THE MEANING OF REPENTANCE
Master Jun Hong Lu: Let me explain the two components of the word ‘repentance’ (忏悔).
忏 (chàn): to express our penitence for all our past misdeeds, which are effectively the causes of our karma;
悔 (huǐ): to be remorseful and regretful for these misdeeds, which resulted in the karmic consequences that brought us into misery.
With repentance, it means that you must deeply understand the causes and effects of your misdeeds and repent them all – that is, come to a realisation.
Only when you have reflected thoroughly on your wrongdoing, thinking that, “I shouldn’t have done it in the first place, and I should never repeat my mistake in the future”, then you will slowly gain enlightenment.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 8 Chapter 6
< Words of Wisdom