476 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
476 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
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REPENTANCE, CONFESSION AND RESTITUTION
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Repentance is the first step on the road to recovery of a relation-
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ship with God or realization of the original nature. Sins, attachments,
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and mistaken views must be acknowledged as such; then it is possible to
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turn away from the old life and set out on the new path of faith. Since
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accumulated sins and delusions form a barrier obscuring the presence of
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God or the true self, repentance is a condition for God to forgive the sin
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and eradicate illusion, that the divine Presence may once again grace the
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penitent's life.
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Repentance is sometimes misunderstood as being fulfilled by words
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of contrition uttered in prayer. Words of contrition are indeed signifi-
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cant when they reflect a fresh inner realization that a particular course
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of action was wrong, and when they are accompanied by a sincere vow not to
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repeat the sin. But that is only the first stage of repentance. The
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second stage, one far more efficacious, is to confess the sin to others,
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particularly a confession to the person who had been wronged. The humil-
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iation and shame which accompanies confessing one's sin to another makes
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such repentance extremely serious, and laying one's sins out in the open
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is a powerful cathartic. The third stage of repentance is to make some
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substantial compensation for the past misdeed. This means to do penance
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or to make restitution to the person who had been wronged, or, if that is
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not possible, to someone else representing that person. Finally, repent-
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ance should result in an actual change of direction in the life of the
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penitent, as he endeavors to perform good deeds and eschew his former
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transgressions.
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The passages in this section cover these dimensions of repentance.
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First are texts setting forth repentance as a remedy for sin. Next we
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have several typical prayers of repentance. Third are texts enjoining
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the penitent to confess his sins to others, holding nothing back. Sever-
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al texts are critical of delaying such confessions till the time of death.
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Fourth are texts which recommend acts of penance and restitution. Final-
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ly, we have gathered texts evaluating the firmness of repentance, chiefly
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by whether or not the penitent slides back to repeating the behavior for
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which he had repented, and whether his mind and spirit are truly renewed.
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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Christianity. Matthew 3.2
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Truly, God loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse them-
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selves.
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Islam. Qur'an 2.222
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Great is repentance; it turns premeditated sins into incentives for right
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conduct.
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Judaism. Talmud, Yoma 86b
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The grace of the Lord of heaven and earth is infinite and boundless; He
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has endowed you with the Beautiful Gift, called the Spirit of Repentance,
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with which to light up and purify yourself from sin.
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Omoto Kyo. Michi-no-Shiori
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Concern over remorse and humiliation depends on the borderline. The urge
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to blamelessness depends on remorse.
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Confucianism. I Ching, Great Commentary 1.3.4
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If one hides the evil, it adds and grows. If one bares it and repents,
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the sin dies out. Therefore all Buddhas say that the wise do not hide
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sin.
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Buddhism. Mahaparinirvana Sutra
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Matthew 3.2: Here the Kingdom of Heaven is 'at hand' not only in the
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eschatological sense that the time of the Messiah has drawn near--as was
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the case in Jesus' day. The Kingdom of Heaven is also at hand for each
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person as he prepares himself for it. Cf. Acts 2.38, p. 854; Abot 4.22,
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p. 336. Qur'an 2.222: Cf. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 42, p. 523; Isaiah
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57.15, p. 114. I Ching, Great Commentary 1.3.4: The 'borderline' refers
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to one's scruples about what is good and what is evil. An educated consc-
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ience is a prerequisite to repentance. Cf. Itivuttaka 36, p. 770.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
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a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
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Judaism and Christianity. Psalm 51.17
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If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and
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seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
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heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
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Judaism and Christianity. 2 Chronicles 7.14
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Let us rid ourselves of evil doings.
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Let every person ask pardon of the Great Light (Asis),
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The molder of us all,
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Who has given us this land to inhabit, and to multiply in.
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African Traditional Religions. Kipsigis Poem (Kenya)
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The sin which makes you sad and repentant is liked better by the Lord than
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the good deed which turns you vain and conceited.
