Inner peace in a modern world (How to have)

[Constance]

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[greybeard]

With practise disassociation becomes virtually a permanent state.
Time has to be spent on spiritual teaching.
"Events happen
deeds are done
but there is no doer there off."
Situations happen--potential arises but logic will say that people are affected differently by the same event.
Frustration may arise, even anger but I dont have to own it, act upon it
Its just a natural phenomena.
Eckhart Tolle in the book "The Power of Now" gives a helpful illustration on the "Pain Body" and how to transcend it.
The book is well worth a read.
So yes its possible to be in a relaxed peaceful state no matter what, just takes practise.
Every time there is a "situation" its an opportunity to practise disassociation till it becomes second nature then there is choice.
A good question is "Am I really being affected by what is happening or is it mind stuff?" --the small stuff.
Its an ego thing--frustrated at the others actions-- of course the superior I would not have done that--im different.
Ego is basically a separation device.
Which is why spiritual teaching is about transcending ego.
But that's another subject --smiling.
Chris

[Clear Light]

It seems to be a part of the human condition that we can only experience fleeting moments of inner peace. The moment that something external happens to interrupt that state, those peaceful feelings evaporate in an instant.

For example, you are driving along in your car, feeling a wonderful state of inner peace until someone runs a red light in front of you, and poof! That peaceful feeling has gone.

What do you think happens to you in the moment that you lose that inner peace?

What immediate and practical steps do you take to bring yourself back into a state of inner peace?

How do you maintain inner peace once you have it? What practical steps do you take to maintain it?

Do you think it is truly possible to experience a state of permanent internal peace in this modern world we inhabit?

Oh, now I don't wish to appear as being somewhat antagonistic towards your propositions, but perhaps it would be helpful to define what you mean by "Peace" ?

Because, I'd say that coming to a permanent state of "Peace" is probably very unrealistic (unless one were to live in a Monastery), and that what is more likely (or possible) is getting used to a "state of flow" eh ?

Don't depend on your mind to give the answers, don't depend on mind's content but rather be the Awareness in which mind comes and goes ... in this way, I'd suggest by experiencing a kind of Equanimity towards all-states-of-mind you'll gradually over time (or maybe even suddenly) lose interest in the so-called "Monkey Mind" (or experience a sort of "falling away") and your "real nature" will come-to-the-fore "outshining" the illusion of worldly permanence "we" were all taught as being the one and only "Reality" !!!

Just saying ;)

[Pam]

One of the most productive steps I have taken toward inner peace is letting go of my need to want to control outcomes. If I am able to mindfully act in the things that I do and then just let the outcomes happen I reduce anxiety and live in acceptance which is a core ingredient for inner peace.

I love what greybeard says about practicing these techniques. It is actually possible to learn how to have inner peace. It really does require participation, it is a learned skill for the most part. It took me a lot of suffering and anxiety before I began to figure this out. Also, Clear Light offers a great tip as well, in maintaining equanimity towards all states of mind. I would add that having equanimity towards all circumstances that occur is beneficial. If a circumstance needs changing and you can do something about it than do it, otherwise accept it.

[Constance]

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[Forest Denizen]

It seems to be a part of the human condition that we can only experience fleeting moments of inner peace… What do you think happens to you in the moment that you lose that inner peace? What immediate and practical steps do you take to bring yourself back into a state of inner peace? How do you maintain inner peace once you have it? What practical steps do you take to maintain it? Do you think it is truly possible to experience a state of permanent internal peace in this modern world we inhabit?

Ah, yes, the eternal yearning and search for inner peace. These are all very good and important questions you ask, Constance, and I suspect there are many of us who ask these same questions. And yes, I have experienced fleeting moments of complete serenity and I even experienced a stretch of several months during which I effortlessly remained in that state of beingness. But it eventually dissipated.

I will first describe what “it” is for me and then how I return to “it.” The state of inner peace for me is one of complete immersion and engagement in “the now.” For me, the only detachment I feel, is an independence from my “thoughts,” or “inner chatter.” I think Clear Light describes this well:


Don't depend on your mind to give the answers, don't depend on mind's content but rather be the Awareness in which mind comes and goes ... in this way, I'd suggest by experiencing a kind of Equanimity towards all-states-of-mind you'll gradually over time (or maybe even suddenly) lose interest in the so-called "Monkey Mind" (or experience a sort of "falling away") and your "real nature" will come-to-the-fore "outshining" the illusion of worldly permanence "we" were all taught as being the one and only "Reality" !!!

