[Dhiravamsa is a former Buddhist monk from Thailand, who now travels in the US and UK teaching Buddhist meditation.]
Whenever there is contact, physically or through the mind, there is feeling and sensation immediately, after which perception arises, giving ideas and building up attitudes towards what is perceived. A whole series of mental formations come to be because of feelings and perceptions... Feeling comes and goes, like a bubble. If you watch the waves in the sea you will see bubbles appearing and disappearing. Feelings and sensations are like that...
The usual mental reaction is based on ideas and attitudes. You can notice this when sitting down to meditate; if a noise occurs you may react with irritation because you had the idea of quietness, the idea of being free from noise, the attitude that things should be so, or not so. But if you have no preconceived ideas you will not mind what happens; you just note it and leave it there, remaining free to continue being aware. In this way, everything that occurs is experienced as part of you, not separate, not disruptive. If I wish to pay it attention I do so; if not, I do not. I am free to choose which I shall do. This freedom arises through non-reaction, which can only come about in the absence of preconceived ideas. (P. 18-19)
We have the means for freedom, which are simple although not easy to practice constantly. I am speaking of awareness... When we talk of the way of awareness we do not mean that awareness is one thing and the way is another, or that there is a technique for applying awareness to life. Awareness itself is the doing, the practice, the action – there is no technique for being aware...
*****
Very often we rely upon convictions about what we are going to do before we can do it, but this is a result of fear of the unknown... Fear is the greatest obstacle to freedom. We cannot dissolve fear immediately, so we must suspend it while we explore our situation...
Throughout life there is fear: fear of loss, of being deprived, of not having support, of not obtaining what is needed or wanted, of meeting people who may do harm, either real or imaginary. In general, here is fear of living, because life can give and take at any moment, irrespective of the defenses we build around ourselves...
When we observe the many forms of fear arising in us, can we see what conditions give rise to them? Fear is not possible unless the mind is holding onto something which gives it security, but which can be threatened because its nature is not permanent or free.
It may be an idea, or a hope concerning something it seeks, or a belief in its own meaning or worth. From this state of possession, it wants to possess more and more. To go into reverse and possess less, wish for less, requires a movement in the opposite direction from the automatic one. This may seem difficult at first, because it is different from the usual tendency towards attachment. We are attached to what we have whether to friends, to objects, to children, to husband or wife, to the body, and above all to the mind itself and any move to disengage ourselves from these things will cause fear.
Another factor that makes detachment difficult is that the attachment to things brings with it a type of pleasure, and becomes what we believe to be essential for our happiness. Also attachment goes very deep; it is a form of conditioning which penetrates to a profound level in many subtle disguises.
It cannot just be discarded or rejected, however. When I say that attachment is the cause of fear, this does not mean that attachment is 'wrong' in every way. It cannot be uprooted suddenly, or resisted. This creates a negative attitude towards attachment, and we become attached to this attitude. If possible we should not give a concept to attachment, or let any concept of it impress us, and the same applies to desire.
When fear arises because of attachment, what should we do? Do nothing, nothing at all, except see it clearly. When we see it with the eye of wisdom, directly, without any doubt, then that seeing itself will lead to freedom. That is why I say do not do anything otherwise you invite trouble! Seeing is action, understanding is action. Yet we still feel we must act, we must act. This is our trouble. We cannot be passive in the right way, when action takes place of its own accord. Our own activeness becomes the obstacle to liberation. This does not mean that we should sit back passively doing nothing in every sphere of life.
Passivity is relevant to our release from attachment, but when dealing with material things we cannot be entirely passive. We need to be active, but not over active. So there must be a balance between activeness and passiveness in life, knowing when to be active and when to be passive. How can we know? There is no formula to give, but awareness of the situation will always show us the right way, and through insight we an approach life in a balanced state of mind.
With a clear and alert mind, the body is sensitive and receptive, without dullness or heaviness, and this in turn lightens the mind, relieving it of thought, so that it is free to think, or not to think. Sometimes you may think that you are free to think, but not free not to think. We have to understand why this is.
If we try to get rid of fear through effort, we shall distract our energy into an activity which is based on avoidance, or rejection. This only strengthens fear. You may say we can therefore do nothing about this situation, but we can do something. Earlier I said we should do nothing, and now I seem to contradict myself by saying that we can do something. But what we can do has the nature of non-action:
That is, we can be aware of fear -- how it arises, how it operates, and how it ends. This is passive activity: watching, looking, not only on the surface but into deeper levels of fear, so that you can see the underlying conditions. If you practice awareness everything will be revealed, and this is the true meaning of revelation. We uncover the covered; and in most people the greatest part of their mind is usually covered, unconscious, so that they cannot understand it. Enlightenment simply means hat we uncover the covered, and put away the lids. Then everything remains clear. (p. 28-31)