Fear Is The Mind-killer

While teaching a retreat, I once made the statement that all hate is rooted in fear. A student responded, "I hate broccoli, but I'm not afraid of it." I replied, "Yes, you are. You are afraid that if you put it in your mouth, you will experience unpleasant taste sensations (dukkha vedanā)." The little hates, the big hates, and everything in between - they are all unaddressed fear responses.

Fear is an alarm. It's warning you that something needs to be addressed, some action needs to be taken. But it is just an alarm. When your alarm clock goes off in the morning, you don't run around lost in that sound - you just turn the alarm off, and get on with your day. This is what we need to do with fear - but that's a lot easier said than done.

Ayya Khema taught that the only way to deal with fear is to go straight at it. "What am I afraid of?" and, once the fear is known, "Why am I afraid of that?" Of course, at the bottom of all fear is fear of annihilation, or at least fear of an unpleasant experience. But we do need to know our fears - intimately.

“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.”
  --Frank Herbert from Dune

Remember back before 9/11/2001, there was a popular bumper sticker "No Fear"? After 9/11, they all disappeared. Someone else at that time had a bumper sticker that read "Know Fear" - that's much better.

Humans live in a vastly interconnected world - a single system. But the system is actually fragile - as global climate change is demonstrating. In order to keep the system functioning, we need to act in harmony with that system, not at cross purposes. Love - not erotic love, but love without conditions attached - yes, Love is the only way to live in harmony with the world. We are all in this together. Do your best to support those in fear, do your best to help those who are threatened, do your best to assist those who are lost, do your best to help those sunk in hate to overcome their fears.

Shantideva's Dedication of Merit
(excerpt)

May all beings everywhere,
Plagued by sufferings of body and mind,
Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy
By virtue of my merits.

May no living creature suffer,
Commit evil or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.

May the blind see forms,
And the deaf hear sounds.
May those whose bodies are worn with toil
Be restored on finding repose.

May the naked find clothing,
The hungry find food.
May the thirsty find water
And delicious drinks.

May the poor find wealth,
Those weak with sorrow find joy.
May the forlorn find hope,
Constant happiness and prosperity.

May there be timely rains
And bountiful harvests.
May all medicines be effective
And wholesome prayers bear fruit.

May all who are sick and ill
Quickly be freed from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world,
May they never occur again.

May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed.
May the powerless find power
And may all people think of benefiting each other.

 

Shantideva
revised by
H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama

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Leigh Brasington / EmailAddr / Revised 13 Nov 24