In this state, I may peacefully watch thoughts come and go. I see them, I watch them go by, but there is no associated charge. At times, particularly while meditating, I am able to enter a state of beingness and awareness in which I connect with the infinite.. the eternal. It is deeply serene and joyful. I am one with a brilliant light of golden warmth and love.

But how to remain in that state? One with all.. with the infinite and the eternal. I don’t know. For me, meditating regularly is extremely important. However, when I am feeling peaceful and at one and suddenly something jarring occurs, as Constance illustrates:


For example, you are driving along in your car, feeling a wonderful state of inner peace until someone runs a red light in front of you, and poof! That peaceful feeling has gone.

I take a deep breath while consciously reengaging with the infinite.. I do this by immediately visualizing the eternal “I” at one with all the stars in the universe (I am very visually oriented).. I let the breath go while accepting and letting go what has occurred, and return to the here and now. I realize this may not work for others and I would be very interested to hear the techniques that others employ.

I also believe it is of utmost importance to have a sense of humor! Try not to lose it, find delight and laugh at the absurdities that surround us all the time! I recognize that this is sometimes not easy or even possible.

I also like what peterpam said:

One of the most productive steps I have taken toward inner peace is letting go of my need to want to control outcomes. If I am able to mindfully act in the things that I do and then just let the outcomes happen I reduce anxiety and live in acceptance which is a core ingredient for inner peace… …I would add that having equanimity towards all circumstances that occur is beneficial. If a circumstance needs changing and you can do something about it than do it, otherwise accept it.

And, yes, as Constance suggests, connecting with nature is of immeasurable value:


… or you are bathing in a natural hot spring, or you are cosily sat by the fireside on a winters night, or you come into contact with a wild dolphin, or that feeling you have whilst you gaze up into the night sky.

In nature I find the clearest path back to that state of beingness.. awareness.. oneness. Immersion in the infinite and joyous now.

With Love,

Ken

:flower: :flower: :flower:

[Bill Ryan]

This observation may seem rather simple, but for me it's important enough to note along with some of the wonderful thoughts here. :flower:

Much of human angst — the lack of peace, the inner turmoil — is caused by our roaming, always-busy attention being pulled into the past (regrets, problems, hurts, misunderstandings), or the future (plans, hopes, anxieties, potential problems).

So as every great sage has told us: we need to Be Here Now. Then the question becomes... how?

Meditation has this as one of its prime goals, of course. But there are other everyday techniques which we all know about.

Painting, gardening, sewing, knitting, focusing on a creative project of any kind. Famously, fishing. And also (important for me personally), hiking in the mountains. Rhythmical steps, and rhythmical breathing, are also a form of moving meditation. Truly. (Scuba diving is very much the same, with steady, rhythmical breathing while floating effortlessly, apparently weightless. That might be the nearest easy in-the-body counterpart to an out-of-body experience. :) )

I used to be a serious rock climber, and that also really worked. But how can one find peace rock climbing?

Well, you absolutely have to Be Here Now. One needs total attention to detail, with no distraction from what happened a minute ago, or what one might encounter in a minute's time. This handhold, this foothold, this movement, this sway into balance. And then, having reached a safe place to rest: this knot, this anchor point, this careful management of the rope.

I invariably found when I was out climbing for a day, whatever issues I was grappling with in my life all just disappeared. They have may returned when I arrived back home! But they definitely totally vanished for a while. And the same applies with high mountain hiking.

That's a little different from strolling in the park or in the woods, where one's thoughts can drift and wander to one's problems quite easily. When one's focused on one's natural environment because one has to be, then (just like climbing) one's attention is only on the here and now.

It has to be very tough for people with no hobbies, interests, or access to any physical activity like that. (Or, for people with problems so serious that it's impossible in practical terms to ever leave them behind.) They're glued to the everyday turmoil, with no respite, and are hurled about by as if being thrown around in a hurricane.

Then all too often, they self-medicate with drugs, alcohol, or sex in a different attempt to find 'peace', which they never will — as it's never, ever the real thing.

[Mike]

the Buddha said "life is suffering" and I do wonder whether something like inner peace can be sustained over time...or even if we'd want it to be.

perhaps those brief moments of inner peace are so magical precisely because they are so brief and rare. if they were easily attainable and could last indefinitely, they might become passe. we'd likely take them for granted. they might even become boring. you might even find yourself longing for the chaos and the audible-assault of a traffic jam on a city street!:)

the greatest crime in the universe is boredom. anything - no matter how seemingly pleasant - would get boring over time in the absence of it's opposite. it's like when a romantic relationship is moving along very smoothly, and one of the people involved seems to manufacture drama in order to spice things up - it's because they've gotten bored.

i think we experience something like inner peace when we know we're doing everything in our power to maximize our potential...we've left no stones unturned. now we can relax. we've earned that inner peace. but it's not necessarily meant to last too long, maybe. i think we have a moral obligation to do what's meaningful (not what makes us happy), and when we do that, we get that sense of fulfillment, or inner peace.

having blabbed on and said all that: if i need a brief respite from the outer world asap, i take a loooong shower. i'll sit on the edge of the tub and just let the hot water work it's magic. it's like entering another dimension. i get all my best ideas that way...-or-.. i just shut down completely and don't think at all. it's likely the closest to a meditative state i ever get.

nice thread, Constance. you've made me think a little here:). great contributions all around

[Debra]

‘I just want peace. Not pieces.’

This was a saying my mother used to repeat when I was younger. With three wild children under her feet, a full time career, juggling marriage and also being chief cook and bottle washer, I rarely saw my mother do something to just have peace for herself. All that sense of obligation to keep fires out, keep everything and everyone afloat and the wolf away from the door - peace for herself was really never enjoyed. Actually, she would call it a luxury, like she didn’t deserve to have it Go figure!

Great idea for a thread, Constance. Thank you for opening it, there are so many directions you can go just contemplating this topic.

[Intranuclear]

So imagine you are a firefighter and in the middle of some horrible situation where you have to act fast and figure things out fast and deal with all kinds of yelling, burning and chocking and well maybe you get the idea.
Question: Is this a situation where being in that cat-like inner peace is better than being in a different, a more calm but highly stressed and mind and body working 100x faster and pushing oneself to exhaustion just to save one more life maybe even your own?

If there is any thought that I am being a devil's advocate, I am not.
The question I have is if being in a permanent state of inner peace is necessary useful all the time?

[william r sanford72]

Thank you for this well timed thread.coming from the view and outlooks of a X junky..I constantly had/have to self check my feelings ..thinking and mental processes..to this day I consider it a must in my tool box of life..and cannot add to any of thee above post other than whatever works use it..punk rock to bee keeping and my art..and even Avalon..its all in my personel tool box..

having three children with one leaving for collage in a couple months and work and farming and trying to protect my family and this small little plot of land and what resides and lives in it forces me in away to apply thee tools or suffer and wallow in the very things that lead into inner turmoil and darkness...and I havnt even mentioned or added into the mix the High strangeness and UFO encounters.I still have to buckle Up.Now tho I find that going along WITH the ride is hella alott better than fighting it.

Avalon Rocks..

William.

[greybeard]

The very best advice I ever got was "Stop talking to your self"
My world was falling apart--my business going to the wall- I was deeply depressed
I needed a substitute income so I went to a course on hypnotherapy--one of my better decisions.
I asked the tutor for advice--he said the above to me and walked off--I was hurt the course, was expensive, I expected more.
Boy was he smart--he explained later when I was really ready to listen.

Its as thought there are two voices --the incoming thought which you did not ask for or initiate.
and then you fall into the trap of starting a conversation with it--that's called self talk.
Invariably the other voice is judgmental--all the should haves--if not direct at you, the circumstances --other people.
It will keep you awake at night.
Dont feed it, invite it in for tea.
Dont give it energy by answering it.
Starved it will shut up and leave you in peace.
Can happen quite quickly but you have to be vigilant.
Its clever just looking for an opportunity to rattle your cage--it seems to have good intention.
Eckhart called it the Pain body--its part of the ego.

Chris

[AriG]

I love what Bill has to say about being in the here and now because “you have to”, when perched precariously on a rock face, where one false step could lead to one’s demise. And perhaps that is why we all experience angst and strive for that inner peace? We live (most of us) in comfort. Compare that to what Paleolithic humans had to endure, where every day was a struggle for physical survival. It’s doubtful that they had much time for navel gazing and seeking peace. Perhaps inner peace is a product of overcoming extreme challenge? Could even possibly be the result of endorphin rush recovery? Maybe one has to experience the polar opposite of inner peace regularly to experience inner peace? Yin Yang?

