tryThe peace we seek is what we are after. We can refer to it in any way, but in the end, it is peace that we are aiming for.
Our main pursuit is pleasure - we seek success for the pleasure it brings, we desire money and wealth for the same reason; we crave physical intimacy for pleasure, and we long for good food and clothing for that very purpose. However, after chasing these goals and even attaining them, we realize that the pleasure we sought is fleeting. We constantly seek more of the same - larger, better versions of the same experiences repeating throughout our lives. Eventually, we realize that we have been deceived. This leads to feelings of disappointment, disillusionment, and frustration. It is then that the yearning for peace arises, as we perceive peace to be the ultimate goal.
Peace is invoked at the beginning of all the Upanishads and each one concludes with prayers for peace, known as शान्ति पाठ.
ॐ सह नाववतु सह नौ भुनक्तु सह वीर्य करवावहै। तेजस्वी नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै। ॐ शान्ति: शान्ति: शान्ति:
By invoking peace three times in the Upanishads, one prays to God for liberation from three kinds of suffering -Adhyatmik, Adhi bhautik, and Adhi devik.
How to attain peace?
Each individual may have a unique approach, but the initial step is to recognize the necessity, whether because of fatigue, being overwhelmed, a desire for healing, or a genuine aspiration for personal growth. It is essential to comprehend and feel the importance of tranquility and peace of mind. Subsequently, one can experiment with various methods, both established and innovative, in pursuit of the desired outcome.
There is another type of peace which is crucial and urgently required - this is an essential quietude, specifically pertaining to your emotions, feelings, and passion. When the vital aspect (lower mind) is not sufficiently developed, upon being instructed to remain quiet, it either falls asleep or rebels, refusing to proceed. It may declare, "No, I will not cooperate. Without the stimulation I crave - excitement, enthusiasm, desire, even passion - I would rather remain stagnant and inactive." This presents a more intricate and possibly even more challenging issue; transitioning from stimulation to inertia is certainly not progress. It is important to distinguish between calmness and a state of inert or passive slumber.
Quietude is a highly positive state that embodies a form of peace that is not the absence of conflict, but an active, influential peace that brings order and organization. When advising someone to "Be calm," it is not a suggestion to be inactive or passive, but to embody a powerful, contagious calmness that controls and soothes. True quietude represents a significant force and strength. Strong individuals are characterized by their calm demeanor, while agitation is often a trait of the weak. Strength enables one to face external challenges with endurance, maintaining peace and quiet in the face of adversity. Thus, true quietude is a clear indicator of inner strength, and calmness is a quality of the mighty.
Being able to stay calm and focused, channeling one's energy as desired, whether fully or in a controlled manner during action, is a clear indicator of strength. This strength can manifest physically, emotionally, or mentally. Any agitation shows a weakness, and constant restlessness signifies a fundamental weakness.
When I advise someone to "Be calm," the interpretation can vary depending on the individual. Generally, it implies the need to quiet the mind, avoid restlessness, and not generate excessive thoughts.
How can we establish a settled peace and silence in the mind, someone asked the Mother (Aurobindo Ashram)?
Here is the reply in her own language.
First, you must want it.
And then you must try and must persevere , continue trying. What I have just told you is a very good means. Yet there are others as well. You sit quietly, to begin with; and then, instead of thinking of fifty things, you begin saying to yourself, “ Peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, calm, peace! You imagine peace and calm. You aspire, ask that it may come: “ peace, peace, calm.” And then, when something comes and touches you and acts, say quietly, like this, “ peace, peace,peace.” Do not look at the thoughts, do not listen to the thoughts, you understand. You must not pay attention to everything that comes. You know, when someone bothers you a great deal and you want to get rid of him, you don’t listen to him, do you? Good! You turn your head away and think of something else. Well, you must do that: when thoughts come, you must not look at them, must not listen to them, must not pay any attention at all. You must behave as though they didn’t exist , you see! And then , repeat all the time like a kind of- how shall I put it? - as an idiot does , who repeats the same thing always. Well, you must do the same thing; you must repeat, Peace, peace, peace.” So you try this for a few minutes and then do what you have to do; and then another time, you begin again; sit down again and then try. Do this on getting up in the morning, do this in the evening when going to bed. You can do this .... look if you want to digest your food properly, you can do this for a few minutes before eating. You can’t imagine how much this helps your digestion. Before beginning to eat, you sit quietly for a while and say, Peace, peace, peace. And everything becomes calm. It seems as though all the noises were going far, far, far away ( mother stretches out her hands on both sides in gesture) and then must continue, and there comes a time when you no longer need to sit down, and no matter what you are doing, no matter what you are saying, it is always “peace, peace, peace “. Everything remains here like this, it doesn’t enter (gesture in front of the forehead) it remains like this. And then one is always in a perfect peace- after some years.
But at the beginning, a very small beginning, two or three minutes, it is very simple. For something complicated, you must make an effort, and when one makes effort, one is not quiet. It is difficult to make an effort while remaining quiet. Very simple, very simple, you must be very simple in these things. It is as though you were learning how to call a friend: by dint of being called he comes. Well, make peace and calm friends and call them: “Come, peace, peace, peace, peace, come.
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