Hatred cannot cease by hatred.
Hatred can only cease by love.
This is an eternal law.
-Buddha
Metta meditation emphasizes that some of the practices that are accepted in other belief systems are really not good for us. Guilt, for example, is a form of self-hatred that doesn't allow you to move forward. Forgiving yourself, and asking forgiveness from others, is really the way to go. Holding guilt inside does no one any good. I recognized early in life that guilt was something I didn't want in my life; however, my upbringing kept bringing it around, as if it belonged in my life. Oof. I notice that the religion that clings to guilt the most, Judaism, spawns the most Buddhism book authors, which cracks me up.
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