Fear is a negative emotion and a disease of the mind that is often used to control people. Fear is conditioned into us from an early age, often through fear of punishment. However, in Buddhism, there is no fear of punishment, and instead of punishment, mistakes are dealt with through understanding and finding strategies to prevent them from happening again. Choose kindness and compassion instead. Look at the alternatives and outcomes to difficult situations, and realize that no matter what happens, you can always deal with it. Remember that success and failure are not as important as living a happy life. Do not let fear consume you, as it can be counterproductive. Practice facing your fears and they will lessen.

—

This dhamma talk was originally recorded in 21st November 2021. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans.

These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Ko-fi page.