No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life - Where do we come from? Where are we going?

We worry because we will become nothingness

We grow up and mature with many inner fears: fear of failure, fear of heartbreak, fear of an unhappy family, fear of displeasing others… But there is one greatest fear mentioned by Thich Nhat Hanh in the book No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, which is: the fear that when we die, we will become nothing. We believe that our life begins at the moment of birth and ends when we die. And we worry because we will become nothingness.

We suffer because we take these notions of life and death as real. Meanwhile, according to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh:
 

Life and death are just notions. Life inherently has no birth, no death, no coming, no going, no sameness, no difference, no permanent self, and no annihilation.

At this point, many of us might ask: Then what is this that exists, that is reading these lines? Where did it come from? Where will it go? The answer is very simple: we are a manifestation of causes and conditions when they are sufficient. When "we are lost," it is simply that the conditions are no longer sufficient.

In the first chapter, Thich Nhat Hanh also tells the story of his mother having a miscarriage and later, the passing of his mother. At first, he suffered greatly and wrote in his diary: "The greatest misfortune of my life has happened." But then, he realized that the passing of a mother or any loved one is merely "causes and conditions no longer being sufficient," that "losing a mother is only an idea," and most importantly, "my mother is always alive in me."

In this way, through small examples and his own experiences, Thich Nhat Hanh has shown us that the nature of a person is birthless and deathless. What we see as this physical form is only “a manifestation and a cessation of manifestation in order to manifest in another form.”
 

To further reflect on these teachings, you may wish to explore selected quotes from No Death, No Fear that beautifully capture the essence of Thich Nhat Hanh’s wisdom.

Do not underestimate yourself

We fear death because we do not understand that nothing is ever truly lost. We think too much about this body, these possessions; everything is "mine," so we fear death, fear losing many things. But the most precious thing - the true nature of each person - is inherently birthless and deathless, so it cannot be lost.
 

“Like the Buddha, he did not die; the Buddha is still alive and manifesting in many different forms. You could say that you are a new form of the Buddha, a continuation of the Buddha. Do not underestimate yourself!”

Yes, do not underestimate yourself, because you are a continuation of the Buddha, of God, of the Universe. You are everything, and everything is you. So why fear birth and death anymore?

Then, discussing impermanence, he says: “We are often very sad and suffer a lot when things change. But change, or impermanence, has its positive side. Thanks to impermanence, all things have a chance.” Just as death gives us the chance to manifest in another form.

In other words, if there were no birth and death in every moment, we could not continue to live. At all times, many cells in your body must die. Not only cells but also emotions, perceptions, and mental formations in the river of consciousness live and die every second. But after that death is a beginning.
 

You are what you are looking for

Still in his intimate and gentle writing style, through every page and chapter of No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, he helps us understand ourselves better, understand the nature of birthlessness and deathlessness so that we are no longer anxious.

Thich Nhat Hanh uses the example of a wave and water. When we look at a wave, we see high waves, low waves, big waves, and small waves. If we are a wave, we will suffer from the view that "I am not as beautiful as other waves." But a wave is inherently water, and water has no high-low, beautiful-ugly, or birth-death.

He writes:
 

You are what you are looking for. You are what you want to become.

Since you are what you want to become, why search anymore? The question in the book helps us realize many things: The more we search, the more we suffer, worry, and fear!

In the final chapters, Thich Nhat Hanh spends many pages guiding us in practice. He proposes the practice of "Touching the Earth" (prostrating deep to the ground), which can help us touch our birthless and deathless nature. If we practice Touching the Earth as the Buddha did, we can reach true wisdom.

Or practice impermanence - looking at emotions with the eyes of impermanence. For instance, today, the loved ones beside you are still there, and they could "leave" at any time; know how to cherish the moments living close to them.

Closing the book No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, the fear of death in me has not entirely vanished. But a different space has just opened up within me; I understand my nature better and feel confident walking on this inner journey! And you, how do you feel about this book by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh? Please leave a comment or message us through our Facebook page!

Discover more of Thich Nhat Hanh's Wisdom:

• For readers who wish to deepen their practice of mindfulness in everyday activities, The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh offers gentle and practical guidance.

• If you would like to go deeper into recognizing and transforming intense emotions, you can read Anger to better understand the true nature of anger and learn how to practice transforming it under the guidance of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

• If you have learned to overcome fear, the next step is to embrace the power of stillness. Read our review: Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World

• Explore our collection: 30+ Inspiring Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes to Heal and Live Mindfully

Written by Readingtoheal.com