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Read more about '''[[Fear Compilation|Fear]]'''  from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
 
Read more about '''[[Fear Compilation|Fear]]'''  from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
 
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__NOTOC__
  
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= What is Fear? =
  
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Fear is a phenomenon of unconsciousness. It is a kind of anguish that comes from ignorance. One does not know the nature of a certain thing, does not know its effect or what will happen, does not know the consequences of one's acts, one does not know so many things; and this ignorance brings fear. One fears what one does not know. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-march-1954#p20</ref>
  
[[File:FandC 1.png|center|1000px]]
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Fear is also a terribly contagious collective thing—it is much more contagious than the most contagious of illnesses. You breathe an atmosphere of fear and instantly you feel frightened, without even knowing why or how, nothing, simply because there was an atmosphere of fear. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/14-october-1953#p38</ref>
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 2.png|center|1000px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 3.png|center|1000px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 4.png|center|1000px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 5.png|center|1000px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 6.png|center|1000px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 7.png|center|1000px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:FandC 8.png|center|1000px]]
 
  
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'''Types of Fear'''
  
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Fear can be classified as mental fear, vital fear and physical fear. Mental fear—all who have a little control over themselves or any human dignity can eliminate it; vital fear is more subtle and asks for a greater control; as for physical fear, a veritable yoga is necessary to overcome it, for the cells of the body are afraid of everything that is unpleasant, painful, and as soon as there is any unease, even if it is insignificant, the cells of the body become anxious, they don't like to be uncomfortable. And then, to overcome that, the control of a conscious will is necessary. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/09/19-june-1957#p6</ref>
  
[[File:FandC 9.png|center|1000px]]
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'''Mental Fear'''
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The normal human condition is a state filled with apprehensions and fears; if you observe your mind deeply for ten minutes, you will find that for nine out of ten it is full of fears—it carries in it fear about many things, big and small, near and far, seen and unseen, and though you do not usually take conscious notice of it, it is there all the same.  <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/19-may-1929#p18</ref>
  
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'''Vital Fear'''
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The fear is again that of the physical consciousness or of the vital element in it—it is afraid if it gives up desire that it will lose everything—or everything it wants—and gain nothing in exchange or at least nothing it wants.
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<ref> http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/31/desire#p56</ref>
  
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'''Physical Fear'''
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It is a curious little vibration that gets into your cells and they begin shivering that way. But the cells are not like a heart beating very fast. It is in the very cells: they tremble with just a slight quivering. And it is very difficult to control this. Yet it can be controlled.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/22-july-1953#p17</ref>
  
[[File:FandC 10.png|center|1000px]]
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=Why there is Fear?=
  
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'''Mental Fear'''
  
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Fear stems from a sense of inferiority. <ref> http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/students#p35</ref>  A vast majority of men like to live in a limited sphere bound to their littleness and falsehood. They fear freedom and light.
  
[[File:FandC 11.png|center|1000px]]
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'''Vital Fear'''
__NOTOC__
 
<h1>Aesthetic Sense Summary</h1>
 
= Understanding fear =
 
  
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There are three reasons. First, an excessive concern about one's security. Next, what one does not know always gives an uneasy feeling which is translated in the consciousness by fear. And above all, one doesn't have the habit of a spontaneous trust in the Divine.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/04/14-march-1951#p30</ref>
  
Fear, desire and sorrow are diseases of the mind; born of its sense of division and limitation. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/23/gnosis-and-ananda#p16</ref> Fear is deeply rooted in the unconscious and comes from the forces of ignorance of the lower nature.
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We like, love, welcome, hope for, joy in whatever our nature, the first habit of our being, or else a formed (often perverse) habit, the second nature of our being, presents to the mind as pleasant, priyam; we hate, dislike, fear, have repulsion from or grief of whatever it presents to us as unpleasant, apriyam. This habit of the emotional nature gets into the way of the intelligent will and makes it often a helpless slave of the emotional being or at least prevents it from exercising a free judgment and government of the nature. This deformation has to be corrected. By getting rid of desire in the psychic prana and its intermiscence in the emotional mind, we facilitate the correction.  
Fear is also a terribly contagious collective thing—it is much more contagious than the most contagious of illnesses.
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<ref> http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/purification-the-lower-mentality#p7</ref>  
<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/14-october-1953#p38</ref> It is in the vital that the fear is felt and if one is sensitive, then they feel the fear in the environment and their vital latches onto it. It comes from a disharmony between the vital vibrations. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-march-1954#p24</ref>
 
