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Jainism : The Cosmic Vision it does not suffice to ask forgiveness, to be tranquilized after asking forgiveness. One has to tranquilize oneself. Asking forgiveness is difficult because the desire to retaliate, the waves of revenge, keep on rising in man's heart. When a man becomes a victim to injustices inflicted on him, he is more wounded.
A noteworthy element of the conception of forgiveness in the Jain religion is that while other religions teach us to ask for god's forgiveness, the Jain religion talks of asking forgiveness for all souls. It is easy to ask forgiveness of God in a corner in a temple, but when a man asks forgiveness of small and big living beings around him, his dealings in life change, he is reminded of his direct dealings with the whole living world; there is a reference to a person's dealings with the whole universe. Bhava Kshamapana (Experiencing Forgiveness)
Jain philosophy classifies forgiveness into two categories : (1) Dravya kshamapana and (2) Bhava kshamapana. Dravya kshamapana is only formal. The person knows that he is not asking forgiveness from his heart. The forgiveness that is asked from one's heart is bhava kshamapana. Only the person with discretion (samyakdrishti) can ask bhava kshamapana. Bhava kshamapana expresses itself when the anantanubandhi (continuing since endless times) passions (kashayas) get tranquilized. Some errors are realized only in a day's time. Sometimes anger lasts for one day, sometimes for a fortnight and sometimes for four months. Sometimes anger is like a pebble thrown into water and sometimes it is like a line drawn on the sands on a riverbank. It soon gets obliterated by the wind. Sometimes anger is like an inscription on stone. That is why in the daily pratikramana, forgiveness is asked for offences made during
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