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Working with Fear

Welcome, and happy MLK Day. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., today is the day that we honor his birthday. I believe he was born on January 15th, and we celebrate it on a Monday.

Dr. King is so inspiring. To be encountering so much difficulty—unimaginable. For me, it's unimaginable. Maybe not for everybody, of course; people of color maybe it's not so unimaginable. And yet, to really be embracing what he understood, which I believe to be true, to be helpful—that non-violence is the way forward—is so inspiring. I feel so touched by it.

Reading some of his quotes from speeches and letters, there is this one sentence from a letter that he wrote while he was in jail in Birmingham in 1963. He wrote, "The ultimate measure of a man..." I want to think that now he would say the ultimate measure of a person, but this was 1963. He wrote, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Recognizing the importance of how we show up for our difficulties, in some ways we might think that Buddhist practice, with this recognition of suffering, is a way to help us to know where we stand in times of challenge and controversy, not only where we are in moments of comfort and convenience.

Part of the reason why we have these national holidays—well, I don't know exactly why we have them, but my belief is why we have them—is partly for us to reflect on the individual for whom the holiday is honoring. I also want to think that maybe we can be inspired by Dr. King, his teachings, and the way that he showed up in the world in times of challenge and controversy.

But what does this mean for us, to be inspired? Certainly he was inspired, but is there a way that we can awaken, or become aware of, or dream—if I'm allowed to use that word on MLK Day—to dream of new possibilities and new potentials for us, our communities, and our society? Something that's bigger than our ordinary experiences and beyond our limitations of this moment, that kind of moves us towards what's possible.

Can we allow ourselves to be inspired in such a way that maybe something more is possible than what we were thinking? Maybe when we feel closed down or disconnected, or maybe when we feel fear and there's this collapse of awareness around our experience, there is a way in which some inspiration can support us. It can help us to bring a little bit more space, a little bit more ease, if that's possible, into the moment and into the situation, so that it might unfold differently than if we stayed collapsed, closed, and afraid.

Recollecting the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha

In some ways, the Buddha talked about this. In this sutta^[1]—it's not one that we often hear about in dharma talks—the Buddha is talking to his followers about what to do when they were afraid. He uses what I think is inspiration to help support them. He wants them to feel inspired, to feel like something more is possible, that the potential is there, and to not stay contracted and collapsed in our tunnel vision.

If there's imminent danger, of course tunnel vision is required and necessary to help us get out of the threat. But sometimes we just have generalized anxiety, or maybe there isn't an imminent danger; we just have this feeling of apprehension or anxiety.

So the Buddha is talking to his followers and he says, if you've gone to a forest, or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut—presumably to go meditate, as he's often in the suttas giving this standard phrase to people to go to these places to meditate—if you've gone to a forest or to the foot of a tree or to an empty hut, and fear or trepidation or terror should arise in you... He's recognizing that sometimes it's scary to be out in the woods by yourself, or maybe an empty hut. "If fear or trepidation or terror should arise in you on that occasion, you should recollect me." That is, bring the Buddha to mind. He's suggesting that they call to mind the Buddha, and he says, "For when you recollect me, whatever fear or trepidation or terror you may have will be abandoned."

This idea of maybe feeling inspired by the Buddha himself, as an awakened person, but feeling inspired that awakening is possible. And even if awakening doesn't quite resonate with us—we're not even quite sure what it is—that's okay. But this idea that we can move in that direction towards greater and greater freedom. Sometimes faith is about awakening and the Buddha. So this idea of when we feel afraid, is there something that's inspiring, somebody that's inspiring, that we can bring to mind that can be a support for us, that might help broaden our awareness, as well as maybe bring a little bit of comfort or a little bit more ease?

And then the Buddha continues. He says, if you cannot recollect me—so if for whatever reason you can't bring the Buddha to mind, but you still are feeling fear and terror—he says, "Then you should recollect the Dharma. For when you recollect the Dharma, whatever fear or trepidation or terror you may have will be abandoned." I appreciate this, kind of like a plan B: if you can't bring to mind the Buddha, then bring to mind the Dharma.

