1. Guilt - Collection

V O l u m e 1

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

When we measure ourselves as a low person, when we create a deep guilt in ourselves

All your fear, all your greed, all your guilt, all these things are just because your energy taken away by the past memory

Paper, Pen (or) Sketch (or) Pencil, Pictures

Give each child the material required. Explain to the children that they can draw the shadow of the picture given. Encourage each one can to select the picture of their choice and draw the shadow of that picture

Explain to the children that guilt is the shadow of the desires. Borrowed desires invariably lead to guilt. When we live our desires completely we will not have guilt. When we are not fully in the moment it leads to the guilt.

Here is a group game that can be played together for the representation of guilt.

A non-transparent bag and one small object (e.g.small piece of paper, button or coin.)

1. Gather the class in a circle and sit. Explain the topic and the game.
2. Take the bag and show the object that will be hidden inside.
3. One person will get to put their hand in the bag. They can either take the object or pretend to take it. They remove their hand with their fist closed and place it behind their back. They have to do this such that no one can see if they have taken the object or not. Everyone takes turns to do the same.
4. Now each person takes turn to guess who has the object in their hand.
5. Watch the facial expression of the people

All others will find it easy to point fingers randomly at someone they think has the object. The person who has the object would find it difficult to point fingers at someone else because they know they have the object. That is guilt!

Guilt is actually the shadow of the ego. When somebody says something and you become angry, it is the ego, your idea about yourself, that causes the anger. But right after, you start feeling guilty about losing your temper. Now, too, it is the same ego that causes the guilt. It gives you the feeling that you could have done differently to change the situation, but you did not do it. This is the dilemma.

The ego creates the problem and the same ego goes on harboring guilt. If you understand this game of the ego, you can simply drop the guilt. Without allowing ego, if you allow only awareness, you will neither get unduly angry nor will you suffer for it. Because of the awareness, you will not be blinded with anger. You will get angry only to the extent required and automatically there will not be any guilt either!

If you have made a mistake there are two ways to treat it. One is to feel guilty. If you feel guilty, you will commit the same mistake again. Guilt is the way to commit the same mistake again because you forget the mistake and start focusing on the guilt. If you focus on the mistake, you will know how and where you went wrong and so you will not repeat it. If you focus on the guilt, you will not even analyze how and where you went wrong, so you are still very much capable of making the same mistake again!

To make them aware of how ego manifests as guilt, how being happy is itself associated with feelings of guilt.

• v Have you felt guilty about something?
• v How will you feel when you do something wrong and others find out?
• v How does the ego get bigger with guilt?
• v How is ego related to guilt?
• v What happens when we make a big mistake for the first time?
• v Why do we cover up our mistake?
• v Can you feel happy when you feel guilty?
• v Can you feel guilt without thinking about the past?
• v Have you ever felt guilty of being happy?

Conclude the topic by reviewing the important details. Drop ego and feel the happiness without the guilt.

Paper, Pen (or) Sketch

Give each child the materials needed. Explain to the children about disease. Encourage each child to draw what they understood by disease. Each child will get a turn to explain what they have drawn about disease.

Pain is caused by multiple factors.Guilt creates a dent in our inner space, Guilt makes us feel inferior. Explain to the children guilt in long run leads to diseases. Guilt affects us psychologically which leads to diseases

Part 2: Guilt - Collection_English_part_2.md

Empty bucket. Plate or lid (large enough to cover the bucket) Water.

1. Discuss guilt and how it affects us. Ask for some examples of guilt and what it means.
2. Take a bucket and instruct the children to pour the water into the bucket.
3. Each child will get a turn to pour water into the bucket. Then you exhibit the lid and close the bucket with the lid.

Explain to the children we fill the bucket of our mind with all guilty emotions and close the bucket with a big lid; we will not share our emotions with anybody. Sharing is the only way to re-live the incident ,so share the guilt with others be aware of it, and never repeat the same mistake again.

