Originally published by Llewellyn Magazine, May, 2004
By Scott Shaw
Simplicity in
life is a complex paradox, with seemingly never ending disagreements, differing
opinions, dissenting philosophies, emotional manipulations, and even physical
confrontations. Some people seem to not only instigate this adversarial mindset
but appear to actually thrive on it.
One may assume
that if they walk away from the world and enter onto what is commonly known as
the "Spiritual Path," they will no longer be subjected to conflicts
and encounters. Unfortunately, the predominance of the world's population is
not made up of individuals whose minds are focused on the spiritual elements of
life. In fact, it is so common that we encounter people who are willing to do
whatever it takes to gain whatever moment of gratification they desire that
modern society has given them positive designations: "Motivated,"
"Driven," "Hungry," or "A Goal Seeker."
More than being
simply an external social phenomena, many people find that they are constantly
at odds with themselves—continually robbing their own inner peace. "I
shouldn't be doing this," "I'm so bad," "I can never
succeed," and "I'm unworthy," are just a few of the examples
which ramble constantly through the minds of many individuals.
We can easily
understand that certain people may have developed a negative self image due to
childhood trauma, economic or emotional destitution, interaction with unsavory
people, or being psychologically manipulated and guided down a negative road by
an unworthy dominator. But, why don't these people immediately leave behind
this disruptive inner dialogue the moment they realize it is robbing them of
their tranquility?
Some people
believe that if they could go someplace else, do something else, then they
would know peace. But that place is not here. That action is not now. Thus, it
is forever someplace else—where the grass promises to be greener. What commonly
occurs, if a person relocates to a new location or takes on a new lifestyle or
employment position, is that they are no more satisfied, fulfilled, or peaceful
than they were before the move, which they believed would change their life.
Some individuals
realize that they possess a lack of peace and wish to change this mindset, so
they look to the lives of ancient spiritual masters, believing that their
teachings hold the truth to contentment and enlightenment. Though this is a
generally held belief, it was not always the case. For example, if we look at
the historical foundation of Zen, we see that in the Seventh Century C.E. the
monk Hui-neng defeated his Master, the Fifth Patriarch of Ch'an Buddhism,
Hung-jen, in a spiritual poetry writing competition. As he won the contest, he
believed that it proved he was more enlightened than his teacher. His teacher
was not so pleased and set about on a course to destroy his onetime disciple.
Because of this, Hui-neng had to flee the region. Though this action was
instrumental in giving birth to the Northern and Southern schools of Ch'an
Buddhism, which eventually lead to what is commonly known today as Zen, it
clearly illustrates that not even the ancient masters were free from
competition and conflict.
Conflict is a
part of life. If you allow your peace to be taken away from you by external
occurrences or internal disharmony then you will never know contentment.
Peace is an inner
triumph. It is not something which someone or something can give to you. To
embrace peace, in all life situations, you need to develop the skills to become
like the calm in the eye of the hurricane—peaceful in a world torn by conflict.
The
Foundations of the Pathway to Peace
To begin on your
pathway to peace you must ask yourself, "What would bring me peace right
now?" Would it be a certain amount of money? Better employment? A new
place to live? To be in a relationship with a specific person? Maybe to be ten
years younger? Perhaps to be more beautiful, thinner, or taller? Or, to be
enlightened?
Step
One
Your first step
to Peace Realization is to consciously understand—anything which you do not
currently possess, anything you are not right now, does not exist in this
moment. As long as you choose to hold onto the desire of something you do not
currently possess or something you are not, you will never be at peace. You
will continue to torment yourself with the desire of attainment. This is not to
say that you cannot move forward with your life. But, you must do so in a
manner where you embrace the here and now. You must decide to love each moment
for what it is, and then move forward in a state of peace, not a state of
disharmony.
Disharmony is
contagious. Disharmony is addictive. It is addictive because it provides the
body and the brain with a constant source of adrenaline. It is invigorating.
But, it is not healthy. Remember, peace can also be contagious and addictive.
Peace, however, is not only better for the person, but better for all those who
inhabit this place we call life.
Step
Two
As long as you
choose to believe that something outside of yourself will bring you peace, you
cannot experience peace. Let go of your desire and peace will surround you.
This is not to say remain stagnant. Instead it means love each step of the way.
Embrace the moment and love each experience you encounter in this moment. It
may not be what you desire, but it is, nonetheless, what you are living. Embrace
it, whether you like it or not, and peace will find you.
Step
Three
Know that the
essence of peace is not outside of yourself. Understand that it is in you. Take
a moment and find that place of peace. Begin right now. Close your eyes. Let
your mind stop racing. Allow your inner guide to take you to that place in your
body where peace emanates. For some, it is their heart center. For others, it
is the third eye. Wherever it is for you, go there and embrace the totality of
peace—even if just for a moment.
Do this several
times a day. Come to know this place. Understand this experience. Then,
whenever you find your mind torn by desires, when you are attacked by the
negative energies of others, or when you find yourself lost in desire, hating
your current moment—go to this place in yourself and find peace.
Copyright © 2004—All Right Reserved
