The Unlimited Power of Genuine Forgiveness.

[Guest guest]

 

 

Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

The Unlimited Power of Genuine Forgiveness

 

1. Once a warrior asked a monk " What is the difference between heaven and hell?”

The monk replied, " You ignorant brute, you are nothing but a savage.. Why would

I waste my time on you? "

 

Filled with anger and hatred, the warrior started beating the monk. After a few

minutes, the warrior realised what a heinous act he was committing and stopped.

 

The monk smiled and said: " That fit of anger is hell " . The warrior was so

ashamed of his violent act that he begged the monk to forgive him.

 

The monk again smiled and said: " Your asking for forgiveness is heaven " .

 

2. The parents of a child who was killed spent every waking hour to see that the

person responsible was punished.

 

It was found that the criminal was barely 18 years of age. Then, one day, they

realised that they had spent many years in this state of anger.

 

Not only had they lost their child but their lives were also being lost to anger

and hatred. One day, they did the unthinkable.

 

They decided to forgive the person who had committed the crime. They went to

prison where the boy was incarcerated and told him they had forgiven him.

 

They also met his parents and realised that they too were suffering because of

what their son had done. Instead of feeling anger, they felt compassion for the

boy's parents, who, in a way, had also lost their son.

 

By forgiving the boy and his family, the parents experienced a tremendous

release from their pain. A great burden had lifted from their hearts.

 

Purity has transformed by their love.

 

The person who committed the crime was also moved by their forgiveness and was

transformed by their love. The parents realised through forgiveness, they had

saved their own lives from further deterioration.

 

Their health improved, they were able to function again, and they felt the love

of God flow through them. Forgiving others can benefit us physically, mentally

and spiritually.

 

First of all, feelings of anger, hatred and vengeance cause damage to the

physical body. Secondly, there is a karmic price one must pay when one is filled

with anger and hatred.

 

If we know this, we may think twice before sending out the boomerang of anger.

 

Thirdly, when we act out of anger, we may set in motion a chain of violence from

which we find it hard to escape, resulting in an even worse situation than the

original injury.

 

The password to God's abode is love. God is love and only love can reside in

God's domain. Thus, for us to be fit to re-enter our eternal home, we must

become all love. Anger and hatred are alien to the land of God.

 

Forgiveness is the remedy for anger and this will help us re-enter the domain of

the Lord. There are many spiritual benefits to practising forgiveness..

 

First, we experience improvement in our meditation. We know how difficult it is

to still the mind; we can maintain a calm mind by forgiving others as it brings

spiritual benefits.

 

Forgiveness decreases our karmic load. Because anger and hatred increase our

karmic load; each day that we control our negative qualities is a day that we

are lessening that load.

 

Forgiveness is a good detergent to purify ourselves of karmic debts. Finally,

one of the greatest benefits of forgiveness is that we become examples for

others.

 

Love and forgiveness inspire others to love and make the world a peaceful place.

If we learn the art of forgiveness, we can transform our life and achieve our

goal of self-knowledge and God-realisation.

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry