Fear makes you blind.

Fear makes you impulsive.

Fear prevents you from thinking logically (or thinking straight).

Off course fear is also protecting you from potential dangers such as of a lion or snake. But those fears are not uniques to human but rather almost universal in animal kingdom. The unique thing for the human is the reason and if you consider yourself wiser than other animals, you have to give credit to your reasoning power over your fears. Or worse, the same fear, if unfounded, will makes you a pathologic case of phobic disorders, instead of solving your problems. You suffer even more by the fear of the fears (phobophobia)! Fear is the exact antithesis of wisdom but paradoxically fear of god was also prescribed by the original authorities as the real wisdom.

How can that be?

Whenever you see a paradox in a sentence, it usually means the sentence is either censored off the critical part or the sentence is not complete. The paradox no longer exist if you know the bigger picture or context, in other words if you see the full sentence (instead of paradoxic fragments). How can there be a situation, where fear is both antithesis* and yet the path** towards wisdom? What are the missing parts of the sentence? Can you see it?

The mother of all fears is DEATH and your inability to control it. Fear of death make you enjoy the life as much as you can (even at the cost of other people's suffering) because life is short and YOLO. Fear of death makes you to conserve time and become efficient. Fear of death makes you to look for shortcuts and loopholes to bypass the obstacles, instead of dealing with issues sincerely. Fear of death makes you insecure and you seek security by marriage (either for partner's support or for a baby as future generation because you know you will not live or be healthy forever), friendship, or property. Fear (biggest fear of all is death) is driving your life, whether you acknowledge it or not. Unless you recognize this, fear will dominate your life, and you will be far away from wisdom.

When a religious preacher bases his argument by intimidating of, or by invoking death / eternal hell, and consequently, if the listener formulates his worldview based only on the fear of death as a model of achieving "true wisdom", they fail to see the other half of it (where fear is antithesis of wisdom) and missing the full picture. They are missing the equally crucial other half (not to fear in pursuit of the Truth). On the contrary, if you based your theology purely based on reason (before you achieved wisdom), it will take you no where and you will be thrown into a full blown existential/nihilistic crisis from you might never recover!

Half of anything cannot be the whole and fear (or death) based theology is bound to be lame and blind, unless you simultaneously see the reason NOT to be fearful in pursuit of the Truth. Only then, these two will complement each other to make the fragmented part into One complete worldview and the paradox will disappear between reason (based on wisdom) vs. faith (based on fear).

Without a body, a mind, (if it is a mind at all) and hypothetically if such “body independent mind” exist, by our realm's definition, is blind, directionless, “smoky” and very prone to be delusional. These hypothetical “minds” include but not limited to, which a man can imagine are the following: mind of the 1) the dreams, 2) deeply unconscious, 3) “out of the body experience” induced by meditations, psychoactive drugs, brain pathologies (epilepsy, strokes etc.) or extreme stress, such as near death experiences 4) collective unconscious (of Jung), or the repressed mind (of Freud), 5) third eye ( of new age), 6) the “heart’s mind” 7) spirit’s mind as envisioned by occultist/alchemist 8) divine mind or soul’s mind of religions, 9) kundalini or tantric mind (of Shiva), 10) mind of Ein Sof. To illustrate the concept you can imagine the following: How many times you had a dream (out of all the dreams that ever had) of which you are completely satisfied with its nature, content, as well as its interpretation and you had a full dose of certainty or “highs” that you can get by doing the same thing in real life? Dreams are vague, inconsistent, self-contradictory, and distorted in terms of natural laws. You cannot have a concrete interpretations out of your dreams to confirm or disconfirm anything. You have only smoky, vague ideas while you are dreaming, but once you are awake, only then you can have a better and concrete ideas about those dreams and their meanings, if there are any. You often need a “professional” dream (pseudo)interpreter to give you a concocted interpretation, which are often a sort of fairy tales that typically incorporates repressed sexuality or fear theories as prescribed by their masters. The bottom line is the fact that your dreams are still tied to your brain, which is still a material, although not fully functional. Now imagine, what will your dream look like, if it is not tied to with any material objects at all, whatsoever. It will be so meaningless (if not horrible) and chaotic that we cannot even imagine it (fortunately). The function of the body and the brain is to eliminate all those delusions and vague dreamlike imageries, except the one, which is a consistent, reliable, reproducible and accurate i.e. a true representation of the reality while you are awake. Your body and brain is a device to pave the way for making the reason to emerge to eradicate the delusions. Only that reason has any hope to offer you any certainty or knowledge and hence peace (or in religious terms, salvation).