[Constance]

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[greybeard]

So imagine you are a firefighter and in the middle of some horrible situation where you have to act fast and figure things out fast and deal with all kinds of yelling, burning and chocking and well maybe you get the idea.
Question: Is this a situation where being in that cat-like inner peace is better than being in a different, a more calm but highly stressed and mind and body working 100x faster and pushing oneself to exhaustion just to save one more life maybe even your own?

If there is any thought that I am being a devil's advocate, I am not.
The question I have is if being in a permanent state of inner peace is necessary useful all the time?

Yes because clear headed action can then take place.
"Act in haste, repent at leisure"
Inner peace does not negate action.
Chris

[Intranuclear]

I like all of the responses given, but here is where I throw in a little bit of monkey.
You are a soldier mowing down hundreds of well, people.
You keep your inner peace :)
Some might call that a robot or AI
Ender's Game: He goes into inner peace and finds the answer to win the game, but he ends up wiping out a world.
He did not talk to himself and question his actions.

So while inner peace is obviously critical in maintaining sanity, the question is, is that good enough? Are the other emotions valid? Is there room for hatred or anger?
Again I am not disagreeing with anything said at all, as I try to practice that all of the time, but sometimes it just feels wrong.

[Constance]

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[Bill Ryan]

I love what Bill has to say about being in the here and now because “you have to”, when perched precariously on a rock face, where one false step could lead to one’s demise.

I truly don't want to derail this interesting thread in any way! But what you describe isn't quite what I was referring to. There's definitely no inner peace in being all too aware that one might easily fall and be seriously injured in just a few seconds' time, unless one dispels the impending emergency. :)

But there's a medium ground here, of climbing (or doing any adventure sport, like skiing or kayaking) well within one's zone of comfort and ability.

Then, it's easy — but one still has to focus and get it right. Sewing is like that (as best I understand!). So is painting something that takes a lot of care, or repairing or creating something intricate. You may know exactly what to do, but you still have to Be Here Now and do it perfectly. That requires us to bring our mind's focus right to the present. If one's mind wanders, then mistakes can happen.

So, what I'm referring to is just being in the Now and making sure that every action is impeccably executed. In that sense, there are crossovers with yoga, and maybe many other activities where focusing on exact execution Right Now is what makes the past and the future just disappear from our busy minds. For me, that's where 'peace' lies.

Because 'peace' is often understood by people to be like a vacation on the beach, doing maybe almost nothing — as a palliative contrast to one's hectic, problematic, stressful life back home. That's more like equating peace with stopping hitting one's head on the wall. :)

That's not 'peace': that's the release from prior stress. I'm not convinced the two are the same.

What I'm trying to describe here isn't a static peace, but a dynamic one... in which something is achieved exactly through that peaceful, grounded, focused, unstressed state of mind, and the result is a deep, nourishing satisfaction.

[AriG]

But what I meant Bill was that the after effect of the stress of a life challenging event very well might be inner peace- a physiological response to the stress. A release. And isn’t that what inner peace is? A release? And achieving a massive climb is indeed an accomplishment, but so might be the realization of what might have happened. Why do people thrill seek or watch horror films? The recovery might be the thing?

[thepainterdoug]

all , everything we acquire , we cherish and value, the bonds we make , our things, money , our physicality ,friends and loved ones, will all be lost. knowing the impermanance of this life has to be stressful

[greybeard]

There never is a challenge in the present moment
Its the mind that brings up the past or invents the future,
No worries.
You never get more than you can handle in the moment.
the AA prayer
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference"
Through challenges the peace/serenity is strengthened.

Chris
Ps
There is a silent awareness which is fully focused on the present moment.
If thought is required then that happens with clarity, not contaminated with this and that--superfluous to requirments.
This way life can be enjoyed to the full without fear.

[happyuk]

I love what Bill has to say about being in the here and now because “you have to”, when perched precariously on a rock face, where one false step could lead to one’s demise.

I truly don't want to derail this interesting thread in any way! But what you describe isn't quite what I was referring to. There's definitely no inner peace in being all too aware that one might easily fall and be seriously injured in just a few seconds' time, unless one dispels the impending emergency. :)

But there's a medium ground here, of climbing (or doing any adventure sport, like skiing or kayaking) well within one's zone of comfort and ability.

Then, it's easy — but one still has to focus and get it right. Sewing is like that (as best I understand!). So is painting something that takes a lot of care, or repairing or creating something intricate. You may know exactly what to do, but you still have to Be Here Now and do it perfectly. That requires us to bring our mind's focus right to the present. If one's mind wanders, then mistakes can happen.

So, what I'm referring to is just being in the Now and making sure that every action is impeccably executed. In that sense, there are crossovers with yoga, and maybe many other activities where focusing on exact execution Right Now is what makes the past and the future just disappear from our busy minds. For me, that's where 'peace' lies.

Because 'peace' is often understood by people to be like a vacation on the beach, doing maybe almost nothing — as a palliative contrast to one's hectic, problematic, stressful life back home. That's more like equating peace with stopping hitting one's head on the wall. :)

That's not 'peace': that's the release from prior stress. I'm not convinced the two are the same.

What I'm trying to describe here isn't a static peace, but a dynamic one... in which something is achieved exactly through that peaceful, grounded, focused, unstressed state of mind, and the result is a deep, nourishing satisfaction.

I think you've eloquently described what it's like to be calmy active and actively calm.

It's something I find hard to adequately describe but I know it when I experience it, the deeper the level of concentration which goes hand in hand with slowness of breathing which leads to a more intense and authentic experience. It does not really matter what the activity but it could be in deep meditation, following a closely knit intellectual argument, a sporting achievement, a Shakespearean play, anything.

[Denise/Dizi]

Sometimes things happen that are extremely chaotic, Bill's description of a hurricane, or tornado is good there..

I tend to try to wait until it dies down, so I have a complete picture of everything that happened.. and try to figure out what it was about the situation, that I was reacting to. The wind? The energy? The debri of the storm itself hitting me? Do I have any obligation to try to rebuild what got knocked down? If the wind is still blowing should I slow it down or try to block it from causing more damage?

And then I try to find ways to let that not happen again, or at least not to get sucked into it. Fully knowing, that the only thing I truly have control over, is my actions, and reactions.. And the rest is merely observation.

"Not my circus, Not my monkeys" is where I tend to go to.. And while this seems like an easy cop out, sometimes it is just best to walk away from anything that disturbs that inner peace.

Easier said than done sometimes... and I think we all sometimes get it right, and sometimes horribly wrong.. To error is human..

To try to get back to that inner peace,

I tend to visualize peaceful things, and try to capture that feeling and deliberately try to keep that feeling going from situation to situation. I imagine myself standing under a beautiful waterfall, with each drop of water that hits me, it washes away everything that isn't "Mine" to carry...

When I am kicked off balance, it then becomes almost an obligation to recognize it, and try in earnest to get back to that peaceful place. In any way that I can... all the while doing my best to remain true to who I wish to be. It's an art I have yet to master.. But I am trying...

I suppose with knowledge comes wisdom, and time helps as well.. Having good people around you to set the example? Well that's priceless...

If anyone CAN do this I would love to know their secrets to this.. Talking about it is a start, Great thread..

[Constance]

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[shaberon]

Most of us are a lot weaker than we would like to admit, and it does not take all that much to agitate a person.

The Jinas do not worry about their own survival, since they know there is no one to survive.

All of the disturbing emotions can be defeated, as well as all mental distraction. This requires strength that could only be described as invincible. Its ingredients are pain. Peace is not the only virtue, but, without protection, it is surrounded by hunger everywhere.

There is no kind of lasting happiness to be had from the world. However there is peace, and virtues such as joy, which are more real, and sort of a sign of conquering or disposing of worldliness. We would say the real person is in the heart. If this is a value, then, the simultaneous duty is to protect it. In order to succeed, you have to be hit by increasingly painful challenges. If you try to quit, you just lose, bound to damnation or something.

The translation from our tradition is Mirror Wisdom, much as moonlight in a calm lake. This has to have unlimited strength to witness the world's horrors. So a lot of effort is spent in trying to cultivate this condition. We ask for our karma to go ahead and happen and try to handle it colorlessly without a reaction from our personality. This is at once very serious, and, as you see, not just for the sake of doing it.

It's not exactly beautiful or horrible because it's just strength. A mirror has no option to care about what's presented to it.