We might think that the Dharma can be translated in so many different ways. One, of course, is the teachings. Maybe also we could think of practices. Maybe there's some wisdom—I think it's U Tejaniya^[2] who says "borrowed wisdom"—so maybe something that we haven't experienced ourselves, but that we've heard in a dharma talk that really touches us and makes sense to us in some kind of way, to bring some comfort and some ease.

Maybe sometimes even this idea of impermanence. Maybe at the moment when we're afraid it feels like it's permanent, like it's going to really stay there. Maybe some borrowed wisdom, maybe even borrowed from an earlier version of ourselves, like, "Yes, but I know that things don't last. Of course they end." And also they're inconstant, and if we pay attention we'll see that they might be fluctuating in and out of our awareness. Maybe that's one example of recollecting the Dharma.

There's a standard passage that describes the Dharma. I don't have it here in front of me, but it includes "visible here and now, immediate." So what are some teachings that might be something for you that you can bring to mind as a support, as inspiration?

And then maybe you won't be surprised if there's a plan C. If you cannot recollect the Dharma, then you should recollect the Sangha: the community of practitioners. Or those individuals who are awakened, or have some freedom, or seem to have a little bit more freedom or more ease. Can they be inspiring? Can they support you by bringing them to mind?

Or maybe even the idea that you're part of a sangha, a practice community, however that practice community might be. Maybe these are individuals that you know personally. Maybe it's not individuals that you know personally, but you see them on YouTube, or maybe you attend Zoom teachings with them, or maybe even you've read a book from a dharma teacher and feel some resonance with them. Is there a way that you can use that as a support when you're feeling fear and trepidation and terror?

And then the Buddha continues and he says, for what reason? Why should you, when you're feeling terror, bring these three different things—Buddha, Dharma, Sangha—to mind? "Because the Tathāgata^[3]"—which is the way that the Buddha referred to himself—"the Tathāgata, the Arahant^[4], the perfectly enlightened one, is devoid of greed, devoid of hatred, devoid of delusion. He is brave, courageous, bold, and ready to stand his place."

So bringing to mind that it's possible to have abandoned, to have eliminated greed, hatred, and delusion. And the Buddha, he taught so that these teachings may be brought to others, that we might learn from them how we can have less greed, less hatred, and less delusion. It can be worthwhile to think about what is inspirational for us. Maybe it's Dr. King that can support us, not only on the second or third Monday of January when we celebrate MLK Day, but on those times when we need it, when we need support when we're feeling afraid.

This recollection of the Buddha is maybe bringing to mind the person who realized freedom, and to just connect with that, with the potential, the possibility.

The Buddha's Own Practice with Fear

But lest we think that the Buddha is some being that just doesn't resonate for us—which is okay, that might be the case—he also tells a story of how he worked with fear before he was awakened. How he worked with fear while he was still finding his way, while he was still navigating how to work with suffering.

He actually recognized that fear and dread was an issue arising in himself before he was awakened, and he wanted to intentionally work with it. He's telling this story to a group of people who are talking about fear and dread, and he's telling it as an awakened person about what he used to do before he was awakened.

He thought to himself, "There are certain nights that are recognized as especially auspicious. On such nights, why don't I stay in awe-inspiring and hair-raising shrines in parks, forests, and trees?" When we read this "awe-inspiring," I think it means really fearful, scary places. "Hair-raising" places that are really scary shrines in parks, forests, and trees. I don't know exactly what the beliefs were in ancient India at the time, but I'm imagining that they had this idea that certain locations were scarier than other locations. Maybe like we have this idea that going to cemeteries is an auspicious place, and maybe like a cemetery on a full moon. It's kind of the equivalent of this.

It continues: "In such locations I might see fear and dread." He had that thought, and sometime later, that's what he did. So he's there on these nights in these auspicious, awe-inspiring, hair-raising places. And he says, "As I was staying there, a deer came by, or a peacock snapped a twig, or the wind rustled the leaves."

These three things might cause fear, but they're not going to harm you. A deer, a peacock, or the wind that's just rustling leaves is not going to harm somebody who's sitting there. But when you hear this sound, or maybe you just recognize that a creature is approaching you and before you know it's a deer, there might be this fear, this kind of a feeling.

