About Gratitude and forgiveness
Having Gratitude in life is a great way to live. It sows the seed of kindness and compassion for oneself and others. However, if one's negative seeds still remained latent and deep-seated in our mind, then our gratitude will soon be worn off by such negativities. i.e. resentment, jealousy and animosity.
You can do a simple test, please write down a list of 50 people you are grateful for and another 50 for those whom you hated, resented and were harmed, emotionally hurt, betrayed, reprimanded, punished (regardless who is at fault). I think the latter list are much easily to come to your mind. If you can furnish a long list of your benefactors, then it is good. BTW, have you included your father and mother? What about the mother who give you away, nagged at you or caned until you bleed? What about the father who drank, gambled and beaten your mother? What about the betrayal of your most trusted best friend? Are they in your list of forgiveness and gratitude?
How past trama affect our health
It is human's nature and survival instinct and much easier to remember our past hurt, harms, pains and suffering so that we will not be hurt and harmed again. However, such tramatic experiences can lead and related to compulsive disorders/phobia/allergies - whereby our mind/body's defense system which went out of control and caused irrational behaviours.
Understanding the universal laws
Recently, I just realise many including myself didn't truly understand the law of cause and effect and the universal law of connectedness and oneness. If I truly understand these laws, then I will be in peace all the times and live in harmony with everyone be it friend or foe.
What is Emptiness
Also, I have mistaken thought that those who understand the oneness of the universe understand the concept of "emptiness" and I apologize for my misunderstanding. First of all, emptiness does not equal to Nothingness. Only when one truly understand "emptiness", then one can understand that there is no right/wrong, moral/immoral, good/bad value system. One action that is right, permissible and legal under one culture is a taboo for other cultures. This is what we called culture shock which apply to our value, belief, what we eat and do.
Why some "bad" people succeed
Here is a paragraph taking from Geshe Michael Roach's Karmic Management. Why some "bad" people succeed: There really is a cosmic justice to things, and everyone does get exactly what they deserve. The kind of backflips that reality has to do in order to get everybody exactly what they deserve exactly when they deserve it is all tied up in a concept called "emptiness".
More about Forgiveness
Forgiving is not about the event - injustice, harm or morality per se. It is not between the victim and aggressor. It is not about relationship with the enlightened one, god or buddha. It is really about yourself. It is about : Why do I attract such misfortune? What have I done or forgotten what I did really? There is no one to forgive but yourself. If you cannot remember what you had done in the past, then understand the pains that you suffer and make sure others don't suffer like you. I will not do such things to hurt or harm others. This is true forgiveness.
How wrong view affect our life
Also, I apply what I learned in the seminar, what if I am wrong. This question can apply to our life, thinking, belief not just in investment. A stern belief (I am right, you are wrong) about concepts such as vegetarianism, social justice, capital punishment can become an attachment that may hinder the liberation of our mind and create disharmony with ourselves and others.
Repentance and understanding law of cause and effect
It is human to err and divine to forgive. To admit mistakes is to understand that we are human and it is not meant to disgrace or made one regretful. The German admitted their criminal actions in WWII and moved on. For the other aggressor during WWII who didn't admitted their brutal killing. If one truly understand the universal law of cause and effect, there is no need for us to judge and condemn the committed act. One's conscience will take care of that. Even if one is unrepentant, the law of karma or god (depend on your belief) will take care. So why we are so upset about injustice in our society.
Lesson from mistakes and history
The purpose of history and admitting mistakes is to educate and make us better people so that we will repeat the same mistakes and continue to harm ourselves and others.
with love and gratitude
Tony
真正的宽恕
宽恕与发生的事件无关 - 不是不公正，伤害或道德的问题。不是受害者和加害者之间的问题。也不是与任何开悟者，神或佛的关系的问题。 这其实只是自己的问题。 我必须自省：我为什么感召和吸引这些不幸？我过去做了什么，或忘了我真的做了什么呢？没有人真正需要原谅和被原谅，但你要先原谅自己。 如果你不能记得过去所做的，那么就去理解现在你所受的痛苦，而不要再加注于他人。我不会做这样的事情，伤害自己或伤害他人。这是真正的宽恕。
racoon12 wrote:Hi Excalibur
I fully agreed with your statement, and also from my 12 years of experiments. I'll attempted to do my very own prayer every nite to "forgive people that had harm me (in the days, in the past, in the future) and share all the blessing I received with all the beings in this earth (be it my friend, my foe and the misfortune)"
And guess what..... i become less aggressive, more forgiving, had loving family & friends & biz partners.
"The teacher will appear...when the student is ready." Honest sharing I encountered with Dennis since 2009 but was not ready then and loose quite some money, however I come to encounter Dennis this year as the statement reflected.
Sharing of what I read somewhere:
Living in a GRATEFUL World
be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you - for they have reinforced your determination
be grateful to those who have deceived you - for they hv deepened your insight
be grateful to those who hv hit you - for they hv reduced your karmic obstacles
be grateful to those who hv abandoned you - for they hv taught you to be independent
be grateful to those who hv made you stumble - for they hv strengthened your ability
be grateful to those who hv denounced you - for they hv increased your wisdom and concentration
be grateful to those who hv made you firm & resolute and helped in your ACHIEVEMENT........CHEERS!
Is the cup half full of water or the cup is half empty????