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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 28 2006 : 9:47:42 PM
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This may, at first glance, seem unrelated to yoga. But I'm working on an instinct that there is some reason why I'm posting this here.
Not ever having sat in a confessional box, I feel that this has a cleansing effect. Those of you who have been in one... tell us, does it? Does it last?
Is it too superficial a method when compared to the kind of inner cleansing that happens in meditation and pranayams? Or does it have a role in groups or circles of practitioners?
I would think that anonymity in confessions, and the 'whom' you are confessing to (especially, if the 'whom' is a strong link to the perceived 'Divine') might have a purging effect taht could lead to cleansing surface rubble at least.
Anybody with experience or insights on this? Is there an equivalent in Yoga in this?
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 03:24:02 AM
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Hi Sadhak,
Having recently completed a course in person centred counselling I feel that confessionals are very much the same.In PCC the client bares their soul in complete confidentiality about whatever they wish and there are definite energy shifts. We used no role play and counselled each other for 22 weeks in groups of three.Client, counsellor and observer.A lot of my fellow students took significant risks by talking about the most private things and many were reduced to tears during the process.Personally I found very little to talk of as meditation has taken care of my problems and given me balance in my life.Even without experiences or siddhis this might be enough benefit for many.I found PCC very spiritual in it's teachings and very compatible with Yoga.Abraham Maslow, a pioneer of PCC said that to become a fully functioning person one should try and become 'the best person you possibly can be.' That sums up one aspect of yoga for me.
L&L
Dave |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 09:14:58 AM
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Hi Sadak,
Don't know how confessions work... never been to a confessional.. was never a part of our culture as you know. So yes, it is an interesting question. I have a whole lot a things I would like to confess to... and some of it I have told friends.. But what I have noticed is.. the relief is temporary.. the feeling of guilt comes pouring back every chance it gets.
So is a confession to a priest different from a confession of the same thing to a friend (getting it out of our system)?
One thing that helped me a lot was Yogani's lesson on "What is a sin?" http://www.aypsite.org/132.html
Helped me get over some of the guilt I had.. but maybe as Dave put it.. with practice all of these will dissolve.. Thanks Dave for sharing your experience... gives me some hopes.. |
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Alexander
27 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 09:41:09 AM
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i believe that when you talk out loud or when you wirte down something you feel guilty of, you create a distance between your "guilt" and yourself. this distance is useful to look at the thing from a different angle.
the problem with confessions to "normal" guys is, that they are grown up with the principle of guilt and sin, this is why they can't handle honest confessions. in my opinion this is the difference between confessions to a spiritual person and a "normal person".
a little example:
A: i'm sorry that i did XY.
B: no problem, it doesn'T matter.
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B: oh, but i think it was a really bad thing.
such situations happened to me in the past
So is a confession to a priest different from a confession of the same thing to a friend (getting it out of our system)?
the question is, how different people handle your confession. if they understand that there is no real guilt, they radiate that truth. you realy feel understood and you know and realize that everything you do and did are just experiences, when you confess it. so the obstruction in your nervou system, the guilt-energy-block, is removed.
namasté, i love you all |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 10:04:51 AM
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Well Alexander, the friends I confessed to, did not really judge me.. I would have never told them any of it if I knew they would judge me.. They did not make me feel guilty.. and at that point it felt so good getting it out of my system. But this feeling did not last forever.. it did not solve the problem, once again when I felt vulnerable.. I did go back to feeling guilty...
"Alexander said: realize that everything you do and did are just experiences, when you confess it. so the obstruction in your nervou system, the guilt-energy-block, is removed."
I did feel this when I read Yogani's lesson on Sin.. but there are some I cannot get over even with that lesson.. |
Edited by - Shanti on Jul 29 2006 10:07:29 AM |
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Alexander
27 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 11:01:00 AM
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(((hug))) shanti, if you want to share the things you think you won't ever go over, you can write me a mail if you like to.
i don'T know what it is, but i am ready to help you as much as i can
namasté, i love you all |
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 12:07:28 PM
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hi Dave, Shanti, Alex,
Thanks for that PCC insight. But I've often read that therapy of that kind is limited, because patterns tend to repeat themselves. As Shanti says, the guilt, or anger, or fear all comes back. I particularly want to examine the effect of soul baring to a person on a spiritual plane (though that itself might be difficult for most of us to figure out)versus an ordinary person: even a professional therapist.
