That too he does not say, because existence does not understand language. That gratitude is his very being, so whatsoever he is doing, there is gratitude. If he is not doing anything, just sitting silently, there is gratitude. It is not like Mohammedans who thank God five times a day–;but what are you doing between those five times? You are not thanking between those five times. So your thankfulness is just a ritual, it is not your life.

My secretary has just brought me a brochure from a Christian society which “celebrates a week of forgiveness around the world.” Any city can become a member of the society – but only a city. Then the city appears on the world map of the Society of Forgiveness. And the people who are doing such work look really serious, but what they are doing is so childish, so idiotic. Monday you forgive yourself – this is the way it goes – Tuesday you forgive your neighbors, Wednesday you forgive your enemies, then you forgive your nation, then you forgive all the nations…the whole program for the seven days.

And the covering letter says, “If you do forgive yourself, the nation, the nations, the whole world, you will achieve immense happiness. Resentment is bad, repentance is good.” Now these people have sent a world map with the letter, on which the cities are marked, so the association must have been working for years. This is a new city, so they have invited us to become members of their foolish game.

Once a year for seven days you forgive…then what do you do for the whole year? And if you continue to forgive for the whole year, then for the next year your membership is finished, because the next year you cannot have the week to forgive – there is nobody left to forgive, you have forgiven all. But these people have been doing it for years, and every year – so the forgiveness does not transform you.

In the covering letter it says, “Be always the first to forgive.” Don’t miss the chance to be the first to forgive, be the leader, be the master of forgiveness. Do you see the point? Even in forgiveness there is competition, there is an ego game: “Be the first.” But if everybody is trying to be the first, then who can be the first? Somebody has to be second: he has lost the game already; he is no more master of his fate and destiny. So be quick! Before the other forgives you, you forgive him, so you remain the master of your destiny, and the leader, and the first – and great will be your benefit.

Now, to forgive someone, first you have to be angry, enraged, against him, hateful, resentful, in some way thinking of destroying the other. If these things are not there, how can you forgive? For these seven days of forgiveness you must carry the wound the whole year. Every February those seven days will come, and at that time you do your best to be the first. And certainly the person who forgives more will have more benefits. But who can forgive more if you are not carrying resentment in you at all? How can you forgive? For what can you forgive?