I'm really scared.

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kalyana.mitta
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I'm really scared.

Post by kalyana.mitta »

I just watched an animated video about hell and it really scared me so much.
I've watched lots of these before too, and I've always got really scared of them when I was younger. I thought now that I'm older I wouldn't be as scared when watching these types of videos but I was wrong. I couldn't even watch up to 1 min of the video as I got really terrified just like I did when I was little.

I read about hell and the suffering there to scare myself from doing bad deeds but I can't even explain in words how scared I get when I watch these types of videos. After watching a hell video I always think about how in future births, I will definitely be reborn in hell at least once because I don't know when I'm going to escape samsara, and it honestly scares me so much to the point where I can't even sleep. And it's a good motivator to stop me from doing bad things but it makes me so afraid and sad on a different level up to the point where i sometimes even cry because of how scared i get.

And people have told me that as long as you do meritorious things in this life, you don't have to be scared of going to hell. But no matter how many uncountable good things I have done in my life so far, I get so frightened every time I watch a video about hell. Just thinking about it is like a nightmare while I'm awake.

I'm not sure what I'm asking for right now. I just wanted to see if it's just me or if anyone else has experienced such terrifying thoughts.
"Whatever treasure in this world or in other any worlds, whatever precious jewel there is in the heavens, none is equal to the Buddha. In the Buddha is this precious jewel. By there truth, may there be wellbeing."
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cappuccino
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by cappuccino »

for years I tried to warn others


they say "I don't believe"


:shrug:
kalyana.mitta
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by kalyana.mitta »

cappuccino wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:18 am for years I tried to warn others

they say "I don't believe"
Yeah. It's sad how you can't save others from it.

but also what do you mean. You still have time don't you?
cappuccino wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:18 am I should just have warned myself
"Whatever treasure in this world or in other any worlds, whatever precious jewel there is in the heavens, none is equal to the Buddha. In the Buddha is this precious jewel. By there truth, may there be wellbeing."
:candle: Ratana Sutta | Sn 2.1 :candle:
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Ceisiwr
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by Ceisiwr »

Greetings,

It’s probably best to stop watching videos about hell and to stop overly worrying about it. You don’t know what the future holds. If you keep your sila then you will find a pleasant abiding.

Metta

:)
“The teacher willed that this world appear to me
as impermanent, unstable, insubstantial.
Mind, let me leap into the victor’s teaching,
carry me over the great flood, so hard to pass.”
SarathW
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by SarathW »

It’s probably best to stop watching videos
Agree.
Stop watching unnecessary videos.
Listen to good Dhamma and practice instead.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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JamesTheGiant
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by JamesTheGiant »

If you are that scared, you must stop wasting time, and start to practice the dhamma! What are you doing?!
8 precepts, meditation, 8fold path, study, visiting monastery. Go!

Also it might be a good idea to go to the doctor and talk about anxiety.
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DooDoot
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by DooDoot »

Ceisiwr wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:35 am You don’t know what the future holds.
The suttas don't appear to teach the above, in respect to kamma. The suttas appear very clear about the future results from past & present kamma.

When it is said: "We don’t know what the future holds"; this is generally in reference to events beyond one's control or kamma, such as natural disasters, sickness, accidents, death, attacks by CIA terrorists, such as Al Qaeda, etc.
kalyana.mitta wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:10 amAnd people have told me that as long as you do meritorious things in this life, you don't have to be scared of going to hell. But no matter how many uncountable good things I have done in my life so far, I get so frightened every time I watch a video about hell.
The Buddha taught "ottappa", which means "fear of results of evil deeds", is one of five required virtues or "gates" to the Dhamma, together with mindfulness (sati), clear-comprehension (sampajjana), concentration (samadhi) & moral shame (hiri). Your fear about hell won't lead to hell; as long as you do good deeds. Have faith friend. With metta :)
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Crazy cloud
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by Crazy cloud »

kalyana.mitta wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:10 am I just watched an animated video about hell and it really scared me so much.
I've watched lots of these before too, and I've always got really scared of them when I was younger. I thought now that I'm older I wouldn't be as scared when watching these types of videos but I was wrong. I couldn't even watch up to 1 min of the video as I got really terrified just like I did when I was little.
Thinking makes time seem real, but it is not like that if you look closely at the core of being. In the present moment, you send your mind back to a moment in the past where you were a little boy who sat watching scary movies and became terrified. You drag that experience into this moment and relives it or reanimate it, and become the same scared little boy in this present moment or project it into a future. It's normal to do this, and remember that Lord Buddha himself did the same thing when he discovered how to use the right concentration for waking up. So you see that you make your own Hell when you do this. About some future hell, it's unsure, but try to be mindful all the time and do your best.
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
SteRo
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by SteRo »

kalyana.mitta wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:10 am .... I just wanted to see if it's just me or if anyone else has experienced such terrifying thoughts.
Watching videos might cause corresponding thoughts. Depending on the video these might be thoughts causing terror, thoughts causing happiness, thoughts causing sadness, thoughts causing whatever feelings or passions possible.