Our body is not able to receive inputs and feel free if we are suffering from guilt. It is like the guilt has closed the entry points of our energy

Write down ten things which went wrong in your life

Each child is asked to write down a list of ten things which went wrong in their life. For example, each child can write about their worst experiences like 1.How did my favorite toy break? 2.My best friend went to an another school 3.My birthday dress got torn 4. I tripped dancing on the stage

Ask everybody to tell what they felt during that particular movement. What are the patterns created, how life has happened to them? This activity gives them an opportunity to relive that particular incident. This helps them to be aware of the thoughts which lead them to the negative things in life.

The three main contributors to Guilt are: 1. Guilt created by immediate family. 2. Guilt created by social laws.

3. Guilt created by ourselves. Guilt created by immediate family: Parents tell us that we should respect their wishes, if we are not able to follow their instructions we feel guilty of making them unhappy. Family sows the first guilt in us that passes on from generation to generation.

Children love to twirl but parents instill the fear in the child that they might fall and get hurt because of tumbling. 'No' by the mother actually has a deep impact on the child. It creates guilt in the child. If the mother says 'No' for playing in the rain and jumping, the child forces himself to stay in, or if he goes out without telling his parents, he will feel guilty, he will be afraid that somebody might spot him. As the child grows, this deep ingrained sense of guilt will actually settle inside him. Small incidents like this collect and make guilt your natural way of life. For example when you pour milk if mother shouts at you, learn from this incident to be more careful and aware.

From seven to fourteen, society creates guilt in you through its rules. The guilt based on fear is created by social laws. Follow rules by understanding. Society instils in you the feeling that you are not enough unto yourself. It makes you feel guilty of what you are and what you do. The guilty person can never be at ease with himself. He will always lack self confidence. This is where society steps in and exploits him. Society functions on your guilt, the more you feel guilty, the more society becomes powerful.

Guilt created by you (ourselves): The guilt sown in you by family and society grows roots inside you. Then you start creating guilt for yourself without any reason. The guilt created by family and the guilt created by the society are imposed guilt. They are like a crown that is passed on from one generation to another. But the third guilt is the one which we create for ourselves. When you internalize guilt based 'on greed and fear' , you create new types of guilt for yourself

Make the children aware of different types of guilt.

• v Name the three kinds of guilt?
• v How will you feel when not allowed to do things you like the most?
• v What happens when we point at somebody for mistakes?
• v Can we change the past?
• v Can a guilty person be at ease?
• v How do we feel when somebody blames us for the mistakes that we didn't do?
• v Have you felt guilty on any occasion? How did you overcome the guilty feeling? Can a person be happy and guilty at the same time?

Guilt is a manifestation of ego. We have to remember when we point at somebody for some mistakes we have to understand only one finger points at them the other three fingers points at us.

Paper, Pen (or) Sketch pen, Picture of disaster

Give each child the material needed. Encourage each child to view pictures of disasters like cyclones, tsunamis and floods and draw that on the paper. Each child will get a turn to explain what they have drawn.

Guilt corrupts our inner space. Guilt is a disaster caused either by our family, or by ourselves or by society. Guilty persons can never be at ease, He can never enjoy life as he is never fulfilled.

Dissolve salt in water This activity illustrates Ego, Guilt and Love; The water is love, and the salt is Guilt. The way to be in bliss is to dissolve the Guilt in the water of love

Salt, Water, Container, Spoon.

1. Gather the class and discuss the topic.
2. Show them the materials that illustrate the concept. The salt is ego, and the water is love. Ask them what will happen when we add salt to the water? - It dissolves. In the same manner we can dissolve our ego by using love.
3. Demonstrate the activity and show them how proud and white the guilt is on its own, but when added to the water, it dissolves. Love overcomes guilt
4. Each child can add a bit of salt and stir it into the water watching it dissolve.

Loving and forgiving can overcome negative effects and guilt will disappear.

