Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

Author:Thich Nhat Hanh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2011-01-10T05:00:00+00:00


Transforming the Fear Around Us

Many of us spend a lot of our time acting out of fear of the past or the present, and in doing that, we affect each other and the larger society. We create a culture of fear. When fear comes up and we’re upset and worried, the first thing we need to do is acknowledge that fear. We can recognize and embrace it rather than acting it out. All around us people are afraid and acting out of fear. In the midst of all this fear, we all long for peace and security.

Sometimes it’s tempting to ridicule the fear of others because it reminds us of our own fear. We have been taught to keep our fear out of sight and unacknowledged. How can we let go of fear and relinquish the anger and violence that it animates in us? We have to listen deeply and learn to practice the way the Buddha practiced to let go of his own fear and violence. Practicing mindfulness of fear and looking deeply into its origin provide the answer.

Fear of Terrorism

Nowadays, when we fly on an airplane, everybody is suspect. We fear that anyone could be a terrorist. Anyone could be carrying explosive chemicals or wearing a bomb. We all have to go through a body scan. Everyone is fearful of everyone and everything else. Even if you wear a monk’s robe like I do, you have to get scanned or searched, because the fear is so prevalent. The people who came before us created this climate of fear, and now it has grown and grown. We don’t know how to handle our suffering. Few people know how to let go of fearfulness.

We develop a wish for vengeance; we want to punish those who made us suffer, and we think doing so will make us suffer less. We want to do violence to them, to punish them. When a terrorist brings explosives onto a bus or a plane, everyone dies. The terrorist’s wish to punish is born from his suffering. He doesn’t know how to handle his own suffering, and he looks to relieve it by punishing others.

The Buddha said, “I have looked deeply into the state of mind of unhappy people and have seen hidden under their suffering a very sharp knife. Because they don’t see that sharp knife in themselves, it is difficult for them to deal with suffering.”

Your fear is buried deep in your heart, a sharp knife covered over by many layers. That sharp knife is what makes you behave in such an unkind way. You do not see the knife or the arrow in your heart, but it causes you to make other people suffer. You can learn to recognize that knife inside. And once you’ve found it, if you can remove the knife in your own heart, then you can help find and remove the knife in the heart of another. The pain caused by that sharp knife has been there for a long time.



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