Confession as a Fresh Start Instead of a Moral Ledger – Judith R.

About This Speaker Tape

Step 5: Confession and Repentance (Series 1: Practicing Specific Steps) - 2004

Judith R. maps out the intersection of Zen Buddhist practice and the 12 Steps focusing on the psychological wreckage of shame and the necessity of confession. She dismantles the idea of 'good' and 'bad' as opposites arguing instead that they are two sides of the same coin. Judith R. describes the recovery process as pushing a screen past the 50/50 mark moving from a state of being 'hooked' by emotional turmoil to identifying with a larger more open self. She frames Step Five not as a punishment or a moral ledger but as a 'fresh start' and a way to lay down 'neurotic crimes' to achieve a state of atonement—literally becoming 'at one' with the moment. Through the lens of non-dualism she encourages the listener to accept their humanity including the 'twisted karma' of the past without the weight of self-denigration.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Judith R. provides instructions on concentration practice and the use of focal points in meditation.
• 5:15 Discussion on 'getting hooked' by emotional turmoil and using loving-kindness practice to unhook.
• 7:40 Mention of Step 10 and using a quick inventory to identify resentment or lying.
• 11:20 Laughter: Discussion on the 'sleeping nod' and accepting the 'sleeping buddha' state.
• timecode Judith R. explains the non-dualistic view of 'good' and 'bad' as different sides of the same coin.
• 14:10 Step 5: Judith R. discusses the difficulty of admitting wrongs due to a lifetime of hiding and defensiveness.
• 17:30 Description of the Zen 'Fresh Start' ceremony and the importance of confession in monastic life.
• 21:00 Judith R. reads a prayer regarding 'ancient twisted karma' and the act of atonement.
• 24:30 Exploration of the 'omniscient Buddha' and the idea that everyone is already a functioning Buddha.
• 28:15 Judith R. references an old 1940s tape on acceptance and the philosophy of doing what is in front of your nose.
• 31:00 A participant asks for feedback on a situation involving a child stealing $20.