How do I become a fearless?

[yondaime109]

For about a year, Since I got into metaphysics, I haven't been able to sleep in my room with the lights or tv off because I have a rational/irrational fear of perceiving strange entities or having some strange experience with them. This is also the same reason I have never attempted a conscious astral projection. Even now, I can hear faint whistling noise which is scaring the hell out of me. I'm so frustrated because I'm only in my family who seems to bothered by these things even though I've never really seen them. And I really don't wanna see em either.

 

My dad told me he's been seeing strange entities and having paranormal experiences since he was a young child, They don't seem to bother him anymore he says he usually tells them to screw off. And they do....

 

Anyway how can I get rid of the fear instinct altogether it's done nothing but hold me back all my life.

 

 

[Vmarco]

The opposite of fear is hope,...if you want do rid all of your fear,...let go of all your hope. As long as you have hope, you'll have fear.

[Marblehead]

The darkness is nothing less than the light that you have yet to see.

 

I don't know if that will mean anything to you.

 

I agree with Vmarco in a way. If you can merge fear into hope and hope into fear then you are left with nothing. I don't mean real nothing but rather you are left with no illusions and delusions.

 

Without the illusions and delusions all you have left is reality. Are these strange entities real? No, don't tell me what is in your mind - can you touch them?; can you smell them?; can you taste them?; can you (really) hear them?; can you see them?

 

I would be willing to place money, if you are truely honest, that the answer to all five questions is "No".

 

Can you imagine them? Apparently you can. Stop it!!! Test and try before you buy.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Marblehead

[Marblehead]

Now, to your question: How do I become fearless?

 

Through understanding. That's it.

[Vmarco]

The darkness is nothing less than the light that you have yet to see.

 

 

I'd say that darkness is substantially more.

 

The topic of light/dark often gets confusing, especially in our Abrahamic religious society. Yet, how can we really get deep understanding of ourselves with only a superficial understanding of light and dark?

 

There is physical light (measurable through motion), yet there is also Undivided, Still Light, upon which, physical light effects its motion. This motion does not appear to be "born" from Still Light, but is dependent upon Still Light, as a playground seesaw is dependent upon its causeless fulcrum. If speaking of light/time and dark/space however, then light, that is, physical light (time), is borne from dark (space).

 

Moving, incandescent objects are borne from moving, dark, objectless space. All incandescent Yang is surrounded by Yin's dark. Where is it ever true that light conquers dark? There is no amount of light that can illuminate all dark, for in Duality, darkness always surrounds it. Rudolph Steiner once said that light was the antipathetic aspect of polarity, whereas darkness is its sympathetic expression.

 

The Patriarchy wants to deny the rhythmic balanced interchange of nature, by indoctrinating ideas like light conquering dark. They don't want to know that all phenomena, through the nurturance of darkness, dies into light. Polarity's Yang light does not hold within itself the potential to birth, for it is a result already spawned through Yin's darkness.

 

A prevalent human construct suggests that light is good and dark is evil,...not because it is, but because to understand the truth would wreck the fragile fabric of society's patriarchal brewed philosophical and religious beliefs they cling to for their identity.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Vmarco

[Jetsun]

Your mind will always fill in the gaps in understanding as it can't stand not knowing, often with the worst most fearful thinking, this is normal and probably a survival mechanism from evolution.

 

So in this example you hear certain things and you sense certain things, there is a gap in understanding there as really you don't know what they are or what they mean or what their intentions are, they might be angels coming to bless you but your mind then will fill in the gap with a story or with thinking usually based on fear based conditioning, so for you to be afraid you have already believed your minds conclusion on the issue, one possible conclusion out of many. Observe and challenge your thinking and there is less to be afraid of as you have stopped automatically believing the survival fearful thoughts .

[Marblehead]

I'd say that darkness is substantially more.

Yes, that is why I phrased my statement the way I did.

 

 

I have no problem with the remainder of your post except to say that you might be being unfair to the Abrahamic religions. Remember, we do have that statement, "Let there be light."

 

The unknown lies within the darkness. Shine a light upon it and we see what really is.

 

Therefore the song: "I Saw The Light"

Edited June 16, 2013 by Marblehead

[Marblehead]

BTW Being fearless does not mean being irresponsible and reckless.

[Jetsun]

I don't think there is such a thing as being fearless, although I do believe there is the potential to get to the point of not being afraid of being afraid.

