Forgiveness

== Religious views ==
{{Further|Salvation|Sin}}
[[File:P religion world.svg|alt=World Religions|thumb|World Religions]]
Religion can affect how someone chooses to forgive—for example, through religious activity, religious affiliation and teachings, and imitation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Escher|first=Daniel|date=2013|title=How Does Religion Promote Forgiveness? Linking Beliefs, Orientations, and Practices|journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion|volume=52|issue=1|pages=100–119|issn=0021-8294|jstor=23353893|doi=10.1111/jssr.12012}}</ref>

===Abrahamic===
==== Judaism ====
{{See also|Repentance in Judaism}}
<!-- This section is linked from [[Judaism]] -->

In [[Judaism]], if a person causes harm, but then sincerely and honestly apologizes to the wronged individual and tries to rectify the wrong, the wronged individual is encouraged, but not required, to grant forgiveness:

{{quote|It is forbidden to be obdurate and not allow yourself to be appeased. On the contrary, one should be easily pacified and find it difficult to become angry. When asked by an offender for forgiveness, one should forgive with a sincere mind and a willing spirit&nbsp;... forgiveness is natural to the seed of Israel.|[[Mishneh Torah]], ''[[Teshuvah]]'' 2:10}}

In Judaism, one must go "to those he has harmed" in order to be entitled to forgiveness.<ref name="Yom Kippur">{{cite web | year = 2006 | url = https://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm | title = Yom Kippur | website=Judaism 101|access-date = 2006-04-26 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160823211009/http://www.jfst.se/wp-content/uploads/Luach-2015-2016.pdf | archive-date = 2016-08-23 }}</ref> One who sincerely apologizes three times for a wrong committed against another has fulfilled their obligation to seek forgiveness.<ref>[[Shulchan Aruch]] OC 606:1</ref> This means that in Judaism a person cannot obtain forgiveness from [[God in Judaism|God]] for wrongs they have done to other people. This also means that, unless the victim forgave the perpetrator before he died, [[Thou shalt not kill#Jewish doctrine|murder]] is unforgivable in Judaism, and they will answer to God for it, though the victims' family and friends can forgive the murderer for the grief they caused them. The ''[[Jewish prayer|Tefila]] Zaka'' [[Jewish meditation|meditation]], which is recited just before [[Yom Kippur]], closes with the following:

{{quote|I know that there is no one so righteous that they have not wronged another, financially or physically, through deed or speech. This pains my heart within me, because wrongs between humans and their fellow are not atoned by Yom Kippur, until the wronged one is appeased. Because of this, my heart breaks within me, and my bones tremble; for even the day of death does not atone for such sins. Therefore I prostrate and beg before You, to have mercy on me, and grant me grace, compassion, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all people. For behold, I forgive with a final and resolved forgiveness anyone who has wronged me, whether in person or property, even if they slandered me, or spread falsehoods against me. So I release anyone who has injured me either in person or in property, or has committed any manner of sin that one may commit against another [except for legally enforceable business obligations, and except for someone who has deliberately harmed me with the thought ‘I can harm him because he will forgive me']. Except for these two, I fully and finally forgive everyone; may no one be punished because of me. And just as I forgive everyone, so may You grant me grace in the eyes of others, that they too forgive me absolutely.}}

Thus the "reward" for forgiving others is not God's forgiveness for wrongs done to others, but rather help in obtaining forgiveness from the other person.

Sir [[Jonathan Sacks]], chief rabbi of the [[List of Chief Rabbis of the United Hebrew Congregations|United Hebrew Congregations]] of the Commonwealth, summarized: "it is not that God forgives, while human beings do not. To the contrary, we believe that just as only God can forgive sins against God, so only human beings can forgive sins against human beings."<ref>{{cite web|first=Jonathan|last=Sacks|date=2006-01-07 |url=http://www.chiefrabbi.org/thoughts/vayigash5766.pdf |title=The force of forgiveness|website=Covenant and Conversation |access-date=2009-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319205218/http://www.chiefrabbi.org/thoughts/vayigash5766.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-19 }}</ref>

Jews observe a Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, on the day before God makes decisions regarding what will happen during the coming year.<ref name = "Yom Kippur" /> [[Ten Days of Repentance|Just prior]] to Yom Kippur, Jews ask forgiveness of those they have wronged during the prior year (if they have not already done so).<ref name = "Yom Kippur" /> During Yom Kippur itself, Jews [[Ta'anit|fast]] and pray for God's forgiveness for the [[Jewish views on sin|transgressions]] they have made against God in the prior year.<ref name = "Yom Kippur" /> Sincere [[Repentance in Judaism|repentance]] is required, and once again, God can only forgive one for the sins one has committed against God; this is why it is necessary for Jews also to seek the forgiveness of those people who they have wronged.<ref name = "Yom Kippur" />

==== Christianity ====
[[File:Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn - Return of the Prodigal Son - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[Rembrandt]] – "The Return of the [[Prodigal Son]]]]

{{quote|Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.|Jesus, {{Bibleverse|Matthew|5:7}}}}

Forgiveness is central to Christian ethics. The prayer Jesus taught his followers to recite begs God to "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|6:12}}</ref> When Peter asked Jesus how often to forgive someone, Jesus said "not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|18:22}}</ref> Jesus warned that God's forgiveness for your sins depends on your forgiveness towards others.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|6:15}}</ref> In one of the gospels, Jesus during his crucifixion asks God to forgive those who crucified him.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Luke|23:34}}</ref>

[[Hannah Arendt]] stated that Jesus was "the discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs."<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Hannah Arendt|first=Hannah|last=Arendt|chapter=Irreversibility and the Power to Forgive|title=The Human Condition|year=1958}}</ref>

=====God's forgiveness=====
Unlike in Judaism, in Christianity God can forgive sins committed by people against people, since he can forgive every sin except for the [[eternal sin]], and forgiveness from one's victim is not necessary for salvation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm#1864|url-status=dead|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church 1864|website=www.vatican.va|accessdate=Mar 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030401083618/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm|archive-date=2003-04-01}}</ref> The [[Parable of the Prodigal Son]]<ref>{{cite web | year = 2006 | url = https://www.comparativereligion.com/prodigal.html | title = The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Christianity and Buddhism | access-date = 2009-02-03 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090201020909/http://comparativereligion.com/prodigal.html | archive-date = 2009-02-01 }}</ref> is perhaps the best known parable about forgiveness and refers to God's forgiveness for those who repent. Jesus asked for God's forgiveness of those who [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucified him]]. "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'" – {{Bibleverse|Luke|23:34|nrsvue}}

=====Forgiving others=====
Forgiving offenses is among the spiritual [[works of mercy]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm#2447|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422085518/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm#2447|archive-date=2021-04-22|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church 2447|website=www.vatican.va|accessdate=Mar 5, 2023}}</ref> and forgiving others begets being forgiven by God.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|6}}</ref> Considering [[Mark 11]]:25, and [[Matthew 6:14–15]], that follows the [[Lord's Prayer]], "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,"<ref>{{Bibleverse|Mark|11:25}}, {{Bibleverse|Matthew|6:14–15}}</ref> forgiveness is not an option to a Christian; rather one must forgive to be a Christian. Forgiveness in Christianity is a manifestation of submission to Christ and fellow believers.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://missiodeijournal.com/issues/md-9-2/authors/md-9-2-moore|first=Charles E.|last= Moore|title=Radical, Communal, Bearing Witness: The Church as God's Mission in Bruderhof Perspective and Practice|journal=Missio dei|volume=9|number=2|year=2018|access-date=2018-12-06}}</ref>

In the [[New Testament]], [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus]] speaks of the importance of forgiving or showing [[Mercy#Christianity|mercy]] toward others. This is based on the belief that God forgives sins through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in his death ([[1 John 2]]:2<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 John|2:2}}</ref>) and that, therefore, Christians should forgive others ([[Ephesians 4]]:32<ref>{{Bibleverse|Ephesians|4:32}}</ref>). Jesus used the [[Parable of the unforgiving servant|parable of the unmerciful servant]] ([[Matthew 18]]:21–35<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|18:21–35}}</ref>) to show that His followers (represented in the parable by the servant) should forgive because God (represented by the king) forgives much more.

