Sunday Sermon [On Fear]

Hola mi gente,
The overriding theme of the current election cycle is fear. In her attempt to make a case for herself as a viable presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton went the conservative route and went all-out to stoke fear. It was almost obscene. “Donald Trump” was mentioned more times than anything else. I guess the case for Hillary is, “vote for me because Donald Trump.” Disgusting… 

Today, I bring back one of my favorite teachers, Pema Chödrön, who offers us a lesson on, yes, you guessed it: Fear

How to Battle Fear

Once there was a young warrior. Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with fear. She didn’t want to do that. It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it seemed unfriendly. But the teacher said she had to do it and gave her the instructions for the battle. The day arrived. The student warrior stood on one side, and fear stood on the other. The warrior was feeling very small, and fear was looking big and wrathful. They both had their weapons. The young warrior roused herself and went toward fear, prostrated three times, and asked, “May I have permission to go into battle with you?” Fear said, “Thank you for showing me so much respect that you ask permission.” Then the young warrior said, “How can I defeat you?” Fear replied, “My weapons are that I talk fast, and I get very close to your face. Then you get completely unnerved, and you do whatever I say. If you don’t do what I tell you, I have no power. You can listen to me, and you can have respect for me. You can even be convinced by me. But if you don’t do what I say, I have no power.” In that way, the student warrior learned how to defeat fear. “

-- Pema Chödrön, from: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

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My name is Eddie and I’m in recovery from civilization…