Asking For Forgiveness …. Part 3. Step 6 contd.
Step 6. Whether or not we have been forgiven, we have to follow this step. It is called Prayashchit or making amends. It means righting the wrong or atoning for the wrong you have done. In the old days the rishis and sages would sit in ‘penance’ for the wrongs they had done. They would fast and stay in meditation for days in the belief that this would ‘pay’ for their ‘sins’.
How do you carry out atonement in this day and age? You do this by reflecting on your actions and resolving not to repeat them AND you do this also by showing your love for the other party by performing little acts of kindness, going out of our way to show you care. This will also serve to reinforce your genuineness of asking for forgiveness. It will perhaps drive home to the person that you sincerely wanted to be forgiven, that you did not have an ulterior motive for the same.
This kind of atonement is especially important to undertake if you have not been forgiven. In this case, atonement includes not hating them for it. Do not fall into the trap of not forgiving them for not forgiving you! Love them instead! Be extra helpful to them, go out of your way to show acts of love, go the extra mile to make them happy. At some point the other party will love you for it and forgiveness will flow unbidden!
Step 7. What is left to do still? This step goes beyond the small sphere of you and the other. It concerns the larger picture. It takes into account what Quantum Physics says: that we are all connected. Therefore, what I say, do or think affects not only the people in my vicinity and those visible to me. It affects my neighbor hood, my compound, my location, my city, my country, the Earth. And it does not stop there! Its vibration is experienced by all sentient beings in every nook and cranny in the Universe! Every time I show Love and Respect for one person, I have shown Love and Respect for all in the Universe! And each time I have hurt just one person, I have done the same to every person in the universe. Imagine that! Awesome! Just acknowledging this profound thought in our consciousness is deeply humbling!
So it stands to reason that asking for forgiveness from the person we know we have hurt is not enough. To experience total forgiveness, we have to ask for forgiveness from all of humanity! Blimey! How do we go about doing that? Read on next week …..
Next Week: Step 7 Contd.
Kamal Tolia
Founder Member, Lotus Healing Seva Group
It makes so much sense that we are all connected not only to people but also the whole Universe and our actions affect everything in someway or the other.
Thanks for so much of knowledge.
I love the thought that as I send love and light to one, the ripple action continues. What a wonderful thought to send loving light into the ocean… it carries on and on … I can see creatures cavorting with joy. Moonbeams dancing in the night.
Now I must watch for hurtful thoughts … same effect.