Knowledge of our mortality drives human experience. Growing up, we steadily recognize our fear, & usually push it into our unconscious minds. Cultures arise as ways to soothe this fear: ideas about immortality, beliefs ranging from rebirth to heaven to uploading consciousness into a cyber cloud. Gotama realized this underlying fear as part of dukkha. Our refusal to deal with it, he said, is like ignoring four mountains, rushing toward you from all sides. His training aims to change how we understand & experience what we are—the true nature of the self—as an antidote to this fear; that changes the very nature of “birth” & “death” at the core of our illusions about what’s really going on. Looking honestly at how our fear of death affects us can be strong motivation for practicing Gotama’s teachings.

culture • fear • terror management • notSelf