The peace within

I am just home from a personal retreat in Donegal, where I spent 3 days dropping down into practice. It was just what I needed: reconnection. Reconnection to a deepening of meditation, to my dear friends and colleagues who joined me, to the land of Donegal and to that part of myself that is never changing.

This part of us that is never changing is the pure awareness and what Ekhart Tolle calls our essence identity or the Deep I. The English philosopher and teacher Rupert Spira calls this our ‘I Am’ ness. The Buddhists call this Buddha Nature. The Christians would say it is union with the divine/ God. This is the unchanging, eternal “knowing presence” which stands behind our thoughts, feelings, and sensations. In many ways, this is what our mindfulness practice is all about- coming home to that part of us that is the foundational peace and calm that is within each and every one. It is untouchable and no amount of chaotic emotion or external circumstances can take it away.

So it boggles my mind as to why it takes such effort to spend time in cultivating the conditions to dwell within this part of me. Well, it boggles my mind but I also know the answer. It takes commitment, and in a world of distraction, there are often more juicier things to be doing with my time. Or, so my mind likes to tell me. However, in reality, deep peace has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember.

This got me thinking of something that a student said to me recently. They experienced a moment in which they were able to choose peace and kindness in the face of turmoil. They shared that this was a fruit of their practice. Yet, when it comes to taking the time to attend a mindfulness session on a cold, dark evening, it takes effort. We then discussed the commitment needed for practice and I would argue for peace.

Peace does not come easy. There are many reasons for this. While it can be that we are entangled with external circumstances, we also need to remember that the human mind often operates in a state of conflict, constantly judging, desiring, or resisting reality. We need a practice of remembering that if we can just step outside of this internal drama, we can step into the part of us that is untouchable, free and still. We don’t need to search for peace, we open up to the peace within, even when our external circumstances can feel unstable and threatening.

I do not wish to undermine or diminish the experience of those living in war torn countries, or find themselves without a home, or captive to abusive situations and people. Peace can be unimaginable. Yet, even within these situations, some form of internal peace can be an option, if we are aware of it. We see this in the writings of Viktor Frankl who survived a concentration camp and Nelson Mandela who survived prison. According to Frankl, a prisoner’s psychological reactions are influenced not only by his living conditions, but also by the freedom of choice he possesses even in the midst of terrible pain. Still, we need to have touched in with this choice to know it exists and that it is an option. It’s not enough for it to be a theoretical concept. It needs to be experiential.

If you are in need of renewing your own commitment or simply would like to touch in with the possibility of internal peace, why not join us for the Sanctuary’s online meditation session this Tuesday morning at 10am. We may or may not be able to get a sense of it, but it’s certainly worth a try.

-Jane

Click here to join me at the Sanctuary’s online community meditation this Tuesday at 10am.

Click below to listen to the meditation: Lighting the lamp within the heart: