Understanding the heart Peace

Only when our minds are free of desires or oppositions, accepting and depending on all circumstances can we taste the material of true peace and happiness.

Our minds are inherently inextricably linked, because the two most basic human enjoyment needs, material comfort and spiritual comfort (honor), are external. Therefore, day and night we constantly pray that favorable conditions always come to us. Only when our wishes are fulfilled, or at least without any difficulties, do we find peace. Soon the unsatisfactory things come, or it is within us that other desires arise so that the peace has no basis for existence. If the scene is not peaceful, the mind is not peaceful.

It is easy to see the peace when we travel to a remote countryside, or some quiet mountainous region. Having just put aside the worries of life, being nurtured in the gentle and fresh scenery, and feeling the life we are in contact with at every moment, our hearts have really calmed down and stopped. If we intentionally seek such space to nourish our souls, we will naturally cherish every moment that passes. But unfortunately, the effort is only willpower. The habit of clinging to objects that bring familiar emotions can appear suddenly and overwhelm the willpower. Then, suddenly, I felt that I didn't belong here anymore, and my heart suddenly felt like a stranger. And if because of reluctance we have to fall into a peaceful scene, we will surely be as low as sitting on embers. We even try to break up the quiet atmosphere for more comfort. If we don't talk to anyone, we remember the past or think about the future to pass the time. Therefore, a peaceful scene can also make the mind peaceful, but if the mind is disturbed too much, the scene also succumbs.

Now many young people complain that life is so busy, that they no longer have time to rest. But when they get their days off, they get all sorts of things to do. If they don't go shopping, they go see friends; without cooking, they go online to search for information; Without watching television, they wandered the streets. They can't seem to rest. The mind must cling to something, at least think of what it deems necessary. That way they feel fine. When they were exhausted they would stop and fall asleep; Or when they lie in a hospital bed or fall into a miserable accident, they see the value of rest. The peace of mind in this case is still based on the condition of the situation, which is still outside our initiative. Many people, after experiencing great accidents, feel the value of life, are aware of what is worth preserving, so they think that they have entered another turning point in life. But after only a short time, the attractions of external circumstances bring them back to their old consciousness. They continued to struggle and were as tired as they had ever been.

There was a person named Hui Kha who came to pray with the Zen master Bodhidharma. After many days when Hui Kai still hadn't seen the Zen master transmit the important cultivation experiences as expected, his heart was suddenly bewildered. Hui Kai immediately summoned up his courage, walked over to the Zen master and knelt down to ask for a method to calm his mind. The Zen master said, "Give me a restless mind, I can help." Hui Kai looked closely at himself to find his restless mind, and said, "Yes, I searched but I didn't find it." The Zen master smiled and replied, "I have peace of mind for you."

Even when we desire to receive things or right, to learn methods that sublimate the value of our souls, it can make our minds restless, tired, and miserable. Of course, no one can show their mind to others, because it has no specific form. Let alone restless mind is just a temporary psychological phenomenon, it cannot remain in the same state. But the Zen master suggested bringing out the restless mind because he wanted to help the meditator understand that when the heart still wishes and is not restful, the desire is over, the mind will naturally be restful. In fact, the Zen master did not pass on the method at all, only reminding the meditator to go back to using his own restlessness to find the saddle. The saddle that does not rely on such external conditions is the true saddle. Of course, it takes a lot more elaboration to keep that calm, but that's a very important starting point.

When our minds remain in equilibrium with ourselves—content with what we have, neither wanting more nor excluding them—we are also in balance with everything around us. This is an important foundation for peace to be born. The amazing thing is that when the mind is at peace we see every object or problem on another level, quite exactly what is really going on. Because peace of mind is not only very clear, but can also connect with the energies emitted from the object or problem itself in contact. So when we're angry or passionately in love, we can't see reality right. We seem to be in another world.

When we look at the ripples rolling on the surface of the lake, we might think this lake is in turmoil. Or when we see a white color covering the mountain, we think this mountain must be old. But that's a superficial view. When the mind is peaceful, look more closely, we will see that the disturbance is only the upper part of the lake affected by the wind, but the bottom of the lake is still quiet. I also discovered that the whiteness was only covered with snow, but the mountain was very blue, very young. When the mind is at peace, we will clearly see what is the phenomenon, what is the being, what is false and what is true. Most importantly, we have found ourselves – the honest, innocent self that has drifted with the ups and downs of life for so long. Peace of mind is truly our true mind; And mental turmoil is only a momentary upheaval.

