Question asked by Jeff
Hello Tsem,
I loved and feared your article titled " Peace is not Complaining – But Taking Responsibility." I loved it because it made me feel better and gave me some hope. I feared it because it is the truth. I don't have any issues taking so much personal responsibility to become a healthier and happier person creating positive karma. What I fear is the idea that by doing this I feel I'm not protecting myself from other people's bad intentions. Forgiveness and kindness towards others is vital for my spiritual freedom. This is done with no expectations of anything in return but if people still try hurting me its a hard battle emotionally for me to want to continue my forgiveness and kindness. My question is at what point does providing Forgiveness and kindness become a stronger force than the pain others cause no matter how kindly you treat them.
I really admire you.
Dear Jeff,
Firstly let me clarify that this section of the blog is not usually answered by H.E. Tsem Rinpoche, but by the Kechara Pastors, who have been trained to answer questions and give spiritual advice.
You have asked a very good question but perhaps you may not know the intricacies of karma. Yes, we must focus on creating good karma, developing a strong sense of kindness and forgiveness. In the example you gave of people still trying to hurt you, you describe it as a hard battle. And you are entirely correct…because you are fighting against the karma you have created in your previous lives. All the situations we are in today or have gone through in the past, all the people we know or have known in the past is actually all due to karma.
Out of all of the people in the world…why is it that we know who we know and are in the situations we are in…karma. Therefore if we are hurt by someone it is obviously due to karma. The power of forgiveness and kindess becomes strong when what a person does or says against us, that in the past would have hurt us, no longer affects us. As the article you mentioned says, it is the letting go of the hurt, or more correctly you perception of the hurt caused to you that will lead you to be free.
This will take time, patience and effort as you are fighting against your karma. The point at which this occurs is not set in stone, it is fluid and is different for every person, therefore I cannot give you an definite answer.