Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘To give the gift of fearlessness is to give others the sense that they matter; that they are respected, cared for, secure within a loving reality, and therefore ultimately protected. You can’t fake this. To be capable of giving fearlessness to others, you must have genuine confidence that there really is nothing to fear because love actually is built into the order of reality. It’s not just a good idea: you feel it in your bones; it comes forth in you from your practice. Knowing that reality is inherently generous and loving certainly doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen. But when you are fearless, bad things can be okay. You can accept them.

Shame, loss, physical pain, and even death are part of life; they are folded into the bodhisattva’s imaginative vision of the path ahead.

Bodhisattva fearlessness doesn’t deny catastrophe. It recognizes its inevitability. Everything that exists will one day not exist—this is how existence works; this is its beauty and the source of its bounty. So bodhisattva fearlessness is very solid, very tough, very large. When you feel it, it’s easy to give the gift of fearlessness. You will give it all the time.’ (The World Could Be Otherwise)

Many of my social feeds last week featured Norman Fischer’s post-election message; I am posting this passage today as I prepare to contribute to the Hebden Bridge study group which has been reading his book on the Paramitas this year. It feels like a good reminder that practice is always ongoing.