How have wisdom traditions understood forgiveness, and what does it ask of a person who has been hurt?
These passages explore forgiveness through mercy, understanding, release, and the way a person responds after harm. The traditions gathered here teach directly about what forgiveness is and what it asks of us.
Common Ground
Across these traditions, forgiveness takes shape through compassion, understanding, mercy, and release after harm. The Dhammapada teaches that hatred ceases through love. Epictetus teaches that we should pardon those who err, because they act from ignorance. Marcus Aurelius asks us to recognize that we ourselves may hold the same errors we see in others.
'He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,'--in those who do not harbour such thoughts hatred will cease. For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.
Buddhism - The Dhammapada, v. 1-6, F. Max Müller (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 10), 1881
Read in the libraryBut he will bear with the man who is unlike himself, he will be kind to him, gentle, ready to pardon on account of his ignorance, on account of his being mistaken in things of the greatest importance; but he will be harsh to no man, being well convinced of Plato's doctrine that every mind is deprived of truth unwillingly.
Stoicism - Discourses of Epictetus, 'On Friendship,' George Long, 1877
Read in the libraryFor either thou thyself dust yet live in that error and ignorance, as that thou dust suppose either that very thing that he doth, or some other like worldly thing, to be good; and then that he can do rightly, who is led away by an error of this kind, thou dust much rather pity him than hate him.
Stoicism - Meditations, Book VII, Marcus Aurelius, Meric Casaubon, 1634
Read in the libraryDifferent Paths
Buddhism
Buddhism frames forgiveness within the law of cause and effect: hatred perpetuates suffering, and its cessation comes through a conscious practice of love toward those who have caused harm.
Browse Buddhism sourcesStoicism
Stoicism grounds forgiveness in rational understanding: the person who wrongs us acts from error and ignorance, and our fitting response is gentleness and pity, because we recognize that error is involuntary.
Browse Stoicism sourcesSikhism
Sikhism places forgiveness within the divine order: God forgives and governs all, and human forgiveness reflects submission to that order.
Browse Sikhism sourcesRelated
Some, by His Command, are blessed and forgiven; others, by His Command, wander aimlessly forever. Everyone is subject to His Command; no one is beyond His Command.
Sikhism - Guru Granth Sahib, Section 01 - Jup, Part 001
Sources
All passages are drawn from public domain sources. Read them in full in the library.