Religious Context
It is quite often seen in religious contexts, where a person
sins (using the Christian terminology) and then to help repent for that sin and
to pay penance for that sin, the same person inflicts harm upon his or her own
flesh.
An extreme example of this can be seen in the book (and also
movie) “Angels and Demons” written by Dan Brown. Where Silas, a member of the
Opus Dei, after committing the sin of murder severely mortified his own flesh.
Reasons Why
There are two main reasons behind this practice. One is to
take the initiative to wash away the karma or debt caused by the action and the
other is to leave a mark in the person’s memory and psychology such that this will
prevent the person from repeating that error again.
The last reason is an attempt at comprehension but as you
may appreciate, it can fall short of full comprehension.
There are many other reasons that Christians of the past
practiced self-flagellation, with some of them being to conquer softness, lukewarm
faith and to reaffirm the strength of the spirit over the body.
From Lips to Ears
This topic is something that rather belongs to the class of
knowledge that is passed on from teacher to student in secret and is not written
anywhere. But anyway here is a post about it.
I was told that at a certain time Master Samael may have
used such a practice to pay some karma and to help him in the work of the dissolution
of the ego.
For a certain periods of time or at certain stages, such a
practice can be useful. But practiced wisely and with balance.
True comprehension of the consciousness actually surpasses
such a practice. However, while that comprehension is being processed, such a
practice may prove useful.
The error is to make such a practice more than what it is
and take it out of context, believing that this practice is comprehension and
that this practice is a way of life.
Balanced Version of a Such Practice
I have practiced a very light version of this, to hold
myself accountable for the actions of some egos. I would not allow myself to
get away with any action of a certain ego without having repaired, replaced, apologized,
compensated for the harm the ego had done. The way the compensation was carried
out had to be in a way that really hurt – in the sense that it was costly in
terms of: finance, time, effort, sleep and personal sacrifice. Because otherwise
there would not be a lesson, no reminder, no extra help to not do what the ego
wanted.
People may deprive themselves of sleep so to practice,
expose themselves to cold or heat while practicing, kneel down for a long time
on the cold and hard floor etc.
Conclusion
I think this type of self-enforced hardship can be helpful
for a while when working on the ego. Though, measures stronger than that could
be more harmful than good.
End (2432).
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