Ajahn Pasanno reflects on Samyutta Nikāya 2.17 With Subrahmā and how the 7 factors of awakening support conditions for a mind free of fear and anxiety.
This reflection was offered July 25, 2020 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.
SN 2.17
Standing to one side, the god Subrahmā addressed the Buddha in verse:
“This mind is always anxious,
this mind is always stressed
about stresses that haven’t arisen
and those that have.
If there is a state free of anxiety,
please answer my question.”
“Not without understanding and austerity,
not without restraining the sense faculties,
not without letting go of everything,
do I see safety for living creatures.”
That is what the Buddha said. … The god vanished right there.