We often allow ourselves to be gripped by fear. Sometimes it is very subtle and we do not even realize how it has taken hold of us. Fear can prevent us from moving forward in learning a new skill, trying new things, or just experiencing life to its fullest. It has a paralyzing effect on the body and the mind.

In Buddhism, we have a sutta, or scripture, that deals with this very issue. It is entitled the Abhaya Sutta, which roughly translates as the Fearless Sutta. It mainly deals with the realistic fact that we are all subject to death and that some of us fear death and some of us do not. He relays the reason why we have this great fear in that when we get a very nasty disease, we realize that we may be taken from all the sensual desires that we have grown attached to in this world. We often end up having a strong passion, thirst, or desire for the things in this life that usually make things difficult when we are thinking that we may become separated from the things we want badly. Another great point made in this sutta is of the person who has lived a life that he or she is not proud of. Committing a lot of bad deeds and doing things are what we often call in Buddhism, unskillful actions. Due to this, the person, upon having a chance encounter with death or a debilitating disease, really gets scared and is worried about going to a place reserved for those who act in this way. To sum up the general idea of this sutta, be less attached to those sensual things in this world and act in a good way, is the more sure way to be more fearless even in the face of the inevitable death.

We also can be so attached to ideas, mainly in regards to self-limiting ideas, that we end up being afraid to try new things. It could be as simple as trying to take a huge water bottle and putting it on top of the water cooler. This just happened to be one of those old types that does not have the part in the middle that pops out, which prevents the water from going all over the place. We can count one, two, three and then put it on there. If we make the area into a retaining pond, then it is okay, that would be the last time that person asked you to do this particular duty and you get to make merit by cleaning everything up, and it may have been the only time it has ever been mopped before. But, if you were able to accomplish this, it would help build up your self-confidence to take on new and other exciting tasks. Okay, maybe this task isn’t the most challenging one or will give you a huge burst of confidence, but it is just one more thing you can now do.

Not only in the face of grave illness and death, but in how we look at anything that challenges us from our comfort zone, we are given the choice to either allow fear to overtake us or we can take the Buddha’s advice and be fearless in the face of all these and more.

Blessings,

Sucāra

Suttas Referenced:
AN 4.184, Anguttara Nikya, Abhaya Sutta