Fearless No

Fearlessness is extending ourselves beyond a limited view. In the Heart Sutra, [one of the Buddha’s talks to his disciples,] it talks about going beyond. Gone beyond, or ga-te in Sanskrit, is the basic NO. In the sutra, it says there is no eye, no ear, no sound, no smell–all of those things. When you experience egolessness, the solidity of your life and your perceptions falls apart. That could be very desolate or it could be very inspiring, in terms of shunyata or the Buddhist understanding of emptiness. Very simply, it is basic NO. It is a real expression of fearlessness. In the Buddhist view, egolessness is pre-existing, beyond our preconceptions. In the state of egolessness everything is simple and very clear. When we try to supplement the brightness of egolessness by putting a lot of other things onto it, those things obscure its brilliance, becoming blockages and veils.