[zanshin]

I think you should be able to get rid of the tv being on before turning off the lights. You really shouldn't have one in your bedroom. If you still need background noise to get to sleep, then radio. Maybe get a radio that turns off after a certain amount of time. Then work on weaning down having lights on. Spend time doing exercise and doing things outdoors will help you feel calmer later when it's time for peaceful sleep, which is sleep in a dark quiet place. Poor quality sleep in a nonpeaceful environment will keep you more anxious during the day.

[Marblehead]

I don't think there is such a thing as being fearless, although I do believe there is the potential to get to the point of not being afraid of being afraid.

Yeah, I agree but fear is such an important concept in my beliefs that I do intentionally over speak the importance of reducing our fears.

[4bsolute]

For about a year, Since I got into metaphysics, I haven't been able to sleep in my room with the lights or tv off because I have a rational/irrational fear of perceiving strange entities or having some strange experience with them. This is also the same reason I have never attempted a conscious astral projection. Even now, I can hear faint whistling noise which is scaring the hell out of me. I'm so frustrated because I'm only in my family who seems to bothered by these things even though I've never really seen them. And I really don't wanna see em either.

 

My dad told me he's been seeing strange entities and having paranormal experiences since he was a young child, They don't seem to bother him anymore he says he usually tells them to screw off. And they do....

 

Anyway how can I get rid of the fear instinct altogether it's done nothing but hold me back all my life.

 

Hi yodaime,

 

"simple".

 

Seek and interact with these moments that give you fear. You see you ask this question because you do not yet understand what fear is. People can tell you, like Will Smith in his latest movie, that fear is just an illusion and we heard that many times. But actually perceiving that it is just an illusion, not a bad one, just part of all it here, is something completely different.

 

You might even feel empowered after someone tells you that fear is just an illusion, or you tell it yourself, but there will be triggers in your life that show you that you really want to understand it to the core. At the latest the next day, when you had your gentle memory wipe due to sleeping.

 

So, what exactly to do? If you dont want to make a list, ask yourself right now what creates fear inside you and then best seek this moment in your life. NOT FROM YOUR MIND, WITH A GAME OF THOUGHTS! Practical experience that BRANDS itself into your mind!

 

This is it. Simple right? You will say, not really. But when you did it, you will say that it was simple.

 

No magic, nothing mystic... it all just is. And wants to be understood.

 

Have fun

Edited June 16, 2013 by 4bsolute

[Rara]

I go Batman style with mine and just plunge in. Once you get enough of it, you'll realise that it is just what it is.

 

One of my issues was in my family and I developed horrible anxiety and depression. Then, beings came to attack me in the night and I became even worse - afraid of the day AND night...but after a while and training to control my conscience...and at times in my sleep, I was able to cope with these "demons" and fight back. Soon enough, I was able to let go of them, and now I'm no longer afraid.

 

heights still suck though. So I need to get myself to a theme park soon!

[Vmarco]

Yes, that is why I phrased my statement the way I did.

 

 

I have no problem with the remainder of your post except to say that you might be being unfair to the Abrahamic religions. Remember, we do have that statement, "Let there be light."

 

The unknown lies within the darkness. Shine a light upon it and we see what really is.

 

Therefore the song: "I Saw The Light"

 

I'm not sure what "light" Genesis is speaking to when it say, in the English translation, "let there be light." For example,...the first words Berasith bara elohim, while translated as "In the beginning God created"....Hasidic Jews see "bara" as the literal second word, not the third, as in the English "In the beginning God created...", but as "In the beginning was created the Gods. What does that do to the meaning?

 

My own research suggests that Berasith translates to "In Wisdom," ....what does that do to the meaning?

As for light,...is there any correlation between "Let there be light" and 1John 1:5....god is light and in him is no darkness?

[Marblehead]

heights still suck though. So I need to get myself to a theme park soon!

Yeah, that was one of mine too.

[Marblehead]

My own research suggests that Berasith translates to "In Wisdom," ....what does that do to the meaning?

Yes, I would buy that. Light being equal to wisdom. But then, in my infinate wisdom (what a joke) I like to think that prior to the Big Bang all was darkness and the Bang created light. (Yes, your undivided light. Hehehe

[Protector]

Let the darkness flow through you and become one with it

 

When I sometimes get scared when walking in the dark, I remember that I'm also in darkness. I can't see anything and if there really is something out there, it can't see me either. I have a good chance to strike it as it does and if it can see me and I don't see it, I'm at advantage because I'm not scared. What was meant to be my weakness becomes my strength and instead of attacking a scared defenseless creature, the thing in the dark will attack the darkness.

