Following the Path of the Buddha

Have you ever heard the saying… “There is nothing to fear but fear itself!”?

It should be a statement taught to memorize in first grade to make sure we don't miss that train… that sometimes seemingly elusive train called happiness (not the same as the tram called desire… :).

Contrary to what the title might sound like, this is not a religious article.

I don't care if you are spiritual, religious, or what religion you believe in, but I will tell you that what I have learned is that trying to live a life with less fear is something all religions try to teach us, aided by different stories or examples.

Have you heard the story of Buddha on a journey to prove he would find his way free of worries, being cared for by God, as long as he lived his life according to the spirit? Or perhaps you've heard this biblical quote, which I will not cite literally, that talks about how God cares for the birds, so He will care for us, as long as we take care of our spiritual health or soul? I had heard it, but I never really knew how to do it or the full meaning of the tale, until I experienced it myself, due to a set of circumstances at that time.

Circumstances that left me choosing between the following two options. Either I gave up, threw in the towel, and surrendered to loss, sadness, and despair, or I trusted in the spirit and continued with my plans and my life according to the vision of my dream. Which was it going to be? Well, I can say that I have never been one to give up and, having the opportunity, I saw it clearly in front of me: I had to have faith and believe! Believe in my dreams, in my future happiness in the following years, and in the endeavor I was about to embark on… However, it wasn't as simple as that, thank God… I had some help along the way… 🙂

Helped by the universe, the angels, who knows! I'm not sure what it was that day that I saw floating just above me, but I know for sure it had to be something sent from heaven, because it helped me listen to my intuition, far beyond common sense and the “logical” advice (which turned out to be more negative than logical) from my peers. The little sparks of light I faintly perceived above me from the bed in my hotel room that night, looking back, surely were the protective and guiding answer to my prayers, helping me achieve what in summary I came to achieve and which I couldn't have reached unless I was inspired by a higher force that went far beyond the negative conventionality surrounding me at that time.

However, a secondary and ulterior reason for this to happen in my life was and has been a much more important and meaningful lesson. What I learned through this was how to trust in a new way of living, free of fear from then on, which is not a simple or trivial factor, but the foundation or secret to finally living a meaningful and powerful life, where true love and the meaning of happiness finally have a place to grow, without the predictable and cruel sabotage of a fear-based life. A fear-based life like the one modern society inclines us to live remains plagued with conditioned choices or lack of positive changes in life, opportunities, and the determination needed to follow the dreams and desires of our inner child, our true choices and feelings.

At the bottom of those trains we might have missed or the opportunities we have left behind, and contrary to what we might have thought, it is fear that lies there, not avoiding settling down, waiting for something better, easier, or even those plans for a perfect future, but simply FEAR. It could be fear of failure, disappointment, feeling pain, and ultimately fear of happiness, yes, happiness, because it can be terrifying to reach the pinnacle of our hopes and dreams, as a destination or reason for living. What would we have to aim for afterward? We've probably all heard considerations like… “things have been going too well lately, too well, I wonder when my luck will change” or… “the higher you climb, the bigger the fall…” Fear, fears, and more fear, driving the neural process behind that thought.