what causes fear????

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fear=a feeling of helplesness.uncertainty of future;imagination- not being in control. clue=we ain,t in control.get to know the [1] who said-> HE has every hair on your head counted.HE knows every sparrow that fall,s.HE who has your day,s numbered in a BOOK.BELIEVE HIS PROMISES=CHILL PILL.--ever heard of miracles?--I ain,t to blame if you flame.***WHO,S IN CONTROL***

-- chill pill. (dogs@zianet.com), July 29, 1999

Answers

Zazen is a particular kind of meditation, unique to Zen, that functions centrally as the very heart of the practice. In fact, Zen Buddhists are generally known as the "meditation Buddhists." Basically, zazen is the study of the self. The great Master Dogen said, "To study the Buddha Way is to study the self, to study the self is to forget the self, and to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things." To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is to recognize the unity of the self and the ten thousand things. Upon his own enlightenment, Buddha was in seated meditation; Zen practice returns to the same seated meditation again and again. For two thousand five hundred years that meditation has continued, from generation to generation; it's the most important thing that has been passed on. It spread from India to China, to Japan, to other parts of Asia, and then finally to the West. It's a very simple practice. It's very easy to describe and very easy to follow. But like all other practices, it takes doing in order for it to happen

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.

Saint Paul called it the "peace that passeth understanding". Richard .M. Bucke called it "cosmic consciousness". Zen Buddhism calls it "satori" or "kensho". Yoga calls it "samadhi" or "moksha". Thomas Merton called it "transcendental unconsciousness". Abraham Maslow called it "peak experience". Sufis speak of "fana". Gurdieff called it "objective consciousness".

In his 1972 book, The Highest State of Consciousness, author John White called it "the highest state of consciousness; a self- transforming perception of one's total union with the infinite. It is beyond time and space. It is an experience of the timelessness which is eternity, of unlimited unity with all creation." In his 1901 book, Cosmic Consciousness, physician Richard M. Bucke described enlightenment this way: "The person, suddenly, without warning, has a sense of being immersed in a flame, or rose-colored cloud, or perhaps rather a sense that the mind is itself filled with such a cloud of haze. At the same instant he is, as it were, bathed in an emotion of joy, assurance, triumph... Simultaneously or instantly following the above sense and emotional experiences there comes to the person an intellectual illumination quite impossible to describe...that the happiness of every individual is in the long run absolutely certain." Essentially, I have discovered that enlightenment is a higher state of consciousness as different from normal waking as waking is different from deep sleep. Enlightenment is the goal of human life, the purpose of human existence and is a natural psychological state anyone can achieve once they understand how to do so.

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.


"Suffering alone exists, none who suffer; The deed there is, but not doer thereof; Nirvana is, but no one seeking it; The Path there is, but none who travel it."

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.

In order to have pleasure in everything Desire to have pleasure in nothing. In order to arrive at possessing everything Desire to possess nothing. In order to arrive at being everything Desire to be nothing. In order to arrive at knowing everything Desire to know nothing. In order to arrive at that which you do not know You must go by a way that you do not know. In order to arrive at what you do not possess You must go by a that way you do not possess. In order to arrive at that which you are not You must go through that which your are not.

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.

man is 1=spirit 2=soul 3= body. most live only in soul/flesh=zone.that,s why JESUS SAID[you must be born again]your spirit has to be awakened. that,s why JESUS SAID=the blind follow the blind.--be careful what zone your IN. satan is a DECIEVER.

-- out of here. (dogs@zianet.com), July 29, 1999.


Chill Pill,

Even thou I think you are a Troll, You are in control of your own destiny. If you are asking if there is a God controlling things, your guess is as good as mine. People in Gov. think they control things, and they do to a certain extent, but on a micro scale. You will make up your own destiny, you are responcible. You are the one that will make or break what will happen to you. Sure. being in the right place at the right time may kick you up the ladder, but it could happen just the opposite.

