Seeing is Believing – VIII

"The shadow is where your personal gold is"
                                                   Carl Jung 

Once Johnny, a simpleton, visited a zoo. He was excited seeing all animals and birds in cages. Out of love, he touched animals and spoke to them with great concern. When he came across a tiger, he shouted with joy and wanted to touch him. As he extended his hand, the tiger hit him with his paw. Johnny’s hand was broken and in pain he cried. He was admitted in the hospital for the treatment.

After few months, he was healed of the wound and broken bones, he visited again the same zoo. When he saw the tiger in the cage, he went near and said, “I have forgiven and forgotten what you did to me, now I want to shake hands with you.” And extended his hand, the tiger once again hit him. And again, Johnny was admitted in the hospital.

The doctor who treated him enquired why did he do the same thing again. Johnny replied, “People always told me that I should forgive and forget negative things of others, and I just followed their advice.” The doctor smiled and said to him, “Johnny, people have wrongly advised you, the right thing is ‘Forgive but don’t forget’ ”.

Once he was healed of the broken bones, he went to the tiger and said, “I forgive you for what you did to me, but I will not forget the incident”. This time he did not extend his hand to touch the tiger.

The mind being concerned only with survival, easily does not forget painful experience. That is the reason we do not touch the hot stove. But if we fail to forgive, then life becomes a big burden.

One of the major reasons for people being affected by asthma is their inability to forgive others. Of course we do not include the people who have real medical reason in this category. In hypno-therapy, fantasy exercise is used to cure the asthma patients who do not have medical defect. The following is the process in which the exercise is conducted:

1. Close the eyes and relax by breathing in and out
2. Bring to the mind the person who has done negative thing to you
3. Look at him in the form of his picture (photo) (since you hate him/her, you will be seeing him either in a disfigured form or in a dark and degusting shape)
4. Slowly say the words, I forgive you. (It will be difficult in the first time, take time to utter these words)
5. Send your blessing to him, and sincerely pray for his welfare.
6. Give some positive colors to the picture of that person; make it as clear as possible (If it is difficult, stop the process and return to it at latter time)
7. With increasing number of attempts, you will be able to see his picture in a normal form (dark and disfigured shape will become normal).

The moment you are able see his picture clearly and with normal color, you will immediately experience joy and complete relaxation.

Basically it means that by forgiving, you are not doing any favor to the person whom you hate but you are creating a matured and pleasant self within you. It releases positive energy within you.