The Buddha-to-be thought, "Is that fear and dread? Why do I always meditate expecting that fear and terror to come? Why don't I get rid of that fear and dread just as it comes, while remaining just as I am?" Instead of anticipating it, why doesn't he work with it as it arises? Instead of always being on the alert for it, waiting or expecting or maybe filled with apprehension.

So then he continues and he says, "Then that fear and dread came upon me as I was walking. I didn't stand still or sit down or lay down until I got rid of that fear and dread while walking." The Buddha talks about being aware of his posture. He's doing walking meditation presumably, has his fear and dread, and he just continues to walk. He stays with it, stays with the feeling, stays with his movement and this awareness of walking, and then the fear and dread go away.

"Then that fear and dread came upon me as I was standing. I didn't walk or sit down or lie down until I got rid of that fear and dread while standing." Again, aware of his posture and maintaining his posture. So this kind of mindfulness of the body—not only just the body, but how the body is in space. This awareness of standing means that you're aware of where you are in relationship to everything else around you in a kind of more global, generalized mindfulness of the body. There might be a way in which we could sometimes do mindfulness of the body that's a little bit more tight or narrow, but in this way it's a little bit more expanded. Not collapsed, but not completely broad out to everything else except the body either. Just a more global mindfulness of the body.

Then the Buddha continues, saying, "Then that fear and dread came upon me as I was sitting," and then he remained sitting until the fear and dread went away. "And then the fear and dread came upon me as I was lying down, and I didn't sit up or stand still or walk until I got rid of that fear and dread while lying down."

For me, I feel a little bit comforted that he's doing four different activities, and when fear and dread came over him—before he was an awakened person, he was experiencing fear and dread—he just set up a way in which to work with it. And one way was to be working with posture.

This is a way in which, with this spaciousness, if we don't collapse around our experience, this spaciousness maybe allows something different to unfold. Something that can't unfold if we are really only focused on that which is uncomfortable, or only focused on that which is not going well, or the difficulties. This more global mindfulness of the body, of the posture, allows us to recognize that some of our experiences are neutral. Maybe if we're walking, the movement of the arms through space, for example. Or if we're sitting, the pressure of the chair or cushion against the body. Maybe that's neutral.

So in addition to that really uncomfortable fear and dread that's there, there are some neutral experiences happening too, and that might help us to not feel overwhelmed. That might help us to feel a little bit more grounded, connected, centered, so we don't get thrown off by the fear and dread as it arises.

Then the Buddha continues a little bit and he says, "My energy was roused and unflagging. My mindfulness was established and lucid. My body was tranquil and undisturbed, and then my mind was immersed in samādhi^[5]." We can imagine that samādhi is a word that we can think about as collectedness, or unified, or something like this.

Inspiring Ourselves in Difficult Times

So the Buddha offers two ways to work with fear. One is to bring to mind something that's inspiring, somebody that's inspiring. Maybe there's something we read in a book, maybe there's a story that we know about, maybe we heard a podcast or saw a documentary. Maybe it's a religious leader like the Buddha himself. Maybe it's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is inspiring.

It's really helpful to practice and consider these things before we need them. What is it that promotes the best in us, that promotes a certain amount of centeredness and groundedness? What is inspiring for us in a way that supports us? Not in a way that sets up, "Oh, that's so inspiring, but I can never do that." That's not what we're looking for here. What is it that allows us to tap into our potential? It allows us to tap into ideas about what's possible that might be bigger than we might imagine if we didn't have those ideas.

The Buddha talked about working with fear by maybe having some inspiration in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and having some mindfulness of the posture, mindfulness of the body in a more global way. These two different ways can be a support for us.

Returning to Martin Luther King Jr., and changing the pronouns here: "The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy."

Can we, when we find ourselves in difficulties, allow the best version of ourselves to show up? This will take practice. This will take practice to just become aware of what is supportive for us. What does inspire us? What does it feel like to have mindfulness of the global body? So that in challenge and controversy, when difficulties arise, we have the best version of ourselves so that we can help others, so that we can be an exemplar to others.

And in this way, when we find difficulties, we can all rise up and meet those difficulties in a way that Dr. King would appreciate, in a way that Dr. King would applaud, in a way that Dr. King might even be inspired.

Thank you.