The way to Divine Peace

Once there was a rich man who lived in a village. He possessed all the materialistic wealth. Despite having a luxurious life, he always remained worried, anxious, and restless. Coincidently, an enlightened master also lived in his village. He went to an enlightened master and asked. "I wanted to attain meditation and peace. Ask any price I will pay for it." The master sensed his trouble. The rich man knew only the language of money. He got a beautiful palace, a luxurious car, etc. through the money. He always thinks in terms of money. The master told him, "There was a poor man who lived a few miles away from here. He had attained meditation and silence. Just go there maybe he will exchange his mediation and silence for money."

The rich man went to meet the poor man. He told him, "I wanted to buy meditation from you. Ask any price I will pay for it and if you refused to sell it then I bought the soldiers they will take you away by force." The poor man started laughing. He replied, "Meditation is not a commodity that you can buy. It is a feeling, a personal experience that you have to experience by yourself. Even if you throw me into chains still you can't get it." The rich man understood the lesson. He came to know that the deep experiences of life can't be bought through money. One has to go deep within himself to experience those things.

The man hankers for power. The outer power acts as food for his ego. The power that comes from the outside brings with it the shadow of turmoil. He is in constant fear of losing power. Fear gives birth to turmoil and anxiety grows out of it. The more he accumulates the outer power, the weaker he seems to be from the inside. This creates anxiety. Now he becomes restless. When someone works very hard then he starts feeling hungry. In the same way, when a man is really troubled the thirst for peace will arise.

Don't ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance or my kindness for weakness. Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Dalai Lama

Now he longs for power that gives him peace and silence. Real power and peace lie within ourselves. It awakens when we look deep within ourselves. The problem is we are looking for them in the wrong places i.e in the outer world. We are what we do. Actions determine the quality of our lives. Let peace be like a compass of your life that will help you to navigate which course of action should be taken place. Any action that is disturbing your peace then remove it from your life like the dust is removed from the mirror. No matter what you do if it is making you restless then it is not worth doing. Life is given as a gift to us by existence. Live it, dance in it, celebrate it, and spend every moment of your life in bliss, silence, and peace.

The technique to attain peace in life given by Mabel Collin is:

The peace you shall desire is that sacred peace which nothing can disturb,

and in which the soul grows as does the holy flower upon the still lagoon.

Everyone wants to live a happy and peaceful life. Getting disturbed by trivial things means that real peace has not yet flowered within us. A feeling of real peace will remain unaffected by external events.

How do external events affect us?

External events act as a stimulus to invoke thoughts within our minds. Positive thoughts make us feel good whereas negative thoughts make us feel depressed.

The problem is with our thoughts. When you are in a meditative state (Meditative state means when you are fully aware of your thoughts) then the flame of awareness is enough to dispel the darkness of negativity from your mind. You are no longer controlled by your thoughts. Hence external events won't affect you. Peace, bliss, and silence will descend on your life. Mabel Collin was talking about this peace. The peace you shall desire is that sacred peace which nothing can disturb.

If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else. Marvin Gaye

People are generally escaping from their responsibilities. They renounced the materialistic world and went to the Himalayas to attain peace. Initially, they are attached to the materialistic world and now they are attached to the Himalayas. The attachment and their state of mind remain the same. Peace is the gift given to them by the Himalayas. If market place is disturbing their peace then it is not real peace. The peace one attains in the Himalayas is not real peace. The moment they left the Himalayas they found themselves again in turmoil.

Real peace happens when one takes all his energies within himself. When one takes deep dive into the ocean of the soul. When you move deeper and deeper within yourself you will start experiencing the nectar of godliness. The day you become one with your center then the divine starts shining through you from your eyes. You will remain peaceful amidst the chaos. Everything appears sacred to you. You will see the sacred divine in everybody. That day you become truly religious. A pseudo-religious person would always put the blame on others. You are always right and the others are always wrong. A religious man doesn't blame anyone. Others are what they are. He never looks down at anyone.

It is very difficult for the poor man to become religious. He has a begging bowl in his hand and a begging bowl in his heart. He doesn't experience any contrast between his outer world and his inner world. When he prays to God, he prays for materialistic things. His entire being is occupied with hunger. How can he pray for otherworldly things?