In the [[Sermon on the Mount]], Jesus repeatedly spoke of forgiveness: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|5:7|nrsvue}}</ref> "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|5:23–24|nsrvue}}</ref> "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Mark|11:25|nrsvue}}</ref> "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Luke|6:36|nrsvue}}</ref> "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Luke|6:37|nrsvue}}</ref>

Elsewhere, it is said "Then Peter came and said to him, 'Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.'"<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|18:21–22|nrsvue}}</ref>

Pope [[Benedict XVI]], on a visit to [[Christianity in Lebanon|Lebanon]] in 2012, insisted that peace must be based on mutual forgiveness: "Only forgiveness, given and received, can lay lasting foundations for reconciliation and universal peace".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2012/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20120915_autorita.html|title=Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI|location=May 25th Hall of the Baabda Presidential Palace|date=15 September 2012|author=Benedict XVI |publisher=[[Holy See]] |access-date=2015-12-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024090318/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2012/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20120915_autorita_en.html |archive-date=24 October 2014 }}</ref>

[[Pope Francis]] during a [[Audience (meeting)|General Audience]] explained{{elucidate|date=July 2023}} forgiving others as God forgives oneself.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Watkins|first=Devin|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-04/pope-francis-audience-our-father-forgiven-as-forgive.html|title=Pope at Audience: 'We are forgiven as we forgive others' |website=Vatican News|date=April 24, 2019}}</ref>

==== Islam ====
{{See also|Al-Ghafūr}}
{{Allah}}
[[Islam]] teaches that [[God in Islam|Allah]] is {{transliteration|ar|[[Al-Ghaffur]]}} "The Oft-Forgiving", and is the original source of all forgiveness ({{transliteration|ar|ghufran}} {{lang|ar|[[Wiktionary:غفران|غفران]]}}). Seeking forgiveness from [[Allah]] with [[Repentance in Islam|repentance]] is a [[Virtue#Islam|virtue]].<ref name="nnjre">{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal|last1=Abu-Nimer|last2=Nasser|year=2013|title=Forgiveness in The Arab and Islamic Contexts|journal=Journal of Religious Ethics|volume=41|number=3|pages=474–494|doi=10.1111/jore.12025 }}
|2={{qref|5|95|b=y}}
}}</ref><ref name="olq" />

{{Blockquote| (...) Allah has forgiven what has been done. But those who persist will be punished by Allah. And Allah is Almighty, capable of punishment.|{{qref|5|95|c=y}}}}

Islam [[Mustahabb|recommends]] forgiveness, because Allah values forgiveness. There are numerous verses in [[Quran]] and the [[Hadith]]s recommending forgiveness. Islam also allows [[Qisas|revenge]] to the extent of the harm done, but forgiveness is encouraged, with a promise of [[Thawab|reward]] from Allah.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite book|author=Mohammad Hassan Khalil|year=2012|title=Islam and the Fate of Others: The Salvation Question|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=65–94|isbn=978-0199796663}}
|2={{qref|42|40|b=y}}
}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|The reward of an evil deed is its equivalent. But whoever pardons and seeks reconciliation, then their reward is with Allah. He certainly does not like the wrongdoers.|{{qref|42|40|c=y}}}}

{{transliteration|ar|Afw}} ([[Wiktionary:عفو|عفو]] is another term for forgiveness in Islam; it occurs 35 times in Quran, and in some [[Schools of Islamic theology|Islamic theological studies]], it is used interchangeably with {{transliteration|ar|ghufran}}.<ref name="nnjre" /><ref name="olq">{{cite book|first=Oliver|last=Leaman|year=2005|title=The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415326391|pages=213–216}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shah|first=S.S.|year=1996|title=Mercy Killing in Islam: Moral and Legal Issues|journal=Arab Law Quarterly|volume=11|number=2|pages=105–115|doi=10.2307/3381592 |jstor=3381592 }}</ref> {{transliteration|ar|Afw}} means to pardon, to excuse for a fault or an offense. According to Muhammad Amanullah,<ref name="maislam">{{cite book|last=Amanullah|first=M.|year=2004|chapter=Just Retribution (Qisas) Versus Forgiveness (‘Afw)|title=Islam: Past, Present and Future|pages=871–883}} International Seminar on Islamic Thoughts Proceedings, December 2004, Department of Theology and Philosophy, Faculty of Islamic Studies Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia</ref> forgiveness ({{transliteration|ar|'Afw}}) in Islam is derived from three wisdoms. The first and most important wisdom of forgiveness is that it is [[Mercy#Islam|merciful]] when the victim or [[Wali|guardian]] of the victim accepts money instead of revenge.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal|last=Gottesman|first=E.|year=1991|title=Reemergence of Qisas and Diyat in Pakistan|journal=Columbia Human Rights Law Review|volume=23|pages=433–439}}
|2={{cite journal|last1=Tsang|first1=J.A.|last2=McCullough|first2=M.E.|last3=Hoyt|first3=W.T.|year=2005|title=Psychometric and Rationalization Accounts of the Religion-Forgiveness Discrepancy|journal=Journal of Social Issues|volume=61|number=4|pages=785–805|doi=10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00432.x|doi-access=free}}
}}</ref> The second wisdom of forgiveness is that it increases the honor and prestige of the one who forgives.<ref name="maislam" /> Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, humiliation or dishonor.<ref name="olq" /> Rather, forgiveness is honorable, it raises the merit of the forgiver in the eyes of Allah, and it enables a forgiver to enter [[Jannah|paradise]].<ref name="maislam" /> The third wisdom of forgiveness is that, according to scholars such as al-Tabari and al-Qurtubi, forgiveness expiates ({{transliteration|ar|[[Fidyah and Kaffara|kaffarah]]}}) the forgiver from the sins they may have committed at other occasions in life.<ref name="olq" /><ref>{{cite journal|first=Khalil|last=Athamina|year=1992|title=Al-Qisas: its emergence, religious origin and its socio-political impact on early Muslim society|journal=Studia Islamica|number=76|pages=53–74|doi=10.2307/1595660|jstor=1595660 }}</ref> Forgiveness is a form of charity ({{transliteration|ar|[[Sadaqah|sadaqat]]}}). Forgiveness comes from {{transliteration|ar|[[taqwa]]}} (piety), a quality of [[Fear of God|God-fearing]] people.<ref name="maislam" />

