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.
Dear kalyana.mitta,
It is not surprising you have this reaction to the perils of samsara. It is really the only thing that is worth fearing.
Yet the Buddha never encouraged unwholesome fear.
I think there are various reactions to the teachings on the lower realms.
1. Try to ignore them.
2. Decide they must be metaphorical or meant as similes for states of mind in this brief life only.
3. Think that the Buddha was caught up in the worldviews of his time, and that they are not actually correct teachings.
4. Believe that they are real but get propelled to put forth unwholesome energy and seek out various supposed shortcuts that are current.
5. Learn that the heart of the Dhamma is anatta, and then the possibility of the lower realms becomes not so fearful. It really does spur wholesome states - and wholesome states never arise with unpleasant feeling or fear. There is detachment then, momentarily, and this can become a little more Frequent and so confidence and fearlessness grow..
This is from a book by Sujin Boriharnwanaket on the perfection of energy, which is also courage..
https://dhammastudygroup.org/audio/lvgP ... Energy.mp3