Fear: You Can Overcome Fear With Faith  

By ASHUTOSHJI MAHARAJ  

Fear: You Can Overcome Fear With Faith  

Fear is the most common negative emotion. It is universal. It drains away our physical and mental energy. Fear is a great stumbling block to progress. The origin, type and intensity of fear varies from person to person. Nevertheless, fear haunts us all. It is a great shame that despite our inherent divinity, we continue to be held hostage by the psychosis of fear.

Fear is not an abstraction. It exists always in relation to something. That something could be apparent or in our subconscious mind. But its relational aspect cannot be ruled out. Fear can be of death, ailment, loss of reputation, failure in examination, a ghost, black magic, soul-possession, or loss in trade. It could be anything.

Fear begets anxiety. Anxiety together with doubt and indecisiveness plays havoc with our physical and mental health. Fear hampers initiative, suppresses skill, strangles ingenuity and in the process curbs our natural instinct of marching towards higher level of consciousness. The science of introversion says that so long as we continue to identify ourselves with gross body and subtle mind and intellect, fear will keep chasing us like a shadow.

Fear keeps us in constant state of agitation and turmoil. Fear gives birth to mental weakness which results in constant stress and strain. It brings misery and misfortune. Weakness is death. Cowards die many times before death. Weakness emanating from fear makes us live life under delusion. Delusion limits us to the body-mind complex. Deluded, we continue to suffer in the cauldron of fear and weakness. The moment a person becomes aware of his true divine nature it would instantly dawn on him that there is nothing in this world that he really need to fear.

Vedanta declares that fear is the root cause of all misery in the world which devours our strength. We do all sorts of silly things because we have accepted to be weak and pliable. In other words, weakness is both the cause and the effect of fear. So it is important to overcome weakness and embrace courage and strength. Do not blame others for your misery and misfortune. The circumstances in which one is placed are of one's own making. You are what you have made yourself. You alone can undo it. None will do it for you.

Grumbling and brooding over failures and weaknesses will not help. Do not think you are helpless, bound and shackled by karma. So what, if you have done some wrong in the past - it is never too late to right them and become stronger. Strength has to come from within you. You are an integral constituent of the Infinite Spirit.

When Alexander the Great invaded India, he saw a saint sitting serenely on a stone near the River Indus. He tried tempting him with material things to come to his country. The saint declined. This infuriated the king who took out his sword, threatening to kill him. The sage replied: "You can kill this body but not the spirit within; for it is unborn, undecaying and infinite". The saint was an Atmabodhi, strong and fearless.

The one word that resounds in the twin call of Vedanta advocating freedom and realisation of Supreme Brahman, is fearlessness. All Upanishadic wisdom says that fear is at the base of all human degradation. Fearlessness can be brought within our reach provided we make a strong and determined bid to lift the lid of ignorance. This can be achieved through true spiritual knowledge. All knowledge lies within us, even knowledge of the spirit. When it is revealed by a Sadguru - a genuine preceptor, one transcends the body-mind consciousness by experiencing cosmic consciousness. Cosmic consciousness can be attained by learning the art from a learned guru.

(As told to S K Vasudeva)

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More from same author see: ASHUTOSHJI MAHARAJ  

See also: Fear, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)