==== Bahá'í Faith ====
In the [[Bahá'í literature|Bahá'í Writings]], this explanation is given of how to be forgiving toward others:
{{quote|Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness.|[[`Abdu'l-Bahá]], ''The Promulgation of Universal Peace'', p. 92}}

===Dharmic===
==== Buddhism ====
In [[Buddhism]], forgiveness prevents harmful thoughts from causing havoc on one's mental well-being.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2006 | url = http://www.psychjourney.com/Buddhism%20Series.htm | website = Psychjourney |author=Chen Yu-Hsi|title= Introduction to Buddhism Series | access-date = 2006-06-19 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060414062806/http://www.psychjourney.com/Buddhism%20Series.htm | archive-date = 2006-04-14 }}</ref> Buddhism recognizes that [[Vedanā|feelings]] of [[Dvesha (Buddhism)|hatred]] and [[Vyāpāda|ill-will]] leave a lasting effect on our mind-[[Karma in Buddhism|karma]]. Buddhism encourages the cultivation of thoughts that leave a more wholesome effect. "In contemplating the law of karma, we realize that it is not a matter of seeking revenge but of practicing {{transliteration|pi|[[mettā]]}} and forgiveness, for the victimizer is, truly, the most unfortunate of all."<ref>{{cite journal | date = October 1997 | url = http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/article/universal_loving_kindness/#top | journal=Forest Sangha | number=42|title= Universal Loving Kindness |author=Ajahn Sumedho| access-date = 2009-02-07 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081210082606/http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/article/universal_loving_kindness/#top | archive-date = 2008-12-10 }}</ref> When resentments have already arisen, the Buddhist view is to calmly proceed to release them by going back to their roots{{explain|date=July 2023}}. Buddhism centers on release from delusion and suffering through [[Buddhist meditation|meditation]] and receiving insight into the nature of [[Reality in Buddhism|reality]].
Buddhism questions the reality of the [[Raga (Buddhism)|passions]] that make forgiveness necessary as well as the reality of the objects of those passions.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2006 | first=Joseph S.|last=O'Leary|url = https://josephsoleary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/02/buddhist_and_fo.html | title = Buddhism and Forgiveness | access-date = 2009-02-07 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081208080949/http://josephsoleary.typepad.com/my_weblog/buddhism/index.html | archive-date = 2008-12-08 }}</ref> "If we haven’t forgiven, we keep creating an identity around our pain, and that is what is reborn. That is what suffers."<ref>{{cite web | year = 2004 | url = http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/article/preparing_for_death/#top | author=Ajahn Pasanno| website= Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery |title= Preparing for Death | access-date = 2006-06-19 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060118231818/http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/article/preparing_for_death/#top | archive-date = 2006-01-18 }}</ref>

Buddhism places much emphasis on the concepts of {{transliteration|pi|mettā}} (loving kindness), {{transliteration|pi|[[Karuṇā|karuna]]}} (compassion), {{transliteration|pi|[[mudita]]}} (sympathetic joy), and {{transliteration|pi|[[upekkhā]]}} (equanimity), as a means to avoiding resentments in the first place. These reflections are used to understand the context of suffering in the world, both our own and the suffering of others.

