PIERCING THROUGH FEAR
Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.
Fear itself is a natural and necessary part of being alive. You are genetically programmed to keep yourself alive and free from harm, and it is fear that signals you to respond when threats arise. Yet most are oblivious to the fact that how you respond to fear, inherently, builds the foundation for true spiritual awakening which shapes your path to enlightenment.
Usually, the reaction to fear is one of sheer panic. Adrenaline pumps through your veins. Your heart rate goes into high gear. You feel momentarily immobilised.
However, on the contrary, you can choose to confront your fear. Instead of feeling immobilised, something could shift within and, suddenly, you find yourself in an altered state.
In such a state, the body is infused with incredible energy. The mind becomes exceptionally alert and clear. All extraneous thoughts vanish, and attention is able to focus fully without any distraction. Time slows down and you find you can do whatever needs to be done with great calmness and efficiency. It almost seems as if some divine force has taken over and is guiding your actions.
What could trigger this altered state, you might wonder. Oddly, it is the intensity of the fear which temporarily “killed” all sense of your ego-self. When attention is completely undistracted, you awaken to the source within, consciousness, which is who you truly are.
So, instead of being intimidated by fear, you can pierce through it. Then the fear itself will obliterate your ego-self and, in so doing, carry you straight to enlightenment’s doorstep. Of course, it is easier said than done. Discovering a new path through your fears can be a very hard thing to do.
Practicing mindfulness and embracing fear as an ally, are all ways of piercing through fear. In the long run, however, the most effective way to deal with fear is to make a systematic inquiry into its true cause.
The more you conduct this kind of inquiry, the more you will directly see that your own sense of self is, indeed, the basis of all your suffering. When you suffer from fear, you might notice that this suffering only arises because your ego-self is anxious about losing something it desired to get in the future. Consequently, instead of cherishing this self as your most prized possession, you will come to regard it as a painful burden.
The real key to freedom from fear is the person who has abandoned passion, desire, fondness, thirst, fever, and craving for sensuality. This person, who has removed attachments and craving, has no reason to fear. If you don’t feel attached to illusory enjoyments, you don’t fear losing them.
Our fears can immobilise us, make us feel alone and unprotected, lost and confused, unable to see the many trails leading out of the woods, but there is always a way out.
The way out is within. There is a sacred place within us where wisdom and clarity dwell. This is where God resides and has being. This is the simple truth we were born to discover. Awakened to this truth, we won’t fear the darkness of the night.
None of us are immune to fear but when you pierce through your fears with mindfulness, you become more self-aware and this boundless presence is your true refuge. You are coming home to the vastness of your own awakened heart and discovering a new spiritual path on your enlightenment journey.
