What To Do About Bad Things I've Done?
Question: “Is there anything I can do now about the bad things I’ve done in my life?”Answer: All of us have done things we later regretted. In fact the term “sin” was originally an archery term that meant, “missing the mark.” Occasionally all of is miss the mark or fall short of our expectations. The problem is when we don’t learn from our past actions and keep making the same mistakes over and over again. A wise man once said, “There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success. Maybe more.”
From the Buddhist perspective there are four things you can do to keep negative karma from ripening after having committed a negative action. First, is to have real regret for our actions. Second, is to vow not to commit the negative action again. Third is to do whatever is possible to ameliorate the situation created by our actions. And fourth is to perform spiritual practices to purify body, speech and mind.
It is through the meditation practice that we can begin to gain some insight into the causes of our habitual patterns. A wise man once said, “Everyday we decide who we will be by the actions we take.” By living mindfully we can cease the actions that cause suffering, and then our lives can manifest great compassion and dignity for others and ourselves.
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