Fear Is Often a Doorway

I am frequently asked about fear. Fear is very often a part of the spiritual path. When people sit down and meditate it's not at all uncommon for fear to arise at some point. This is especially the case with this sort of meditation, in which we are endeavoring to actually let go of control and manipulation. In most human beings, this will give rise to a certain amount of fear, because the egoic mind is very, very afraid of letting go of control and experiencing openness. A lot of fear can arise with meditative self-inquiry as well—when we look within and see that we don't actually exist as separate entities.

When the mind makes contact with the unknown, something it doesn't understand, it very often goes into fear. We're often taught that if fear arises there must be some mistake being made, that fear must mean danger. But in spirituality it's important to remember that fear doesn't necessarily mean danger. Actually, fear often means that we're going to a much deeper place inside ourselves. So if fear arises, the wisest thing to do is simply to let it arise. Feel it in your body. Notice that your mind tends to create stories and ideas about the fear, and recognize that these stories aren't really true. But let the fear be experienced, because fear is often a doorway. It's something that you must walk through. When you are willing to walk through the fear, to experience it, to see what's underneath it, to go deeper, then fear has served its purpose. The arising of fear doesn't always mean that something has gone wrong. Actually, in spirituality, fear often means that something is beginning to go right.