Guilt is Totally Useless

(Follow Ethan on Facebook and Twitter - crossposted on Interdependence Project blog)I am really looking forward to tonight's class at the ID project: Why Guilt is Useless. I am hoping that eventually it will be available as a podcast, either on the IDP podcast or on my own website in the near future.It seems that almost every practitioner of mindfulness eventually has to confront some amount of guilt and shame about our past actions and habits. Some of this, of course, might be cultural; we all grew up in a society where original sin is embedded very deeply—not just in our spiritual background but also in our secular systems of interaction. Rampant consumerism for example seems to run on the very fuel of personal shame about who we are. On the other hand, guilt is really a timeless problem and seems to be an egoic defense mechanism, a sneaky demon determined to always work against our intention to bring true transformation to our habitual patterns.We will be discussing the "four powers" a classic Buddhist tool for working through guilt and slowly developing a more positive form of remorse that includes self-confidence and optimism.Next week our next awesome Online Course begins!What is your relationship to guilt and shame along the path? Is there anything you would like me to address specifically tonight?May all beings have a guilt-free Monday.(image at roxasviii.deviantart.com )