Freedom from fear

[RedLantern]

A monk who lived in isolation in a cave where he painted beautiful murals on the wall as part of his meditation practice.With his strongly developed concentration and acquired skill,he painted a ferocious tiger that appeared as real as any live one. It seemed so real, it scared him to death.All things that arise in your mind are like the monk's brush strokes on the cave wall- none of them,not even the ones that seem to be the most solid,are composed of lasting,unchanging substance.
It is sometimes said that a person who has fully realized the Dharma is completely without fear. Unfortunately,
for the rest of us,there remains the ever- present need for practice.We must realized that the fear we felt is that clinging to a perception that is merely painted on the walls of our mind. it is this clinging that is the cause of our greatest distress.The proper respond is threefold: continual mindfulness of the fear.deep compassion
for the suffering it is causing and the cultivation of equanimity that allows us to stay with it.

[Midakpa]

We all have our fears, as long as we are not enlightened. Fears can be external or internal. External fears are perceived as actual dangers to our lives such as the eight fears found in the famous Praise to Tara written in Tibet in the 15th Century. The eight fears are: fear of lions, fear of elephants, fear of fire, fear of poisonous snakes, fear of robbers, fear of imprisonment, fear of floods and fear of demons. These fears represent our internal enemies: pride, ignorance, anger, jealousy, wrong views, greed, attachment and doubt. 

Why did the monk die of fear? The fear in his mind is self-created and it can grow if not checked. Forest monks in Thailand also face the danger of being attacked by wild animals like tigers. But they have to learn to face their fear and overcome it.

Fear is a type of suffering. The cause of one's fear exists in our own imagination. If we don't succumb to our imagination, we will be able to overcome fear.

[dondrup]

To be completely free of fears, we need to possess the qualities of fearlessness of a Buddha.

Buddhas have accomplished the four fearlessness.  A fearlessness is an utterly firm, ultimate realization that is entirely free from fear in expounding Dharma.  There are four types: (1) fearlessness in revealing the Dharma of definite emergence, (2) fearlessness in revealing the Dharma of overcoming obstructions, (3) fearlessness in revealing the Dharma of excellent abandonments, and (4) fearlessness in revealing the Dharma of excellent realizations.

When Buddhas give Dharma teachings, they have supreme confidence and are completely free from nervousness or hesitation.  With utter confidence, Buddhas can admit to being fully enlightened and to possessing all the excellent qualities of a Buddha’s body, speech and mind, and knowing that no one can refute it.  Buddhas can declare they have overcome all delusions and their imprints, and are completely without faults.  Because Buddhas have abandoned all faults, they can confidently teach others how to do the same.  Buddhas can reveal from their own experience how to accomplish everything that is to be realized.  Buddhas understand all these things in general and how they apply to each individual disciple.  Therefore, Buddhas always give advice that is perfectly suited to the listener.

[sonamdhargey]

To overcome fear is to face fear. As long as we are stuck with our mindset and prefer not to take the next step and remain where we are then we will always be fearful of what we don't know or what we thought is fearful. But facing fear is not easy and to make that first step is the hardest.

Fear can be one of the most crippling of all the emotions. It can paralyze and hinder progress or, when channeled, it can transform into courage adn taking steps to overcome them.

[samayakeeper]

I think fear is a mental affliction that all normal beings possess because of the self grasping mind.

I have fear of bodily injury hence I do not help others physically when they are in danger of being hurt, robbed, assaulted etc. I have fear of height, water, fire etc because of fear of being hurt or killed. I have fear of the unknown and beings my eyes cannot perceive because my mind tells me I could be hurt.

My lama always teaches that I am so attached to my physical form hence fear arises in my mind and he teaches me to practice loving kindness and compassion as an antidote, an antidote to my ego, the 'I'. The other teaching is to contemplate on death when eventually I have to leave the physical form.

[Dondrup Shugden]

What impacted me most on reading this is that all fears are self inflicted.

Imagine the scenario, this meditator painted the tiger, obviously he knew that but yet what he painted scared him to death.

Therefore if he did not paint the tiger, his untimely death may not happen.  Also if he is totally aware that the picture was painted by him and it could not have been real, then once again no untimely death.

All fears are self inflicted and sad to say puts much limitation to our unlimited minds.

[yontenjamyang]

This a fine example that all phenomena are non self ie are illusory or delusional. The brushes of paint combined to create a ferocious tiger. Even if a few stroke were missing the tiger would not exist. Hence, in the same analogy it illustrate the fragility of things (ourselves, table , chair, money, spouse, cars, happiness, suffering....) and that it is dependently originated ie from the brushes of paint who in turn depended on the brushes, the paint, the maker of the brushes, the maker of the paint, the painter, the wall, the cave, the ground the painter stood on.....and on .....!
From the moment the tiger were painted the arising of the contact senses and the feeling of fear are also dependently originate. The observation of the tiger as surreal is dependent on the eyes and frame to experience of the monk of a tiger and fearsomeness of the tiger and so on. The fearsomeness of the tiger is from what as tiger did ie perhaps killing a villager and the villager is dependently on having parents..........!

All this boils down to one moment of madness that then results in fear and further confirmation of the delusions of anger, aversion and ignorance which tie one to samsara.

And these applies to all phenomena.

[Dondrup Shugden]

Thank you Yontenjamyang, for explaining dependant arising creating fear. So therefore if every moment is created new without attachment to previous events, will madness of delusion, anger, fear and aversion still appear.

Or the moment of madness may still appear but with different consequences.

Would letting go and moving forward be also helpful.

[cookie]

Fearlessness derives from the sanskrit word "VAISHARADYA" and implies her as "dauntless courage and unwavering confidence". It is regarded as one of the virtues of the Buddhas and Boddhisattvas.
Most of our fears come from our 8 worldly concerns of wanting fame and praise and good returns and do not want to be blamed etc. If our intentions and motivations are pure, we should not have fear or have the ego to fear failing. Contemplate on building confidence and courage towards our Dharma and fearlessness will set in eventually .

[Midakpa]

According to the Lamrim, fear is the first cause for one to take refuge in the Three Jewels. For the small scope, it is the fear of falling to the lower realms. Only the Buddha, who has freed himself from all dangers, can free others. This is the first reason. The second reason is that the Buddha is skilled in the means to free others from danger. The third reason is that the Buddha reacts compassionately to all, without feelings of attachment or aversion. The fourth reason is the Buddha works for the sake of all, whether they have helped him or not. Thus, only a buddha has the power to free us from fear.

[eyesoftara]

This illustration is very common actually is all that we do 24/7. We create something and we generate all kinds of worries, fears and anxieties. It is a part of of our delusions and are mentioned in the Lamrim as "pervasive suffering" ie the very cause when consciously or not that keep us in samsara. Unless one practice the Dharma and develop awareness, we will continue to generate fears and the like, emotions that keep us tied in samsara that has no freedom.