Although the source of our knowledge classically categorized as “The Four Ways”, it does not mean that there is only 4 ways of knowledge. But for the purpose of this essay, I will stick with the classicist and that will suffice for now. 1). Sensory perceptions (empiricist), 2). Reason or intellect (rationalist), 3). Intuitive understanding (Idealist) and 4) Revelations (Prophets). Although the original masters never saw any reason to separate the ways you can have a knowledge, but now the existence of those distinct groups only suggests that they failed to see that all four are interconnected and different gradations, originated from the same source, stating from most concrete (the sensory perception) to most abstract (revelation). The first reaction to this statement is the utter denial from the rationalist (because they do not have the equipments to see the connection between reason and sensory perceptions*, see footnote below), from the empiricist (who cannot see the connection between observation or sensory perception and intuition), from the idealist (who cannot see the interdependence of matter and the ideas) and from a theologian (who cannot see the connection between reason, or sensory perception with revelation). Finally, the existentialist or absurdities will deny everything altogether, without giving any clues. But just like a heroin addicted person is in denial that they have an addiction problem, which is obvious to those who are not addicted, I understand the cause of such denial ( i.e. not using the tools correctly that they already have) and will proceed anyway. 

Material objects are a recorder or depository of information. Similarly, your body is a recorder of information that actually happens within it and outside it, not just possible information in “phase-space” field. Body contains what is true out of all delusional ideas that can exist in bodiless mind (see the list above). Body is the witness of Truth. Without the body, mind has a tendency to be delusional, just like the water tends to be shapeless without a grail. Body gives the mind a shape (platonic forms or ideals). And the body and the information it contains are reliable, reproducible, and accurate, but extracting the information is not necessarily easy. The birth of reason (the ability to see the truth out all many scenarios given) is tied to body. Without a body, no reason exists in this world. Without the reason, there is no way to be sure of anything. Without certainty, there is no peace and no happiness in anybody’s mind. How can you see that the reason that you already see existent is tied to your body? This is subtle and often difficult to see unless you have developed a keen perception. How can you see the way by which reason emerges from the body? When you start to observe yourself while you are doing something such as trials and errors. What you call a “cultivated reason” is actually a derivative of your own observation of the outcomes of trials and errors, but those trials and errors are not a formal experiments or experiences hence would have been easily gone unnoticed and forgotten, unless you are not really observant. Your observation power grows when you did something, but that did not work as you wanted to be and now thinking what exactly went wrong. You try it next time more sincerely and more carefully and this time, your are more observant of yourself and started to notice the relations between your actions and your reasoning power. This way, throughout the history, it has been suggested that only a virtuous life can make you happy because with all those actions, your are learning the fact that your body's action is the source of your reason and that opens the door to the next level that has far bigger and grand consequence than you had ever imagined. If you continue your journey and learn from your body, you will see that your body is the source of ALL KNOWLEDGE including revelation, although it comes much later, if ever, and unfortunately, most people, cannot even see the necessary and sufficient connection between sensory perception and reason, including the "elites" such as Hume, Kant etc. Once you started to see those connections learnt from your VIRTUOUS acts, you start to appreciate why your body is your only assets and why you have decided to give up all of your powers for the sake to have a body in order to avoid the inherent tendency of bodiless mind's confused delusions and/or uncertainty and to enjoy the certainty offered by carnality.

Footnotes:
*Reason is a form of semantic memory that is transformed from the episodic memories (failure to see the connections is due to amnesia or blindness or ignorance of that transformative linkage) . The episodic memory is in turn transformed sensory perceptions with innumerable repetition from the sensory organs. You will not and cannot accept this because your mind is not calm and perceptive enough to see the subtle link. But if you focus and sharpen your mind (with discipline), you will begin to see it, only when your mind is free from contaminations. What is a contamination? That which is not real or genuine or original. Where does those contamination come from? From your choice of not doing the right things (failure to hold fast on the smaller truths) and not abstaining from harmful things. In simple words, you have to be "bible good" in order to get rid of those contaminants. Only then you can see the clear linkage and more deeper truths afterwards.

The Zen/Buddhism or Vedanta are nothing new. It is the age old wisdom teachings of the Sages of India, partially preserved by the monks and sannyas. But why now and why in America? The answer is fairly simple. In this era of Utilitarian and Pragmatic/Political Realism (Realpolitik), it must have some beneficial purpose for the establishment of the western civilization, particularly in America. What is that beneficial purpose for which they are being systematically promoted by the Schools, Universities, Popular TV or Media Celebrity, New Age movement or even by the philosophers and politicians? The Tyrannical Owners [Financial/Corporate/Political Masterminds] of the westerners are using it or promoting it as a "false consolation" to tame the intellectuals down that would have been the movers and shakers [not to mention, a true and just revolutionary], who could alleviate the suffering of the sheep imposed by those corporate "Owners". In order to divert the natural tendency to auto-correct the accumulated errors in popular judgments and to tame down any possibilities of significant resistance against the authority, they are distributing repackaged "Eastern Wisdom" to the mass. Their intention is not to educate you but to quell your justified anger, to dilute your personal opinion, to vanquish any opposition to resistance against authority who are perpetually milking and fleecing you out, but in return, not respecting you or taking care of you as they have promised. This is exactly why they are now promoting those repacked eastern "wisdom". The irony is, knowledge/wisdom is power and nobody in authority is generous enough to distribute power (i.e wisdom) freely because Wisdom brings True Freedom and true freedom brings righteous actions which in turn is a threat to the authority. Can you see it, how you have been duped again? 