When you start internalizing the laws of society, you create a deep wound in your being. You destroy your innate intelligence. According to me, children can be given a set of rules initially so they don't move from the path of consciousness. But soon they have to be given the understanding of life and the need to operate from consciousness instead of conscience. If you live with consciousness, you will automatically live a moral life. To start understanding the need to live with consciousness, just look into your morality.

Morality is only skin deep, whereas consciousness comes from the very being. Your consciousness tries to break through your conscience. Your consciousness continuously fights with your conscience. Conscience is societal. Consciousness is natural. Conscience is a poor substitute for consciousness.

People ask me, 'Swamiji, what is this? You are pulling down the whole social structure. Then how can we all live morally?' I tell them, 'Be very clear, it is only for kids that you need a forced morality. For them you need to say, 'Keep quiet, I will give you candy.' Of course, nowadays kids reply, 'I am happy. I don't need your candy. Who cares for your candy!' For a child you can say that you will give candy and restrict him. You can impose morality on him based on fear or greed. But for you, it is time to grow up. You are not kids anymore. Just stand up with consciousness.

"When I say consciousness, I mean the intelligent energy of your being"

Make them aware of the importance of rules; and the necessity of understanding why we are following it.

• What happens when we do not follow rules?
• What is the importance of following the rules?
• What happens when we follow the rules
• without understanding the rules?
• What is consciousness?
• What is conscience?

If we live with consciousness we will automatically live a moral life. Follow the rules by understanding the reason behind it.

Paper, Pen (or) Sketch (or) Pencil, Pictures

Give each child the materials needed. Ask them to draw the pictorial representation of how they feel when they forgive themselves for what they have done wrong. Let each child be given a chance to explain what they have drawn.

Guilt is the original sin. Accepting the mistake and forgiving yourself is the only way to overcome guilt and enjoy life.

To make the children understand when we speak & lie we will never be confident, when we speak through our whole body supports us.

To make the children understand when we speak & lie we will never be confident, when we speak through our whole body supports us.

Make the children sit in pairs facing each other

Ask each child to stretch his hand out and tell two things one is true and the other one is fake (a lie) and now ask the other child to press the palm of the child with his one finger at who is telling the two things. Ask the other child to take a turn & repeat this activity

When the child is telling a lie when his friend applies pressure on his pattern his palm will go down. But when the child is telling a truth when his friend applies pressure his palm will not go down. Because when we tell a child we will always take confidence because we feel guilty but when we talk truth we will very confident and our whole body will support us for the truth.

Writing down the whole painful episode (worst episode)- Writing down the worst personal incidents of life. Children can be put in pairs and write and discuss it with their friends

Explain to the children that they can write down the entire painful episodes that have occurred in their lives and they can talk it out with their close friends or pairs.

When we talk about the whole worst episode we re-live the moment, we relive the incident that makes our thoughts complete about that incident. When we re-live that incident we get relieved of the emotional pain of the worst incident.

When anything is a forced rule, you always try to get around it. For example, you always speed when you don't see the policeman. When you follow rules blindly without understanding their spirit, this is what happens – you just wait for an excuse to break them

Honestly answer yourself: if there were no rules, no regulating authority to keep a check on what you did, would you be the same person as you are now? Would you be doing things in the same way as you do now? If your answer is no, be very clear that the rule is coming from your conscience, not from your consciousness. You have not internalized the spirit of the rule or you do not agree with the rule. That is the reason you are not doing things in a way natural to you.

You can see, when you tell children not to do something, they will be most tempted to do it. As long as you don't mention anything about doing it or not doing it, they may not even be bothered about it. But the moment you tell them not to do something, they will be looking to do it.

A Small Story: One man says, 'I found three ways to get things done.' His friend asks, 'What are the three ways?' The man replies, 'First, do it yourself. Second, hire someone to do it. Third, tell your kids not to do it. That's all, it will be done!'

Actually there is a taste, a thrill in doing what you are not supposed to do. Most of the time, you develop an instant urge for something if you are asked not to do it. You feel a kind of joy or satisfaction by doing it. That is the basic tendency in every human being.