Fear is a barrier on the path of yoga as it hinders the closeness between the human soul and the divine. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-march-1954#p24</ref>It indicates an invasion of the hostile forces in the human consciousness. The hostile forces have created fear as a means of dominating living beings, animals and men. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/16/10-november-1965#p3</ref>It is more of a nervous sensation than an emotion . <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-instruments-of-the-spirit#p8</ref>
 
Causes of fear
 
Attachment, desire, need for attention, trying to please and cravings come from the narrow limits  of the consciousness. These when they go unfulfilled gives rise to grief. Grief in turn gives rise to fear.
 
The world is full of things that are unpleasant  and one of the reactions to those unpleasant things is fear. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/30-june-1929#p5</ref> This instinctive fear is almost inherited like various other stereotypes, race feelings, attractions and associations. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/30-june-1929#p3</ref>
 
Types of fear
 
Fear is manifested in different parts of selves i.e. physical fear, mental fear and vital fear. In majority of the people, physical is governed by the subconscious and fears that are driven out of active consciousness take refuge in that subconscious. Thus, the physical fear is in the subconscious hidden by the mental and vital fear which are much more conscious. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-march-1954#p24</ref> The fear in the physical is in the sheer cells of the body and thus the body trembles with just a slight quivering. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/11-may-1955#p14</ref>
 
When one indulges in unhealthy imagination, they give form to fears on the mental plane, thus causing mental fear. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/power-of-imagination#p1</ref> However, a man is a rational being, and one of the ways of overcoming fear is also through mind. As one can have immense fear in their physical and vital but by the force of mind one can overcome those fears. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/31/fear#p15</ref>
 
Central vital, corresponding to the manipura chakra, is the seat of vitality and power. When fear invades through this, it can  can possess and invade the consciousness. However, through deep courage this power of illusion and fear can be cast away.
 
  
= Overcoming Fear =
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'''Physical Fear'''
One needs to put sincere effort and discipline in overcoming physical fear. To put effort one needs to be courageous in not thinking about the object of fear, because when one fears and constantly imagines the object of fear, then it is as though one is attracting the object of fear. Instead one must use one’s mind to imagine how would one like to respond to the object of fear.
 
Through expanding one's consciousness, by educating it and opening to the divine light one can let go of all grief and fear. If one truly believes in the Divine, surrenders to the Divine, and opens one’s self to its protection and light, putting away one's own ego, fear is bound to go away. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/24-june-1953#p14</ref>
 
When the fear is deeply rooted, one needs to grip it hard and pull it out, which hurts the surface nature, but if one can have the courage and focus on one’s light, it is possible. One needs to be vigilant and not allow it to come back. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/10-june-1953#p8</ref>
 
Progress can be really slow but through courage and faith one can fight the adverse forces and expand the consciousness.
 
When one lacks the trust in the divine, they solely depend on themselves. This path can be difficult as one’s trust still lies in ego’s personal independence and there is a refusal to surrender. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/14-april-1929#p4</ref>
 
Mind and vital are mixed up on the surface of the consciousness, but they are quite separate forces in themselves. As one is able to separate them, their distinct action can be understood and used in overcoming fear. Mind can accept the Divine more easily while the vital is unconvinced and obstinately goes on in search of desire, passion and attraction to the ordinary life. Then, mind under the influence of the soul can be  used to govern the vital.
 
