The Search for the Indestructible and the Basis of Fear in Us (VJ Fedorschak)

The Destructible is anything that is impermanent. We fear loss of the Destructible by trying to hold on to things that will not last, which is suffering. What predominates in humans beings is not desire but fear. If we fear something, we are somehow attracted to it and yet do not accept and open to our feelings about it. Along with physical death, we fear destruction of aspects of ourselves that we identify with. We can dare to face threatened aspects of ourselves. Spiritual traditions attest to the existence of the Indestructible in us. To consider if there is something immortal in us is to search for the Indestructible. The Upanishads were composed by rishis who had insight into the nature of reality. They assert that the atman, pure consciousness in us, and Brahman, the all-pervading Reality, are one and the same. One part of us utterly fears death and another part, which senses that survival is not an issue, courts it. Non-identified consciousness is present in dreamless sleep. Emotions like fear have disappeared in the sage and been replaced by higher feelings like peace and love. Psychological pathologies can unconsciously motivate us, leak out and cause harm. One-pointed intention is the only thing that can manage subconscious mind, but this is not possible when we are split in our motivations. Grief and loss impacts our identity, changes us irrevocably, and can motivate us to search for the Indestructible. The path is no guarantee that the cerebral function will not deteriorate, but it is possible to train ourselves to say yes to what comes to us. The process is about allowing the Indestructible to be revealed. It is only found at the level of the heart. Sensing the Indestructible in us can inform our lives as we cultivate generosity and courage and lose self-importance. VJ Fedorschak is the organizer of the Western Baul Podcast Series and author of The Shadow on the Path and Father and Son.