 19-62-1
Forgiveness is born of strength and can never be associated with
weakness. You have the power to give the blow and you abdicate it;
this is forgiveness. It ill becomes a weak man to talk of forgiving
others.
If you beg for mercy for your own debts of Karma then it follows
that you have to forgive others who trespass against you. Debts of
Karma can be wiped out only by reaping as you have sown. However,
Almighty forgives you if you are full of repentance. Hence it is
stated, “Judge not others lest ye be judged”. You earn the right to
be forgiven for your sins only when you practice forgiveness towards
others.
“For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter
into the kingdom of Heaven.” —Matthew 5:20
“He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth
rain on the just and the unjust.” —Matthew 5:45
Forgiveness is associated with perfection.
“Be thou perfect as thy Father in Heaven is perfect.” --Matthew 5:48
Perfection is the goal to be attained in life. Perfection is
unfoldment of the Divine within you. Krishna says, “He resides
within the heart”. Animals go by instinct. Humans progress by
intelligence. Further evolution can be escalated by the proper use
of free will. This means the mind has to be purified. Forgiveness
acts as a cleansing agent to get rid of evil tendencies which pull
us in wrong directions.
“And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”
--Matthew 5:41
If you choose, you have the ability to pull someone ten miles in the
direction you want and yet you choose to walk a mile with him, then
it is forgiveness. You have the capacity to tear off the other man's
coat and you choose to offer him your own shirt, then it is
forgiveness. Forgiveness is not cowardice. It is valor tempered with
discretion. Forgiveness reduces the intensity of the evil result of
wrong actions wrought by body, mind and speech.
When it is your turn to be judged you will pray for forgiveness,
hence you have to practice forgiveness in your daily life. This is
an independent meritorious deed (Karma) that you do; thereby you
earn the right to be forgiven. Forgiveness is potent Karma. By
practicing forgiveness in your daily life you deserve the right to
be treated liberally when it is your time to be judged. You reap as
you sow and you are forgiven.
A thief stole silver candlesticks from the Bishops residence under
cover of the night. He was apprehended by the kings soldiers and was
brought before the Bishop. The Bishop said, “I have presented the
candlesticks to him. It is a gift from me”. This is forgiveness.
This made a strong impact on the thief and he took to better ways.
This act of the Bishop has found a merited niche in English
literature as “The Bishop's Candlesticks”.
“Forgiveness is Divine virtue. The universe is held together by
virtue of forgiveness. It is the might of the mighty. Forgiveness is
virtue eternal.” (From an Indian epic)
“Then came Peter to him and said: Lord, how oft shall my brother sin
against me and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto
him: I say
not unto thee seven times, but until seventy times seven.”-Matthew
18:21
Muhammad stressed the virtue of forgiveness.
“Forgive and overlook till God accomplish His purpose for God hath
power over all things.” —Holy Quran II-109
Three different words are used in the Quran for forgiveness. AFA
means to forget. Obliterate the incident from your mind and be done
with it. SAFAHA means to ignore. Treat the incident as if it did not
happen. GAFFAR means to forgive others as God forgives us our sins
by showering GRACE. He forgives again and again.
Buddha asked people not to get angry but to forgive even if
some-body were to cut them to pieces.
“You shall cast out all malice, anger, spite and ill will and shall
not cherish hatred even against those who do you harm but embrace
all living beings with loving kindness.” — Precepts of Buddha
“Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love.
This is true nature.” -- Dhammapada
Buddha's doctrine of MAITRI represents perfection of loving
kindness. Compassion and goodwill result from loving kindness.
Shall we ask ourselves the question, “How many times have I been
forgiven by the Lord for my evil actions. How many more times will
it be necessary for me to beg forgiveness for my evil thoughts and
deeds?” We must attempt to deserve His Grace. Therefore let us
forgive him who does us wrong.
One may ask if the law of Karma, the law of reap as you sow, is
inevitable then how does forgiveness and mercy of the Almighty fit
into the picture? If justice is to be tempered with mercy do we
compromise the law of Karma? The answer is simple. The law of Karma
also states that any action, good or evil, if done with extreme
intensity fructifies in a short time. Repentance and forgiveness are
intense good actions. This Karma fructifies to undo the effect of
previous evil Karma. Repentance begets forgiveness towards all.
If you think it is difficult to practice forgiveness think it over
again.
Consider the consequences. If you do not imbibe the virtue of
forgiveness you are bound to get angry. When you get angry then it
affects the metabolism, the endocrine secretions and the nervous
system. This puts a heavy burden on the mind, resulting in emotional
disturbance. It leaves a distasteful dent on the mind. This sets in
wrong perception. Wrong perception, when multiplied, leads to added
doses of misery. Hence, it is in our own interest to forgive others.
We are capable of making new discoveries and producing new gadgets
in the material realm. What makes you think that we are utterly
bankrupt in the spiritual realm? With a little determination on our
part we will be able to practice the virtue of forgiveness in day to
day life.
Forgiveness purifies the mind. It gives you the added strength to
experience oneness of all beings. It removes all frustrations and
makes your life happy and purposeful.
Om Tat Sat!