Unseen fears
August 2024 edition
Article summary
The majority of being doesn’t care about the eternal truth. They don’t seek for the liberation. They have their own set of beliefs and they are trying to be happy with the simple truth they believe as the truth. Their truth is so limited as its based on their five senses. In Buddhist teaching these majority of worldlings, identified as the unlearned or uninstructed worldling, or being, as they have not interested and not yet learned or heard about the eternal truth.
So, Samma Sambuddha always takes the mindset of unlearned worldlings as an example to guide us to the mindset which one should have to realize the eternal truth. Let’s discuss such a wonderful guidance given by the blessed one!
As we all know we all the adore the relationship between the parents and a child. Even majority agreeing with the fact of “a mother and her child relationship is greater above all”. As we all know, many of us talk about various kinds of fears we all have. Among those fears, the separation of mother and a child identified as the worst fear. So, one day, Gauthama Samma Sambuddha pointed out such life-threatening situations which can separate a mother and a child according to the unlearned worldlings. The blessed one further added that according to the belief of unaware worldlings, they speak of these three lives threatening situations that separate mother and a child as worst kind of fears for them.
What three? A time when a great conflagration arises. When those fire flares burn the cities, villages and everything around, when this happens, a mother can’t find her child, and a child can’t find their mother. According to the unaware worldling, this is the first peril that tears mothers and children apart.
A time when great rain cloud arises. when a great storm gathers, and it unleashes a mighty flood and that sweeps away villages, towns, and cities. when this happens, a mother can’t find her child, and a child can’t find their mother. According to the unaware worldling, this is the second life – threatening situation that tears mothers and children apart.
What is the third peril according to them? When barbaric thieves come to the city… when the restless scared people mounted on their vehicles, flee on all sides for their lives.... when this happens, a mother can’t find her child, and a child can’t find their mother. According to the unaware worldling, this is the second life – threatening situation that tears mothers and children apart.
Think about the belief of majority of worldlings. Aren’t they fear for all these 3 situations? Aren’t mothers’ fears for their child's safety in such situations? Aren’t children fear for losing their mother in such situations?
Not only that, the blessed one further added that the unaware worldling also believes that these kinds of situations also can reconnect the mother & child. Imagine a mother or a child who separated from each other for certain reasons… imagine the situations like they haven’t talk to each other for a while… but in this kind of situation they reconnect easily. Mother thinks about the child protection and child think about the mother in such situation no matter how disconnected were them from each other they reconnect easily. So, unaware worldlings believe these three types of fears, of separating mother and the child can also reconnect them.
Think deeply in to these believes. Don’t you feel that such fear and at the same time there’s is this assurance of overcoming those fears are possible? That's how worldlings come up with the ideas of alarming systems in such dangerous situations. fire alarms... storm, tsunami alarms... self-defense systems to fight with thieves... or weapons to kill barbaric thieves. So, without a doubt, majority of unaware worldlings believes that we can overcome these threats. So, it's always fifty-fifty situation for them. There is this threat of separation at the same time there is a bright side for it too by believing in the reconnection situations. There is this feeling of assurance "Mother CAN save her child... Child CAN save her mother..."
This is how majority of worldlings who are unaware about the eternal truth believes. The majority of worldling doesn't want to be free from by focusing on the truth. Majority of beings likes to be blind and keep the truth away from them. They love to live in the illusory dream world which they believe their "WISH can come true!"
So, they make wishes... Mother have this wish... "Please don't make my child suffer by getting old... instead make me suffer by getting old... don't make my child becomes a victim of the old age..." Child have this wish... "Please don't make my mother suffer by getting old... instead make me suffer by getting old... don't make my mother becomes a victim of the old age..."
Mother have this wish... "Please don't make my child suffer by getting sick... instead make me suffer by getting sick... don't make my child becomes a victim of sicknesses..." Child have this wish... "Please don't make my mother suffer by getting sick... instead make me suffer by getting sick... don't make my mother becomes a victim of sicknesses..."
Mother have this wish... "Please don't make my child die... instead may death comes to me... don't make my child a becomes a victim of the death... May my child have a long life" Child have this wish... "Please don't make my mother die... instead make me die... don't make my mother becomes a victim of death... May my mother have a long healthy life"
So, Samma Sambuddha said these are the wishes of unaware worldlings. But these are the wishes that will never come true! These three are the actual three perils which separate mother from a child and a child from a mother. But majority of unaware worldlings doesn't like to see or think about these three facts which are bound to all of us.
Majority of people don't even like to think about these realities... They refuse to speak about these topics... if someone says you are bound to getting old or bound to be sick or bound to be death, they believe as that person may have cursed them., like. They believe talking about getting decaying or getting sick or thinking about death as bad omens!
This is one reason that many doesn't like Buddhist teachings. They believe that Buddhist teaching as something mourning and whining about suffering. But, in actual it is guiding you to overcome the real threats which you willing to be blind at.
Why the fire... storm or flood... or barbaric thieves becomes a threat for you? Because you have the potential of die. if you are immortal, these aren't threats... these aren't perils... but instead of identifying the root of perils, you are becoming slave of your agitated mind.
Mind doesn't aware of the root... so it always shows you the rest of the tree like trunk or branches or leaves or fruits. So, your solutions always bound with what you are aware only. That's how majority becomes the worldling who are unaware of the root of their own suffering.
So, the blessed one further explains like this;
There is a way that leads to the abandoning and overcoming of these three perils of decaying, sickness and death. There is a way to overcome these life - threatening three fears, that separate mother and son. That's the way of realizing the four noble truths, where you will be able to recognize the real suffering, the root of all suffering, the liberation of all kind of sufferings and the path for that. The full teaching can be found in the sutta named "Perils - Bhaya Sutta"!
As long as you are unaware about the root you can't bring a real solution. So, if you are fear of separation... if you are fear of all these external life-threatening situations... wake up and start doing what you are supposed to do from your valuable human life. What you are supposed to do actually? Dedicate your life to explore the eternal truth... realize the truth and liberate from the trap which you believe as your happy and content simple life! Because a trap never simple as its looks like! Be wise! May you all be liberated my dear dhamma friends!
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