In short, you are,

-- CT (ct@no.yr), July 29, 1999.


I,m glad i,m NOT in control,who would want to try to control'this messed up world. it,s nice to KNOW the [1] who is in control, i sleeps like a baby.it,s awesome to watch ALL HIS promises unfold.

-- me in control????? (dogs@zianet.com), July 29, 1999.

I don't need to be born again. My Mother got it right the first time.

-- Pagan child (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), July 29, 1999.

Pagan,

I wish I had thought of that line, can I use it?

A Neo Reformed Druid,

-- CT (ct@no.yr), July 29, 1999.


The Great Way is not difficult for those who do not pick and choose.

When preferences are cast aside the Way stands clear and undisguised.

But even slight distinctions made set earth and heaven far apart.

If you would clearly see the truth, discard opinions pro and con.

To founder in dislike and like is nothing but the mind's disease.

And not to see the Way's deep truth disturbs the mind's essential peace.

The Way is perfect like vast space, where there's no lack and no excess.

Our choice to choose and to reject prevents our seeing this simple truth.

Both striving for the outer world as well as for the inner void condemn us to entangled lives.

Just calmly see that all is One, and by themselves false views will go.

Attempts to stop activity will fill you with activity.

Remaining in duality, you'll never know of unity.

And not to know this unity lets conflict lead you far astray.

When you assert that things are real you miss their true reality.

But to assert that things are void also misses reality.

The more you talk and think on this the further from the truth you'll be.

Cut off all useless thought and words And there's nowhere you cannot go.

Returning to the root itself, you'll find the meaning of all things.

If you pursue appearances you overlook the primal source.

Awakening is to go beyond both emptiness as well as form.

All changes in this empty world seem real because of ignorance.

Do not go search for the truth, just let those fond opinions go.

Abide not in duality, refrain from all pursuit of it.

If there's a trace of right and wrong, True-mind is lost, confused, distaught.

From One-mind comes duality, but cling not even to this One.

When this One-mind rests undisturbed, then nothing in the world offends.

And when no thing can give offense, then all obstructions cease to be.

If all thought-objects disappear, the thinking subject drops away.

For things are things because of mind, as mind is mind because of things.

These two are merely relative, and both at source are Emptiness.

In Emptiness these are not two, yet in each are contained all froms.

Once coarse and fine are seen no more, then how can there be taking sides?

The Great Way is without limit, beyond the easy and the hard.

But those who hold to narrow views are fearful and irresolute; their frantic has just slows them down.

If you're attached to anything, you surely will go far astray.

Just let go now of clinging mind, and all things are just as they are. In essense nothing goes or stays.

See into the true self of things, and you're in step with the Great Way, thus walking freely, undisturbed.

But live in bondage to your thoughts, and you will be confused, unclear.

This heavy burden weighs you down-- O why keep judging good and bad?

If you would walk the highest Way, do not reject the sense domain.

For as it is, whole and complete, This sense world is enlightenment.

The wise do not strive after goals, but fools themselves in bondage put.

The One Way knows no differences, the foolish cling to this and that.

To seek Great Mind with thinking mind is certainly a grave mistake.

From small mind come rest and unrest, but mind awakened transcends both.

Delusion spawns dualities-- these dreams are nought but flowers of air-- why work so hard at grasping them?

Both gain and loss, and right and wrong-- once and for all get rid of them.

When you no longer are asleep, all dreams will vanish by themselves.

If mind does not discriminate, all things are as they are, as One.

To go to this mysterious Source frees us from all entanglements.

When all is seen with "equal mind," to our Self-nature we return.

This single mind goes right beyond all reasons and comparisons.

Stop movement and there's no movement, stop rest and no-rest comes instead.

When rest and no-rest cease to be, then even oneness disappears.

This ultimate finality's beyond all laws, can't be described.

With single mind one with the Way, all ego-centered strivings cease;

Doubts and confusion disappear, and so true faith pervades our life.

