In this sub series of the journey of the Pilgrim, he sits at his feet and earns his teachings from his Guru. The article in the series Talks with Guru are subjective in nature with the teacher spontaneously responding to inquiries into non-duality through a series of queries the seriously inquisitive beginner puts across.
A point to note is that the non-dual Truth is infinite and can be experienced & explained in infinite number of ways, which may look conflicting at times, but each being right from an unique perspective.
Pilgrim: What is Fear? What is Faith? Which should we be more afraid of?
Guru: Fear is the state of our consciousness experiencing a separation from something it already identified with. Whether the experience is real, imaginary, in the past or in the future, the mind makes it so real for us that we indulge in it almost involuntarily. Faith is an idea that we inherited from other fellow humans as a part & parcel of our knowledge. Our mind accepted that idea without bothering to validate its accuracy or merit. Our intellect did not feel the need to challenge it and our ego prevented us from discarding that view. In most cases, our ego takes upon itself the need to protect this view from hard, change or elimination.
So you see, both Fear & Faith are rooted in our mind, the first being a child of our intellect & memory, the later being the product of our inability to see through the darkness of ignorance. Neither is good, neither is bad. Neither is needed, neither is not-needed. You are not Fear, You are not Faith.
As long as you do not let yourself be influenced by either Fear or Faith, you should be alright. However, it requires a thorough analysis & understanding of the state prior to Fear or Faith. Once that understanding settles in, and you are able to observe either of them objectively, trace them back to their origin, you realize that Faith or Fear are equally a creation of your mind and there is no reason to give them any more importance than just a passing thought.
Dogmatism stems from the fact that one tries to hold on to this acquired faith desperately, so strongly that they would not bother to harm others even it comes at a dear cost to the themselves. It almost seems like they are fearful of losing their faith or very faithful to their own fears. It is only when this happens, that one should be afraid of both fear & faith.
Pilgrim: The consequences of Fear or Faith could be devastating. Is it possible to live without them?
Guru: Intellectually it is possible to discard both Fear & Faith. But only Self-awareness can keep them away for good. In a meditative mood, where the intellect has no role to play & the mind ceases to exist in the ways we know, both Faith & Fear disappear. However, they both come back the moment our mind & intellect comes into play.
In the Relative view of the Self, Fear & Faith will continue to exist. In the Absolute view of the Self, neither Fear nor Fear existed, or will exist at any time. It is not that Fear is the opposite of Faith, or one is above the other. Even in a Relative world, analysis would reveal that one can exist without the other. However, our acquired knowledge seems to push the view that one can overcome Fear (of the lower world) by having a Faith in someone or something strong enough to quash it. This view is impressed deep in the absence of any knowledge of our true Self.
It is not necessary to discard Fear or Faith in our Relative life. They both play significant parts in our day to day life and prevent us from going haywire. It is just necessary to remember that both are our mental creations and should be kept in a manner that does not push us into trouble or does not make it inconvenient for someone else.
Pilgrim: Does meditation help in controlling our Fear & Faith?
Guru: In our current day society, meditation has become another commodity to be sold & made money of. It is sold as a means to achieve things like peace, mindfulness, happiness etc.
In reality, true meditation only means a meditative state of existence where the dependencies on mind and intellect cease to exist. So in that meditative state, Fear or Faith cannot exist. Hence the idea that meditation can help get rid of something that does not exist in it’s purview is erroneous & should be discarded.
Instead, one may want to understand and analyse this Faith or Fear without any apprehensions of discord. Using our logical mind which has taken the form of Fear or Faith, one can trace its origins only to realize that the one that is fearful or the one that is faithful is also the one that has created this view of fear or faith. Having that understanding from time to time will help manage the outcomes of both fear & faith.
The Pilgrim bows at the feet of the Guru.