DP: I also sense that fear of death is also fear of life. I suppose that when one lives in the present moment, which I can assure you is pretty difficult to do, A lot of the fears seem to lessen more and more. On the other way round, when I forget to be fully present in my body and mind in the present moment is when all my troubles start all over again. I know that my fear of death is related very much so to my fear of life. Only by living in the present moment I can embrace what it comes and as it comes. Mayka
--- On Mon, 30/8/10, DP <dave.dplat...@gmail.com> wrote: From: DP <dave.dplat...@gmail.com> Subject: [Zen] Re: Death To: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, 30 August, 2010, 15:50 Namaste, and thank you. I will think long and hard about your words (I've been doing zazen for awhile now, but not without difficulty). I do find some of the comments (and I apologize to anyone here) a little condescending, like "you haven't figured that out yet?" On another site, I just got cryptic comments like "fear of death is fear of life," which didn't really help at all. --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, "salik888" <novelid...@...> wrote: > > 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.dplatt72@> 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? > > >