Peace

I think there are two things you can do.  And I want to take this time to tell 
you not to become discouraged by posters that offer obvious solutions and 
realizations that are supposedy inherent to their way of living and thinking.  
I can tell that it is not useful.  You are not going to be able to think 
yourself out of this one though.


Here is what I have found.  Anyone who is telling you that they are not afraid 
of death, you have to assume that they are lying -- lying to themselves and 
others.  Even if they are wandering around not thinking about it, they are 
avoiding thinking about about it, or sensing it. 

In your case, you have expressed a compulsive disorder with death.  I would do 
the following.

Bill Smart and others here can reaffirm of give you explanation of Zazen, to 
bring Shikan Taza into your life.  I would begin a good practice of Zazen and 
stick to it.  Put great emphasis (still thinking, thus fearing) observing your 
thoughts, non grasping, just letting them go. You can do this with your Zazen.

Having said that, the practical matter of things is that you have to walk 
around in your life and deal with this throughout your day.  I would expose 
yourself to the work of Albert Ellis, the cognitive psychologist who started 
REBT Therapy.  There has been some analysis written on his work and Zen, since 
he is basically a sort of ego as function sort of Philosopher.  He doesn't 
believe in enlightenment that I know of, but what he does offer is thinking as 
function and the refuting of obsessional thinking.  These two together may be 
helpful.  I have seen Albert Ellis's Therapy help many people.  It is very 
practical and very useful.  

Of course I always recommend reading only within of context of learning, the 
whole idea of Sufis "learning how to learn, knowing how to know, etc . . ."

To the Sufi way of thinking, fear of death operates out of the lower self, the 
commanding self, that has been conditioned and enhanced by culture and the 
false self (ego).  Operating out of the realm can be useful if your intention 
is to transcend it, in fact, the fear of death can be more of blessing than 
someone who mindlessly goes around says, "well when I'm dead I won't know it."  
Oftentimes they are just ameliorating themselves with their own mind candy.  

Keep this in mind, all human beings fear death in some proportion, you are just 
tuning into it.  However, it is possible to use this on the so called path.  

Sometimes with people Yahoo Groups of the so called religious nature you get 
posters who are really just posting for themselves, transmitting and projecting 
something they want to feel or sense, and want others to feed back to them.  
So, don't pay much attention to them.

Having said that, it really is about Zazen, and feeling a certain intention and 
gratitude toward working with your obsession, for it can help you in the end.  
No pun intended . . . 

K among the deathers 

--- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, "DP" <dave.dplat...@...> wrote:
>
> ARe there any good meditations I can do which helps me deal with my fear of 
> death? I just finished Thich Nhat Hanh's No Death No Fear, and I liked it, 
> but I feel such a hard time getting around the idea of continuance - it's too 
> much for my materialist mind. So maybe I need a different tack...
> 
> How do I confront the reality of death with the aim towards lessening my fear 
> of this?
>




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