Dark night of the Soul.?

Question

I started to get into Buddhism after going to prison, it was all a pretty sh:tty experience for me my family and the bloke who is still brain damaged through my actions.

Did you find your form of Spirituality or just a positive change in how you lived your life came after a difficult life experience??

Answer 1

I found no spirituality after many dark nights and days.

What I did find was a positive change based on relying on my brain and learning from my past experiences.

Answer 2

Christianity is the true message (as is the follow up message that came while after), they just don't tell you how to actually manage to do it.

Buddhism does, its the instruction manual to being a good Christian.(although it took me 40 years to stumble on it)

Still a bit of a contradiction with the old final salvation thing but it could be interpreted as Nirvana or a Realm of the Gods. I make it fit anyway :-).

In terms of how it all happens, in the words of another Leonard Cohen song " If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn?". For whatever reason you come to that point and see the sense in what has been in front of you all your life.

Answer 3

I have not had your experience. I think it would be very difficult to pull yourself out of a dark hole and accept being a Christian, due to the darkness of prison life. To find a light at the end of the tunnel is a wonderful and positive thing and to accept Christ in your life. I have always been a Christian in my heart, but I did have an abusive father who did not waste the belt. I had to overcome that and get the hate out of my heart. God helped me over the years, and I am now finally without hate in my heart. When you feel worthless, is the most horrible feeling. God tells you that you are worthwhile,and is your Father in Heaven. I know now who my real father is, and that is my Father God, and not my earthly father. I stood over his death bed and forgave him. Forgiveness is the key, and what Jesus asked God to forgive those that were killing Him on the cross. Forgive yourself, and know that you are a new person in Christ. Get baptized and feel the Holy Spirit, and you will be on your way. Get involved in saving others that have gone through bad times, it will make you a better person.

Answer 4

I think I was born with the same beliefs that I have now. I can remember thinking this way as a small child. I was brought up as a Christian, went to church, sung in the choir, went through confirmation, etc. I also have great respect for many of those that taught me and showed me love.
My father says I was born a Heathen, nowadays you might call me pagan, whatever. I never believed what they wanted me to. I always questioned but the answers, for me, lay elsewhere. As an adult I am now free to follow my own path. Not all of us need a jolt to make this happen, some just need the space and freedom.
There are many ways to connect with your God. I am glad you have found one that works for you, though saddened for all concerned that it was a difficult path.
I think we all know what is true in our hearts, it is just finding a way to perceive that truth and commune with it honestly.

Answer 5

Hi, I'm glad you are finding your Spiritual path after such a bad time. It will be a long and difficult journey, but don't give up, it will be worth it. I have been raised to question everything, including religion, and have tried many paths before settling for the one I had been born to. I had been beaten by a man who claimed to love me, my childhood best friend passed away, I was told there was nothing wrong with my health and was then rushed into hospital for cancer treatment; things just seemed to be going from bad to worse. I needed guidance and found it had been waiting for me all my life, knowing I would return when I really needed it. I was helping a friend with her market stall when a lady approached me and we got to talking, she told me all about herself and then surprised me by telling me things about myself that she couldnot possibly know. She told me to look to the future, but the help I needed was in my past. It was then I decided to re-evaluate my life, including my faith, and I haven't looked back. I have a wonderful fiance' and two step-daughters, I have made many more friends and have discovered Reiki Therapy, which helps me to deal with the usual aches and pains that life throws at me and the unusual ones that crop up now and again. I have started a small business that seems to be snowballing and have re-discovered the family psychic 'gift' that I had ignored since I was in my late teens. I have come out of the dark and have stepped into the light. Not everyone will agree with my faith, but that's okay, Paganism has been around for a while and I can't see it going away, just yet. I never 'argue' religion with anyone, I may not agree with them, they may not agree with me, I think we should all just do the best we can to get along with each other and agree to dis-agree. Take care and keep smiling, Blesse'd be.

Answer 6

shahinsaifullah - i assume thats your righteous way of saying everyone who doesn't believe in the god is not a good person- any human being can figure out right from wrong and act accordingly - history and the times we live in tell us that this believe in a non existent god and man made rules does unrepairable damage.
my understanding that santa claus and the tooth fairy are a fairly safe -although i'm not sure about the tooth fairy - what does she do with all those teeth.


for the man who asked the question - the principles of Buddhism are worthy of your time but it sounds to me like you have sincere regrets over your former actions - keep working on being a good man - it sounds like you're on your way - if you can ever do good for someone - do it gladly and hold your head up matey you can't undo whats done but you can good from now on

Answer 7

For many people it really takes a traumatic experience to bring them to the reality of who they are and who God is, my own experience (bad) brought me to evaluate my life and to get real.
As the words of a Leonard Cohen song put it,` There is a crack in everything, that`s how the light gets in`
We go through life ignorant of how we fit into the greater plan of God and sometimes by our foolish actions God uses the bad to bring good from it.
It is a fact that after we have messed it all up and cannot help ourselves only God can give us a new start but we have to turn to Him and ask for it.

Answer 8

The moe I read about the Buddha and buddhism the more I bagan to think about Jesus. i think the buddha was one of those rare indivulas a christian before christ. there are so many similarities the los of selishness, of course the Buddha never claimed to be God, and Jesus is. Reflect on the story of One, One finger, One finger pointing. What was he saying?

Answer 9

John of the Cross said that you have to go through a dark night of the soul before you can see God.

His was the way of the mystic.

Not for everyone -- certainly NOT for a Free-Thinker.

Answer 10

In Quran, God has promised light for those who strive in His direction and has promised that angles shall give them the greetings of glad tidings not only in this world but in the next world if they believe in God and act righteously be they Christains, Muslims, Hidus, Buddhists or Jews.Human conscience is the best judge to tell him that he is acting righteously or not but it is not possible to act righteously, if you do not believe in God.Spirituality as a cult is meaningless unless it modulates and regulates the human conduct and it is impossible without the grace of God.