$JES 203 First Step of Jainism Level 2 Book

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 71

ANGER/FORGIVENESS
5.1 Anger/Forgiveness
Anger (Krodha) is one of our most common A teacher once told each of her students to weaknesses (Kashäya). We feel angry bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of apples when we do not get what we want or when to school. For every person they refused we are hurt because of what someone said to forgive in their life's experiences they or did. Can anger be eliminated? Anger had to choose an apple, write the name of can be difficult to eliminate, however its the person and date on it, and put it back in expression can be controlled. Everyone has the plastic bag. Some of their bags became the capacity to control their behavior if they quite heavy within a few days. really choose to.
Then they were asked to carry this bag with For example, an adult is speeding on the them everywhere for one week. They had expressway and yelling at the person in to put it beside their bed at night, on the seat front of them for being too slow! A police next to them in the car, next to their desk at officer stops the adult for speeding. What school. They even had to take it with them will the adult do? Will they get angry at the to their friends' houses. police and scream at him? Or even though
The hassle of lugging this sack everywhere they are upset at being caught speeding will they speak very politely and respectfully?
12 with them made it clear what weight they A person who was angry earlier can become
were carrying. They had to pay attention to very polite as soon as they face a situation
it all the time and not forget it by leaving it that they need to be calm in!
in embarrassing places. Naturally, within a
couple of weeks the apples became rotten As a child you may complain about another and it turned into a nasty, smelly slime. This, child who takes away your toy or pencil and you may fight with that child. But if you are called to the Principal's office would you get angry and fight with the child there, or would you talk politely to the Principal? We tend to get angry in many unwarranted
A way to situations and with people who care about
overcome us and who will put up with our behavior. If we become sensitive to this we can avoid
anger is to life long scars and not hurt family and
replace it with friends that we care for the most. According to Jain philosophy, the way to eliminate anger is by replacing it with “forgiveness”.
Did you know?
Forgiveness!
THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM
71
w
elry.org