The Pandemic of Fear
Hello my sweet friends and welcome to May. I am feeling the need to speak on my observation from the last month of hunkering down and the spectrum of emotions that were expressed. My heart goes out to all who have been directly touched during this pandemic by critical illness or loss of a loved one. I am deeply moved by the dedication and sacrifice of our front line workers especially in the hardest hit areas. The majority of people have felt some level of financial loss whether it is the inability to be fully employed or a business completely shut down. And on top of everything, none of us are able to freely move about and experience life as we once knew it. There is no longer a quick and simple trip to the store.
This whole experience has been such an amazing lesson on many levels. But, what has intrigued me the most is the pandemic of fear. I have observed how this emotion has swept the planet and the various ways we humans have responded. Some attack aggressively, some are paralyzed and afraid to touch the mail they receive. In grocery stores there are suspicious glances of “do you have it”? It has been interesting to observe and also witness how my own neuroses reveal themselves. Understand I am expressing this with a deep sense of love and not in judgement. Even in these times of deep uncertainty we can have peace. We do not need to sub-come to fear and then more suffering. Physical distancing has proven to be the most effective deterrent but we don’t want to also distance ourselves from our true nature.
The teachings of yoga and Ayurveda have given us insight on where this fear comes from in the teachings of the Kleshas.The Sanskrit word Klesha translates as “poison”. This refers to a negative mental state that creates obstacles on our spiritual journey. The kleshas can cause a haze in the mind which births the conditions of suffering. These roadblocks prevent us from understanding that we, and everything around us, is divinely timed and perfect. This holds true even when it is confusing and scary. By transcending the kleshas, we all have the ability to be liberated from suffering.
There are 5 Kleshas in the teaching but I want to focus on one in particular. The first one is Avidya. Avidya translates to ignorance or not knowing the true nature of Reality. It is known as the root cause for the other kleshas to arise. The second one is Asmita which is the ego or our identity with something else rather than our true nature. When we are searching outside of ourselves for approval this will cause suffering. The third and fourth kleshas are the polarities. Raga, things that we desire or cling to and Dvesha which are things, people or situations we avoid or cause repulsion.
The last one is the one I would like to explore today. It can give us timely words of encouragement. Abhinivesha translates as the “will to live” but it is really based on the fear of dying. Living is fantastic. I am a fan of being alive and grateful for each day. However the fact is that death is a reality. The more comfortable we can be with the understanding we will one day leave this body the easier the transition will be. We can grow a sense of being comfortable with death through our daily practices. These will help build a relationship with the part of us that never dies. The part that is eternal and is actually more real than the bodies that we occupy. When we begin to foster and nurture a relationship with our non-dying Self the fear of death will begin to lose its grip.
Only then can we really live with a deep sense of peace and bliss. We then appreciate the body we have been blessed with as a vehicle for the Soul. We instinctively put into place practices to help us be healthy and comfortable in this vehicle. We are then set free to be vibrant with the strength and vitality to fulfill our dharma. Your personal dharma is the reason you were born when, where and with the family that surrounds you. There are no accidents. So I encourage you, my sweet friends, to take the time to sit, quiet your mind, connect to the breath and allow yourself to get acquainted to your true nature.
I will be teaching a zoom workshop on the Desires of the Heart and Discovering Dharma (Sunday May 17th, 1:00-3:00 PST). Please join me in the exploration of the 3 subtle expressions of the doshas and discover the roadmap to building a relationship with the part of you that is non-dying.
“I encourage you to make peace with death. To see it as a culminating adventure of this adventure of life. It is not an error, it is not a failure. It is taking off a tight shoe that you've worn well.”
Ram Dass