{{quote|"He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me" — in those who harbor such thoughts hatred will never cease.
"He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me" — in those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred will cease."|[[Dhammapada]] 1.3–4 ([[Dhammapada (Radhakrishnan translation)|trans. Radhakrishnan]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.than.html|title=Yamakavagga: Pairs|year=1997|website=Access to Insight|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415034956/http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.than.html |archive-date=2009-04-15|translator=Thanissaro Bikkhu}}</ref>}}

{{anchor|Hinduism}}

==== Hindu Dharma ====
{{Main|Kshama}}
[[File:Holi Feest 2008 meisjes.jpg|thumb|[[Holi]] is the Hindu festival of colors, celebrated in spring. Traditionally, this is also a day to mark forgiveness, meet others, and repair relationships.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal|last=Agarwal|first=R.|year=2013|url=http://forum.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/sujsha/article/view/7501|url-status=dead|title=Water Festivals of Thailand: The Indian Connection|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102204158/http://forum.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/sujsha/article/view/7501 |archive-date=2013-11-02 |location=Silpakorn University|journal= Journal of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts|pages=7–18}}
|2={{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266312/Hinduism/59795/Vaishnava-rites|url-status=dead|title=Vaishnava Rites|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007055612/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266312/Hinduism/59795/Vaishnava-rites |archive-date=2013-10-07 |at=Sacred times and festivals|website= Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2009}} }}</ref> In Indonesia, among Balinese Hindus, Ngembak Geni — the day after [[Nyepi]] – is the ritual festive day in spring to meet, and both seek forgiveness and forgive each other.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indo.com/culture/nyepi.html|title=Bali's day of silence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131115634/http://indo.com/culture/nyepi.html |archive-date=2009-01-31 |website=Bali & Indonesia on the Net|year=2010}}</ref>]]

In [[Vedic period#Literature|Vedic literature]] and [[Indian epic poetry|epics]] of [[Hinduism]], {{transliteration|sa|ksama}} or {{transliteration|sa|kshyama}} ([[Sanskrit]]: [[Wiktionary:क्षमा|क्षमा]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?script=HK&beginning=0+&tinput=forgiveness+&trans=Translate&direction=AU|url-status=dead|title=Forgiveness|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102133347/http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?script=HK&beginning=0+&tinput=forgiveness+&trans=Translate&direction=AU |archive-date=2013-11-02 |website=English-Sanskrit Dictionary, Spoken Sanskrit|location=Germany|year=2010}}</ref> and fusion words based on it, name the concept of forgiveness. The word {{transliteration|sa|ksama}} is often combined with {{transliteration|sa|kripa}} (tenderness), {{transliteration|sa|daya}} (kindness), and {{transliteration|sa|karuna}} ([[Wiktionary:करुणा|करुणा]], compassion) in [[Sanskrit literature|Sanskrit texts]].<ref name="mpt">{{cite book|first1=Michael E.|last1=McCullough|first2=Kenneth I.|last2=Pargament|first3=Carl E.|last3=Thoresen|year=2001|title=Forgiveness: Theory, Research, and Practice|publisher=The Guildford Press|isbn=978-1572307117|pages=21–39}}</ref> In [[Rigveda|the Rigveda]], forgiveness is discussed in verses dedicated to the deity Varuna, both the context of the one who has done wrong and the one who is wronged.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite book|translator-first=Ralph|translator-last=Griffith|title=The Hymns of RugVeda|publisher=Motilal Banarsidas|year=1973}}
|2={{cite journal|last=Hunter|first=Alan|year=2007|title=Forgiveness: Hindu and Western Perspectives|journal=[[Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies]]|volume=20|number=1|page=11|doi=10.7825/2164-6279.1386 |doi-access=free}}
}}</ref> Forgiveness is considered one of the six cardinal virtues in Hindu Dharma.

The theological basis for forgiveness in Hindu Dharma is that a person who does not forgive carries baggage of memories of the wrong, of negative feelings, and of [[Anger#Hinduism|anger]], and unresolved emotions that affect their present as well as future. In Hindu Dharma, not only should one forgive others, but one must also seek forgiveness if one has wronged someone else.<ref name="mpt" /> Forgiveness is to be sought from the individual wronged, as well as society at large, by means of [[Dāna#Hinduism|charity]], [[Ritual purification#Hinduism|purification]], [[Vrata#Hinduism|fasting]], [[Hinduism#Rituals|rituals]], and [[Dhyana in Hinduism|meditative]] introspection.

