On the Nature of Fear.

Adapted from True Love, by Thich Nhat Hanh (Shambhala 2004).

“We have great fear inside ourselves. We are afraid of everything–of our death, of being alone, of change. Fear is born from our concepts regarding life, death, being, and nonbeing. If we are able to get rid of all these concepts by touching the reality within ourselves, then nonfear will be there and the greatest relief will become possible.”

"There is fear. Fear is never an actuality; it is either before or after the active present. When there is fear in the active present, is it fear? It is there and there is no escape from it, no evasion possible. There, at that actual moment, there is total attention at the moment of danger, physical or psychological. When there is complete attention there is no fear. But the actual fact of inattention breeds fear; fear arises when there is an avoidance of the fact, a flight; then the very escape itself is fear. Fear and its many forms, guilt, anxiety, hope, despair, is there in every movement of relationship; it is there in every search for security; it is there in so-called love and worship; it is there in ambition and success; it is there in life and in death; it is there in physical things and in psychological factors. There is fear in so many forms and at all the levels of our consciousness. Defence, resistance and denial spring from fear. Fear of the dark and fear of light; fear of going and fear of coming. Fear begins and ends with the desire to be secure; inward and outward security, with the desire to be certain, to have permanency. The continuity of permanence is sought in every direction, in virtue, in relationship, in action, in experience, in knowledge, in outward and inward things. To find and be secure is the everlasting cry. It is this insistent demand that breeds fear. But is there permanency, outwardly or inwardly? Perhaps in a measure, outwardly there might be, and even that is precarious; wars, revolutions, progress, accident and earthquakes. There must be food, clothes and shelter; that is essential and necessary for all. Though it is sought after, blindly and with reason, is there ever inward certainty, inward continuity, permanency? There is not. The flight from this reality is fear. The incapacity to face this reality breeds every form of hope and despair. Thought itself is the source of fear. Thought is time; thought of tomorrow is pleasure or pain; if it's pleasurable, thought will pursue it, fearing its end; if it's painful, the very avoidance of it is fear. Both pleasure and pain cause fear. Time as thought and time as feeling bring fear. It is the understanding of thought, the mechanism of memory and experience, that is the ending of fear. Thought is the whole process of consciousness, the open and the hidden; thought is not merely the thing thought upon but the origin of itself. Thought is not merely belief, dogma, idea and reason but the centre from which these arise. This centre is the origin of all fear. But is there the experiencing of fear or is there the awareness of the cause of fear from which thought is taking flight? Physical self-protection is sane, normal and healthy but every other form of self-protection, inwardly, is resistance and it always gathers, builds up strength which is fear. But this inward fear makes outward security a problem of class, prestige, power, and so there is competitive ruthlessness. When this whole process of thought, time and fear is seen, not as an idea, an intellectual formula, then there is total ending of fear, conscious or hidden. Self-understanding is the awakening and ending of fear. And when fear ceases, then the power to breed illusion, myth, visions, with their hope and despair also ceases, and then only begins a movement of going beyond consciousness, which is thought and feeling. It is the emptying of the innermost recesses and deep hidden wants and desires. Then when there is this total emptiness, when there is absolutely and literally nothing, no influence, no value, no frontier, no word, then in that complete stillness of time-space, there is that which is unnameable. "


J.Krishnamurti

"Fear of birth and death are two other forms of fear which are being often discussed in the Buddhist books. The fear of death is in the nature of psychological pain and this has been discussed even by the western scholars who are mere moral philosophers. According to Olson ‘Although death may be precipitated by painful disease, death itself is perfectly painless loss of consciousness, no more to be feared than falling asleep. Death terrorize us not because we fear it as painful, but we are unwilling to lose consciousness permanently.” The idea of concentration on death which is a favorite topic of meditation in Buddhism, is quite akin to the idea expressed by Senaca of the Stoics who says “to overcome the fear of death, we must think of it constantly. The important thing is to think of it in the proper manner.” Heidegger and Sartre like most existentialists urge us to cultivate the awareness of death as a means of heightening our sense. According to the former the awareness of death confers upon a man, a sense of his own individuality. In Buddhism, the conscious and willful awareness of death serves as a stimulant and promoter of the ethical life. In the awareness of death, get through your activities in life as though your head were ablaze’, says the Samyutta Nikaya.
Further he says he whose mind is not soaked (by lust), he who is not afflicted (by hatred), he who has transcended both good and evil, for such a vigilant one there is no fear. The Buddha’s advice to his followers was that, if we are keen to get rid of fear we must cut down the forest (of the passions) from which arises fear.
Fear on the whole is destructive to the individual and it paralyzes activity and debases the quality of thought. All strain, doubts, hesitation, worry mental and to some extent physical fatigue, fall away when the thought of ‘self’ has been banished. The result would be, that it would increase not only the happiness, but also the efficiency, courage and confidence of the individual."
The teachings of Buddhism

A Reader recently wrote: What is the buddhist way to overcome fear and anxiety in life? I understand it is by controlling the mind: but the question is what are some of the key techniques used to tame the mind in a more positive way?
My Response:
Meditation will generally lead to a calmer, more thoughtful approach to most things, and that would be my main recommendation; get started meditating and learn to control your anxieties.
Another thing to consider is that fear is generally a result of attachment. Buddhists consider attachment (”grasping”) a bad thing. Everything changes, and that’s something we have to learn and accept. That’s a whole lot easier to say than do, but that really is it in a nutshell. Think for a bit on what causes your fear. What are you afraid of losing? Is that something (or someone) that you are going to lose eventually anyway? Most things and people are going to be lost someday, no matter what we do; it is important to understand and accept that.
That sounds somewhat negative, but once those bonds of grasping can be broken, you will have real freedom, and the fearlessness that accompanies it.

