• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Compassion and forgivness

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
In all spiritual teachings, we see some form of teaching about compassion and forgiveness.
But why is it that when we experience something negative toward ourselves or watching something in the news about horror in the world, it becomes so very difficult to forgive to instead show compassion toward those evil acts and people who do them? because we see how evil they have become?
Do we really want to harm others when we become angry at them because of their lack of wisdom of what leads to suffering?

May it be that we do not see or understand the full truth of the situation that leads to suffering? and does not this lead to our own suffering too, when we become angry?

Does anger fix the problem?
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
I have serious doubts that there is such a thing as forgiveness for evil acts done.

There is such a thing as repentance, but that could be a rare event.

But people who have gone to the extreme of being evil i really do not think they change.

It would be a great study if there were evidence that forgiveness, actually happens, and if its a beneficial thing.

I would think forgiveness goes hand in hand with repentance.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I have serious doubts that there is such a thing as forgiveness for evil acts done.

There is such a thing as repentance, but that could be a rare event.

But people who have gone to the extreme of being evil i really do not think they change.

It would be a great study if there were evidence that forgiveness, actually happens, and if its a beneficial thing.

I would think forgiveness goes hand in hand with repentance.
Forgiveness is a huge part of my life, even I might not always be able to forgive at the moment, I have forgiven people trying to kill me, forgiven 12 years of bullying. So it is fully possible to forgive. To forgive and have compassion for those people who wrongdoing mean we wish to help them see the light/truth. Does it work? in my understanding yes, because when we forgive them personally we no longer cling to the past and we can live in the moment.
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
I have serious doubts that there is such a thing as forgiveness for evil acts done.

There is such a thing as repentance, but that could be a rare event.

But people who have gone to the extreme of being evil i really do not think they change.

It would be a great study if there were evidence that forgiveness, actually happens, and if its a beneficial thing.

I would think forgiveness goes hand in hand with repentance.

The difference is this:

Repentance aids the sinner.
Forgiveness is NICE for the sinner, but is really for the one sinned against.

If someone does you harm, and you refuse to forgive, the only one hurt is...you.
all it really does is compound the harm done you.

But don't confuse 'forgiveness' with justice, or doing right yourself. It is a good thing to be aroused to action by things perceived of as evil; "Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." John Stuart Mill. (who said it long before Edmund Burke and John F Kennedy said something similar).

Stop the injustice. Then forgive the evil doer...not for his sake, but for yours.
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
It would be useful to consider exactly what forgiveness means. To me it is letting go of your hate for a person who has done evil. But Amanaki seems to go further then that, and actually showing compassion towards the evildoer.

That to me is quite an extraordinary process.

There seems to be this goal of reaching people to enter into the light of something truthful.

I myself would not do without the justice of social defense, and punishment.

But the goal of this forgiveness is noble.

Self reflection, and consideration are human attributes that enable us to rise above the circumstances.

I will give this forgiveness my serious consideration.
Thanks!
 

steveb1

Member
In all spiritual teachings, we see some form of teaching about compassion and forgiveness.
But why is it that when we experience something negative toward ourselves or watching something in the news about horror in the world, it becomes so very difficult to forgive to instead show compassion toward those evil acts and people who do them? because we see how evil they have become?
Do we really want to harm others when we become angry at them because of their lack of wisdom of what leads to suffering?

May it be that we do not see or understand the full truth of the situation that leads to suffering? and does not this lead to our own suffering too, when we become angry?

Does anger fix the problem?

Anger is a natural and sometimes healthy reaction, depending on its effects.

I can't speak for others, but I become justly, righteously outraged at violent crime because I empathize with the victim and because I despise the attacker's arrogance and aggression. It's really that simple. Some are "above" knee jerk reactions, but as a Buddhist I can say that reaching that point takes a lot of training and abandonment of attachment to views and a lengthy discipline tending toward compassion.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
It would be useful to consider exactly what forgiveness means. To me it is letting go of your hate for a person who has done evil. But Amanaki seems to go further then that, and actually showing compassion towards the evildoer.

That to me is quite an extraordinary process.

There seems to be this goal of reaching people to enter into the light of something truthful.

I myself would not do without the justice of social defense, and punishment.

But the goal of this forgiveness is noble.

Self reflection, and consideration are human attributes that enable us to rise above the circumstances.

I will give this forgiveness my serious consideration.
Thanks!
You have understood me correctly :)
Yes, I will forgive the evildoer toward me and I believe that those evildoers will be "punished" after life, and they already suffers in this life
 

RoaringSilence

Active Member
here is an example of tolerance ... its in hindi but what they're saying is .. " WE GET STONED FOR PICKING UP THE REMAINS OF OUR CREMATED LOVED ONES"
such stories get ignored sadly : ( but nothing can be done other than leaving the country.
 
Top