  
= Fear and Illness =
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In the large majority of men, the body receives its inspirations from the subconscient, it is under the influence of the subconscient. All the fears driven out from the active consciousness go and take refuge there and then, naturally, they have to be chased out from the subconscient and uprooted from there. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/04/14-march-1951#p27</ref>
  
Nine-tenths of the danger in an illness comes from fear. Fear can give the apparent symptoms of an illness; and it can give the illness too,—its effects can go so far as that. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/16-june-1929#p17</ref> Refusing the illness,completely trusting the Divine while infusing oneself with a confidence in the Divine Grace and busying yourself with something else can  completely eliminate the fear in the cells of the body and help one not catch even contagious diseases. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/11-may-1955#p13</ref>Fear and Death
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=How to Overcome Fears?=
  
One of the most subtle fear is the fear of death which comes from  the concern for self-preservation so as to ensure the continuity of consciousness, fearing the unknown. THowever, this fear of death is in the physical cells selves which is beyond reason and almost unconscious. Thus, it is the most difficult to uproot.  
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Fear can be overcome by vigilance, courage, calmness, attitude of surrender and wideness of consciousness.
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If you remain vigilant, then with the increase of the Force upholding you, a power of self-control will come, a power to see and reject the wrong turn or the wrong reaction when it comes. Fear and unhappiness will not give you that. It is only by this vigilance accompanied by an opening to the supporting and guiding Force that it will come. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/31/fear#p12</ref>
  
This fear goes against the fundamental notion that  life is One and immortal. The forms are countless, fleeting and brittle. This understanding can help us overcome fear of death.  Thus reason can be used, another method is that of inner seeking i.e. searching the immortal light of psychic consciousness which is in all and identifying with it.  Complete surrender to the Divine, and believing that all of us belong to Him integrally. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/the-fear-of-death-and-the-four-methods-of-conquering-it#p5</ref>
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One of the great remedies for conquering fear is to face boldly what one fears. You are put face to face with the danger you fear and you fear it no longer. The fear disappears.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-march-1954#p22</ref>
  
The fear of death is not just restricted to the death of the physical, but also the death of the ego, the death of a past version of one’s self, the fear of letting go. When one does not have the courage to live, it is often because something within oneself has to die for something new to be born. It is then one should have that '''courage''', the true '''courage''' to abolish the ego. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/15/22-november-1958#p7</ref>
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In order to set out on these paths without fear and without any danger, one must have organised his being with the help of reason around the highest centre he consciously possesses, and organised it in such a way that it is inwardly in his control and he has not to say at every moment, "Ah! I have done this, I don't know why. Ah! That's happened to me, I don't know why"—and always it is "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know", and as long as it is like that, the path is somewhat dangerous.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/25-may-1955#p55</ref>
  
= Fear and Religion =
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The way to attain to this perfect consciousness is to increase your actual consciousness beyond its present grooves and limits, to educate it, to open it to the Divine Light and to let the Divine Light work in it fully and freely. But the Light can do its full and unhindered work only when you have got rid of all craving and fear, when you have no mental prejudices, no vital preferences, no physical apprehensions or attractions to obscure or bind you. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/31/fear#p14</ref>
  
The '''fear''' of the Gods is the beginning of religion. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-motives-of-devotion#p3</ref> '''Fear''' of the gods arose from man's ignorance of God and his ignorance of the laws that govern the world. The idea of the divine in the form of judge, king exaggerates the importance of the sense of sin and thereby prolongs and increases the soul's '''fear''' and self-distrust and weakness. The fear of god is useful only when the soul has not yet grown sufficiently to follow good for its own sake and needs an authority above it whose judgment it can '''fear''' and found upon that '''fear''' its fidelity to virtue.
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And the truth is that if instead of being shut up in the narrow limits of their little person, they could so widen their consciousness as to be able not only to identify themselves with others in their narrow limits, but to come out of these limits, pass beyond, spread out everywhere, unite with the one Consciousness and become all things, then, at that moment the narrow limits will vanish, but not before.
 +
<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/19-august-1953#p27</ref>
  
