Calmness of mind is jewel of wisdom

Mind, by it’s very nature, can’t be at peace. Or at least it can’t be in a state that humans would consider peaceful. Mental activities can not stop as long as the brain is functioning. Thoughts, concepts, feelings, all of that doesn’t stop. The human mind is a mental construct that is entirely fear-based, survival based. It’s very purpose is to discriminate between what is good and what is bad, and then keep one from the bad while chasing the good. That is an inherently not peaceful environment. The mind can’t be at peace, but one can be at peace with a mind. In order to do that one has to transcend the mind. One has to become aware beyond the mind, at which point one no longer identifies with the mind, at which point the mind’s antics are not particularly disturbing.

This state, otherwise known as enlightenment, is not “achievable” however, so no, one can’t achieve a peace of mind. Peace of mind is living here completely. There is no need to think here. Everything is taken care of here. The simplicity of being here is such that mind is totally at peace. This may sound extraordinary yet I am ordinary. If this is happening for me then it can be this way for you too. Where do you find this peace? Here right now where you are, the place that most seem hell bent to avoid ? The goodness here just takes a little stillness to sense. Because you are here completely, the sense of a self is not needed. Peace of mind is not attained by anyone because now there is an absence of your personal self, in this deep relaxation peace is here.

I think it all depends on what your mind requires in order to feel at peace. The more your mind demands, the less likely you are to actually achieve that peace. The less your mind demands, the more likely you are to find peace. This works all the way down to the point where you no longer require anything to be at peace. Because at that point, peace is all that remains and you are pretty much guaranteed to experience it. The gentle abiding peace and knowingness that passes all understanding is our inheritance, a buried treasure.

My own spiritual journey began in 1997 with many years spent seeking this ‘peace’ through the dogma of institutionalized religion but to no avail. In time … along the journey … we come to a well-traveled fork in the road, and there, should we choose to do so, we release the fables we’ve grown up with (for all is illusion) and instead seek God in spirit and in truth; and it is there … in the abode of the living God that we are enjoined and find our rest … our joy … true love … peace … and our divine purpose.

As a loner, I’m in my own world at most times. I could create peace of mind as I wish to, but, not always. There really are perturbations in life that I can’t just simply ignore or set aside. I may divert my thoughts to better matters, or, choose to release my negative emotion/s thru talking to myself, shout, or, having a free-flow of tears- just normal for humans. Our mind keeps wandering while we are conscious, and that reality serves as a barrier to attaining frequent and long- lasting inner peace. There may be some people who could have it longer and constantly such as those who have contentment in life, the ones with shallow happiness, the devotees to their creed/ ideology, etc.

By becoming aware of the way the mind functions, it’s very possible to help it be peaceful. But it isn’t something attained, gotten in a fixed way, it is more dynamic and requires vigilance. Eventually it becomes a habit that occurs naturally without much effort, but it always remains a dynamic practice. However, it is very much attainable/available as long as you allow yourself to. What makes this impossible is our deep-rooted habit particularly the lurking desire to want more than we are capable of. We constantly let ourselves dwell in the past or plans of the future without really appreciating fully the fresh beauty that's unfolding at the present.

We always miss out on the most precious thing in life until our life is numbered. We always forget to develop genuine love and gratitude to the person's and things we already have, but mindlessly chasing fleeting excitements one after another until we are constantly exhausted in the race. That speaks of why most of the time we are seeking happiness at the wrong place. Peace of mind is when we let the simple things in life become our natural source of happiness.

This comes from a deep appreciation of what we have and in it we need to relearn what's contentment - how we live with the idea enough means enough, more is not necessarily better. We start to understand mere satisfying erratic urges and desire is what distances us from peace. Peace and simple joy is easy to get when you stop wanting things that don't contribute to a lasting satisfaction. Sometimes stepping back and giving up may bring in more than we imagine. Cheers!