 

If you're scared of spiders, become one. You will be the biggest spider in the world. Able to crush any spider, even the giant ones. Stand on the same level as it is and overtake it. That's a spider, you're human, there's so much you can do that it can't.

If there is an entity bigger and stronger then you, there's more of it then an army and you stand alone, you can defeat it. Like a spider fighting a giant because it scared the said giant, you get attacked because of fear and the stronger bigger giant thinking that the spider is a threat.

 

It's scared of what the spider might do, from biting to even killing him. The response from the giant might be fight or run. There is a chance to win for the spiders. but if the fear is gone the giant will leave. What scares the giant is the spider's appearance, if that's gone then the source of fear is gone. If the spider is gone or can't be seen, then the spider is safe.

 

If there is no darkness and the spider is in the open against a giant, anything can happen. In the world of fear there is only the spider, the giant, and what he might do to the spider. The spider could linger on the level where the fear is, or rise above it to where the rest of the world is. Remember how big it is and all the possibilities it holds, being squashed is one of them. Take all of the world in, together with all the squishing and all the good. Be ready for might happen, be it good or bad, and just receive it.

 

If you survive a bad encounter, you can feel as if it's bad or be crazy and think it's good. On that level of that one encounter you can think this or that but on the big picture, it's one of the many that you will remember or forget. After something bad, something worse might happen, or something better. On its own it's such a small thing in life, but for all of the world and you it's something new and a big step forward toward the future. Even if all ends there you will not disappear, because you became one with the world. Meditate on that.

[Vmarco]

Yes, I would buy that. Light being equal to wisdom. But then, in my infinate wisdom (what a joke) I like to think that prior to the Big Bang all was darkness and the Bang created light. (Yes, your undivided light. Hehehe

 

Yes!!!! Light, in this case, Divided Light, the Light without Darkness, is equal to wisdom. Wisdom means knowledge accumulated through philosophic or scientific learning. In other words, wisdom points to the highest and most lofty ideas of ego consciousness (that is, who we think we are through the 6 senses), whose sole purpose is to sustain itself. Wisdom is to make the best use of knowledge,...yet to realize enlightenment means to let go of all knowledge. Knowledge is acquired through thinking/the Head-mind

Edited June 17, 2013 by Vmarco

[Songtsan]

look up the Tantric ritual of Chod, such as at this site: http://lionsroar.name/the_chod_ritual.htm It essentially practices offering yourself up to be eaten by the demons (which are us)...when you lose attachment to yourself, fear generally no longer exists. Attachment to form causes fear of losing that which you are attached to. Nonattachment usually leads to bliss (if done right).

[Vmarco]

look up the Tantric ritual of Chod, such as at this site: http://lionsroar.name/the_chod_ritual.htm It essentially practices offering yourself up to be eaten by the demons (which are us)...when you lose attachment to yourself, fear generally no longer exists. Attachment to form causes fear of losing that which you are attached to. Nonattachment usually leads to bliss (if done right).

 

Yes,...and likewise,...when you lose attachment to your perceived self, you simultaneously dissolve all hope. Without hope there is no fear. If you still have hope, fear is still there.

 

If you play the Lotto, you likely have hope, and thus fear. If you play the Lotto regularly,...you surely have hope, and are thus nursing fear within.

 

No one who advocates hope is your friend.

[Songtsan]

Yes,...and likewise,...when you lose attachment to your perceived self, you simultaneously dissolve all hope. Without hope there is no fear. If you still have hope, fear is still there.

 

If you play the Lotto, you likely have hope, and thus fear. If you play the Lotto regularly,...you surely have hope, and are thus nursing fear within.

 

No one who advocates hope is your friend.

 

Hope almost seems exactly like wishing, and wishing is almost exactly desire, and desire is almost exactly attachment. Hope = suffering

[Vmarco]

Hope almost seems exactly like wishing, and wishing is almost exactly desire, and desire is almost exactly attachment. Hope = suffering

 

I see a wish as not quite synonymous as hope.

 

Siddhartha realized that suffering is a consequence of the desire for things to be other than they are, and simultaneously became the Buddha. He did not achieve a "state of non-desire," nor say that all desire causes suffering, but that the desire or hope for something other than the way things are, is what manifests suffering. Thus,...there are 2 desires,...one a hope,...the other a wish.

 

Hope is an expectation/anticipation that keeps us separated from the moment,...the Present. No matter what level we frame the view, hope is false. Hope is an anticipation of the future; thus it must arise from a predisposition, a belief, and attachment to the past. Hope implies lack,...how else could we possibly define it? Hope is for something we think we don't possess.

 

The belief of hope is a barrier that obscures the present, and thus our heart. The Heart of our Essence would not express lack or need.

 

A wish, as I see it, is greater than self,... it is an intentional invocation to allow Spirit to flow. Hope-desire arises from memory,ordinary knowledge, the Five Skandhas,... Memories or ordinary knowledge can not manifest truth,..they are nothing more than CONDITIONS repeating themselfs. A wish-desire, as I define it here, arises from the Heart of ones Essence,...literally.

To me, a wish is a grand unexperienced reality, a tremendum uncovered by surrendering hope and expectation.

 

Individuality is always convinced of its separateness,... it hopes and negatively desires, but can not truely wish. To ask for anything is to deny what has already been given. The motive of one conscious of wishing, is always that the subject arrive at its own harmonium.

 

A bodhisattva has a wish for the liberation of all sentient beings. If such a wish were a hope, they would not be bodhisattvas.

[Vmarco]

“the highest goal is being devoid of hope and fear….

And when all hopes and fears have died, the Goal is reached.” Tilopa

[Songtsan]

I see what you mean...It depends on how one internally defines the word...I think about all the times I would say, "I wish this were over," or "I wish this would happen for me," (i.e. some ego driven desire), or "I wish I was dead," or "I wish I was never born," etc. So in that sense, a wish is basically wanting things to be other than they are: positive or negative attachment. Even the bodhisattva vow involves some attachment - wanting everyone in the world to be fully enlightened. I suppose they view it as being unattached, but holding to an ethical vow, yet the seed of bodhichitta is somewhat based on attachment. But they know that of course, they use attachment as the boat to cross to the farther shore. Attachment has its uses, after all, none of us might even be pursuing the spiritual path without it.

 

I think one of the root desires behind all desires is the wish to become a god - to have all the powers of creation in ones own hands, to create change wherever one sees fit. Deep down, most people either want to be omnipotent/omniscient/etc., merge with that which is omnipotent/omniscient, etc., or else be directly taken care of by such a transcendental force- the first two are basically the same thing. I actually practice a thing now that I call 'Drive all wishes into one' where every time I find myself wishing for anything, I take it straight away to the ultimate wish - to become a god. That wish contains all other wishes (at least in my view it does). I suppose I could do the same with hopes - i.e. whatever I am hoping for hope for, "the best." In fact I could combine wishes and hopes into, "I wish/hope for the best, always." And tell my mind to shut up after that.

 

I see that hope is more connected to fear than wishes are - it seems more intertwined in a way...as if it takes into account all the good and the bad that could possibly happen in a certain situation, and expresses a desire that the best happen instead of the worst, as in: ..."I hope this doesn't happen," "I hope she likes me," etc. almost as if one is praying for good luck and against bad luck, or a better chance at something good occurring, whereas wishing is more direct - basically stating what is wanted exactly. Its almost as if hope is, conventionally speaking, 'needs based,' whereas wishing is 'desire based.' Hope is like saying, "I need this to happen, please please please happen for me..." "I won't be whole without it," whereas wishing is like "I want this to happen, if I had my way, this is exactly what would happen." Hopes seem to us to be more realistic than wishes...people usually dont hope they will become a god, whereas wishes can go anywhere outside the laws of physics. Same for what we call 'needs' and 'desires' - needs are more reality based, more conventional, whereas desires span the limits of imagination. Hope seems more heartfelt, perhaps because we see it as more realistic and thus have greater attachment because of the belief that it could happen, whereas wishing usually has less attachment because we subconsciously know that what we are wishing for isn't likely at all, so its more of an entertainment, and held less close to the heart (and thus infused with less attachment, since desire and love are very close, desire being love based on an ignorant assumption that bliss/happiness lies in claiming the object desired)..

 

I know what you mean when you speak of a wish being more of a creative urge from the soul. I think there is a continuum, where at one level a wish is pure and unadulterated by lower passions - a pure wish so-to-speak...but this also leads me to wonder if the same continuum exists for hopes as well...where at its noblest, a hope is like a brightness in the dark...almost a sense of surety in good overcoming evil kind of thing, or knowledge overcoming ignorance...such as in "Having hope for all humanity" etc. although then that might be crossing into the territory of faith. Perhaps faith is the leading edge of hope...or the next level of the continuum...

Edited June 17, 2013 by Songtsan

[Songtsan]

 

Edited June 17, 2013 by Songtsan