5. The Shaikh's Death Excerpted from Futuh al-Ghaib [Revelations of the Unseen]

The Shaikh's final advice to his sons (sanctified be their innermost secrets); some valuable remarks he made; his last illness and death. When the Shaikh was in the throes of the illness of which he died, his son 'Abd al-Wahhab said to him: "O my master, leave me with some advice to put into practice after you are gone." To this he replied "You must observe your duty to Allah, fear no one but Allah, pin your hopes on no one but Allah, and entrust all your needs to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do not rely on anyone but Him, address all your requests to Him (Exalted is He), and put your trust in no one other than Allah (Glory be to Him). Affirm His Oneness. All is contained within the affirmation of His Oneness." He also said, "When the heart is as it should be with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), it wants for nothing and contains nothing superfluous." He said further, "I am a kernel with no shell." To his sons he said,"Keep your distance from me, for I am with you outwardly, but inwardly I am with others." He also said, "Others have come into my presence, so make room for them and treat them courteously. A very great kindness here. Do not crowd their space." He kept saying, "On you be peace, and Allah's mercy and His blessings. May Allah forgive me and you. May Allah relent toward me and toward you. In the Name of Allah, farewell!" He said this for a day and a night. He said, "Woe unto you! Nothing worries me, not the angel, not even you, O angel of death! He who cares for us has blessed us with something beyond you." Then he uttered a loud cry. This was on the day in the late evening of which he died. It is reported by two of his sons, Shaikh 'Abd al-Razzaq and Shaikh Musa that the venerable Ghawth would raise his hands and stretch them out, while saying: "On you be peace, and Allah's mercy and His blessings! Repent and get into line when it comes to your turn." He was sayng, "Wait!" Then came to him the moment of truth and the pang of death.
He said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "Between me and you and all other creatures there is a distance like that between heaven and earth, so do not compare me to anyone, and do not compare us with anyone." Then his son Shaikh 'Abd al-'Aziz asked him again about his suffering and how he felt, but he said, "Let no one ask me anything. I am basking in the knowledge of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He)." Shaikh 'Abd al-'Aziz (sanctified be his innermost secret) asked him again about his illness, and he replie, "No one knows the nature of my sickness, and nobody understands it, be he human, jinn, or angel. Allah's knowledge is not diminished by Allah's decree. The decree may change, but the knowledge is unchanging. 'Allah effaces or confirms whatever He will, and with Him is the Essence of the Book,' (13:39). 'He will not be questioned as to what He does, but they will be questioned.' (21:23).
" The following descriptions have also been reported:His son Shaikh 'Abd al-Jabbar asked him: "Which part of your body gives you pain?" He replied, "All my organs are hurting me except my heart. There is no pain there, for it is with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He)." Then death came to him, as he was saying, "I seek help in the words: 'There is none worthy of worship but Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, the Ever-Living, Who has no fear of passing away. Glory be to Him Who exults in His omnipotence, and subdues His servants with death. There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.'"His son Shaikh Musa (sanctified be his innermost secret) told us that when death approached the presence of the Shaikh he was trying to say the word "ta'azzaza" ["exults"], but could not get the pronunciation right, so he kept on repeating "ta-'az-za-za," slowly and emphatically, until his tongue shot it out. Then he said: "Allah, Allah, Allah," till his voice grew faint and his tongue was cleaving to the roof of his mouth. Then his noble spirit went forth. The good pleasure of Allah (Exalted is He) be upon him."

Sources: Mukhtar Holland, Al Baaz Publications, Inter-islam.org
Sheikh al - -Qadir al-jilani.



Love v$ Fear


Comments
The global economic meltdown is activating fear in millions of individuals who, in turn, are activating it in millions more. Cable news channels, always seeking advertising revenue, report the grimmest news in the most attention-attracting ways, which intensifies fear. Last evening, for example, one reported the "horrifying numbers" contained in the latest government report on unemployment. It is important to remember that this kind of news activates fear-based parts of your personality and if you are not aware of them, you will act from these parts by judging, complaining, becoming depressed, and more. You can become aware of them by focusing your attention inside your body and feeling the uncomfortable or painful sensations that they produce when they become active (instead of focusing your attention outside your body on what triggers those sensations). Recognizing this is crucial to well-being, health, and spiritual growth.
The frightened parts of your personality that become horrified (or angry, jealous, resentful, depressed, etc.) at unemployment numbers or anything else have been horrified (angry, jealous, resentful, etc.) before and will become horrified again. They exist independently of the triggers that activate them. Healing the frightened parts of your personality (instead of trying to change the triggers of them) creates spiritual growth. This is helpful to remember the next time a frightened part of your personality becomes active, for example, when you feel fear, despair, helplessness, or hopelessness.
Whether you are watching the news or your home is being foreclosed or anything between, the frightened parts of your personality that are panicked, angry, etc., are the very parts that you must heal in order to free yourself permanently from their painful experiences. You can attempt to change the circumstances that activate them (this is the pursuit of external power) and relieve the pain temporarily if you are successful, or you can eradicate the source of these painful experiences permanently (this is the creation of authentic power).
Keep your eye on the ball the next time a frightened part of your personality becomes active. It is an opportunity to create authentic power. You can challenge it by consciously experiencing the pain of this part of your personality (instead of, for example, distracting yourself) and while you are experiencing the pain of it, choose to do something different (respond) instead of what it habitually does (react). Every circumstance - including declining equity values, collapse of housing prices, failure of a bank, and ongoing credit crunch - offers you an opportunity to create authentic power. This is important to understand because creating authentic power - harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for Life - individual by individual is now central to replacing obsolete social structures (such as education, health, commerce, and governance in addition to financial) that reflect the perception of power as the ability to manipulate and control with new social structures that are built on the values of the soul.
Gary Zukav..