…and in the words of Yoda – “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

are you aware that “Fear not!” is the most repeated command/phrase in the Bible? and then there’s one of my favorite sections in 1 John where it is said (and i paraphrase) that God is love and that there is no fear in love.

when we live in fear, there is a tightening that occurs, a narrowing of thought and vision. possibility diminishes and life is oppressed. fear in a very real way, brings death.

the answer to fear is love and love in action is compassion. in Buddhism, we practice loving-kindness and compassion as a way to address our fear and the fears of others. a closed heart and mind can become reactive, paranoid, and aggressive. an open heart and spacious mind are expansive and generous, allowing for possibility and life. so, we practice with our heart and we practice with our mind.

~j

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