ISJS Transactions 2018 07 To 09 Vol 02 No 03

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 40

moment to think about their consequences or repercussions. It is therefore important to remember that kşamā is our inherent nature (svabhāva), while krodha is external to us (vibhāva) and accrues more karmic bondage. Where there is anger, there is no forgiveness.
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Where there is forgiveness, there is no anger. Anger and forgiveness do not go hand-in-hand.
Love is the heart of Forgiveness,
while Hate is the address of Anger. Freedom from passions is an invitation to purity.
To expect and to practice mono-ism are identified as the important causes for being angry. When our expectations are unfulfilled, we become frustrated, irritated, and then angry. Indeed, anger is not a sudden reaction, but it is a bi-product of negative emotions that have been stored and accumulated and ready to 'burst'. Similarly, we keep perceiving things from our own lenses, not respecting others perspectives. This results in developing an attitude of rigidity. To overcome this, we have to develop an attitude of WE instead of I or change ONLY to ALSO in our thoughts and expressions. This includes the practice anekānta without sacrificing the absolute truth.
It is important to note that to understand this dharma/spiritual value better, we must analyze the same from at least two viewpoints. From practical viewpoint, we seek forgiveness or forgive the non-self or other living beings for causing hurt by us to others or by others to us. This helps us in reducing our anger and its ill effects like stress, animosity, feeling of revenge and isolation in the society. From absolute viewpoint, we seek forgiveness from our own soul to have caused its bondage with impurities that result in pain due to our negligence etc. This way we try to introspect our activities and try to modify them as per the doctrine and our true nature and help ourselves to improve our worldly life and advancing towards higher level of spiritual purification or happiness.
Lord Mahāvīra and almost all luminary Jain ascetics have impressed upon us the greatest importance of forgiveness in their sermons and writings. Lord Mahāvīra says that one ought to put an end to anger through calmness.' Again He says that the stainless/untainted (nirmala) forgiveness is the characteristic feature of those, who are not provoked/enraged/heated by anger) in spite of extremely dreadful (upasargas) inflicted upon them by celestial beings, and by human beings. Describing the true nature of forgiveness, in his commentary on Tattvārthasūtra, Acārya Pujyapāda Svāmī has stated that "even when ill-natured persons heap abuses, ridicules, disgrace and beatings on the monks, who enter other regions to discover the cause of the real state of the body and indulge in twisting and torturing their body, the non-appearance of ill-will in these monks minds is kşamā. Similarly, Pt. Asadhara says that "The persons who observe uttama-kşamā towards those, who commit crimes against them, even on being capable of quick retaliation, are regarded by saints drinking the nectar of forbearance (ksamă-amrta) to be the destroyers of sins. Also, Shrimad Rajchandra mentions that forgiveness is a sword with which one can overcome the internal enemies; it is an armor to protect the pure character. One, who observes equanimity even in unbearable distress with a pure mode, crosses over the worldly sea. In this way, Shrimad Rajchandra considers forgiveness as one's innate pure nature. He has also written that 'Forgiveness is the most auspicious door to liberation. 12