One Time, One Meeting

Last week two Army helicopters flew over the village of Alfred, New York. Their thunder, my wife confided, unnerved her as never before.

In the wake of the mass shootings in Paris, Colorado Springs, and San Bernadino, fear has become a focus of national attention. In his address to the nation on December 6, President Obama sought to reassure us. “Freedom,” he asserted, “is more powerful than fear.” Perhaps it is in the long run, but for the time being, how can we best address the growing presence of fear in our daily lives? And how can the practice of meditation help us in that effort?

Generally speaking, Zen teachings admonish us to sit erect, practice conscious breathing, and cultivate awareness of whatever is occurring, within and around us. Can we “turn toward [our] fears,” asks the Zen teacher Zenkei Blanche Hartman, “and be with them with kindness and gentleness?” If we can, that shift of attitude alone can do much to calm the fearful mind. But if we are in need of a more systematic approach, we can also explore a method known as R.A.I.N., developed by the mindfulness teacher Michele McDonald. The acronym R.A.I.N. stands for Recognition, Acceptance, Investigation, and Non-Identification. This proven method may be brought to bear upon any state of mind, in this instance fear.

Recognition

The first step in this practice is the simple acknowledgement that fear is present. When many of us experience fear, especially unfamiliar fear, we may deny it, or turn away from it, or busy ourselves with other matters. Fear is sometimes viewed as a weakness; it can be difficult to admit, even to ourselves, that we are afraid. For some people, the act of naming (“fear is present”; “fear is happening”) can be useful. So can the recitation of gathas, or meditative verses: “Breathing in, I know that fear is in me; / Breathing out, I recognize that fear is in me.” Whatever our method, the essential practice is to recognize that fear is present.

Acceptance

Having acknowledged the presence of fear, can we then accept it? Can we allow it space, and even welcome it into our lives?

Truly to “be with” our fears, we have first to acknowledge and be with our conditioned resistance. This resistance may take the form of repression, self-judgment (“What’s wrong with me?”), or other, more subtle forms of defense and rejection. And we may also need to remind ourselves that acceptance is not mere passivity or craven resignation. Acceptance is an active process, in which we have agency. By actively saying “yes” to our fears, we are not capitulating or giving in to our weaker side. Rather, we are treating our fears with kindness and respect, allowing their energies to arise, abide, and disperse of their own accord.

Investigation

“What is this?” asks a classic Zen koan. By asking that question repeatedly, followed by “I don’t know,” we come to realize the impermanent nature of phenomena and the true nature of mind.

That same question can be asked of our fears. Fear induces contraction. How does that contraction feel in our bodies? In our hearts and minds? What are its roots in our conditioning? In our felt experience?

In conducting this inquiry, we are not engaging in amateur psychoanalysis. Nor are we imposing concepts or theoretical constructs on our immediate experience. Quite the opposite: we are contemplating an aspect of our experience with the aid of intuition and the intention of gaining insight into the nature and origin of our fears. With insight comes relief from suffering–and eventual liberation.

Non-identification

Just as we can come to understand the roots of our fears in our conditioning, we can also explore and understand those aspects of our fears that only appear to be personal. Fears may arise from causes and conditions that have little or nothing to do with us as individuals. They pass through us like currents in a river or clouds in the sky. By identifying with our fears (“I’m a fearful person”; “I’m such a wimp”), we mistake impersonal realities for personal qualities. Conversely, by relinquishing the habit of identification and by understanding our fears as selfless, impermanent phenomena, we release ourselves from self-confinement and self-inflicted suffering. Resting in open awareness, which isn’t afraid when we’re afraid, we observe our transient fears arise and subside, but we are no longer in their thrall.

A gift

The practice of R.A.I.N. is no quick fix. It requires us to be present for our forgetfulness, our resistance, our indifference to our own emotions, and especially our penchant for taking things personally. It also demands patience and persistence. But if we elect to pursue this practice, it can alleviate our fears and gradually transform them. In this holiday season, the practice can be a gift to others and ourselves.

___________

So far as I know, the phrase “the gift of non-fear” was coined by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.

“There are three kinds of gifts–the gift of material resources, the gift of helping people rely on themselves, and the gift of non-fear. Helping people not be destroyed by fear is the greatest gift of all.” — Thich Nhat Hanh, Touching Peace (Parallax, 1992), 83-84.

Zenkei Blanche Hartman, Seeds for a Boundless Life (Shambhala, 2015), 69.

Michele McDonald,  R.A.I.N. – D.R.O.P. : Recognition, Acceptance, Investigation, Non-Identification, and their opposites: Delusion, Resistance, Obliviousness, and Personification.

See also Jack Kornfield’s discussion of R.A.I.N. in The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology (Bantam, 2008), 101-107, and Tara Brach’s detailed instructions in True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart (Bantam, 2011), 61-76.

Photo: “UH-1H flying over ROCA Infantry School,” by 玄史生