TO EXPERIENCE FEARLESSNESS, IT IS NECESSARY TO EXPERIENCE FEAR

Commentary
The essence of cowardice is to not acknowledge the reality of fear. Fear takes many forms. We are afraid of death, we are afraid that we can't handle the demands of our life, and there is abrupt fear, or panic, when new situations occur. Fear is expressed as restlessness: how we move, how we talk, how we chew our nails, how we sometimes put our hands in our pockets uselessly. We have to realize our fear and reconcile ourselves with fear. However, acknowledging fear is not a cause for depression. Because we possess such fear, we can potentially experience fearlessness.

FROM Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Book and Card Set.

All material by Chögyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission.