Death is Not the Enemy
Death Is Not the Enemy
Fear is. Having crossed through the mist on more than one occasion, I can vouch for the fact that it is a normal part of living.
Pain is generated by illness or injury to the body, which is the temple of the soul in this world. Suffering is caused by desire, clinging to the things of this world, attachment to specific outcomes. Fear is usually caused by the unknown or by a feeling that we will lose what worldly things we have. Fear is also responsible for adding to our suffering.
Understanding and acceptance are lights we can cast into the darkest recesses of our minds and fear and suffering will flee before them. But if we do not grow, we will remain in that dark place of suffering and fear.
Birth and death are normal events in the process we call living. Both are inescapable and rightly so. If we were to avoid these events, spiritual growth would be severely limited. We choose the circumstances of each birth for the potential of experiencing what we need for our continued growth. At death we are able to evaluate our progress and choose the circumstances of the next birth. All things follow a rhythm of birth and death and rebirth.
The Journey is long and speed is not a necessity. It is more important to strive to be aware of the Journey itself, to see the opportunities for growth that appear in our lives. Just as physical evolution happens over a long period of time, spiritual evolution happens over many lifetimes. We must be patient with ourselves. When we fall short of our own expectations, and we will, we need to be gentle with ourselves rather than condemn ourselves for our perceived short comings.
When we take our first trembling steps on this Journey Into Being, we may become disheartened by what we see as slow progress, or no progress at all. However when we persevere, taking our baby steps as best we can, it becomes easier. As we learn the basics and grow stronger, the Journey becomes easier, not easy, but easier. Progress requires striving, but it does not require suffering, or fear. As we learn more, our suffering and fear will ease up and the path becomes easier to follow.
There are tools that we can use to help us in our striving. Learning what we can about the many paths that people follow will help us to define our own path. Meditation helps us to clarify our aims and dissipate the stress we are under in our daily lives. It also helps us to connect with the spirit within us all.
With love and companionship on the Journey
Fear is. Having crossed through the mist on more than one occasion, I can vouch for the fact that it is a normal part of living.
Pain is generated by illness or injury to the body, which is the temple of the soul in this world. Suffering is caused by desire, clinging to the things of this world, attachment to specific outcomes. Fear is usually caused by the unknown or by a feeling that we will lose what worldly things we have. Fear is also responsible for adding to our suffering.
Understanding and acceptance are lights we can cast into the darkest recesses of our minds and fear and suffering will flee before them. But if we do not grow, we will remain in that dark place of suffering and fear.
Birth and death are normal events in the process we call living. Both are inescapable and rightly so. If we were to avoid these events, spiritual growth would be severely limited. We choose the circumstances of each birth for the potential of experiencing what we need for our continued growth. At death we are able to evaluate our progress and choose the circumstances of the next birth. All things follow a rhythm of birth and death and rebirth.
The Journey is long and speed is not a necessity. It is more important to strive to be aware of the Journey itself, to see the opportunities for growth that appear in our lives. Just as physical evolution happens over a long period of time, spiritual evolution happens over many lifetimes. We must be patient with ourselves. When we fall short of our own expectations, and we will, we need to be gentle with ourselves rather than condemn ourselves for our perceived short comings.
When we take our first trembling steps on this Journey Into Being, we may become disheartened by what we see as slow progress, or no progress at all. However when we persevere, taking our baby steps as best we can, it becomes easier. As we learn the basics and grow stronger, the Journey becomes easier, not easy, but easier. Progress requires striving, but it does not require suffering, or fear. As we learn more, our suffering and fear will ease up and the path becomes easier to follow.
There are tools that we can use to help us in our striving. Learning what we can about the many paths that people follow will help us to define our own path. Meditation helps us to clarify our aims and dissipate the stress we are under in our daily lives. It also helps us to connect with the spirit within us all.
With love and companionship on the Journey
2 comments:
Hi....In many spiritual traditions, a primary goal is to make friends with one's fears so the fears can release their tensions and be released from the mind. If a fear is an enemy and fought with, battles are won and lost, but the fear will always linger or be repressed till it surfaces again. Fears are our friends too because they have a message for us, telling us that we have fallen off the path. Ask the fear what its message is and then forgive it and thank it and ask it to go on its way. If we want to embody peace and have peace of mind we can not be at war and have enemies. Words have meaning and energies associated with them. I believe we must respect words because the words and thoughts are prayers that attract the lessons that we must face in life.
This is just my belief though. I have enjoyed looking at your blog and will be back again. I found your site through Maithri's blog.
May you invite into your being the energy you want to experience. Peace always.
I am sorry I have taken so long to return here. Other things get in the way of some of the things I like doing.
Your points are interesting and I believe that we agree more than it would appear. The biggest difference is in the way of expressing our relationship with fear.
...Z
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