Fear

"But now here’s the thing: Once I accepted this, that it was all really happening my fear evaporated almost at once. And I realized, only much later, when I had the luxury of reflecting on the whole thing, that fear never exists inside the moment, that we never actually fear what is, we only ever fear when we peer ahead, when we start thinking about what might happen. Once it actually goes down, you can’t help but start to deal with it." -Lee Stringer

This guy is a great writer and I would highly recommend anyone check out his site.
http://www.leestringer.net/index.html

This is a very Zen thing to say about fear. Fear can effect everything we do and can even change how we live our lives. To run from fear or to stuff fear doesn't work. To stop fear is to recognize its source. You face it in the moment and the illusion is gone as in shining light on a ghost. I am not sure, but I don't think this man is a Zen Buddhist yet this very basic idea was revealed to him at this particular moment.

I have been thinking about how different people seem to "know" things and how some people never get "it." So far, I have only come up with this idea that there is some sort of Universal Wisdom...its huge. It permeates everything. If we quiet ourselves enough to be able to be present in any given moment - not thinking in the future or the past but right at this very second, this Universal Wisdom touches us. Suddenly we know things, as in an answer to a prayer. I am not sure about all this. I am still seeking understanding...connection. The only thing I do know is that when I have these moments, it brings me to a place that feels so peaceful and so full of love that it must be right. I feel such gratitude for everything and everyone in my life. I see beauty everywhere! I feel unpolluted like when I was a small child and would draw, or daydream, or play outside. As children we are in the moment naturally.

I meditated this morning and my mind was all over the place. I continued to breath in and out and count my breaths and all that. After about a half an hour, I settled into a quiet space. I saw myself on a path where leaves were being laid down in front of me and I was moving forward. I saw a blurry sillouhette of a Buddha and felt a pressure in my chest that made me somewhat fearful. Knowing that it is possible even in meditation to create self serving illusions, I tried to shut the image out of my head for a moment and just immersed myself in this pressure that was in my chest. I felt the Buddha was there. I know that seems very strange. But it was this feeling of love that was just huge...like my chest was going to burst open. I was no longer afraid. I just let it fill me up.