A rich person has the potential to become a religious person. He has all the materialistic things yet he is not satisfied with his life. He possessed all the material wealth but has a begging bowl in his heart. Outside he appears as an emperor but inside he becomes a beggar. There exists a contrast between the outer world and his inner world. Anguish arises because his inner and outer world is not in harmony. Now he is in a search of real peace that awakens the spirituality within him. Buddha and Mahavira are kings. They had experienced the poverty in their hearts that is enriched by the experience of having been an emperor. When they started their inner journey then they have attained bliss, silence, and peace in their life.

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Start your inner journey and you are on a way to becoming an enlightened being. An enlightened person is rooted in his being. If he sees a beautiful car a desire to possess it arises in his mind but his flame of awareness is enough to burn that desire into ashes. Now nothing can possess him, make him unhappy. This is true freedom, real power, and real peace.

And in which the soul grows as does the holy flower upon the still lagoon.

When you have attained the inner power and inner peace then your soul will grow on its own. The lotus of your life will begin to bloom and whosoever comes near you will be influenced by your inner light and the fragrance of your rose-like soul.

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The Power of Being

There is a very beautiful story about power in Jain mythology. In ancient times, a king who has conquered the entire world is known as Chakravarti. A king sent the chariot with the flag of his kingdom surmounted on it. Obstruction to the chariot by any kingdom ensue the war between two kingdoms. Allowance of the chariot through their territory means the king of the other kingdom gave an endorsement of his defeat. It was very difficult to become a Chakravarti because some kingdoms won't allow the chariot to pass through their kingdom. A king became a Chakravarti once in a thousand years. Kings always wanted to rule over the entire world. It gave a lot of nourishment to their ego. It was assumed that a king who became a Chakravarti will be welcomed in heaven and his name will be engraved on the Sumeru hills.

Sumeru hills are like the Himalayan hills. Instead of snow, they are covered with gold, diamonds, and emeralds. It was a feeling of great pride to have one's name written on the Sumeru hills. Once there was a king who became a Chakravarti. He staked everything to become a Chakravarti. He felt very powerful and special by conquering the entire world. When he died, his wife and his intimate friends also committed suicide. They thought him special because of his status and they didn't want to live without him.

He was welcomed into heaven by the beautiful angels. The king wanted to take his wife and intimate friends to the Sumeru hills so that they can also see how his name will be engraved on them. God permitted him to take his wife and intimate friends to the Sumeru hills. When the king was about to enter inside the heaven, Gatekeeper said silently in his ears, "Oh! mighty king, Please don't take your wife and intimate friends over there." The king was startled by his comment because the gatekeeper won't gain anything by preventing his wife and intimate friends from going over there. The family of the gatekeeper was in this profession for a very long time.

The king was in dilemma. The gatekeeper sensed his trouble and gave one more piece of advice, "Oh! Mighty King, Please go inside and see the situation there and if you think it is worth taking your wife and friends over there then come back and take them. But if you take them right now and by seeing the situation you want to change your mind then there is no going back." The king thought this was wise advice. I will go first and see the situation and after that, I will take them. When the king entered inside, his being was exploding with joy by seeing the bright light emitting from the thousands of suns. The beauty of the Sumeru hills enthralled him. When he observed the Sumeru hills, he found that there was no space left to write his name.

He thought himself special but there is no specialty in becoming a Chakravarti because time has no beginning and no end. Millions of kings became Chakravarti before him and millions will become after him. Anxiously, he came back and told the entire scenario to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper told him, "Go inside and erase some names to create some space. After that take your wife and friends there." The king thought even that was not the complete list of Chakravarti. Some names would have been erased by others. He told the Gatekeeper, "I don't want to write my name on Sumeru hills because anybody will come in future and write his name over my name." By hearing this, "The gatekeeper started laughing." The king told him, "Why are you laughing?" The gatekeeper replied, "I have heard the same answer from so many Chakravarti." The king understood there were still more Chakravarti who left this place without writing their names. He thought I have wasted my entire life chasing something that is not worth chasing.

The same is happening in our lives. We are running after name, wealth, fame, status which are not worthing chasing. If you want to chase, chase which is worthwhile. Something which is beyond death. Even death is powerless in front of it. In the end, only that remains which you had bought in the beginning.

What have you bought here when you were born?

