asked: Regardless of men, women, old or young, people all have "fear", such as fear of death, fear of the dark, fear of ghosts, fear of people, fear of life, fear of pain, fear of illness, fear of old age, etc. Could you please tell me what methods you can use to overcome fear?
Master Xingyun :
People will be afraid because they don’t understand unknown things; just like we are afraid of the dark, because we can’t see the dark! If everything is clear in your mind, you will naturally not be afraid. We are usually afraid of unfamiliar environments. Whenever there is any disturbance, we feel like something is going on.
When I was young, every time I walked alone, I often felt like there was a ghost following me. At this time, I wanted to walk faster. When I walked faster, I felt that the ghost was walking faster! My home is so far away, and this ghost keeps following me. What should I do? At that time, I was still very young and had not yet become a monk. So I stopped and looked back. There were no ghosts! So, at that time, I knew how to train myself. I knew that there were no ghosts at all, so why should I be afraid?
I think the reason why people are afraid is because they don’t know the truth. said, "Once bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of the rope for ten years." Once bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of even the shadow of the rope. Some people are timid and cowardly. If they ask him to go on stage to give a speech, he will say, "I dare not!" If he is asked to go to receive guests, he will say, "I dare not!" No matter what he does, he will say, "I dare not!" Why don't dare? It's because of cowardice! This is a disease. We must face everything bravely, because "if you have to be able to do it, you will be tired in front of others."
There is now a kind of training in Taipei called "ugliness training". An ugly daughter-in-law always has to meet her parents-in-law. She must be able to withstand being embarrassed in front of others to be strong. For example, when buying an electrical appliance, you need to know its quality and be able to handle it.
Why are people afraid? Afraid of losing! Afraid of losing love, afraid of losing money, afraid of losing power, afraid of losing status, afraid of losing glory. What you already have, you are afraid of losing.
Many people are also afraid of mice, but mice are afraid of people! Why are you afraid of mice? What an inversion! Are you afraid of cockroaches? Cockroaches should hide as soon as they see people. Why are you afraid of cockroaches? This is inexplicably scary!
People are also afraid of disasters, such as typhoons, earthquakes, mudslides and other natural disasters; they are afraid of being robbed, afraid of bad guys, and afraid of bandits, but fear is useless! Avoiding is not an option. If you know that a typhoon is coming, you should strengthen the protection of your doors and windows; if a mudslide is coming, you should hide in a safe place. Even if an earthquake comes, you must have common sense about earthquakes! Basically, a wooden house is not easy to collapse. Even if an earthquake comes, it is elastic and will sway with it. If you live in a high-rise building, the higher you go, the worse the shaking will be. Even if you run away, it will be too late!
So no need to panic. You need to have ways to prepare for earthquakes, such as hiding under a strong platform or next to a pillar. There is still space to give us safety. If people keep panicking, they will not be able to avoid disaster.
So-called: "People have their own reasons, God has their own laws, emotions are reasonable, Tao is reasonable, and the land has geography." But geography is not viewed from the perspective of location. For example, on the same street, there are several shops with eastward facing doors. To make money, several companies have failed. Where do you think there is a direction?
In fact, whether you can make money in business depends on the quality of the product, the management of the operator, and market research, rather than geographical Feng Shui, so everything has its cause and effect!
Superstitions are scary. To deal with fear, we must have wisdom and common sense. If we know typhoons, we will not be afraid of them; if we know earthquakes, we will not be afraid of earthquakes; if we know the world of ghosts and beasts, everyone has his own world and does not interfere with each other.
When the Buddha was there, a monk named Upasana was bitten by a poisonous snake. Although the poison took effect and he was about to die, he was not afraid at all, nor did he worry about it at all.He said: "I am observing the sky. A poisonous snake can bite my body. Can it bite the sky?" Then he died calmly. If you can become one with the void, you will no longer be afraid. If you are not afraid, you can avoid many disasters.
If a person is compassionate, he will have no enemies. Compassionate people can work everywhere; if he is wise and can understand everything, he will not be afraid; if he is brave, confident, mindful and knows how to divert his attention, he will not be afraid.
Sometimes when we walk at night, we have to rely on lights; if a person is timid, he can find a few more people to accompany him. Fear of the outside world is easy to solve, but inner fear comes from cowardice and ignorance, and requires self-training.
This article is selected from "Peace of Mind and Peace of Mind: Master Hsing Yun Talks about Contemporary Issues 3"
All social problems come from the heart.
The most urgent problem to be solved is to start from the "heart".
Content introduction: Facing the complicated society, There are many people who are confused, Master Hsing Yun said: "I am like a bell, I will answer when I ring, and I will answer every question." The book series collects the lectures and discussions that Master Hsing Yun has given to people in different fields of society in recent years when he has spread the Dharma in five continents. The book contains 24 topics, including children's education, handling of relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, theory, women, life destiny, hospice care , environmental protection, etc. It provides public reference and allows people to learn how to deal with real life, so that people can gain happiness. A harmonious life.
