This is a meditation of the analytical type, having a visualized structure. It is designed to rid yourself of the limiting burdens of guilt and retribution (payback or justice). A spiritual friend once explained to me why we can never be free to reach our full potential on earth and why we are doomed to forever reincarnate into suffering.
When we live on earth, we inevitably hurt others, intentionally and accidentally. We feel guilty for harm we caused, so we spend much of our time trying to atone, and we reincarnate to repair harm we caused to others in our lives. In our life on earth, we are also inevitably harmed by others, and we seek retribution for undeserved harm from others in this life, past lives, and lives to come. Inevitably we acquire nemeses, beings that retaliate for our unintended harm to them. We feel guilty for harming them and try to make amends, only to find they seek revenge, striking back, usually hurting us intentionally worse than we harmed them accidentally. We then seek justice against them, causing them intentional righteous harm for which they feel wronged and wish to retaliate.
This cycle of guilt for harm caused and retribution for harm received can continue even beyond the grave, all parties seeking atonement and revenge for eternity, never reaching heaven or heavenly states of mind. I was horrified by my friend’s view of eternal conflict, but had to admit that it is possible to become trapped this way in this life and in future lives. Even killing a nemesis only makes the trap deeper. I knew that breaking this cycle must be possible, so I developed this Two-Chains analytical meditation.
Imagine that you are an angel. In this life you wish to be free to help others and reach your full potential. In your next life you wish to be free to reach heaven. You wish to spread your wings and fly. But you see that you are chained to earth with two heavy chains and you cannot fly. You cannot lift off. You know that flying creatures cannot carry heavy burdens, they must be light. So you examine your chains and see that each link on the left is heavy guilt for wrongs done to others, and each link on the right is the wish for retribution for heavy wrongs done to you. Visualize this until the image is clear and stable. Feel the weight of the chains.
When you strike off a link on the right to retaliate for wrongs suffered, you notice that a new link appears on the left, heavy guilt for harm caused by retaliating. Whenever you remove a link of guilt from the left by trying to undo harm caused, a link appears on the right because the harmed person strikes back, adding a new link needing retribution to the right chain. You notice that the two chains are connected. Removing a link from one side merely shifts the link to the other chain, and the burden remains the same.
So you look at how the chains are attached, and you see that you are holding them in your hands. If you were to drop the chain in your right hand by letting go all wishes for righteous justice, forgiving all for harm done to you, you would still be grasping in your left hand all the heavy links of guilt for harm you caused others, and you still could not fly. If you instead forgive yourself for all harm you caused and let go the burden of atonement but still grasp in your right hand the need for retribution for harm done to you, you are still burdened and cannot fly.
The solution of course is to release both chains. Shout to yourself, “I will no longer play this game!” Simultaneously forgive yourself for harming others and forgive others for harming you. Visualize opening both hands and letting the chains fall, then spreading your wings and flying free of the burdens of life. An unchained angel. Thus freed, what can you do now?