Published Saturday, 24 February 2024
To many places beings withdraw
to escape from fear:
to mountains, forests,
parklands and gardens;
sacred places as well.
But none of these places
offer true refuge,
none of them can free us from fear.
Dhammapada v. 188-9
If we are always looking outside for a way to escape fear, we are looking in the wrong place. We might find a degree of temporary freedom, however, the Buddha's teachings are pointing inwards. They are pointing towards a perspective on fear that means you don't have to become afraid. This doesn't mean you don't feel fear. If you see someone putting suspicious powder in your tea, you should be afraid to drink it. The freedom that our wise teachers are talking about is the freedom found in a heart that can remain wide open and refuse to enact old habits of clinging. It means feeling what you feel without being defined by those feelings.