Forgiveness is an invaluable gift, both to the one who is forgiven and, even more so, to the one who forgives. He who is forgiven, he who is contrite, repentant, can move forward, grateful to have been forgiven. Otherwise, feelings of regret, shame, and guilt can make us unhappy and haunt us for the rest of our lives. The one who forgives and then forgets moves on, feeling lighter and happier. This is an important step in achieving inner peace and joy.
When we forgive, we no longer live in the past. We no longer hold on to our suffering. We no longer curse it, medicate it, or repeat it. We reverse it. We put an end to it. Carrying grudges or hatred in our hearts is like carrying a burden on our heads. It’s as if we have thorns in our hearts, thorns that constantly prick, prick and hurt us. It’s a heavy burden to bear. Just as anger is like a piece of hot coal that burns us before burning those at whom it is directed, grudges can also first negatively impact and overwhelm us, leading to feelings of anxiety, resentment, revenge and hatred. Imagine abandoning the root cause of such misery! Imagine eliminating toxic feelings – the toxicity of anger, revenge and bitterness. Imagine the freedom that would give; the happiness and peace it would create! When we let go of grudges and hatred, when we forgive, opens the way to happiness, peace, compassion and love. Stress and anxiety are reduced.
When we forgive, we can let go of the past and focus on the present, on what we have. And one of the secrets to being at peace and happy is to live in the present – ​​not with the regrets of yesterday but with the joys of the present, in the now.
As the Scripture says, when Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” Up to seven times? Jesus said, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. It actually means endless. Just as we wait for God, the Supreme Immortal Power, to forgive us no matter how many mistakes we make, we must also learn to forgive others.
But why should we forgive? And why do we develop such feelings of resentment and anger? Because we feel that either we have been wronged or that someone we love has been wronged. Therefore, we hold grudges against people and it is necessary to forgive because of these grudges.
The grudge is between “me” and “you”. From a spiritual perspective, these differences are caused by duality. Because of the feeling “I am I” and “you are you”. But what if there is no duality? Does the right hand want the left hand? Should the right leg forgive the left leg? Is the left eye screaming against the right eye? No, they don’t. Because they are not considered separate entities. They are part of one body. This is non-duality.
In reality, we develop differences and we begin to hate each other because we do not realize that we are one. Therefore, hatred and forgiveness exist because of our ignorance. We think we are different beings. As a result, we have expectations. Our relationships become transactional, there are hurts and there is a need to forgive. The truth is that we are no different. We are one. We are all part of this supreme divine power. When we realize this, then the power of forgiveness becomes the power of God. So healing is more than forgiveness. There is a feeling of unity. We treat everyone with love and respect, as a manifestation of the Divine. We have no anger or resentment. We then have no grudges or need to forgive.
Author: AiR- Atman in Ravi, author, singer, philanthropist and ambassador of happiness