100%? 50%? Or 30%?
Are you ready to do whatever it takes to be 100% fearless, whatever you have been willing to do to reach the gold like in the previous example at my article?
Let's first agree on the definition of fear. You might have a lot of information on fear right now. When you look at what you have in common, you realize that there is no freedom where there is fear. Therefore, we can define fear as the opposite of being free. This raises the awareness to that face.
As long as there is fear in our lives, we will continue to live in open prison without bars.
Being 100% fearless also includes mental freedom. Mental freedom is achieved by leaving your addictions to a simple life. Many people have already started dreaming of a simple life to achieve mental freedom. Some of them even leave everything and settled in village. Initially everything went well for those who have made this selection far in advance. After a while, the same problems started again. As long as there are internal conditions such as fear, we want to change things and leave an addiction to another kind of addiction. We allow our happiness to be influenced by external factors.
Shanditava, one of the Buddhist teachers, said that
Where would I find enough leather To cover the entire surface of the earth? But with leather soles beneath my feet, It’s as if the whole world had been covered.
From this discourse, we have the responsibility to be fearless. In order to reach the fearless state of mind, it is necessary to stop the mind from being influenced by external factors. Maybe now you may say that ’My mind is not affected by external factors’ ’or‘ ’I'm less impressed, I'm not having problems much’’. I invite you to test this situation. Which of the following situations mostly happen to you? If so, what are their frequency?
- Are you happy when you get a gift? Are you get angry when something is not the way you want?
- As you complain of loneliness, as soon as there are people around, you wish them would leave you. When you are alone again, do you complain about loneliness?
- When longing to meet a friend you haven't seen in a long time, do you count the days to return home as soon as your friend comes to you because of his/her endless wishes?
- You've got a contract with somebody for cooking and cleaning. At first, everything went well. You got angry when cleaning was not done the way you wanted it or when the food wasn't nice. You thought that your assistant didn't deserve the money you gave, and even went a little further you thought that she abused you. Then you fired your assistant so that you had everything under your control. When housework was included in your current jobs, you couldn't keep up with some of the jobs and complained about the lack of support.
If similar situations are repeated in your life, your mind is affected by external factors. They may seem trivial on their own. But, first one Drop and then another drop and then all those drops become a lake’’
A little reminder; ’LAKE means that those who are making preparations to make changes in their lives.
Now, if you wish, take the time to see if there are other examples similar to the above examples in your life until the next week, and think about the question below.
What is the difference between the contaminated state of mind and its pure state?
I will continue to be 100% fearless with the dirty and pure state of the Mind.
Light, love and peace
Inspired by Geshe Dorje Damrul Bodhichitta teaching