Lessons on Fear | Part II

"I must not fear.
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.
Only I will remain."

Frank Herbert
Excerpt | Dune

Miguel Ruiz states that we have two basic choices. One is "to continue as we are" living with the parasite, living its life though our body. The second choice is to do what children do when they try to "domesticate" them. Rebel and say "no." He encourages a war against the parasite (of fear). "A war for the right to use our own brain and mind, instead of being used by our fears and other negative emotions."

The obvious question becomes, "how do we wage a war to return management (some might use the word control) of our life back to us?" The truth is that there are many ways to do this. The problem is that people don't stick to the path for any number of reasons. Here, Dogen Zenji put it best:

"To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe. To be enlightened by all things of the universe is to cast off the body and mind of the self as well as those of others. Even the traces of enlightenment are wiped out, and life with traceless enlightenment goes on forever and ever."

Though to some Dogen Zenji's expression may seem mystical, but it's really not. As a matter of fact the process *can* become extremely practical, allowing use to reduce the level of control that fear has over our life, extending happiness. Personally I don't think it's possible to be fully rid of fear, because it is hardwired to our brain and in certain ways it can be useful. The problem is how the so-called "higher brain function" (i.e. ego) uses fear is entirely another matter.

Tomorrow, I will write about specific pathways that might prove helpful. These all seems fit nicely into what Miguel Ruiz calls "methods of rebelling against the parasites that drain us." Until tomorrow!

Namaste'

Jaye Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO