~ Reflection on Practicing Peace ~
"When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world."
Maha Ghosananda
Maha Ghosananda
It seems to me that we live in times of unprecedented political conflict, divisiveness, and bigotry. I can hardly bear to watch the news on TV or listen to it on the radio and I struggle to find ways of responding to it positively and constructively. The idea of practicing peace can seem naïve or futile. But I believe that this is precisely the time to practice peace. The challenge we face is not to succumb to the hatred, fear and cynicism that have become so prevalent in our society, and to rise above them with kindness, compassion, and a generosity of spirit. As the Buddha said “Hatred does not cease by hatred. Hatred ceases through love. This is the eternal law”.
This does not mean we should excuse or ignore harm when we encounter it, but it does mean that we can work to bring love into the world. By understanding the origins of anger, fear, hatred and other similar emotions, we can commit ourselves to bringing about a genuine, lasting peace in ourselves and in the world.
The first task is to make our own hearts a place of peace. Instead of becoming entangled in the negativity that besets the external world, we can look at ourselves. Only when we can see and understand the seeds of hostility that lie inside us, can we become more caring and loving towards others. By being willing to transform the sources of harm, we can begin to transform them in others. By facing our own pain and suffering and transforming them into love and compassion, we will naturally offer our love and compassion to the external world. Otherwise, we will continue to unconsciously project these ignored parts of ourselves onto others. As Albert Camus wrote, “We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes, our ravages. Our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to transform them in ourselves.”
So the invitation is to do whatever it takes to open your heart to the seeds of harm inside you. Pray, meditate, go for a walk in nature, watch the sunset. Invite peace into your life because if you are not peaceful how can you help create peace in the world? If your mind is not peaceful, how can you expect peace to come through your words and actions?
With an open and loving heart, we come to see that the internal world of our minds and hearts is not separate from the external world of life. How we feel about other people is a mirror of how we feel about ourselves. If we are harsh and judgmental about ourselves, the chances are that we will be harsh and judgemental about others. Comprehending this basic fact of life, Gandhi said “Those who say spirituality has nothing to do with politics do not know what spirituality really means.”
When we understand this, the next task is to turn our attention to this troubled world and ask ourselves how we can be of benefit. How can we help to cultivate the conditions for peace? What can we do? One “thing” we can do is to commit ourselves to building a compassionate and caring society, where we live to see it or not. Thomas Merton taught, “Do not worry about immediate results. More and more you must concentrate on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.” We can take action not because we seek immediate results or are afraid and angry, but because it is the kind and loving thing to do. And because ultimately, there is no choice. As poet Adrienne Rich wrote:
“My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
So much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely,
with no extraordinary power,
reconstitute the world.”
This does not mean we should excuse or ignore harm when we encounter it, but it does mean that we can work to bring love into the world. By understanding the origins of anger, fear, hatred and other similar emotions, we can commit ourselves to bringing about a genuine, lasting peace in ourselves and in the world.
The first task is to make our own hearts a place of peace. Instead of becoming entangled in the negativity that besets the external world, we can look at ourselves. Only when we can see and understand the seeds of hostility that lie inside us, can we become more caring and loving towards others. By being willing to transform the sources of harm, we can begin to transform them in others. By facing our own pain and suffering and transforming them into love and compassion, we will naturally offer our love and compassion to the external world. Otherwise, we will continue to unconsciously project these ignored parts of ourselves onto others. As Albert Camus wrote, “We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes, our ravages. Our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to transform them in ourselves.”
So the invitation is to do whatever it takes to open your heart to the seeds of harm inside you. Pray, meditate, go for a walk in nature, watch the sunset. Invite peace into your life because if you are not peaceful how can you help create peace in the world? If your mind is not peaceful, how can you expect peace to come through your words and actions?
With an open and loving heart, we come to see that the internal world of our minds and hearts is not separate from the external world of life. How we feel about other people is a mirror of how we feel about ourselves. If we are harsh and judgmental about ourselves, the chances are that we will be harsh and judgemental about others. Comprehending this basic fact of life, Gandhi said “Those who say spirituality has nothing to do with politics do not know what spirituality really means.”
When we understand this, the next task is to turn our attention to this troubled world and ask ourselves how we can be of benefit. How can we help to cultivate the conditions for peace? What can we do? One “thing” we can do is to commit ourselves to building a compassionate and caring society, where we live to see it or not. Thomas Merton taught, “Do not worry about immediate results. More and more you must concentrate on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.” We can take action not because we seek immediate results or are afraid and angry, but because it is the kind and loving thing to do. And because ultimately, there is no choice. As poet Adrienne Rich wrote:
“My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
So much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely,
with no extraordinary power,
reconstitute the world.”