Shanti. Peace. If between two neighbouring countries there is no war for a long time, can we say that peace prevails in those countries? Though there is no war there can be cross border terrorism as is between India and Pakistan . If that is not the case even then we can’t still say there exist peace in those countries. Is there any family within those countries who never experienced peacelessness?
A couple happily married may be staying together in one apartment and still can be poles apart. How is this peace!
A loved one left his mortal coil and a dead silence spreads in the family.
In the broad day light one shooter of underworld or mafia kills someone on the main road and the noisy and crowded road becomes still.
Is this the peace we want?
Peace can’t be experienced on gun point. Every event discussed here results into peace, but not a pure peace. The impurity is mixed with the peace, like fear, annoyance, sulking, anger etc.
Impure thoughts such as, to deceive someone, having bad vision towards someone, to cheat someone, telling lies, giving excuses etc. can not allow us to be peaceful. They disturb us, confuse us, make us restless, give us sleepless nights resulting into insomnia, stress, tension, worries, heart problems and all the psychosomatic diseases. This is the type of peace or rather peacelessness is there in this old, iron aged world.
Peace can not be attained from impurity. Purity and positivity is must. Purity is not only absence of impurity but also having good wishes, pure feelings and pure wishes for others and for the self.
One must be well-wisher of himself. One must look towards himself with elevated vision, so also towards others. Peace filled with vibrations of purity is only possible in our sweet silence home. This is a unique type of peace. It is not only free from sound and movement but spread with stillness as the snow spreads on the mountain top. The moment the soul takes his place there in the land of peace and Nirvana, all the faculties of the soul go into deep slumber, the thought if it is half way it gets frozen like that. Not even a single ripple is created. The very last ripple is silenced and frozen. Everything becomes living picture, living statue. No thoughts, no feelings! Just retired!!
However this peace in the land of Peace and liberation lacks life and happiness. Purity is said to be mother of Peace and happiness. Happiness can’t be there on empty stomach. One must be contented before enjoying happiness. Contentment brings happiness. Contentment is the outcome of the fulfilment and satisfaction. When we are fully filled in with all the treasures we are contented and happy. This is enjoyed in Golden age where the nature is pure and virgin. The souls are pure and the bodies, made from the five elements of nature, are also pure. The atmosphere is filled with Peace and purity.
Everything is in abundance, the nature serves the humanity. Nothing is lacking. It is the Heaven on the earth. There is peace with activities.
And the journey of the eternal traveller, the soul continues. When it reaches the iron age the condition of peace is torn into pieces, as described above. There exists peace at the gun point. Peace mixed with terror and impurity! Entire world is passing through the difficult times, becomes helpless and start calling upon the God, deities, saints, gurus etc.
In the confluence age, besides purity; mercy and forgiveness are required. We interact with others and the clashes of sanskars or others’ hard, ruthless, selfish behaviour results in taking and giving of sorrow. The flue of feelings spreads. It results into no connection or interrupted dialog with Baba in meditation. In fact the yoga is with the other person, as we re-live the incidences again and again and make the wound further deep, get more and more pain out of it. We and our feelings are controlled by others, our life is controlled by others. We do not like it that way but we can’t help it. Our condition becomes miserable. It becomes more essential to forget everything, but we can’t possibly do it. We understand unless we forgive we can’t forget. We have to become an image of forgiveness and forget the issues between us & others and make peace with others then we can experience the peace again.
What is difference between Peace & Silence?
In silence we shut our mouth, we silence words but still within different voices continue; dialog, conversation goes on, hearing in the court continues and we sometime sentence someone who is guilty according to us.
But in peace even mind is silenced! We can use this simile : ice-block stands for peace and vapours surrounding it is silence!
Om Shanti!
Prakash Talathi