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Islam (Shiite) Nahjul Balagha, Saying 44
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Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
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collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank
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thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
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even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all
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that I get." But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift
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up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to
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me a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified
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rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
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but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
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Christianity. Luke 18.10-14
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As was the will of God, so I ought to have thought;
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As was the will of God, so I ought to have spoken;
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As was the will of God, so I ought to have acted.
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If I have not so thought, so spoken, so acted,
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Then do I repent for the sin,
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Do I repent by my thought, word, and deed.
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Do I repent with all my heart and conscience.
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Zoroastrianism. Patet 6
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Psalm 51.17: Cf. Psalm 51.6-10, p. 519; Isaiah 57.15, p. 114; Jeremiah
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10.23-24, p. 571; Hosea 6.1-2, p. 525. 2 Chronicles 7.14: Cf. Jeremiah
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18.3-11, p. 1082; Midrash Psalms 18, p. 575. Nahjul Balagha, Saying 44:
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Cf. Hadith of Muslim, p. 457; Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 42, p. 523;
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Tannisho, pp. 757f. Luke 18.10-14: Cf. Matthew 9.10-13, p. 638; Tannisho,
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pp. 757f.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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You should become the person who prays as follows: "All the sins of the
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past and present are my responsibility. Father! Forgive me!"
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Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 2-21-60
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Our transgressions are past counting,
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There is no end to our sins,
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Be merciful, forgive us, O Lord;
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We are great sinners and wrongdoers.
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There is no hope of our redemption.
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O Lord, dear Lord, our deeds weighed in the balance
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Would get us no place in Thy court!
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Forgive us and make us one with Thyself
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Through the grace of the Guru.
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If the Lord God can be attained to,
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Then all evil is destroyed.
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Shalok Vadhik, M.3, p. 1416
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I muse on my heart and I ponder this question:
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When shall I again be at one with Varuna?
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Will he accept without rancor my offering?
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When, reassured, shall I taste of his mercy?
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I question myself on my sin, O Varuna,
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desirous to know it. I seek out the wise
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to ask them; the sages all give me this answer,
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"The God, great Varuna, is angry with you."
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What, then, O God, is my greatest transgression
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for which you would ruin your singer, your friend?
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Tell me, O God who knows all and lacks nothing,
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so that, quickly prostrating, I may sinless crave pardon.
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Loose us from the yoke of the sins of our fathers
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and also from those we ourselves have committed.
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Release your servant, as a thief is set free
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from his crime or as a calf is loosed from its cord.
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Hinduism. Rig Veda 7.86.2-5
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Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now
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Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.
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Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he cried,
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"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of
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Nineveh proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them
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to the least of them. Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he
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arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sack-
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cloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through
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Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor
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beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water,
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but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily
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to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence
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which is in his hands. Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his
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fierce anger, so that we perish not?" When God saw what they did, how
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they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had
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said he would do to them; and he did not do it.
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Judaism and Christianity. Jonah 3.3-10
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Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may
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be healed.
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Christianity. James 5.16
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Whosoever looks upon his wrongdoing as wrongdoing, makes amends by con-
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fessing it as such, and abstains from it in the future, will progress
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according to the Law.
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Buddhism. Digha Nikaya, Samanaphala Sutta
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By public confession, repentance, penance, repetition of holy mantras, and
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by gifts, the sinner gets released from guilt.
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In proportion as a man who has done wrong, himself confesses it, even so
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is he freed from guilt, as a snake from its slough.
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In proportion as his heart loathes his evil deed, even so far is his body
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freed from that guilt.
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Hinduism. Laws of Manu 11.228-30
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"I wish to reverence you, ascetic who suffers with equanimity, with
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intense concentration."
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"So be it."
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"You will have passed the day auspiciously with little distur-
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bance."
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"Yes."
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"You make spiritual progress."
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"And you also."
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"I wish to ask pardon for transgressions."
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"I ask for it too."
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"I must confess, ascetic who suffers with equanimity, for lack of
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respect and day-to-day transgressions of the mind, speech, or body;
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through anger, pride, deceit, or greed; false behavior and neglect of the
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Teaching; and whatever offense I have committed I here confess, repudiate
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and repent of it and set aside my past deeds."