People come and ask me, 'How do I make my son do what I advice him to? I know it is good for him but he won't listen to me.' You have to understand two things. First thing, if they feel that something is giving them happiness, just let them be. Only life can teach them, you cannot teach them. You cannot teach anybody, only life can teach. You can put a few words into them so that it echoes when life teaches them the same thing, that's all.

Second thing, unless they need help, your help cannot help them. When they need your help they will come. See, your idea of happiness and unhappiness has come out of your experience. Just think, did you listen to your father when you were young? No. You did not. Taking Responsibility for your choices-The only way to raise consciousness of self and others. When something is told to you, if you take full responsibility of deciding whether it is right or wrong, you can avoid all guilt feelings

If you don't take responsibility for your decision, you will feel discontented whether you do the action or not. If you do as you are told, you will feel that you are being dominated, that you are not being assertive, that you are being exploited. If you don't do as you are told, you start feeling guilty that maybe it was the right thing to do.

. There is no need for this unnecessary dilemma. Just be simple. Respond intelligently. Take responsibility for doing whatever you are going to do. Then there is no question of guilt. If you are not going to do it, explain clearly to the person why you are not going to do it. When you explain, the other person may agree with you and may even be thankful to you for it

Or he may have stronger and better reasons than you to justify what he is saying, then you will be thankful to him for raising your intelligence. In this way, you could use every opportunity, every moment in life to raise your intelligence, to raise you consciousness.

Instilling I'm each child that taking responsibility for your choices is The only way to raise consciousness of self and others.

• What is the best rule in life?
• What do we mean when we say "participate with yourselves"?
• What is proving?
• Where is it coming from?
• What should we accept?
• When should we unclutch?
• How to use 'Thank you'? Are we using 'Thank you' to be polite or is it helping us to melt down?
• How can we express compassion? Why shouldn't we compare?

--} White sheet, Pencil (or) Sketch pen

Give each child the materials needed. Encourage the children to draw any picture blind folded. Children then can see the picture which they have drawn and talk about it.

Connect to the concept that guilt makes us blind so that we cannot see the real picture Explain to the children when we are in guilt we will not make correct decisions, we cannot see the real picture

Part 3: Guilt

Ask the children to sit it a circle and explain to the children that one child has to take few beads without showing others with their fist closed and must ask others whether they are having even, or odd beads/stones. They can also avoid taking any beads and have empty fist and ask the other children whether they have odd, even or none. Each child will take turns and play this game.

A child when showing empty closed fist sometimes, cannot hide because their face will show as they may laugh or keep very quiet. Connect it to the concept if we do something which leads to guilt we cannot hide it.

Presents

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V O L U m E 3

THE SPH THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

can never feel connected to life. The only way to overcome guilt is to start melting with gratitude. When you accept things as they are you can experience the causeless happiness and blessings.

Gratitude is the fragrance than can pervade your inner space and replace the smell of guilt. With guilt it becomes impossible to celebrate life. Guilt sits on our heart like a rock. We become heavy and frozen. It does not allow us to be free to dance, sing, laugh and love. Enjoy every moment as every moment is auspicious. You are who you are. Just be in the moment and unclutch from the past and future.

Guilt creates a dent in our inner space but gratitude expands our inner space. Guilt is like being stuck in a whirlpool while surrender is the only way out of the whirlpool. Guilt happens due to reviewing the past incidents with updated intelligence.

When we surrender everything to the ultimate intelligence in gratitude, we lose the pattern that we have created from the past and are relieved of the guilt. When we have gratitude we will always have the opinion that the grass on our side is green. We have everything in us. Everything happening around us is precious and auspicious.

To make the children aware of the concept of gratitude

• v What is gratitude?
• v Can we feel happy when we are holding on to guilt?
• v Do we feel light if we have guilt?
• v What happens when we let go the guilt?
• v What happens when we are thankful for the moment?

Accept yourself as you are, totally and unconditionally. The total acceptance will bring about an active and intense relaxation in which your natural intelligence will flower.