You are born in this beautiful galaxy with a divine soul. You can attain it through longing. In the east, humans are portrayed as hollow bamboo( a flute) and a divine is singing his melodious song through you. Empty yourself through all the lust and stale ideas and become a hollow bamboo. Divine is expressing himself through the beautiful rose. He is also expressing himself through you. Your existence is very important so that he can express himself through you.

Imagine a planet without humans, animals, plants, rivers, and mountains. How dull the life appears. There exists an interdependent relationship between you and him. You can't exist without him and he also depends on you so that he can express himself. A singer can't sing without a flute and a flute is worthless without a singer. The divine song appears when you went inside yourself so that his lips can touch the flute. Rejoice in the joy that you exist and dance in ecstasy that the divine has chosen you to express himself. Know your worth and always feel blessed that you exist.

Just like a flower, you are a creation of unique beauty from the one essence of life. Sharon Kirstin

Let's understand the difference between desire and longing. Desire means something is missing in my life. Unless it gets fulfilled I will remain unhappy. Desire is a form of disturbance and discontentment. Longing means the search for something that is intrinsically within us. I am fully content with my life and when my longing is fulfilled I feel even more contentment. Longing is a form of contentment and the acceptance of life as it is.

Desires are self-generating. When one gets fulfilled then ten more will arise. The person remains discontent for the rest of his life. When longing gets fulfilled no more will arise because you have found your inner core which gives the ultimate meaning to your life. Desire means the pull towards the outer like wealth, name, status, etc. Longing means the pull towards the inner. Letting go of the circumference like mind and body and taking refuge in the divine soul.

The technique that is given by Mabel Collin for understanding the real meaning of power.

Long power ardently. And that power which the disciple shall covet is that which shall make him appear as nothing in the eyes of men.

Let's understand this technique. Long power ardently.

Power is of two types i.e Inner power as well as Outer power. People extract outer power from their wealth, status, etc. Actually, it's not a power. Power doesn't lie within them. Deep down they feel impotent. A wealthy man is called powerful by the people but the moment his wealth is destroyed he becomes impotent. The real power lies in wealth, not within him. If power comes from external sources (that are outside of the body) then it is pseudo power. The same is the case with status. Whenever a man retires from his high-status job, again he becomes impotent. Now he is in very deep anguish. When he is not in power, he doesn't know what power means. But now he has tasted the joy of power. He felt deep pain when it is taken away from him.

The power that comes from the deepest core of the being is known as inner power. No one can take it from you because it is inherently within you. The only challenge is to dig within yourself to find its source. We are evolved in such a way that our senses take our attention towards the outer world. No senses give us a view of the inner world. The most arduous thing is to bring our attention to the inner being. Mabel Collin wants us to long for that power. It is independent.

Humans become powerful when they are not dependent on anybody for peace, bliss, and silence. Peace, Bliss, and Silence are the inherent qualities of our being. When we came in contact with our inner core then we become one with the qualities of our being.

And that power which the disciple shall covet is that which shall make him appear nothing in the eyes of men.

It is very easy to recognize a wealthy man. But it is very difficult to recognize a Buddha. A wealthy man can easily be recognized by his outward appearance but a Buddha derives his power from the innermost self. We don't have the eyes to look at the innermost being of the other person. The power that lies inside can't be seen by others. It can only be experienced by those who have experienced their own innermost self.

Everybody wants to become somebody. No one wants to remain ordinary. It is only through the ordinary, one becomes extraordinary. When one completely empties himself and dissolved his ego then he becomes one with the innermost self. When the power is derived from the innermost self then you will appear nothing to others because they don't have the eyes to see the inner flowering of your being. When someone is prepared to be nothing, in his state of being nothing, a seed sprout, and flowers within you. Only then do you become powerful. Long for that power.

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A way to Divine Love

A Zen master was going through a village with his disciples. On his way, he encountered an old man who was pulling an ox with a rope hanging around its neck. Zen master thought it's a wonderful opportunity for him to teach a wise lesson to his disciples. He asked his disciples, "Who is the master between an ox and an old man?" His disciples replied, "An old man". Zen master started laughing. What happened master, asked one of his disciples. Zen master went towards an ox and loosen the rope that was hanging around its neck. An ox started running and an old man started chasing it anxiously. Zen master asked the same question to his disciples. His disciples replied, "An ox". Now his disciples understood the deep lesson.