= Courage =
+
Another effective method is for those who have faith in a God, their God, and who have given themselves to him. They belong to him integrally; all the events of their lives are an expression of the divine will and they accept them not merely with calm submission but with gratitude, for they are convinced that whatever happens to them is always for their own good. They have a mystic trust in their God and in their personal relationship with him. They have made an absolute surrender of their will to his and feel his unvarying love and protection, wholly independent of the accidents of life and death. They have the constant experience of lying at the feet of their Beloved in an absolute self-surrender or of being cradled in his arms and enjoying a perfect security. There is no longer any room in their consciousness for fear, anxiety or torment; all that has been replaced by a calm and delightful bliss. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/the-fear-of-death-and-the-four-methods-of-conquering-it#p3</ref> However, there is a way to be free from fear: it is to have faith in the Divine Grace and to rely on It to protect you in all circumstances.
 
 
Courage is the total absence of fear in any form. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/agenda/10/december-17-1969</ref> True courage, in its deepest sense, is to be able to face everything, everything in life, from the smallest things to the greatest, from material things to things of the spirit, without a shudder, without physically ….without the heart beginning to beat faster, without the nerves trembling, without the slightest emotion in any part of the being. Face everything with a constant awareness of the Divine Presence, a total self-giving to the Divine, and the whole being unified in this will; then you can go forward in life and face anything whatever. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/26-january-1955</ref> When the vital is entirely surrendered to the divine it is full of courage, enthusiasm. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/9-february-1955#p36</ref>
 
 
 
= Conclusion =
 
 
 
Everyone possesses two opposite tendencies of character, in almost equal proportions, which are like the light and the shadow of the same thing. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/3-february-1954#p15</ref> Thus, when one has fear, one also has courage. And to get over this impurity of fear one has the resources in the form of courage, tapas and surrender.
 
 
 
Fear is a hidden consent. When one is afraid of something, it means that you admit its possibility and thus strengthen its hand. It can be said that it is a subconscient consent. Fear can be overcome in many ways. The ways of courage, reason, faith, knowledge, surrender are some of them. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/14/fear#p47</ref>
 
 
 
 
 
'''Content curated by Suhani Tanna'''
 
  
 
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Read more about '''[[Fear Compilation|Fear]]'''  from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
 
Read more about '''[[Fear Compilation|Fear]]'''  from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
 
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== References ==
 
== References ==

Revision as of 13:47, 6 July 2020

Read more about Fear from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.


What is Fear?

Fear is a phenomenon of unconsciousness. It is a kind of anguish that comes from ignorance. One does not know the nature of a certain thing, does not know its effect or what will happen, does not know the consequences of one's acts, one does not know so many things; and this ignorance brings fear. One fears what one does not know. [1]

Fear is also a terribly contagious collective thing—it is much more contagious than the most contagious of illnesses. You breathe an atmosphere of fear and instantly you feel frightened, without even knowing why or how, nothing, simply because there was an atmosphere of fear. [2]

Types of Fear

Fear can be classified as mental fear, vital fear and physical fear. Mental fear—all who have a little control over themselves or any human dignity can eliminate it; vital fear is more subtle and asks for a greater control; as for physical fear, a veritable yoga is necessary to overcome it, for the cells of the body are afraid of everything that is unpleasant, painful, and as soon as there is any unease, even if it is insignificant, the cells of the body become anxious, they don't like to be uncomfortable. And then, to overcome that, the control of a conscious will is necessary. [3]

Mental Fear The normal human condition is a state filled with apprehensions and fears; if you observe your mind deeply for ten minutes, you will find that for nine out of ten it is full of fears—it carries in it fear about many things, big and small, near and far, seen and unseen, and though you do not usually take conscious notice of it, it is there all the same. [4]

Vital Fear The fear is again that of the physical consciousness or of the vital element in it—it is afraid if it gives up desire that it will lose everything—or everything it wants—and gain nothing in exchange or at least nothing it wants. [5]

Physical Fear It is a curious little vibration that gets into your cells and they begin shivering that way. But the cells are not like a heart beating very fast. It is in the very cells: they tremble with just a slight quivering. And it is very difficult to control this. Yet it can be controlled. [6]

Why there is Fear?