There is no thing that clings to us, and nothing that is left behind.

All's self-revealing, void and clear, without exerting power of mind.

Thought cannot reach this state of truth, here feelings are of no avail.

In this true world of Emptiness both self and other are no more.

To enter this true empty world, immediately affirm "not-two".

In this "not-two" all is the same, with nothing separate or outside.

The wise in all times and places awaken to this primal truth.

The Way's beyond all space, all time, one instant is ten thousand years.

Not only here, not only there, truth's right before you very eyes.

Distinctions such as large and small have relevance for you no more.

The largest is the smallest too-- here limitations have no place.

What is is not, what is not is-- if this is not yet clear to you, you're still far from the inner truth.

One thing is all, all things are one-- know this and all's whole and complete.

When faith and Mind are not separate, and not separate are Mind and faith, this is beyond all words, all thought.

For here there is no yesterday,



-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.



One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.

The special transmission of Zen is the realization of the Buddha's enlightenment itself, in one's own life, in one's own time. This experience has been realized by Zen students and confirmed by their teachers for over 2500 years.

Central and indispensable to Zen is daily Zazen practice. It is this practice that is the "direct pointing to the mind of man." Zazen melts away the mind-forged distances that separate man from himself; leads one beyond himself as knower, to himself as known. In Zazen, there is no reality outside what exists here and now. Each moment, each act is inherently Buddha-nature. While sorrow and joy, anxiety and imperturbability cannot be avoided, by not clinging to them we find ourselves free of them, no longer pulled this way and that. With this self-mastery comes composure and tranquility of mind, but these are by-products of Zazen rather than its goals.

Zazen is a Japanese term consisting of two characters: za, "to sit (cross-legged)," and zen, from the Sanscrit dhyana, meaning at once concentration, dynamic stillness, and contemplation. The means toward the realization of one's original nature as well as the realization itself, Zazen is both something one does - sitting cross-legged, with proper posture and correct breathing - and something one essentially is. To emphasize one aspect at the expense of the other is to misunderstand this subtle and profound practice.

In ordinary experience, being and doing are separated: what one does is cut off from what one is, and conversely. Such separation leads inevitably to the condition of self-alienation. Particularly in this century, this condition has become acute. With time and sincere effort in Zazen practice, mind and body, inside and outside, self and other are experienced as one. This condition of effortless concentration, is known as Samadhi.

In the clarity of Samadhi-liveliness, dissatisfaction and the sense of the meaningless of modern life vanish. No longer searching for answers externally, the student journeys within to reach the moving spirit of the Buddha - his own Self-Nature.

Through devotion and persistence, the aims of Zazen practice are eventually realized. The first is Enlightenment. With this experience, Samadhi is fulfilled; mind and body, the self and the universe are seen to have been one reality from the beginning. The second and more difficult aim is the actualization of the Bodhisattva (Enlightened Being) ideal. This spirit of love and compassion for all beings is developed through continual spiritual purification, the cultivation of a deep sense of responsibility, and most importantly, through self-discipline. As one's practice ripens, one becomes more alive, more creative; filled with the longing to actualize the Bodhisattva spirit in every moment and every aspect of daily life.

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.


So God created the earth and heaven, in only 7 days they say and on that 7th day he rested but I heard it another way, I heard that he got drunk and lonely, created trouble left town alone, each 30 days he shoots out the full moon to remind us were on our own!

-- ZenMaster (Zen64@usa.net), July 29, 1999.

Fear is an appropriate physiological response to a dangerous situation. Fear is your friend. Heed it or suffer the consequences. Cowardice is short-sighted and selfish but fear is a healthy sign of a strong will to live. Think of it as the ocean. Just don't turn your back on it and you'll be fine. - R

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), July 29, 1999.

