In pursuit of peace of mind

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Try quizzing a handful of people as to what they want most and my guess is that the answer would most likely be “Peace of mind.” Peace of mind — that one elusive commodity that we all hanker after, is ironically not in the control of extraneous circumstances as we imagine it to be, but very much in our own hands.

The problem is that we are blissfully ignorant of this fact. Why else would we say, “I am just waiting for my daughter to get married and my son to graduate and for the construction of my dream house which is taking forever to be completed and then my responsibilities would be over and there would be some peace of mind.”
Or that “peace of mind is only for those who have completely renounced worldly life.” Peace of mind may mean different things to different people (a friend even differentiated between complete peace of mind and partial peace of mind) ranging from having done everything one could in a given situation to what is a skewed perception — a complete absence of problems.
What we must bear in mind is that life is never a moment frozen in time, it is ever dynamic, constantly evolving and characterised by ups and downs, highs and lows. So to go looking for peace of mind in that fleeting window period when one doesn’t have any hurdles to cross is somewhat of a futile exercise.
Postponing peace of mind to what we consider a trouble-free period is to put off joy and bliss that can be experienced in the present. Peace of mind can and must be found in the here and now, amidst all the chaos and uncertainty and challenges that surround life.
Once we accept that this is the very nature of life, things become easier. Thereafter, one can learn how to cultivate peace of mind. Meditating on a daily basis; retreating to that still, small centre within us; pursuing activities that promote peace and serenity (communing with nature); losing oneself in a hobby; attending a music concert etc — will doubtless help cultivate peace of mind.
Yet another thing worth remembering is that we must first be at peace with ourselves. Quelling and containing that turbulence that rocks one is the first baby step that one should take. It is needless to add that peace of mind comes when one has lived ethically, abided by the rules, not harmed another human being or destroyed his/her chances. And thereafter one can enjoy the luxury of going to sleep on the softest pillow which is a clear conscience.
If you want peace of mind don’t ever compromise on your convictions. Often it is hard to forgive yourself when you have in a moment of weakness resorted to a short cut or done the unthinkable because you were desperate or so badly desired to get what you wanted. We have seen this in life ever so frequently.
Wannabe leaders who seemingly espouse the noblest of ideals and on the face of it appear to be very clean, upright and incorruptible, suddenly do a volte face, connive with the unlikeliest bedfellows just in order to make some short term gains leaving the rest of us who put our faith in them completely disillusioned.
Linking peace of mind to the absence of problems is one of the commonest mistakes people make. When faced with a crisis they wait impatiently for the situation to improve, they can think of nothing else but the crisis every waking moment and they are literally paralysed in the present. The very nature of some conditions (medical for example) is that they are long drawn out, intractable, they just don’t go away and have to be dealt with stoically all through one’s life.
Aside from cultivating loads of patience, making yourself immune to your misfortune, stepping out of yourself and detaching yourself from issues that overwhelm, not living your life at the level of the ego but at the spiritual is what one needs to do.
When we operate at the level of the ego, we get inextricably entwined in the problem and are unable to think clearly and take the best steps to resolve it. Everything becomes a personal issue or affront and affects us very deeply. On the contrary, having the courage to let go of whatever is troubling one, is very relieving and facilitates a fresh new perspective.
To wrap up let me quote from the Sam Veda, which puts it very succinctly. “Peace of mind happens to a man only after he has developed deep insight, only after he starts seeing things in the right perspective.”