Mental Fear

Fear stems from a sense of inferiority. [7] A vast majority of men like to live in a limited sphere bound to their littleness and falsehood. They fear freedom and light.

Vital Fear

There are three reasons. First, an excessive concern about one's security. Next, what one does not know always gives an uneasy feeling which is translated in the consciousness by fear. And above all, one doesn't have the habit of a spontaneous trust in the Divine. [8]

We like, love, welcome, hope for, joy in whatever our nature, the first habit of our being, or else a formed (often perverse) habit, the second nature of our being, presents to the mind as pleasant, priyam; we hate, dislike, fear, have repulsion from or grief of whatever it presents to us as unpleasant, apriyam. This habit of the emotional nature gets into the way of the intelligent will and makes it often a helpless slave of the emotional being or at least prevents it from exercising a free judgment and government of the nature. This deformation has to be corrected. By getting rid of desire in the psychic prana and its intermiscence in the emotional mind, we facilitate the correction. [9]

Physical Fear

In the large majority of men, the body receives its inspirations from the subconscient, it is under the influence of the subconscient. All the fears driven out from the active consciousness go and take refuge there and then, naturally, they have to be chased out from the subconscient and uprooted from there. [10]

How to Overcome Fears?

Fear can be overcome by vigilance, courage, calmness, attitude of surrender and wideness of consciousness. If you remain vigilant, then with the increase of the Force upholding you, a power of self-control will come, a power to see and reject the wrong turn or the wrong reaction when it comes. Fear and unhappiness will not give you that. It is only by this vigilance accompanied by an opening to the supporting and guiding Force that it will come. [11]

One of the great remedies for conquering fear is to face boldly what one fears. You are put face to face with the danger you fear and you fear it no longer. The fear disappears. [12]

In order to set out on these paths without fear and without any danger, one must have organised his being with the help of reason around the highest centre he consciously possesses, and organised it in such a way that it is inwardly in his control and he has not to say at every moment, "Ah! I have done this, I don't know why. Ah! That's happened to me, I don't know why"—and always it is "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know", and as long as it is like that, the path is somewhat dangerous. [13]

The way to attain to this perfect consciousness is to increase your actual consciousness beyond its present grooves and limits, to educate it, to open it to the Divine Light and to let the Divine Light work in it fully and freely. But the Light can do its full and unhindered work only when you have got rid of all craving and fear, when you have no mental prejudices, no vital preferences, no physical apprehensions or attractions to obscure or bind you. [14]

And the truth is that if instead of being shut up in the narrow limits of their little person, they could so widen their consciousness as to be able not only to identify themselves with others in their narrow limits, but to come out of these limits, pass beyond, spread out everywhere, unite with the one Consciousness and become all things, then, at that moment the narrow limits will vanish, but not before. [15]

Another effective method is for those who have faith in a God, their God, and who have given themselves to him. They belong to him integrally; all the events of their lives are an expression of the divine will and they accept them not merely with calm submission but with gratitude, for they are convinced that whatever happens to them is always for their own good. They have a mystic trust in their God and in their personal relationship with him. They have made an absolute surrender of their will to his and feel his unvarying love and protection, wholly independent of the accidents of life and death. They have the constant experience of lying at the feet of their Beloved in an absolute self-surrender or of being cradled in his arms and enjoying a perfect security. There is no longer any room in their consciousness for fear, anxiety or torment; all that has been replaced by a calm and delightful bliss. [16] However, there is a way to be free from fear: it is to have faith in the Divine Grace and to rely on It to protect you in all circumstances.

Read more about Fear from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

References