Secret of Existence

The Buddha states that “The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.”[1] He also says that we should not depend on anyone and to reject all help. This idea of self-sufficiency goes against my thinking. But, in a sense, when we reject all help, we are truly free. I can understand not fearing what might become of you, for as we considered in the reading titled “F.E.A.R., fear is false evidence appearing real. We shouldn’t worry about what might happen in the future.

Putting the Buddha’s thought into the context of society, if we live without debt — either monetary debt or debts of favors owed — then we have eliminated a lot of fears from our lives. We are free from the taskmaster of debts owed. The apostle Paul encourages us to “Owe no man anything, but to love one another,…”[2] When we owe something to another, they become a ruler over us, at least until the debt is paid. When we owe on a loan, we might find ourselves fearing what might happen should we discover we can no longer repay the debt. I’m not convinced that the whole secret of existence is in having no fear, but I certainly agree that it makes for a happier life.

[1] Young, Christopher (2012-04-12). Buddha Quotes - 365 Days of Inspirational Quotes and Sayings in Buddhism (Kindle Locations 198-199).  . Kindle Edition.”
[2] Romans 13:8a Century King Jams Version: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A8-10&version=KJ21