Someone I knew, Shanti, said he didn't feel he did anything wrong, so he used to make up things at the confessional. So if the feeling is the driver of 'wrong doing or shame' rather than any absolute act
it... wha... what am I saying anyway. I really need that muddled smilie here. Till then this'll do
True, Alex, that usually people say it doesn't matter, when it does. Few can handle the karma of others... probably because they can't handle their own. |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 1:18:39 PM
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Thanks Alexander... You are a sweet kid.. Maybe someday I will take you up on your offer... for now, not sure if I am ready to share my deep dark secrets with anyone yet .... thanks for the hug.. they always help.
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Edited by - Shanti on Jul 29 2006 1:42:39 PM |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2006 : 3:57:05 PM
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Shweta,
quote:
but there are some I cannot get over even with that lesson..
Same here. |
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cosmic_troll
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2006 : 03:15:04 AM
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Hi Sadhak,
I think that with confession (and everything else in life), you get what you put into it. I was raised in the Catholic tradition, and I never got any benefit from confession. I believe this is because the confession was compulsory, not coming from within myself. At the time, I was self-righteous and didn't feel sorry for anything. And I felt pressured to find something to be sorry for, so it was usually a half-assed, last-minute, crap-tacular little thing (like being late to class).
However, at times when I hurt someone I love and care about, and feel genuinely sorry, apologizing brings great benefit. I use those times as a mirror. I'll realize that I don't want to hurt my loved ones again, and I'll commit to making a positive change. Those are usually turning-point moments, where I have an opportunity to evolve and go higher.
As to how long the benefits last, I don't know. I think it's up to you to decide that. |
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elldibor
20 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2006 : 06:05:04 AM
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Hi All,
There is one fine point to consider when thinking about confessions.
Peoples views about ethics and morality and the code of conduct(definition of right, wrong and sin) is something relative. This is not to say there are no universal values, however.
The changes are found as the societies and people mature.
A good example of shift in definitions of what is good and bad is what happened in Europe after the I and II World War in Europe.
Here is what Kohlberg believes are the stages of morality though which we go in our lives.
Age 4-10
Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation
Stage 2: Naively egoistic orientation
Age 10-13
Stage 3: Good-boy/good-girl orientation
Stage 4: Authority and social-order-maintaining orientation
After 13 years.
Stage 5: Contractual/legalistic orientation
Stage 6: The morality of individually accepted universal(ethernal) priciples
Pls look here for more about Kohlbergs work: http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm
Kohlberg commented that a lot of people never go beyond the second stage, and the third is reached by less than 10% of people above 16 years. Pls: Note that his research was done in 1960ies.
So, as with everything else, the devil is in the details.
Confessing to someone with a higher morality and experience(knowledge) can be a blessing, while confessing to a judgmental, coercive person can be destructive, at least for a while.
IMHO the best confession is to our own consciousness/conscience, or to put it differently to God.
Only after accepting what we are, the possibility of growth and transcendence of our “sins” arises... it is well known that in many cases we find it easier to forgive others than to forgive ourselves.
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yogaguy
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2006 : 10:11:51 AM
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Who are we really earnestly talking or confessing to, the other person or ouselves, who forgives us the other person or ourself ? I see confesion as just another skillful way to try and remove a mental block that is keeping our minds from stillness and the chance for greater awareness of ones self or in another sense it may just draw one deeper into the mind game of right and wrong, what are we confessing for, being in human form? It is a way of trying to bring our selves to accepting who we are at this time. Self acceptance seems to balance out this mental game of the mind and allow for a deeper awareness of what is really real and not just some game of the mind for play and disruption of the chance to see the inner peace we are really searching for. As I see it self acceptance and forgiveness are one and the same. If you accept your self for being who you are then there is no need for forgiveness, in a sense you have forgiven yourself already. If you accept every one else for all their human traits then there would be no need for anger, hatred etc and only peace and love would remain. Imagine if everyone around us could do this all the time, our world we live in would be much different. Forgive your self, accept who you are and love your self fully then you will understand more how to love and accept others also.
Yogaguy |
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Alexander
27 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2006 : 5:57:36 PM
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@scott: the offer to shweta is also an offer to you
namasté, i love you all |
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Confessions