[Valerie Villars]

Shaberon, that is one of the most singular and beautiful posts I have ever seen. Thanks. :sun:

[norman]

Inner peace can mean a few different things to different people. I'm not sure I'm up to the task of breaking that subject down properly though.

What I do want to bring to the topic is the notion of an adversary. Short of having a fortress of privilege and protection ( but I doubt even that will do it ), we are going to be messed with by forces that have a different intention from our own.

To add complexity to the issue, some of those external forces are intelligent. Very intelligent. So much so, that they can manipulate us at our core desires level. Like the desire for inner peace.

That complexity is very tricky to deal with.

[petra]

The very best advice I ever got was "Stop talking to your self"

My response to that is, what if it is your future self that is talking to you, guiding you and beckoning you on? I think I would want to listen! :bigsmile:


That's what I thought too. Then he said about the "judgemental" thoughts, and I considered, am I being judgemental if I refuse to listen to my own thoughts? I've already been over this in my head, and I won't let anything trick me into wishing that I was deaf.

It's not inner peace that I'm looking for though, maybe if it were, I wouldn't talk to myself so much. I recently started a Self Esteem book too and a huge part of it is learning to talk to your self, and like yourself. I've even began to kind of "date myself" (ha ha).

Although I'm not looking for inner peace, there have been times I've felt what I can only describe as "inner peace". It was as if everything was right in the world, and everything was how it was supposed to be. So peaceful. But that image gets instantly shattered the moment I see something wrong. Then I end up feeling guilty, for "falling for it" so to speak. For me, inner peace doesn't really exist - it's only a temporary delusion.

[Denise/Dizi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyclqo_AV2M

Music always helps...

[greybeard]

If your looking for the peace that passed all understanding, as spoken of by Jesus, the only way that will come is through quietening the mind.
Chris

[Constance]

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[greybeard]

... the only way that will come is through quietening the mind.
Chris

Thanks for that Greybeard. :flower: What you are saying points to the "WHAT" of it all but what would be most helpful for all those who are not familiar with how to do this, HOW exactly to quieten the mind, have you got any practical, step-by step tips that might be useful for someone when they are struggling to quieten the mind? :)

Constance if you look at my previous posts its all there.
Just stop talking to yourself.
I did it at a time of maximum stress which caused a bleeding ulcer--Wife and two kids to support, a mortgage and no money coming in.
Not saying its easy --you have to want it--meditation also helps but it can be done without that.

best wishes
Chris

[sunwings]

Normally, I cannot eat before an exam, I cannot relax before a conflictive future situation and I cannot concentrate if I have a future engagemnet in thirty minutes.

Why? Because I don´t trust my future self to get the job done. So to conteract this lack of trust I play out multiple scenarios , in order to help the present self relax about the future problems.

My magical moments of inner peace come when I put trust in my future self to get the job done and that trust is strengethend by acting impeccably in the present moment. It is like a momentum, that is quickly washed away if I start to dwell on my actions.

Act, then move on, peace is in the space between these two moments.

[Forest Denizen]

…My magical moments of inner peace come when I put trust in my future self to get the job done and that trust is strengethend by acting impeccably in the present moment. It is like a momentum, that is quickly washed away if I start to dwell on my actions.
Act, then move on, peace is in the space between these two moments…

This is helpful, thank you, sunwings! :sun:

I very much agree; thinking, or the inner chatter, is of no help to me in returning to a serene state, inner peace. It’s as several have mentioned here, maybe even me :blushing:

In order to be at peace within and without, it is of great assistance to me that I am completely in the present moment, or in other words, as Bill stated above and Ram Dass famously urged, “Be Here Now.”

For me, to achieve this, it requires being engaged completely. Something physically challenging such as rock climbing for Bill or, for me, tennis.. or something entirely sedentary but entailing complete focus, drawing, for instance. All focus with no inner chatter. You’ve probably heard athletes state that when they are “in the groove,” it is very Zen-like. In the now and immersed in the divine flow of energy within and without.

For me, meditation is immensely valuable, whether sitting or walking or running. Every morning that I can, I drive to the ocean well before sunrise, sit on the beach with my coffee, under the stars, and tune into the rhythmic action of the waves coming in and washing back out. I breathe and focus on the now. Waves washing in and out. Breathing in and out. :inlove:

And if I have time before I have to be at work, I take a walk, barefoot, along the water’s edge. Into the water for a stretch as it’s washing up onto the sand and out of the water. Into the water and out of the water. Connecting with nature and the eternal and the infinite now. It doesn’t have to be the ocean but connecting with nature is absolutely invaluable to me.