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Jainism. Vandana Formula
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[Certain brethren, having wrongly expelled another from the Order, came to
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the Master to confess their fault.] They fell at the feet of the Exalted
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One, and said to him,
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"Transgression, Lord, overcame us: such was our folly, such was our
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stupidity, such was our wrongdoing, in that we expelled a brother who was
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pure and faultless without ground and without reason. May the Exalted
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One, O Lord, accept this our confession of guilt as such, for our self-
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restraint in the future."
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"Truly, brethren, transgression overcame you, such was your
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folly.... Nevertheless, brethren, as you have seen your transgression as
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transgression, and have made confession as is fit and proper, I do accept
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it from you. For this, brethren, is growth in the Noble Discipline when,
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having seen our transgression as such, we make confession as is fit and
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proper, for the future practice of self-restraint."
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Buddhism. Vinaya, Mahavagga 9.1
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Sin disappears with repentance.
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Does not darkness vanish simultaneously with exposure to light?
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Those who do not repent, retain their sins.
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Is it not true that unexposed darkness remains darkness?
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Confession may be made in secret, or you may write a letter to a leader of
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the teachings. However, there is nothing to be gained by disclosing
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your sin in darkness or before people who will only ridicule you.
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What is the use of exposing darkness to darkness?
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When once man sincerely repents, from that very instant his original
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perfection as a child of God becomes manifested as if his whole
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being were cleansed and purified.
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After sincerely repenting, you feel at peace within yourself because you
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are truly My children and I am one with all of you.
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Divine Spirit flows abundantly through you, and your spirit will grow and
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finally attain Infinite Life.
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Seicho-no-Ie. Holy Sutra for Spiritual Healing
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Say, O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of
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the mercy of God, who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the
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Merciful. Turn to Him repentant, and surrender unto Him, before there can
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come upon you the doom, when you cannot be helped. And follow the better
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of that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord, before the doom
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comes on you suddenly when you know not. Lest any soul should say, "Alas,
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my grief that I was unmindful of God, and I was indeed among the
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scoffers!" Or should say, "If God had but guided me, I should have been
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among the dutiful!" Or should say, when it sees the doom, "Oh, that I had
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but a second chance, that I might be among the righteous!"
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Islam. Qur'an 39.53-58
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But God shall not turn towards those who do evil deeds until, when one of
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them is visited by death, he says, "Indeed now I repent," neither to those
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who die disbelieving; for them We have prepared a painful chastisement.
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Islam. Qur'an 4.17-18
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Rig Veda 7.86.2-5: Cf. Rig Veda 5.85.7, p. 519. Jonah 3.3-10: This story
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contains an irony, for Jonah himself was unhappy that Nineveh, the capital
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city of Israel's most hated enemies, had heeded his message and repented.
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He would rather that they had ignoreed him, that God might have destroyed
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it. Thus God sets up for Jonah a lesson on self-righteousness. As a
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lesson on repentance, the story of Jonah is recited by Jews on the Day of
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Atonement. Cf. Jeremiah 18.3-11, p. 1082; Parable of the Prodigal Son,
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Luke 15.11-32, pp. 510ff.; Berakot 10a, p. 1052. Laws of Manu 11.228-30:
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Cf. Laws of Manu 8.314-16, p. 1080. Vandana Formula: This is spoken by
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lay people to monks of the Jain order. Lay people are encouraged to apply
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the teachings insofar as they are able to learn from the monks, who prac-
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tice them fully, as their examples and teachers. Vinaya, Mahavagga 9.1:
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Cf. Cakrasamvara Tantra, pp. 521f. Qur'an 39.53-58 and 4.17-18: Cf.
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Anguttara Nikaya i.279, p. 355; Abot 4.22, p. 336. But in contrast, see
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Bhagavad Gita 8.5-13, p. 344, and note on the efficacy of last-minute rep-
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entance.