Forgiveness is further refined in Hindu Dharma by rhetorically contrasting it in feminine and masculine form. In feminine form, one form of forgiveness is explained through [[Lakshmi]] (called [[Hindu deities|Goddess]] Sri in some parts of India); the other form is explained in the masculine form through her husband [[Vishnu]].<ref name="mpt" /> Feminine Lakshmi forgives even when the one who does wrong does not repent. Masculine Vishnu, on the other hand, forgives only when the wrongdoer repents. In Hindu Dharma, the feminine forgiveness granted without repentance by Lakshmi is higher and more noble than the masculine forgiveness granted only after there is repentance. In the Hindu epic [[Ramayana]], [[Sita]] – the wife of King [[Rama]] – is symbolically eulogized for forgiving a crow even as it harms her. Later in the epic Ramayana, she is eulogized again for forgiving those who harass her while she has been kidnapped in [[Lanka]].<ref name="mpt" /> Many other Hindu stories discuss forgiveness with or without repentance.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ransley|first=Cynthia|year=2004|title=Forgiveness: Themes and issues. Forgiveness and the healing process: A central therapeutic concern|isbn=1-58391-182-0|publisher=Brunner-Routledge|pages=10–32}}</ref>

The concept of forgiveness is treated in extensive debates within Hindu literature. In some [[Hindu texts]],<ref>See ''Manusamhita'', 11.55, ''Mahabharata'' Vol. II, 1022:8</ref> certain [[Sin#Hinduism|sins]] and intentional acts are debated as naturally unforgivable, for example, murder and rape; these ancient scholars argue whether blanket forgiveness is [[Hindu ethics|morally]] justifiable in every circumstance, and whether forgiveness encourages crime, disrespect, social disorder, and people not taking you seriously.<ref>{{cite book|first=Prafulla|last=Mohapatra|year=2008|title=Ethics and Society|publisher=Concept Publishing|isbn=978-8180695230|pages=22–25}}</ref>

Other ancient Hindu texts highlight that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Forgiveness in Hindu Dharma does not necessarily require that one reconcile with the offender, nor does it rule out reconciliation in some situations. Instead forgiveness in Hindu philosophy is being [[Compassion#Hinduism|compassionate]], tender, kind, and letting go of the harm or hurt caused by someone or something else.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Temoshok|first1=Lydia R.|last2=Chandra|first2=Prabha S.|title=Forgiveness: Theory, Research, and Practice|publisher=The Guildford Press|isbn=978-1572307117| editor-last1=McCullough | editor-first1=Michael E. | editor-last2=Pargament | editor-first2=Kenneth I. | editor-last3=Thoresen | editor-first3=Carl E. | chapter=The Meaning of Forgiveness in a Specific Situational and Cultural Context|date=28 August 2001 }}</ref> Forgiveness is essential for one to free oneself from negative thoughts, and to be able to focus on blissfully living a moral and ethical life (a ''dharmic'' life).<ref name="mpt" /> In the highest self-realized state, forgiveness becomes the essence of one's personality, where the persecuted person remains unaffected, without agitation, without feeling like a victim, free from [[Arishadvargas|anger]] ({{transliteration|sa|akrodhi}}).<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite book|last=Radhakrishnan|first=Sarvepalli|year=1995|title=Religion and Society|location=Indus|publisher=Harper Collins India}}
|2={{cite book|last=Sinha|first=Jadunath|year=1985|title=Indian psychology|volume=2 (Emotion and Will)|publisher=Motilal Banarsidas|location=New Delhi}}
}}</ref>

Other epics and ancient literature of Hindu Dharma discuss forgiveness. For example:

{{Blockquote|<poem>Forgiveness is virtue; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is the Vedas; forgiveness is the Shruti.
Forgiveness protecteth the ascetic merit of the future; forgiveness is asceticism; forgiveness is holiness; and by forgiveness is it that the universe is held together.</poem>|[[Mahabharata]], Book 3, Vana Parva, Section XXIX<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15474/15474-h/15474-h.htm#link2H_4_0322|chapter=Vana Parva|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327231954/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15474/15474-h/15474-h.htm |archive-date=2013-03-27|at=Section XXIX|title=Mahabharata|volume=I|year=1896|author= Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa|translator=Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}</ref>}}

