Questions to Master Deshimaru

Question

What does it mean to "confess one's bad karma"?

Answer

It means to observe your past actions: "There I was good there I was bad." Through the practice of zazen one can become more and more profoundly aware of one's weak points, bad sides and I don't mean in terms of morality only. You cannot lie to yourself. That is confession. "I keep practicing zazen and the more I practice, the more I see that I am the worst creature on earth." If you understand that, then you are becoming truly profound. If you understand your ego objectively, you are like God. That is the highest dimension. During zazen you can understand. It is not necessary to confess to other people, only to oneself. That is the best confession. A person who is really crazy cannot understand that he is crazy, but a madman who understands that he is mad is not so crazy. The normal condition of the mind is satori!