The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

Please visit our website at adioderma.org.

Okay.

So a question that was sent to me.

A person writes, as I get deeper in meditation composed and almost concentrated,

fear pops up, flips the ejector seat, and out I bounce. I see the fear in my body, there it is,

and have begun to acknowledge and even try to welcome it. In response, it insists louder and harder

that it's irresponsible for me to surrender, not just on the macro level,

like with all the horrors going on in the world and the US right now, but also on some very deep, intuitive level.

It's dangerous. For me, I suspect this partly stems from growing up in a chaotic and unsafe household.

Being alert and aware felt necessary for survival.

Partly, too, it might be a culturally female thing.

I am meant to be perpetually attentive to others' moods, needs, wishes,

and not tune out until after I've assured that everyone

else is fine.

Anyway, I don't know if this warrants a Darmat, but I would be grateful for any teachings

on working with this fear instinct.

So let's start with the easy part.

The, of my response, not the easy part, but the easy part of my response around the gendered

pressures of being a caretaker. And what I thought of, when I was, we were out to dinner

with my parents last, you my parents a few days ago.

And the waitress had kind of large hoop earrings

...