Yogavita February News in English and French

«He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty»

Lao Tseu, Tao Te King 1-33

Back home in Ireland for a short trip after 9 years of living in France, certain aspects of the Irish culture jump out at me . After day one I wondered, why everybody is saying sorry all the time!  I went to the toilet on the train. I wait 2 picoseconds and the girl who comes out apologizes profusely. I am shocked. why is she sorry? It is absolutely normal that I wait. 

There’s a  “sorriness” in the air. Is it the guilt in the collective consciousness that we were brought up to believe was «normal»? Or is it a reflection of my own internal guilt? 

 I smiled when i found out that the Buddhists don’t have such a word. Aaahaaaa now this interests me.They have the word regret. One can regret something and move on, that’s constructive. So when I fell guilty I examine it.

The definition goes like this: guilt is an emotion that occurs when a person believes that they have violated a moral standard.

I have experimented that feeling gulity can be constructive ,when It prompts me to examine my behaviours so I don’t make the same mistake twice.To help me to be true to my values. Can I take action to repair what has been done ? If not, I try to accept that we all make mistakes and strive to avoid making the same mistake again, I try !

If the guilt arises when there is no behavior that needs examining- it can be self damaging.  It’s the equivalent of taking drugs, too much alcohol or self-flagellation. This «gulity» feeling can smother our joy, our light, our true self.

Self knowledge means slowing down, observing and experimenting how our inner reality -thoughts,beliefs, emotions reflect in the outer reality.