Gifts of the Heart – Forgiveness and Patience

10/20/25

Gifts of the Heart – Forgiveness and Patience

“The finest gifts that you can give anyone are forgiveness and patience.”
- Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living

Embrace the Highest Gifts

There are moments in life when words cut deep, when misunderstandings harden into silence, and when you feel justified in holding on to resentment. But in those very moments, life challenges you to rise above, transcend your hurt and remember your true inner power.

Eknath Easwaran teaches that the greatest gifts we can give are not material things, but inner treasures: forgiveness and patience. These are the qualities that free the heart, restore relationships, and open the door to your true self.

They don’t come easily. They’re forged in self-awareness, humility, and courage. Yet, they carry a quiet radiance capable of transforming both giver and receiver.

Context

In The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Easwaran illuminates the teachings of the Gita not as distant philosophy but as a practical guide to living with love and awareness.

This quote appears in his reflection on Chapter 12: “The Way of Love.” In this chapter, Lord Krishna describes the qualities of those who are dearest to the Divine, those who live with compassion, forgiveness, patience, and unwavering equanimity.

Easwaran explains that these are not lofty spiritual ideals reserved for saints; they are the disciplines of the everyday seeker. Every conflict, delay, or disagreement becomes a spiritual training ground, a chance to practice inner mastery.

“Forgiveness is not weakness but courage. Patience is not passivity but strength.”

When you forgive, you free yourself from anger. When you are patient, you rise above impulse. Together, these virtues become the foundation for lasting peace within you and in the world around you.

The Bridge Builder

Let’s bring this to life through a story.

Maya and her closest friend, Sara, drifted apart after a painful argument. Harsh words were exchanged, pride took root, and silence stretched on for months.

One morning, while reading Easwaran’s teachings, Maya paused at the line: “The finest gifts you can give are forgiveness and patience.”

Something in her heart shifted. That evening, she sat quietly, repeating a calming mantram. She realized that while she had been waiting for Sara to apologize, she was the one holding onto bitterness.

The next day, she wrote a simple message:

“I miss our friendship. I forgive what happened. Let’s begin again.”

Sara’s reply came almost instantly, filled with gratitude and relief.

Through forgiveness and patience, the bridge between them was rebuilt: stronger, gentler, and truer than before.

The takeaway: forgiveness doesn’t erase the past. It transforms the present.

Living This Teaching Every Day

Easwaran believed that spirituality must be lived, not merely learned. Here are five ways to embody his wisdom and bring forgiveness and patience into your daily life:

1. Pause Before You React: When emotion rises, pause. Take one deep breath.
   In that pause lies your power. It is the moment between impulse and choice.

2. Repeat a Mantram or Phrase: Anchor your mind with a calming word: Shanti (peace), Om, or “This too shall pass.”
   It helps dissolve anger before it becomes action.

3. Shift Your Perspective: Ask yourself: “What might they be struggling with?”
   Seeing others with compassion softens judgment and opens the heart.

4. Release, Don’t Rehearse: When painful memories replay, redirect your focus. Forgiveness may require repetition. But each time, you free a little more of your own light.

5. Practice Patient Trust: Patience isn’t passive. It’s active trust: faith that life is unfolding exactly as it should.
   Use delays and challenges to build calm endurance.

Returning to Your True Self

Forgiveness and patience are not just social virtues; they are pathways back to your authentic self.
When you forgive, you clear the inner clutter that blocks your light. When you are patient, you align with life’s natural rhythm rather than fighting it.

Together, they awaken your divine nature: the calm, compassionate awareness that exists beyond ego and reaction.

Easwaran beautifully wrote that when you see the Divine in everyone, you can’t help but act with love.

That is the essence of spiritual awakening. Not escaping life, but meeting it with a steady, open heart.

Walking The Path of The Heart

True transformation occurs in small moments. It happens in the process of how you respond to the people and challenges right in front of you.

Start by forgiving one person today: even silently. Be patient in one situation that tests you.
Smile when you could frown. Listen when you could interrupt.

Each act is a quiet revolution, a ripple of light.
As you give these gifts freely, you’ll find yourself becoming lighter, stronger, and more peaceful.

When you give these gifts, you awaken the divine within yourself. You become a vessel of calm, compassion, and strength.

Forgiveness softens the heart; patience steadies the spirit. Together, they illuminate the path toward your truest, most radiant self.

Live from that place and you will not just find peace; you will become it.

Champion of Inner Peace

Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was an Indian spiritual teacher, author, and translator who bridged ancient wisdom with modern living through clarity, warmth, and practical insight. Born in Kerala, India, and once a professor of English literature, he later founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in California in 1961. His major works: The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Passage Meditation, Meditation: A Simple Eight-Point Program, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada continue to inspire seekers worldwide. Through his Eight-Point Program, Easwaran taught that true spirituality is lived through daily practice, cultivating awareness, compassion, and inner strength, and that mastery of life comes not through escape, but through meeting each challenge with love, forgiveness, and patience.