Becoming a non-perfect human being, performing mistake after mistake, and presenting vulnerable traits, we are seemingly bound to commit sins and various crimes. We may not be red-handed for doing so, but the guilt and the imprint of the deeds remain, carved in our memories that regulate conscience. When the destined time comes upon us, we fall into the abyss of regret and impossible wish to turn back time.
This is where exactly religion plays its role. Beside begging for material possession, there is another form of prayer that people usually do: asking for forgiveness. By gaining the thought of being forgiven by the Supreme Being, people possess the sense of security and thus peace. Not to mention what is the purpose of prayer if it's not for self-salvation?
Oft times, contemplation only pops out when we hit our lowest point. When things get crazy in life, we begin to question our actions so far and then believe in consequences. We are filled with fear, knowing how much we've been bad despite of ability to understand which is good. Problem is, what's done is done, and must consequences we inevitably redeem.
Divine forgiveness in accordance with religious teaching is the only way out of this crisis. Believing we can escape the Newton Law III of Action-Reaction, people look away from reality to hope that God will bless them with privilege of being a sinner yet no sin is going to be documented at all. There are assorted ways of this atonement evasion according to different beliefs: Having a full month of sacred fasting, confessing the misbehavior to the celibate religious leader, simple praying, et cetera.
Anyhow, it turns out not all spiritual teaching allows the humankind to be ignorant about our daily live action. While the major religions on Earth promise methods to wash away sins, Buddhism teaches Karma: how every being is the heir of everything they do and therefore must be responsible for. For the seeds we plant, there inevitably will be trees consequently, as for analogy.
The teaching about Karma may give impression that Buddhism is a harsh difficult unforgiving religion compared to the other most notable beliefs. No wonder even amongst Buddhists, they hiss and then move out to other doors that offer comfort to fulfill the need of promised easy security. This issue especially escalates because in Buddhism, humans and even deities can downgrade in the next lives becoming animals or even suffered ghosts. Not having the eternity but reincarnation instead is also the reason why Buddhism is not really favored.
However, is that true that this teaching of Karma is vicious and meanie? Can't we find forgiveness at all within this to pacify our anxiety and worry?
Reconciliation in Buddhism is attained when ones understand that every action will result in fruits that must be harvested. In order to understand this, ones must accept themselves for whoever they were and they are, including to accept what they've done whether good or bad. Admittance will lead people to see clearly that imperfection is totally okay, that it's common for people to make mistakes, and thus to tolerate wrongness and non-ideal reality. This is what we call as self-acceptance, a truce that allows us to forgive ourselves; and by having self-forgiveness we open the gates of possibilities for us to change, to improve our character.
When we strongly accept the consequences of what we've done, we begin to wisely distinct each action according to their spectrum of results. We become motivated to be more aware and careful for everything we perform in life. The fear and suffering will also evaporate the moment we willingly take responsibility instead of running away.
The kind of reconciliation in Buddhism is a lesson and process of how people must become wiser and better. Analogously, a glass of very salty water will always be salty if we ignore the fact that the percentage of the salt in ratio is too high; negligence won't make the water appropriately drinkable but wisdom of to keep adding water into it to change the ratio will. By recognizing the bad deeds we've done, we'll be wise enough not to ignore it and then we'll be motivated to perform less bad deeds and more good deeds. Nonetheless, this will also make us more compassionate to tolerate other people's mistakes, and hence we forgive them.
This kind of forgiveness may not sound divine, but it indeed is real. This will also make the world a better place should more people realize and understand this because they will end up forgiving themselves and each other and then persevere to be better people in action. Nevertheless, if forgiveness is that divine, why does it seem to be easily taken for granted by simply ask and pray without any real retribution?
Law of Karma is also in fact more forgiving. Unlike the Semitic religions that reckon animals as mere accessories and ghosts and demons as enemies, Buddhism gives opportunities for the animals and demons to also reconcile and then reincarnated in higher planes of existence like in realm of humans or even deities. They can redeem their bad Karma and then start exercising good Karma. There is no enemy in Buddhism; even demons deserve love, and thus we forgive them anyhow.
Because if God truly exists, what's the reason for Him not to forgive at all? Whether we beg for it or not, isn't the definition of God supposed to be about unconditional love and forgiveness to everyone without exception? And what is forgiveness without change?
To receive forgiveness requires devotion and letting go of ego, it requires strong will of self-sacrifice. It shouldn't be taken for granted by mere performing ignorant rites without tangible amends.
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