Counseling?

Terms such as “counselor,” “therapist,” or “life coach,” for example, may have a legal definition (and legal restrictions) which can vary depending upon one’s jurisdiction. If carried out in the context of spiritual or religious practices, however, such terms are generally outside of legal restriction, due to the First Amendment –  at least for those residing in the USA.

In the case of the Scionics Institute or Scio-Buddhism, we would provide a type of philosophical counseling or spiritual counseling, as this falls within our philosophical/religious/spiritual mandate. The technical name for this is “Scionics Counseling,” or “Scio-Counseling,” for short.

Scionics Counseling is not appropriate in all cases, however. I will contact you privately to assess your situation.

I would like to know more about Scionics Counseling. I have a few questions about the Nobel Eight Fold Path specifically pertaining to this portion of Right Action

• One of the brothers came back to my apartment. We had a fair fight and when I got him in  submission we talked, I let him know that I don’t want to hurt him and how I had sympathy for him according to how he felt. I explained to him how I wanted to help resolve the issue and proved to him I wasn’t involved in what happened between him and my ally. I also explained to him what I could do to him according to the stand your ground law here in Florida and he knew then that I don’t want to truly harm him and I only fought him because he suggested we fight one on one. I can admit my ego was involved because I did want to show him I wasn’t afraid and I did want to defeat him in a physical fight to prove that he had underestimated me. He cried when I told him he was wrong for what he did to me and explained to him the reason why I chose not to break his wrist and beat him until he was unconscious even though  he and his brother did attempt to do that to me earlier. When I saw he felt remorse and shame for what he had done and unworthy of the mercy I was giving him I knew that I didn’t have to worry about the threats made before. I talked to him about unity and having respect for each other, and the way it could be if we worked with each other instead of against each other. I intend to share the Four Nobel truths and The Nobel Eightfold Path with him as soon as the opportunity presents itself. I am thankful for scio-buddhism and all those who were involved in its creation. I still would like to correspond with a counselor of the practice regarding the events that took place tonight.

I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice, just my own considered opinion.

It obviously sounds like you were dealing with a very difficult situation. My initial reaction was suggest you go to the police, and while you gave reasons for not doing so, I think it would still have been in your interest to inform the authorities of the situation, at least so there would have been a record of any danger which was posed by these people. In the event of some later confrontation this information may have served to assist in legally identifying the true aggressors and victims in this situation.

I also would like to point out that while you were initially contemplating the prudence of preemptively killing someone else to avoid being murdered yourself (or having your friend murdered) the situation ultimately resolved itself without death; in fact, while there was some physical violence, you and the other individual ultimately came to some sort of understanding, and it seems you are now at peace with one another. It is often the case that when emotions are high the most valuable thing which can be done, rather than simply reacting to those emotions, is to work to defuse them, both in oneself as well as in others. By defusing them in oneself, you can see the situation more dispassionately and often much more clearly, and this often provides you with the ability to recognize solutions or paths of action which may not have been so apparent while under emotional pressure. And of course, by defusing the emotions of others, you allow them to do the same. This often leads to a much more rational and appropriate response from all parties involved. It is also possible that you may find yourself in a regrettable situation where, even when acting rationally and dispassionately, some level of violence is required, such as when someone is physically attacking you or someone else.

I have to say that it seems you really did ultimately work to minimize your dualistic response to this situation, and that this ultimately served both you and your antagonist well. You may well have made the best of a bad situation.

I appreciate your positive evaluation of Scio-Buddhism, but even more appreciate your apparent application of its principles. That is the important thing.

I also regret that no one here noticed this post until a few days after the events took place, although it is gratifying to see that it seemed to end well.

If you still feel that you are in need of spiritual counseling, please use the contact page and let us know privately. If appropriate, we will help you as best we can.

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your support. You 

Your post seems to have been cut off. You can edit it, or else make a new post. I hope all is well with you!