Question: Dear Sayadaw, I made a serious mistake in the past. I was a third party in an affair. Even though we stopped and he was back with his wife and kids. It seems likely the wife and kids never forgave me. I knew that I was wrong following my desire. I start going to the monastery to confess but I don’t have much time to do it. Please tell me how I can do my confession at home. Thank you Sayadaw!

“To pay back your mistake, you should support the monasteries or meditation centers regularly. Only at the monastery and meditation center, people there have to keep precepts all the time. In social organizations, keeping precepts is not much emphasized. In this case, you need to support people who keep precepts, in this way you are able to keep precepts. It will be helpful for you not to make mistakes again. Besides, it protects monks, nuns, meditators not breaking precepts because if there are not enough supports, they may break precepts, they may disrobe. If you support them regularly, you can feel better and better for your mistakes. At present, it’s the best of what you can do.

Chanting is not enough; you have physical mistakes, not only visual or verbal. That’s why you should be a volunteer in the meditation centers and you should support the people who keep precepts and meditating. By doing that, you are more capable to keep precepts or more skillful practicing meditation. Finally you can endure your mistakes. The more you do like this, the more released your suffering will be. You are not alone because it’s common in society to commit this kind of mistake. Besides, I have suggested a solution. That’s why you should not worry about the mistake. It has gone. The present moment is the most important. If you are committing mistakes until now you must worry. But you already stopped it so don’t need to think about the mistake anymore, it’s not good to do. Just need to keep precepts, do good deeds at the present moment as much as you can. That’s the best solution for the mistake. If you are able to do this, you can understand by yourself by your own experiences. If there is no way to solve the problem, she needs to worry. Now just emphasize what you should do. Now you are doing good deeds, just keep continuing. “