Forgiveness · Internal Version¶
This version presents all source texts in full, without alteration, organized by theme with source citations.
[I] The Fundamental Status of Forgiveness — The Most Basic Requirement for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven¶
Heaven has no hatred. With hatred in your heart, you will never reach the Kingdom of Heaven. I come from the lowest space of Heaven — the Thousand-Year World — and there is no hatred there, only happiness, joy, freedom, and well-being. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · Chanyuan Celestials Must Learn to Forgive Others)
You must forgive others — this is the most basic requirement for entering the Kingdom of Heaven. People are not perfect; we ourselves are not perfect. Therefore, in one's lifetime it is inevitable that one will both hurt others and be hurt by others. Put yourself in others' shoes; meet sincerity with sincerity. As long as we forgive others, the door to the Kingdom of Heaven will open for us. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · Chanyuan Celestials Must Learn to Forgive Others)
No matter who has hurt you — forgive them completely. Even a hatred as deep as the death of a father — forget it. Learn from Jesus, learn from Shakyamuni Buddha. Though your body remains in the human world, let your spirit and heart enter the Celestial Islands Continent in advance. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Friendship · Yaolin Grass: Transform Yourself)
[II] The Reciprocal Mechanism — Forgiving Others and Being Forgiven by the Greatest Creator¶
We forgive people their faults, and the Greatest Creator will forgive us our faults; we do not forgive people their faults, and the Greatest Creator will not forgive us our faults. (Source: New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th ed., Concept 551)
When a brother keeps offending me, forgive him seventy-seven times. If each of us does not forgive our brother from the heart, the Greatest Creator will not forgive us either. (Source: New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th ed., Concept 563)
Only by forgiving others will the Greatest Creator forgive us. (Source: Guide's Other Articles · 2021 · Forgive All Faults)
The method of repentance is to speak to the Greatest Creator from your heart and with sincerity, confessing your faults, and praying for the Greatest Creator's forgiveness. As long as you repent, the Greatest Creator will surely forgive, and will surely love the one who repents. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan · Lifechanyuan's View on Repentance)
Before the Greatest Creator, there is no fault or crime that cannot be forgiven. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · The Mystery and Value of Repentance)
[III] The Real Effects of Forgiveness — Heart-Mind, Energy, and LIFE Structure¶
Forgive others! Forgive those who have hurt you! You can try it: when you have forgiven from the very depths of your heart the person who hurt you, your heart will feel luminously bright, vital energy will enter, the road ahead of you will become more open, and your prospects will become more wonderful. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · Chanyuan Celestials Must Learn to Forgive Others)
Forgiving, accepting, and pardoning others is widening your own road and expanding your own living space. (Source: New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th ed., Concept 143)
To forgive others' faults is to glorify yourself. (Source: New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th ed., Concept 322)
Do not give way to anger. The vibrational frequency of anger is only 150 — the moment you become angry, the first one harmed is yourself. This is a very foolish emotional state. Learn to forgive and pardon others. Use the Lifechanyuan principle — "there is nothing wrong with this world; if there is something wrong, the fault lies with oneself" — to calm your emotions, and instead receive in joy everything that happens to you. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Preaching · 18 Details for Ascending to the Peak of Life and LIFE)
We must be determined to abandon the mentality of revenge and retaliation. The mind-state of hatred does nothing to elevate the quality of our LIFE; instead, it distorts the inner Spirit and drives the LIFE structure to evolve toward falseness, evil, and ugliness. Even if we were to trample our enemy underfoot or kill them, this would do nothing beyond satisfying our vanity and providing a momentary psychological relief — it does nothing to help the inner Spirit move toward truth, goodness, and beauty. If no one forgives anyone and everyone pursues revenge, humanity can only remain trapped in a vicious cycle, with no peace in sight. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Revelation · Leaving the Egypt of the Heart-Mind)
Not forgiving all beings, not pardoning all beings — you are only making yourself suffer. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Practice · 181 Points of Buddhist Cultivation · Point 5)