{{Blockquote|Righteousness is the one highest good, forgiveness is the one supreme peace, knowledge is one supreme contentment, and benevolence, one sole happiness.|[[Mahabharata]], Book 5, Udyoga Parva, Section XXXIII<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m05/m05033.htm|chapter=Udyoga Parva, chapter XXXIII|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012081817/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m05/m05033.htm |archive-date=2013-10-12|title=Mahabharata|translator=Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}</ref>}}

{{Blockquote|text=<poem>
Janak asked: "Oh lord, how does one attain wisdom? how does liberation happen?"
Ashtavakra replied: "Oh beloved, if you want liberation, then renounce imagined passions as poison, take forgiveness, innocence, compassion, contentment and truth as nectar; (...)"
</poem>|sign=[[Ashtavakra Gita]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osho.com/osho-online-library/osho-talks/krishna-yoga-janak-2a36cc7b-0cd?p=9dcf65d6ecc65c6bb95af1370350e875|title=Ashtavakra Gita, Chapter 1, Verse 2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029002436/http://www.osho.com/library/online-library-janak-ashtavakra-statements-b14e68d3-99b.aspx |archive-date=2013-10-29 |translator=OSHO|year=2008}}
* Original: मुक्तिं इच्छसि चेत्तात विषयान् विषवत्त्यज । '''क्षमा'''र्जवदयातोषसत्यं पीयूषवद् भज || 2 ||
* Ashtavakra Gita has over 10 translations, each different; the above is closest consensus version</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Mukerjee | first=Radhakamal | title=Aṣṭāvakragītā (the Song of the Self Supreme): The Classical Text of Ātmādvaita by Aṣṭāvakra | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. | date=1971 | isbn=978-81-208-1367-0 | page=}}</ref>}}

====Jainism====
{{See also|Micchami Dukkadam|Kshamavani}}
In [[Jainism]], forgiveness is one of the main virtues that Jains should cultivate. {{transliteration|sa|Kṣamāpanā}}, or supreme forgiveness, forms part of one of the ten characteristics of {{transliteration|sa|[[Dharma (Jainism)|dharma]]}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Varni|first=Jinendra|postscript=; Samaṇ Suttaṁ; Ed. Prof. Sagarmal Jain|title=Translated Justice|editor-first1=T.K.|editor-last1=Tukol|editor-first2=K.K.|editor-last2=Dixit|year=1993|location=New Delhi|publisher=Bhagwan Mahavir memorial Samiti|at=verse 84}}</ref> In the Jain prayer, ({{transliteration|sa|[[pratikramana]]}}) Jains repeatedly seek forgiveness from various creatures—even from {{transliteration|sa|ekindriyas}} or single-sensed [[Jain terms and concepts#Classes of beings|beings]] like plants and microorganisms that they may have harmed while eating and doing routine activities.<ref>{{cite book | last =Jaini | first =Padmanabh | title =Collected Papers on Jaina Studies | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass Publ. | year =2000 | location =Delhi | isbn =978-81-208-1691-6 |page=285}}</ref> Forgiveness is asked by uttering the phrase, {{transliteration|pra|micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ}}—a [[Prakrit language]] phrase literally meaning "may all the evil that has been done be fruitless."<ref>{{cite book | last=Chapple | first=Christopher Key | title=Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life | location=Delhi|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers | date=2006 | isbn=978-81-208-2045-6 | page=46}}</ref> During {{transliteration|sa|[[samvatsari]]}}—the last day of Jain festival {{transliteration|sa|[[paryusana]]}}—Jains utter the phrase {{transliteration|pra|micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ}} after {{transliteration|sa|[[pratikraman]]}}. As a matter of [[Jain rituals|ritual]], they personally greet their friends and relatives with {{transliteration|pra|micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ}}, seeking their forgiveness. No private quarrel or dispute may be carried beyond {{transliteration|sa|samvatsari}}, and letters and telephone calls are made to the outstation{{jargon inline|date=July 2023}} friends and relatives asking their forgiveness.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hastings|first=James|year=2003|title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics|volume=10|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|isbn=978-0-7661-3682-3|page=876}}</ref>

{{transliteration|sa|Pratikraman}} also contains the following prayer:<ref>{{cite book | last =Jaini | first =Padmanabh | title =Collected Papers on Jaina Studies | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass Publ. | year =2000 | location =Delhi | isbn =978-81-208-1691-6 |pages=18 and 224}}</ref>
<blockquote>
{{transliteration|pra|Khāmemi savva-jīve savvë jive khamantu me / <br />
metti me savva-bhūesu, veraṃ mejjha na keṇavi //}}

