Inquiry · “You Are Not Your Thoughts”
Pratikraman
To periodically look back over one’s conduct, acknowledge harm done in thought, word, and deed, ask and offer forgiveness, and resolve amendment — a structured moral self-audit.
Settle into an even mind. Look back over the day and ask: where did I cause harm — in thought, word, or deed; done, caused, or approved — against non-violence, truth, non-stealing, restraint, and non-possessiveness? Repent each sincerely (“Micchami Dukkadam”). Forgive all beings and ask their forgiveness. Resolve concretely not to repeat it. Repeat daily.
What it is
Pratikraman literally means “to turn back” / “to reflect” — looking back over one’s recent conduct. It is the fourth of the six daily avashyakas in the path of Mahavira: a structured moral self-audit in which the practitioner reviews the harms and lapses committed — knowingly or inadvertently, through thought, word, or deed — sincerely repents them, asks and offers forgiveness to all beings, and resolves not to repeat them.
Its signature phrase is “Micchami Dukkadam” (Prakrit; Sanskrit mithya me duskrtam) — “may the wrong I have done be undone / become fruitless.” Done daily, it keeps the conscience clear; in its great annual form (Samvatsari among Svetambaras, Kshamavani among Digambaras, at the close of Paryushana) it becomes a community-wide day of mutual forgiveness.
The Method
Drawn from the Jain Agamic avashyaka tradition:
- Settle into equanimity first. Pratikraman is traditionally undertaken within or after samayika — begin from an even, non-reactive mind rather than an agitated one.
- Look back over the period. Review the day (or the year) honestly and specifically: where did you cause harm or fall short — in thought, in word, and in deed — whether you did it yourself, had it done, or approved of it being done?
- Measure against the vows. Examine conduct against the five vows ( anuvrata for laity): ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity/restraint), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness). Note each transgression without evasion and without exaggeration.
- Repent sincerely. Acknowledge each lapse and inwardly repent it — “Micchami Dukkadam,” may this wrong become fruitless. The repentance is felt, not merely recited.
- Ask and offer forgiveness — to all beings. Seek forgiveness from any you have harmed and freely forgive any who have harmed you. The classic resolve: “I grant forgiveness to all living beings, and may all living beings forgive me; I bear ill-will toward none.”
- Resolve amendment (pratyakhyana). Form a clear, concrete intention to avoid the lapse going forward — the practice turns from reviewing the past to renouncing it in the future.
- Repeat in rhythm. Daily for ongoing hygiene of conscience; the extended annual rite for deeper reckoning and communal reconciliation. (Sourcing note: “Micchami Dukkadam,” the thought/word/deed and self/caused/approved framing, the forgiveness resolve, and pratikraman as the 4th avashyaka are drawn from public Jain reference material — Wikipedia “Pratikramana” and “Micchami Dukkadam,” Jain teaching sources. Standard Agamic transmission.)
Source & Lineage
Pratikraman is the fourth of the six avashyakas in the path taught by Mahavira and is rooted in the Jain Agamas. It has been practised continuously by Jain monastics and laity for over two millennia and remains a living daily and annual observance; the Samvatsari / Kshamavani day of universal forgiveness at the end of Paryushana is one of the most important moments of the Jain year.
The Traditions' versions
The structured backward review of conduct with repentance and resolve recurs widely, though Jain pratikraman is distinct in its grounding in ahimsa, its thought/word/deed × self/caused/approved scope, and its universal “forgive and be forgiven by all beings.” Compare: Steiner’s nightly backward review of the day; the Stoic evening examination of conscience; the Ignatian Examen; and Twelve-Step moral inventory and amends. For the forgiveness/release dimension see also.
Common refinements
Rote recitation. Reading the formulas without genuine reflection empties the practice; the felt review and sincere intent are the substance.
- Sliding into shame. The aim is accountability and release (“may the wrong become fruitless”), not self-punishment. Honest, then let go.
- Reviewing only deeds. Mahavira’s teaching weighs thought and word as well as action — and harm caused or approved, not only done by your own hand.
- Forgetting the resolve. Without the forward-looking amendment (pratyakhyana), review becomes mere rumination. Always close with a concrete intention.
- Forgiving others but not the self. The universal forgiveness includes releasing yourself, not only seeking release from others.