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Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after
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this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we
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do not improve our time while in this life, then comes the night of dark-
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ness wherein there can be no labor performed. You cannot say, when you
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are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return
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to my God. Nay, you cannot say this; for that same spirit which possesses
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your bodies at the time that you go out of this life, that same spirit
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will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold,
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if you have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death,
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behold, you have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he has
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sealed you his.
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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Book of
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Mormon, Alma 34.33-35
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O dweller in the body, make reparation for whatever you have done!
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Hinduism. Garuda Purana 2.35
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If anyone commits a sin and [by confessing] has inflicted on him the pre-
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scribed punishment for that sin, it is atonement for him.
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Islam. Hadith in Sharh as-Sunnah
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There was a rich man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and
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rich.... And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the
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half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of
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anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation
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has come to this house."
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Christianity. Luke 19.2,8-9
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Again, though I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die," yet if he turns
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from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the
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pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes
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of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
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None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him; he
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has done what is lawful and right, he shall surely live.
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Judaism and Christianity. Ezekiel 33.14-16
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Book of Mormon, Alma 34.33-35: Cf. Book of Mormon, Alma 12.24, p. 336. Hadith
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iin Shash as-Sunnah: Cf. Hadith of Abu Dawud, p. 1080. Ezekiel 33.14-16: Cf.
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Isaiah 1.16-20, p. 729; Matthew 5.23-24, p. 993; 1 Peter 4.8, p. 1008.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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And whosoever repents and does good, he verily repents towards God with
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true repentance.
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Islam. Qur'an 25.71
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If a man finds that he has made a mistake, then he must not be afraid of
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admitting the fact and amending his ways.
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Confucianism. Analects 1.8.iv.
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If one has, indeed, done deeds of wickedness, but afterwards alters his
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way and repents, resolved not to do anything wicked, but to practice
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reverently all that is good, he is sure in the long run to obtain good
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fortune--this is called changing calamity into blessing.
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Taoism. Treatise on Response and Retribution 5
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Whoever was heedless before and afterwards is not; such a one illumines
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this world like the moon freed from clouds.
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Whoever, by a good deed, covers the evil done, such a one illumines this
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world like the moon freed from clouds.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 172-173
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How is one proved a repentant sinner? Rab Judah said, "If the object
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which caused his original transgression comes before him on two occasions,
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and he keeps away from it."
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Rabbi Jose ben Judah said, "If a man commits a transgression, the first,
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second, and third time he is forgiven; the fourth time he is not for-
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given."
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Judaism. Talmud, Yoma 86b
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Analects 1.8.iv: Cf. Analects 12.1.i, p. 897. Dhammapada 173: Cf. Qur'an
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11.114, p. 1008.
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He who has committed a sin and has repented, is freed from that sin, but
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he is purified only by resolving to cease: "I will do so no more."...
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He who, having either unintentionally or intentionally committed a
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reprehensible deed, desires to be freed from it, must not commit it a
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second time.
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If his mind be uneasy with respect to any deed, let him repeat the
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penances prescribed for it until they fully satisfy his conscience.
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Hinduism. Laws of Manu 11.231-34
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If a man commits sinful acts which he does not expiate in this life, he
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must pay the penalty in the next life; and great will be his suffering.
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Therefore, with a self-controlled mind, a man should expiate his sins here
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on earth.
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Expiation and repentance, to a man who continues to commit sinful
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acts, knowing them to be harmful, are of no avail. Futile is it to bathe
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an elephant if he is straightway to roll again in the mud. All sinful
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thoughts and evil deeds are caused by ignorance. True expiation comes
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from illumination. As fire consumes all things, so does the fire of know-
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ledge consume all evil and ignorance. Complete transformation of the
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inner life is necessary; and this is accomplished by control of the mind
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and the senses, by the practice of concentration, and by following and
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living the Truth.
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The great secret of this complete transformation is the development
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of love for God. As when the sun rises the dewdrops vanish away, so when
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love grows all sin and ignorance disappear.
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Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1
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Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 9.30-31, p. 519; Japuji 20, M.1. p
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727.
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