INSTILLING HOPE - HEALING FEAR

Vijaya Stalling's Book

As long as … fear remains, your heart will be closed, and a closed heart cannot express itself.

…Mata Amritanandamayi (Ammachi)

1.

In the East it is taught that we reside eternally in the Divine, the creative source of the universe. Yet, we have chosen in universal consciousness to leave our safe haven and tread in the ephemeral, physical world. It is said the greatest sacrifice is to manifest in human form and there is no greater fearful existence than residing in this limited body/mind trying to reconnect with our source. Our grasping at this little sense of self can create the illusion that we are no longer connected to the original Source. The whole purpose of our human journey is to eliminate the fear that we are no longer a spiritual being and merge into our true Divine Self while in the physical body.

To remember our infinite connection with all of humanity is the greatest sadhana. Sadhana is our effort through rituals, ceremonies and practices to maintain our constant awareness of our spiritual oneness with Nature and the many universes. It can be praying and reading the Bible or any great spiritual text. Chanting the Names of God or calling out the name we call our God is another way of remembering. Performing a specific Yoga practice designed for our needs or devoting ourselves completely to a spiritual teacher or Guru is now being done by many of us throughout the world. It can even be as simple as embracing a particular philosophy of life that celebrates and recognizes the Oneness of all.

2.

Eastern philosophy and spirituality especially Hinduism has become a fascination of mine for the past 16 to 17 years. I find it more engrossing, stimulating and all-encompassing than Western thought. The Western mind primarily relies on reason and logic to explain life. It only scratches the surface with its limited scope of relying on what the mind can discover, analyze and understand. This approach minimizes the spiritual basis of existence. I have tried to capture some of these differences with quotes from some of the great Eastern philosophers in my approach to eliminating fear and reuniting with hope.

3.

The mind has limits and can only take us to the edge of the abyss of the unknown which J. Krishnamurti writes about as “Freedom From the Known.” This means we must jump into the emptiness of the unknown. This scares most of us. As long as we reside in our comfort zone, we are at ease, (well, maybe not). It is probably just familiar or we have settled for what seems to us to be the easier way. Since we are used to it we don’t venture outside of the zone just as the elephant tethered by a rope to a stake. When the elephant is very young it is not strong enough to break the rope that keeps it bound and safe from wandering away. As hard as it tries it only ventures so far until the rope becomes taught; binding it to the stake. As it matures to full grown stature, the elephant is still tied to the same stake. It never wanders beyond the well-known distance from the stake. This huge, powerful animal does not realize it can easily snap the rope with one gentle tug. It stays in the range of the rope because it has been conditioned that it can go no further. The elephant believes in its mind the artificial limits that have been established for its movement. We, like the elephant, do not recognize that our true power is unlimited. We must break away from this narrow view of who we are and go beyond the mind’s perceived limitations. Our True Nature is one with the Universal Mind. When our consciousness merges with this Mind, we possess a world of infinite possibilities.

Unless the mind is absolutely free from fear, every form of action brings about more mischief, more misery, more confusion.

J. Krishnamurti - “Beyond Violence”

4.

A smooth flow of energy manifests by watching the mind as if we are attending a play on the stage of life. We observe the elaborate scenery and actions of all the actors. We can laugh and cry with the actors on stage but all the while we know the backdrops are artificial and the actors are pretending to take on the role of their character. Our mind knows that the events dramatized on stage are not real; they are an illusion. It is clear to us that the words and emotions of the actors have been rehearsed and memorized for our amusement. We see them as roles that are being played for our benefit. The same is true of our life’s experiences and personality. It is merely a role we are playing, just like the actors. We are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. They are all roles we play. The more we realize this, the less stress we accumulate. The roles are necessary for us to play. What we want is to avoid being attached to the idea that our roles in life are who we truly are. Our true identity is that we are Divine Beings living in a spiritual world governed by spiritual principles.