Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery
edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian
Shambhala (2009)
When the stronghold of the ego is threatened, fear is one of our strongest mechanisms. A lonely ego is constantly defending itself with an aggressive attitude. By trying to understand our fear, we can use it to find ourselves, free ourselves and give up inhibitions.
The idea is simply facing the facts with honesty. By being honest with yourself, you develop a genuine gut level of truth. By discovering what’s there you can begin to see the traps and stop yourself from falling into them. Being aware that you are aware helps to relate to life constantly, directly and very simply. Emotional character and strength comes from connecting to reality.
If we weren’t struggling, we would be lazy and accepting the manufactured reality. Action with discipline, uniformity and gentleness toward ourselves helps separate our experiences from confused to wakeful. By controlling ego produced fear, we are able to see situations more clearly and are then able to deal more effectively.
Putting effort into becoming aware helps to overcome doubt. Fearlessness keeps the mind from being enclosed by the walls of the ego, giving us a more personal connection with reality.
Through genuineness and confidence, you create a psychological base to fall back on when you experience a consciousness gap. A constant process of growth gets us to the other side of fear. Fear becomes our study material casting away depression and doubt. Genuineness is actualized while consuming the jungle of ego.
Reading Trungpa helps me to grow and understand myself better. I have enjoyed all three of his books that Carolyn Rose Gimian has edited.
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