But the real issue of the current essay is not to show why the repackaged Zen/Buddhism or Vedanta are becoming popular but to discuss the real difficulty in understanding of this so called "modern" Zen/Buddhism or Vedanta. Long before Gautama or even Veda, in India, there were some itinerant, peripatetic ascetic monks and sages who were the de facto religious and political guardians of their tribes or the regions, based on their merits, wisdom and actions. Much later when those indigenous people were introduced with the Veda from the incoming Aryans, it created a profound upheaval amongst the people. In those periods of geopoliticoreligious turmoil the indigenous local Indian were divided into two main groups: 1. The Astika School, Based on the Veda or Brahmins as the Authority, 2. The Charvaka/Sramana or Individualistic (later, mistakenly identified with Nastika School). The Veda based Brahmin priesthood became the orthodox School, later modified, reinterpreted and repackaged as Vedanta. The Sramana School later disappeared and repackaged to become the new School of Jainism and Buddhism. These events are in almost perfect parallel with the events where thousand years of wisdom from Egypt, Sumerian, Babylonian, Phoenician/Canaanite, Greek, Celtic/Druidic, Roman/Stoic were consolidated/encapsulated/encrypted into either 1) Judaism [Equivalent to Brahmin/Veda based Hinduism where Brahmin are the "Chosen People" just like the Jews) or 2) Christianity (Equivalent to Mahayana Buddhism where Buddha is equated with God just like Christ]. But what those schools are saying is noting "new" but rather represents the efforts trying to preserve the rudimentary fragments of Wisdom but unfortunately in Indirect/Encrypted forms. So do not treat the Bible or Veda or Teaching or Buddha or Jesus as the First source of Wisdom. Rather, they represents the later, fragmentary, rudimentary glimpse of Ageless Wisdom but in an indirect/encrypted form. Whatever you see in Veda, or Gautama's teaching, or in Bible, it NOT their own. It comes from an impersonal, ageless Wisdom tradition common to all people around the world. If you take the later, rudimentary, fragmentary, partially degenerated/corrupted and yet encrypted/indirect teaching to be the ultimate, concrete, direct, uncorrupted, pure sources of wisdom or salvation, then you are just fooling yourself and it will take you towards an infinite regress of meaninglessness. You have to appreciate the natural history and origin of those schools of ideas in order to understand the beauty and the truth behind it, even from those fragmentary teachings. You have to inquire and earn it and the good news is, it was never lost completely and it is always available in the environment and everywhere you seek. You just have to recognize it, take it, hold onto it and live it. The Teacher/Guru/Rabi/Priest/Brahmin/Buddha might be helpful but not necessary. Only you and your environment are both simultaneously necessary and sufficient! But it takes time, discipline, and hard work but unfortunately, there is no shortcuts, like having a blind and categorical "Faith" and then home that you are saved. The "Faith" is for those weaklings who cannot find the Truth for themselves despite their honest and sincere efforts so it is okay for them to have faith. But you have to try it first before resorting yourself to the faith. Only then the "faith" is also a good thing because, at least you are in the vicinity of the House of Truth. 

Now let's go back to the real issues or difficulties of modern or western Zen/ Buddhism or Vedanta. Everyone wants to win the crown jewel bypassing any works needed as preparation. Everyone is interested in the fruit but nobody is willing to plant the seed and nurture the tree. They do not even want to go to the shopping malls anymore to buy the fruit. They just order it online and want the fruit to be shipped to their door at the mailing address. If you want the fruit, you can get some version of the fruit by hook or crook but, will you be satisfied perpetually just by one bite? Of course not! You need to cultivate it from the scratch. But again it takes time, effort, dedication, and occasional asceticism. But they think "I have paid in cash or from my credit card, and why this has to be that difficult? I have paid my dues and I want the fruit". Let me assure you, it will not work in that way. But unfortunately this is the way Zen/Buddhism or Vedanta is being practiced in western world. And for the same reason, everyone jumps to grab the fruit at the very beginning of their journey. So they are looking to conquer the Nirvana and Non-Dual Vedic Self as easily as possible, as quickly as possible and as cheap as possible. And this is the problem. There is no shortcuts, but the Western Zen/Buddhist or Vedanta guru are ready to sell the shortcuts of their damaged goods to you. 

