Overcoming Guilt

Sometimes, all our best intentions to stay calm, stay humble and stay anchored within ourselves come to a naught.

Someone may argue with us. Someone may insinuate us. Someone may criticize us. And all our patience__practised over months/years of hard work__evaporates and we end up going back to our old self: combative, angry and violent in thought, and possibly action.

Obviously, we let go of our inner anchor that led to us slipping. And so we feel guilty. But in spiritual progress, such events if they leave an after-taste of guilt, are indicative of and a confirmation of us being on the transformation path. Because, you slipped not to mindlessly indulge in a slug-fest, but because you felt something was not right and needed fixing. What is commendable is that you feel the guilt of having slipped. And you feel your spiritual equilibrium has been disturbed.

The way you overcome that guilt is to celebrate its existence. Only a spiritually evolved or evolving person senses the guilt. If you are not on the spiritual journey you will be asking the question,"How dare so-and-so challenge me?", which reveals an ego at play. But if you are in a spiritual practice, the questions in your mind will be:"Why did I respond the way I did? How could I have handled this better?"

Grab those questions and seek within you for the answers. Expunge the guilt that you are guilty. Treat the episode as being part of a larger Master Plan in which you are just a pawn. The Master puts us through each experience for us__and everyone in our circle of influence__to learn lessons. That's the only consciousness you need to acknowledge, accept and appreciate.

Learnings:
1. Awareness of your sense of guilt is a sign that you are on the spiritual path
2. Expunge that guilt by asking yourself what you could have done differently in that situation
3. Every experience has its learnings and is part of a larger Master Plan that has no flaws