Hope this is of help. I struggle just like most people, but having this sort of routine is very grounding for me.
With love :heart:

Ken

:flower: :flower: :flower:

[Tintin]

I shared this with Constance and the team a few days ago.

I really watch precious little television, yet, there was an accidental landing when I did. BBC Four in England showed a programme actually called 'Inner Peace' and it consisted solely of a couple of Benedictine monks going about a typical day in their monastery. Baking and a little wood turning, being filmed.

Absolute silence; zero narration. Just film of them going about their day. And gloriously lit too. Evening twilight argon captured.

The experience catalysed an introversion, and a critical one, and a reminder too: the subtle and sublime nuance of silence packed full of noise, that reverberates and does create a symphony of 'Hello, there I am! I wondered where I was.And I wondered where you were! There you are!! How are you?'

UPDATE 11:23AM, GMT 05-01-2019 (with a generous helping of kudos to Constance for actually finding this film. I never thought to look!!)

Here it is :heart:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzjtJmdw2Os

[johnf]

I have had deep experiences of peace in the midst of extreme physical danger, and in the middle of extreme mental emotional anquish.
I have felt time slow down and dilate in times of danger that took quick thinking and action.
Before I go on with what I consider to be the gems I learned from them I have to admit that I have spent most of my life with strong anxiety.
And more often than not I consider that the above experiences might be symptoms of psychosis or very strong neurosis.


However, all these things have led me to sense that infinitely deep peace is within and all around all moments no matter what surface conflicts
I may be experiencing at the moment. I have recently felt very strong dislikes of where humanity and society are presently, and really I know that there is a deep and unfathomable love for all others behind, within and all around others as well as myself. that presence I believe to be what we all are, and the painful and frightening things we go through to be a way to hold a magnifying glass up to what we all are and to fully express the extent of what is in the never ending unfoldment of the game of time.


I feel that every event and all apparent parts of all events are living expressions of being, and each has a breath. Some points are full of peace and rest, such as the full in breath, and some have at least a touch of anxiety because of the lack of air,(at least percieved), and I follow a breathing technique where I stretch out those sections of breath purposefully in order to deeply relax. The middle section of both the in breath and out breath is where all the action is, and where most of the motion is. So there are two parts of the breath that corespond to the moments in our life that have the most change. I feel remiss in assigning more peace or angst to any of these parts of the universal cycle because I have experienced peace during all of them.

All the motion and noise I have ever experienced I feel, has always been showing up within the medium of complete silence and stillness.


So However clearly I can reference that experience of deep rest in the midst of action and conflict I do and allowing myself to feel as fully as possible whatever sensations are arising, is the basic tool. Fairly easy to describe, but extremely challenging to do persistently from moment to moment. I ain't dead yet as far as I can tell, so here I go again.


Wow, where the hell did all that come from?


Thanks for the excellent topic Constance.

[Constance]

ffffffffffffffffffffffffff

[johnf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyclqo_AV2M

Music always helps...


Thanks to Diziblue for this link, I read the first two pages of the thread, and let all the wonderful thoughts from everyones posts echo through
all the beatles songs that showed up after the first song.

[Rich]

all , everything we acquire , we cherish and value, the bonds we make , our things, money , our physicality ,friends and loved ones, will all be lost. knowing the impermanance of this life has to be stressful
If you think loss will happen anyway, why do you think it must be stressful if you believe it cannot be averted?

[Rich]

What helps in my experience is forgetting the past and only focus on what is now, can be done with eyes open or closed.

Here an example from ACIM:

This lesson takes no time. For what is time without a past and future?
It has taken time to misguide you so completely, but it takes no time at all to be what you are.
Begin to practice the Holy Spirit's use of time as a teaching aid to happiness and peace.
Take this very instant, now, and think of it as all there is of time.
Nothing can reach you here out of the past, and it is here that you are completely absolved, completely free and wholly without condemnation.
From this holy instant wherein holiness was born again you will go forth in time without fear, and with no sense of change with time.

[greybeard]

As always your ACIM posts appreciated Rich.

[Vicus]

Don't watch TV !!! EVER...