(I ask pardon of all creatures, may all creatures pardon me.<br />
May I have friendship with all beings and enmity with none.)
</blockquote>

In their daily prayers and {{transliteration|sa|[[samayika]]}}, Jains recite {{transliteration|pra|Iryavahi sutra}}, seeking forgiveness from all creatures while involved in routine activities:<ref>{{cite book|translator-first=Nagin J.|translator-last=Shah|translator-first2=Madhu|translator-last2=Sen|year=1993|title=Concept of Pratikramana|location=Ahmedabad|publisher=Gujarat Vidyapith|pages=25–26}}</ref>
<blockquote>
May you, O Revered One! Voluntarily permit me. I would like to confess my sinful acts committed while walking. I honour your permission. I desire to absolve myself of the sinful acts by confessing them. I seek forgiveness from all those living beings which I may have tortured while walking, coming and going, treading on living organism, seeds, green grass, dew drops, ant hills, moss, live water, live earth, spider web and others. I seek forgiveness from all these living beings, be they — one sensed, two sensed, three sensed, four sensed or five sensed. Which I may have kicked, covered with dust, rubbed with ground, collided with other, turned upside down, tormented, frightened, shifted from one place to another or killed and deprived them of their lives. (By confessing) may I be absolved of all these sins.
</blockquote>

Jain texts quote [[Mahavira|Māhavīra]] on forgiveness:<ref>{{cite book | translator-last =Jacobi | translator-first =Hermann | translator-link =Hermann Jacobi | editor =[[Max Müller|F. Max Müller]] | title =The Uttarādhyayana Sūtra | publisher =The Clarendon Press | year =1895 | location =Oxford | language =en | url =https://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe45/index.htm | series =[[Sacred Books of the East|Sacred Books of the East vol.45, Part 2]] | isbn =978-0-7007-1538-1 | url-status =live | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090704214930/http://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe45/index.htm | archive-date =2009-07-04 }} ''Note: ISBN refers to the UK:Routledge (2001) reprint. URL is the scan version of the original 1895 reprint.''</ref>

{{quote|By practicing {{transliteration|sa|[[Prāyaścitta|prāyaṣcitta]]}} (repentance), a soul gets rid of sins, and commits no transgressions; he who correctly practises {{transliteration|sa|prāyaṣcitta}} gains the road and the reward of the road, he wins the reward of good conduct. By begging forgiveness he obtains happiness of mind; thereby he acquires a kind disposition towards all kinds of living beings; by this kind disposition he obtains purity of character and freedom from fear.|Māhavīra in '' [[Uttaradhyayana|Uttarādhyayana Sūtra]]'' 29:17–18}}

The code of conduct among [[Jain monasticism|monks]] requires them to ask forgiveness for all transgressions:<ref>{{cite book | last =Jacobi | first =Hermann | author-link =Hermann Jacobi | editor =[[Max Müller|F. Max Müller]] | title =The Kalpa Sūtra | publisher =The Clarendon Press | year =1884 | location =Oxford | language =en | url =https://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/sbe2200.htm | series =[[Sacred Books of the East]] | volume=22, Part 1| isbn =978-0-7007-1538-1 | url-status =live | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070929151006/http://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/sbe2200.htm | archive-date =2007-09-29 }} ''Note: ISBN refers to the UK:Routledge (2001) reprint. URL is the scan version of the original 1884'' reprint.</ref>
{{quote|If among monks or nuns occurs a quarrel or dispute or dissension, the young monk should ask forgiveness of the superior, and the superior of the young monk. They should forgive and ask forgiveness, appease and be appeased, and converse without restraint. For him who is appeased, there will be success (in control); for him who is not appeased, there will be no success; therefore one should appease one's self. "Why has this been said, Sir? Peace is the essence of monasticism."|''Kalpa Sūtra'' 8:59}}

===Other===
==== {{lang|haw|Hoʻoponopono}} ====
{{lang|haw|[[Hoʻoponopono]]}} is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, combined with prayer. Similar forgiveness practices were performed on islands throughout the [[Oceania|South Pacific]], including Samoa, Tahiti, and New Zealand. Traditionally {{lang|haw|Hoʻoponopono}} is practiced by healing priests or {{lang|haw|[[kahuna]] lapaʻau}} among family members of a person who is physically ill. Modern versions are performed within the family by a family elder, or by the individual alone.