The original Buddha had no intention to explain, teach or propagate any doctrine and only began to speak at the request from close and advanced students in the inner circle for their particular and specific questions. When the students wanted to know about the nature about the Nirvana or Enlightenment, he did not answer. Instead he talked in parables to indicate that, before asking those big questions, there are many other immediate questions you need to find the answer. The Big questions should come as the last possible question and the only way you can know those things if you yourself become enlightened. So focus on more immediate issues like: What is happening, what you and the people in general are doing, what are the things bothering you and what are the root causes of those immediate problems or issues, or in other words, the Four Noble Truths. Again, those response came only on request from most advanced or well prepared students, not preemptively. Unfortunately, the western "buddhas" are trying to preach preemptively, for the mass with "generalized" sermons. This is exactly the opposite of the original teaching. No wonder why even the high priests of Tibetan monks are arguing each other to understand how to interpret the Buddha's "emptiness". This in itself, conclusively proves that they themselves do not understand what it is or why it is. Almost everyone thinks, his interpretation of the emptiness is the truth, the rest of them are just illusory. Then he wants to integrate his interpretation into this problem ridden world but they have no idea what, why and how the "problem ridden world" came to be! In other words, the so called buddhas have a solution for a problem that they themselves do not know the "pathogenesis". How foolish is that! By the same token, if you have any predefined or indoctrinated idea of Nirvana based on your ego, greed or covetousness, then it cannot be, by definition, Nirvana. When you try to become empty, by the instructions and the method [the method itself is a "thing" and by definition, cannot be empty] of a teacher/guru and eventually pretend to become somehow "empty", you will be utterly lost about what that emptiness actually means. You will become totally agnostic about the whole thing and your entire efforts will get wasted. It is not about emptying and staying emptied but finding the reason behind it or the true will, hidden behind that emptiness what will animate you with joy and fill you with actions that are aligned perfectly with the nature and the worlds. So, do not want to know or inquire about the Nirvana prematurely. It will only bring more confusion, if you are not well prepared. 

In contrast to Zen Buddhism, who are trying to make you empty and powerless, the western Vedanta is trying to do exactly the opposite. It makes you more egotistic (already extremely prevalent is western world), selfish and devoid of any sense of morality. You might be a criminal and doing all types of felony but “it’s okay dude” and whatever you do, it is right, because you are who you are, i.e. "I am". In fact, this "I am" is the most used and unfortunately misused buzzword for New Age/Vedantic movement that is going on in western world. The question about "I am" -ness should not be the active goal because it is a dead end, especially, if you ask it prematurely. You cannot solve it in ordinary logical, scientific or philosophical ways because people already tried it and instead of making things easier for you, they have created a stumbling block such as Godel's Logical Paradox, Kant's "Things in itself" and Scientific "Objective, empirical verification and falsification" respectively. If you really want to solve it, this question should come as the very last possible question and hopefully by that time you are already enlightened and will not even bother to ask it! Additionally and yes unfortunately, there are two commonly known "I am", one is from the Prince of Darkness, the same side of the river and the other is from the Prince of the Light, the other side of the river. They both do not know the true "I AM" The Most High, The Highest, and hence both of them are still trying to be it or know it or catch it or worse, hunt it. The Real "I AM" is humble enough and hence not interested in saying "I AM", but those who are using this term preemptively, are obviously egotistic and a citizen of the either side of the river (but not the "Living Water" of the river itself). The Real "I AM, The Most High" is Silent, and those who possess it are also silent and hence not available in the market places. There are many social, material, cultural, moral and ethical questions that should come before that big question. But if you are concern primarily with it, it will lead you astray and you will be lost in never ending maze. Do not ask the Last and Big question first and to the teacher in the marketplace, for heaven's sake, do not attempt to teach your students the most advanced concept in the very start. You yourself should know it first, before you can teach it to anyone. If you knew, you will not teach it to begin with! Try not to make the pigs to sing. It will not work eventually. It is your responsibility to guard against any Impurity that can occur in the hand of the Unclean! The only way to keep it Pure is not to touch or talk about it at all. Instead, just Do it, Be it, Live it. If you are really wise, then chose your Student wisely too [be a Teacher only when the Student is fully ready]. Or else, it will create just another egotistic selfish, megalomaniac, tyrannical and hence more damaging Prince, either of the Dark [The Devil/Angra Mainyu/Satan] or the Light [The Christ/Lucifer], and the Havoc for the rest of the sheep.