You must always forgive all beings, no matter how bad they are — even if they have hurt you, you must let go, for only then can you attain true happiness. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Practice · 181 Points of Buddhist Cultivation · Point 13)
If a person cannot truly pardon others from within, they will never find peace of mind. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Practice · 181 Points of Buddhist Cultivation · Point 36)
To pardon others is to leave space in your own heart for maneuver. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Practice · 181 Points of Buddhist Cultivation · Point 82)
[IV] The Graduated Levels of Forgiveness — From Minimum to Maximum¶
If we cannot "love our enemies," then at least we can do the minimum of not hating our "enemies." If we cannot get along well with our "enemies," then at least we can manage to coexist peaceably with our "enemies." (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · Chanyuan Celestials Must Learn to Forgive Others)
Love our enemies; pray for those who persecute us. (Source: New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th ed., Concept 550)
It is better to forgive others yourself than to wait for others to have to forgive you. (Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Practice · 181 Points of Buddhist Cultivation · Point 178)
[V] The Objects of Forgiveness — All People, Siblings, and Yourself¶
All people, including the most difficult:
When asked how to deal with a petty, vindictive, small-minded person: Answer: Forgive! (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A · How to Deal with a Petty Person)
We do not advocate or encourage people to hate each other; rather, we advocate that people forgive each other, understand each other, cherish each other, and join hands with each other. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan · We Are Globalists)
Fellow Chanyuan Celestials (brothers and sisters):
When brothers and sisters sin unintentionally, everyone must forgive them. As long as they remain in the Home, we must still love them, help them — we must not discriminate against, neglect, look down on, or surveil them. We use only love to transform them. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan · The Way Chanyuan Celestials Live Together as Brothers and Sisters)
There is nothing we cannot understand, nothing we cannot excuse, nothing we cannot forgive — especially toward our own brothers and sisters; there is nothing that cannot be pardoned. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan · The Way Chanyuan Celestials Live Together as Brothers and Sisters)
Forgiving yourself:
We must forgive ourselves, and even more so forgive others. In the years past, each of us has committed faults — these need to be forgiven in ourselves, because since we ourselves make faults, others certainly will make faults too. For faults, the only response is forgiveness. (Source: Guide's Other Articles · 2021 · Forgive All Faults)
Forgive yourself often; pray to the Greatest Creator often; change course promptly; liberate yourself at all times. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · Eight Guiding Principles for Life · Seventh Principle: Forgive Yourself)
[VI] The Root of Forgiveness — Gratitude and the Shared Recognition of Human Imperfection¶
It is precisely because neither we ourselves nor others are perfect that we need to forgive each other — and forgiveness flows from the sense of gratitude in our hearts. (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Always Be Grateful — Second Home Cultural Development II)
Listen to me: this is what Jesus Christ taught; this is what Buddha Shakyamuni taught; I have verified it through a great many facts and through my own practice. Forgive others, and you will receive boundless benefit! (Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind · Chanyuan Celestials Must Learn to Forgive Others)
[VII] Guide's Demonstration of Forgiveness — General Amnesty and Specific Cases¶
From the time Lifechanyuan first appeared in public view in 2003 through the end of November 2018, all those who attacked Lifechanyuan are hereby forgiven and pardoned — past transgressions shall not be mentioned again. All former Chanyuan Celestials who left Lifechanyuan, regardless of how they harmed it, are hereby forgiven and pardoned — past transgressions shall not be mentioned again. All Chanyuan Celestials who, during their time in the Second Home, violated Chanyuan principles and made mistakes, are hereby forgiven and pardoned — past transgressions shall not be mentioned again. … Everything returns to emptiness and stillness. Everything begins again from zero. (Source: Guide's Other Articles · 2018 · Lifechanyuan General Amnesty)
Any harm done to Xuefeng by anyone is something that can be forgiven. In truth, Xuefeng has no hatred — only love… There are only wrong parents; there are no wrong children. There are only wrong Guides; there are no wrong Chanyuan Celestials. (Source: Guide's Other Articles · 2021 · Forgive All Faults)
I forgive and pardon your fault, because Jesus Christ has taught us to forgive our brothers and sisters. (Source: Guide's Other Articles · 2023 · Forgiving and Pardoning the Sister Who Leaked the Home's Privacy)