Thanks for your posts Zen Master. My Dad used to say, if paying for, or taking care of a possession, takes all the joy out of having it, get rid of it. And Henry David Thoreau said he had a rock in his hut, but when it needed dusting, he threw it out. Here's a couple of lines from the poem, "Leisure," that expresses the same sentiment.

"What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare."

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), July 29, 1999.



OK, you asked for it...

Scary things cause fear... duh.

(religious on)

Organized religion is the harlot of Revelations, IMHO, especially the corrupted Christian ones.

Man is an experiment by a superior being. Period. IMHO.

In Fact, modern man is the third iteration of the same, basic experiment. The dinosaurs were the original experiment. They turned out to be a boring bunch, so the experiment was halted and deleted. Then man and his enviornment was created. This experiment worked for a while, but eventually, the results were not promising, so this experiment was halted. There was not delete this time because the creatures in the study had promise. So a piece of the experiment, (Noah, if you will) was reintrduced into a new enviornment, and there you go... and here we are... IMHO...

So the next question is, when does this experiment expire?

(religious off)

scratchin' an itch...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), July 29, 1999.


Fear is natural biological reaction and is good for survial purposes. The personality doesn't change. What changes is the relationship tot the personality. I have OBSERVED this since I am not myself enlightened. However, I know people who are totally transformed. Their personalities still wag their tail. That's just the way it is. There is no need to control, change or whatever the persona since the person is not the self. Fear arises. The thing is to not identify with it. Identification arises...practice continues. GOd bless.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), July 29, 1999.

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom.

My 2 Cents.

I have covered many different religious traditions and created some of my own in my 46 years. Here are some things I learned that have helped me.

Cherokee All roads lead to the Great Tree of Peace. The earth is our Mother and we are all Her children trying to awaken in the dream. We are at a time of great transition which is the ending of a cycle thousands of years long. There will be a time of great upheaval and then a long time of peace. Mother Earth will cleanse Herself of all who do not live in harmony with Her ways.

Christianity Prayer can work to bring the Spirit of God into your life and help overcome problems and give inspiration.

Eastern traditions, Bhuddist and Zen Meditation is a tool to gain enlightenment which has given me glimpses of the world where we are all One. It points to the transient nature of our lives and worlds and promises that all will arrive in good time. Its very large and very long view of reincarnation allows one to relax and accept things as they are. See the Beauty in the Moment. Understand the power of Silence.

Neo Pagan This world and all physical creation is as sacred and important as the worlds beyond. We are located in relation to the 7 directions and 5 elements each day we are alive on Earth. A system of sacred symbols for each part of life, physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual, can be a great tool to find balance and connection with the Earth and all Her creatures, as well as the worlds beyond.

Goddess studies and feminist Spirituality It has been empowering for me to discover religious systems from the past with female symbols of divinity New Age We are on the verge of a great transformation as a human family. This critical moment in our cycles of development presents us with many challenges that must be met with increased consciousness, connection with others, and individual spiritual growth. Much healing work needs to be done.

all traditions

Humans have a tendency to create dogma out of religion. This is used as a club to hurt others, to gain power, to be right, to get to heaven first. This intolerance springs from the inability to hold the paradox, that seemingly opposite things can all be true at once.

I have really battled fear this last year with y2k. And completely reviewed how it related to my various religious experiences. There is something very big going on here, since many religions have been alluding to the times we are in for many centuries. Regardless of the differences in the stories and prophecies, there are so many similarities that it is striking.

So I am watching this unfold with all of you, trying to understand y2k and life. Whatever tradition offers you strength and courage and faith in Life is a good thing. I invite you all to explore other religious traditions. Take what helps and leave the rest.

Thanks everyone for a moment to voice the spiritual side. Definitely OT in the strict sense. I agree with others that the threat of religious flame wars is ever present and it is risky to make a religious post. But this seemed like an opportune moment to make an exception to my usual silence out of respect to others on this forum.

Lora

-- Lora (artemis45@hotmail.com), July 29, 1999.


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