Banishing fear, 

the subtle truth of the Buddha’s Teachings

  Unfortunately in today’s world, at least until the election, fear and hate seem to dominate the landscape; more than enough religions harbor fear, condemning their followers to live closely guarded lives, to set themselves apart from others. Ignorance and fear are at the root cause of this “holier-than-thou” phenomenon.

  An awareness of the “true Laws of Existence” can lead us in the opposite direction to arrive at a place where we “integrate all the many diverse experiences of life” and through this “mindfulness” learn to celebrate life in each moment dispelling compassionately all discriminations and judgments which separate us from others, fear and insecurity banished forever.

  One needs a “longing heart” to seek and find this mindfulness for themselves. One should learn to think holistically. The Buddha in The Threefold Lotus Sutra: I behold all living creatures sunk in the sea of suffering hence I do not reveal myself but set them all aspiring, till, when their hearts are longing, I appear to preach the law.

  In our world today, “The Buddha appearing to preach the law,” simply means our acceptance of the great pervading  and eternal life-force existing in all our lives causing everything and everyone to live—realizing that an intuitive method of spiritual training aims first of all, at discovering a reality in the innermost recesses of the human mind—a reality that is the fundamental unity pervading all the differences and particulars of the world; that we are equal in terms of the value of our existence. When we realize this, “the Buddha is appearing to preach the law.”

  When I first connected with teachings of the Buddha in 1976, I had not the slightest knowledge of these things. The connection was with an intensive “spiritual practice” with an even more intense community (many of them close friends) which lit a fire under us each day if we wanted to belong and continue the practice.

  In my ignorance however, I experienced in life an instinctive realization that I was part of a community – not just the group’s community, but in touch somehow with all those who came into my world.

  Most notably, only a day or two after beginning to practice, driving the deadening Interstate 5 to San Francisco, with the sudden realization that everyone on the road with me were “going somewhere,” that we were all part of a community, the strain of competing, trying to be “first” vanished. Impatience? vanished. Strain? vanished.