The Buddha once affirmed: "It is necessary to idealize creation"—how our minds are, how we perceive the world around us. Beautiful-ugly, high-low, luxurious, pros-back is not inherently the essence of reality. It's all woven by human greed. When our desires are satisfied, we think life is beautiful; And when things go against our aspirations, we think life is boring. Meanwhile, everything in this world and the vast universe operates according to very natural principles: cause and effect and dependent birth. He did not spoil anyone, nor did he mean to hate anyone. It's just that I'm too greedy. When it agrees with me, I rejoice without surprise and refuse; And when it plays against us, we panic and protest. So, when we transform those unnecessary desires and oppositional energies and return them to the mysterious tranquil nature of our souls, we find the world around us peaceful—very lovely and worth preserving.

From profound insight, the Buddha also once emphasized: "The peace of mind of the world is peaceful". Although the world around us is still turbulent, if our minds are peaceful, we will not be disturbed by it. On the contrary, the peaceful energy within us will set out to join with other peaceful energies that are scattered around the world. When qualified, it becomes the great effect – the peaceful world. In fact, everything on the planet is very peaceful, only people are not peaceful and have turned everything upside down. But human nature is also very peaceful, only because they allow the energies of desire and opposition to overwhelm the gentle nature that heaven and earth have given. Therefore, no one can make everyone in this world peaceful, that's everyone's problem. However, the peaceful energy in each person is very interactive. It will make it easier for the condition to arrive at peace in everyone. Therefore, the peaceful energy of each person is always essential for the family, society, the world, and the universe.

In the song "Peace", the musician Quoc Bao is subtle when he realizes: "Peace for a moment for the soft heart/ Peace for me at night/ Peace for the flower to greet/ Peace for the moon to rise/ Peace for the waves to cherish the shore/ Unexpected peace/ My heart will pray peace". When the soul is at peace, even if only for a moment, anger or bigotry will disintegrate. In that moment of peace, we saw mysterious realities that we don't normally see: the flower just opened, the moon was rising, and the waves were constantly cradling the shore. However, the musician claims that it is our peaceful energy tonight that makes the flowers bloom, the moon high and the waves cherish the shore. It's true that the surroundings happen naturally, but that doesn't mean it's irrelevant to humans. Because all things are always interacting with each other. When the flower in my heart has blossomed, the moon in my heart has cleared, and the waves in my heart have accepted to cherish the shore, how can these external things not be nourished by me? And we ourselves did not expect that when peace and compassion suddenly awakened.

In the song there are two very strange lines: "As from immensity we are born another life/ As from within each other grow together." It takes someone who has gone through traumatic experiences and has reached the shores of peace to write these sentences. When our minds are at peace, it's like being born again—old ideas die to make way for new ones to be born. That's my new self. It's not two different things, but it can't be one again. The question is, do we really want and have the courage to let the idea of anger and hatred in us die, for the idea of tolerance and forgiveness to be born? Sometimes it's already born and we don't admit it. We try to cling to that old crippled self to satisfy our selfish and weak egos. The wonderful thing is that our new life comes about because of the suffering that the other person brings. And when we realize that we have grown from within each other, how can we blame each other? So "Give each other an innocent sound/ To forget all the difficulties of separation"—not only forgiveness, but we cherish the moment of seeing each other, wholeheartedly helping each other to refresh rather than blaming or losing. Only a peaceful heart can do that!

Indeed, only when our hearts are free of desires or oppositions, accepting and depending on all circumstances, can we taste true peace and happiness. In the initial stage, if we find it difficult to keep our minds in the face of circumstances that are too opposite, we should temporarily find ourselves a space that is safe enough to calm our souls. When the soul is truly at peace, the disturbing emotions have been deposited and transformed, we boldly come back into contact with all situations and objects. Although the situation is still in turmoil, although the object is not yet out of difficulty, with the new level of consciousness we will see that it is no longer a terrible problem. And we can also contribute to changing the situation. Therefore, if we know that our minds are peaceful, we should only preserve our minds without chasing the scene. Because the scene is peaceful and our mind is not at peace, we do not find it peaceful.

Depending on the circumstances:
Do not force according to your will, Keep the
mind, do not keep the scene, The scene
is also peaceful.

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