Just don't pay attention to thoughts that cause agitation. That's part of the practice that's needed to support practice.
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Crazy cloud
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by Crazy cloud »

SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:18 am
kalyana.mitta wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:10 am .... I just wanted to see if it's just me or if anyone else has experienced such terrifying thoughts.
Just don't pay attention to thoughts that cause agitation. That's part of the practice that's needed to support practice.
To me, this sounds more like suppressing feelings, and experience is like that won't make them disappear permanently. They will reappear and maybe cause more severe suffering.
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
SteRo
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by SteRo »

Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:28 am
SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:18 am
kalyana.mitta wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:10 am .... I just wanted to see if it's just me or if anyone else has experienced such terrifying thoughts.
Just don't pay attention to thoughts that cause agitation. That's part of the practice that's needed to support practice.
To me, this sounds more like suppressing feelings, and experience is like that won't make them disappear permanently. They will reappear and maybe cause more severe suffering.
What has been said clearly referred to attention. No attention, no feeling. No feeling, nothing to be suppressed.
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Crazy cloud
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by Crazy cloud »

SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:32 am
Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:28 am
SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:18 am
Just don't pay attention to thoughts that cause agitation. That's part of the practice that's needed to support practice.
To me, this sounds more like suppressing feelings, and experience is like that won't make them disappear permanently. They will reappear and maybe cause more severe suffering.
What has been said clearly referred to attention. No attention, no feeling. No feeling, nothing to be suppressed.
Yes, that might be the case for one who's done with practice. And when it's done there is attention to everything without suffering. But here it's about one who's suffering from unresolved moments of suffering and keeps on reliving the same experiences.
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
SteRo
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by SteRo »

Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:48 am
SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:32 am
Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:28 am

To me, this sounds more like suppressing feelings, and experience is like that won't make them disappear permanently. They will reappear and maybe cause more severe suffering.
What has been said clearly referred to attention. No attention, no feeling. No feeling, nothing to be suppressed.
Yes, that might be the case for one who's done with practice. And when it's done there is attention to everything without suffering.
No, not at all. Not paying attention to thoughts cannot be equated with "done with practice" in the sense of being liberated. But I won't further elaborate because that leads off topic.
Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:48 am But here it's about one who's suffering from unresolved moments of suffering and keeps on reliving the same experiences.
No. Here it is suffering from paying attention to thoughts after having watched a video that caused these thoughts. The video has already been watched, so there is no going back. And the video having been watched there arise these thoughts. So there is no way other than to deal with these thoughts. And one way to deal with them is not paying attention to them.
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Aloka
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by Aloka »

kalyana.mitta wrote:But no matter how many uncountable good things I have done in my life so far, I get so frightened every time I watch a video about hell. Just thinking about it is like a nightmare while I'm awake.

I'm not sure what I'm asking for right now. I just wanted to see if it's just me or if anyone else has experienced such terrifying thoughts.
I don't experience terrifying thoughts because I don't waste my time watching horror movies, nor do I watch videos of other people's fantasies about a Buddhist "Hell"!

:)


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Crazy cloud
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Re: I'm really scared.

Post by Crazy cloud »

SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:58 am
Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:48 am
SteRo wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:32 am

What has been said clearly referred to attention. No attention, no feeling. No feeling, nothing to be suppressed.
Yes, that might be the case for one who's done with practice. And when it's done there is attention to everything without suffering.
No, not at all. Not paying attention to thoughts cannot be equated with "done with practice" in the sense of being liberated. But I won't further elaborate because that leads off topic.
Crazy cloud wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:48 am But here it's about one who's suffering from unresolved moments of suffering and keeps on reliving the same experiences.
No. Here it is suffering from paying attention to thoughts after having watched a video that caused these thoughts. The video has already been watched, so there is no going back. And the video having been watched there arise these thoughts. So there is no way other than to deal with these thoughts. And one way to deal with them is not paying attention to them.
No, please elaborate further, and if not, be so kind not bypassing by judging this to be ot There is an underlying tendency to return to watching the same kind of films. One way is to keep on experiencing the same by attention of general feelings, and another is to investigate who's experiences this, and get the spesific adress to consentrate the attention in on. Because of the tendency It's more information to understand, and with fully understanding and seeing comes the possebility for letting go and no more reapperings in the future.
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
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