The lesson is when you force somebody to be a slave, you have become a slave in the process itself. The thing which we try to possess in turn possesses us. At the surface, it appears as if we are the master and the thing is a slave but at the core, we are the slave and the thing becomes our master.

What are those things that you try to possess but ended up becoming their slaves?

Identify those things and reduce your dependency on them. The fundamental delusion is something outside of my body brings happiness to my being. Your freedom and happiness are determined by your dependency on the outside things. Freedom is our ultimate goal. We want to free ourselves from the diseases like suffering, anguish, and sadness.

These diseases can be cured by a medicine called love. Love is the most beautiful thing in the universe. The more you love, the greater will be the manifestation of the divine within you. Love is God. The object of love determines the quality of your being. If you love a thing you become a thing in the process. The quality of your life will be changed when you change the objects of love. It's much better to love living beings rather than loving cars, money, etc. Rise higher and higher in love until you reach the stage where you experience the ultimate bliss.

What is love?

The definition of love is when your inner voice says I am no longer interested in your body but I have seen the bodiless through your divine eyes. By coming in contact with your bodilessness I became aware of the bodiless residing within me. You feel deep gratitude towards her because she helps you to become more spiritually healthy. Meditation and love are the two ways to achieve the ultimate state of oneness. In meditation, the presence of the other is not necessary to experience unity but in love, the presence of the other will help you to attain unity. The flower of love blossoms to its fullest when you become more and more meditative.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Lao Tsu

There are various stages of love and in the final stage, you become the living God. The various stages of love are:

1. I - It

2. I - Thou

3. No I - Thou

4. No I - No Thou

I - It: This is the lowest ring on the ladder of love. Both the individuals are seeing each other as a thing. It's an animalistic behavior, a biological infatuation. The two individuals are exploiting each other for the sake of pleasure. In the beginning, the boy seems to be the most handsome guy to a girl and the girl seems to be the most beautiful girl to a boy. Since there is no depth in their love, after the contact of two physical bodies everything is finished. The flower of love withers away because the individuals are not thinking beyond their bodies. The love that tastes like nectar will become poisonous in the end because the pleasure is momentary. Most of the people will remain stuck at this stage. There exists a feeling of possessiveness within individuals and both of them will be reduced to a thing. Possessiveness won't let their wings fly in the infinite sky of love.

I - Thou: In this stage, both of them are respecting each other and never look down on others as an inferior being. The other is a soul of immense value. They never think about each other as a thing. They are very compassionate towards each other. There won't be any feeling of possessiveness. No one is trying to trespass the freedom of another individual. There is a mutual sharing of love between them. Both of them are growing and loving each other to become the best version of themselves. The foundation of this relationship is to take care of the happiness of the other person. Ego exists in this relationship because of the existence of the two separate individualities. Ego is hampering their spiritual growth.

No I - Thou: In this stage, the lover forgets himself and becomes one with his beloved. He becomes the means and the other becomes the end. For the first time, the lover has tasted the nectar of oneness. The lover is no longer in a love relationship instead his love becomes a prayer. The oneness has transformed him completely. He looks at everyone with so loving eyes that everything seems sacred to him. There exists a subtle ego in this relationship because of the presence of thou which prevents him from seeing the truth.

No I - No Thou: In this stage, there doesn't exist any I or you. The poison of ego is dropped at this stage. Ego exists because of the trinity. The trinity is the lover, beloved, and love. Love is the bridge that connects the lover to his beloved. In this relationship, there is no lover and no beloved only love remains. When individuality is lost, ego also dissolves along with it. The foundation of this love is to experience unity. When love has reached the ultimate peak you will experience the deep silence, peace, and blissfulness in your being. Whosoever comes near you will be enchanted by the divine fragrance. Your presence will mesmerize their being. The flame of bliss will be ignited in others by your flame.

Conclusion: I - It relation is the meeting of two bodies at the surface. I - Thou is the meeting of two minds. No I - Thou is the meeting of two spirits. They are melting and coming closer to each other. No I - No Thou is the experience of oneness. Ignorance is the root cause of suffering. Accept yourself as you are. Sit silently and identify the stage in which you are. There is no problem even if you are at the lowest ring of the ladder of love. Become more and more aware and slowly progress towards the next stage. The day is not too far when you reach the final ring of the ladder of love.

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