Guilt created by society
From seven to fourteen, society creates guilt in you through its rules. The guilt based on fear is created by social laws.
Till the age of fourteen, family and society create guilt for you. An important guilt in this is the guilt of sex. Parents or family never open out the topic of sex. When there is a chemical change happening in you, you feel your body is new. A lot of questions arise and clarity is needed but no one is prepared to give it.
And to add to the confusion and desire, the media around you constantly bombards you with fantasies in that vulnerable age of change.
To add to it, society instills in you the feeling that you are not enough unto yourself. It makes you feel guilty of what you are, what you do. Once it convinces you that you are a sinner, you are caught in its grips. Then you cannot enjoy the joy of life any more.
According to me, guilt is the greatest sin. At least other sins will punish you after your death. Guilt will punish you when you are alive.
The Tibetan poet-saint Milarepa sang, 'My religion is to live – and die – without regret.'
You are called a saint or a sinner only by society. As long as society labels you a saint, you are a saint. The moment society labels you a sinner, you are a sinner. If you kill someone in society, you will be called a murderer, you will be punished. But if you kill someone on the battlefield you will be called a hero, you will be given a big award! So there is no absolute scale to decide what is right and what is wrong. It is society's own logic.
A very subtle and cunning way of sowing guilt today is through the idea of heaven and hell. People exploit your fear and greed by showing you ideas of hell and heaven. They create in you greed for heaven and fear for hell. They create so many concepts of hell and heaven and sell them to you. They say, 'If you practice these types of things, you will be rewarded with heaven; if you practice otherwise, you will be punished with hell.' When you are given rules based on greed and fear, you automatically start creating deep guilt in you.
A small story:
Once a military general asked a Zen master, 'Master, what are heaven and hell?'
The master asked, 'What do you do for a living?'
The general replied, 'I am a general.'
The master just laughed, 'Which idiot asked you to be a general? You look more like a butcher!'
The general was furious and took out his sword shouting, 'I will cut you to pieces.'
The master just raised his hand and said, 'These are the gates of hell.'
The general realized his folly and bowed down deeply to the master for forgiveness.
The master continued, 'These are the gates of heaven.'
Be very clear, heaven and hell are not physical locations. They are psychological states of your mind. One instant the mind may be in hell and the next it may be in heaven – the gates to heaven and hell open and close at any time alternately.