"There is a place of tranquility and sanctuary deep within you that you can retreat to at any time and be yourself. ”
When I work with people who are struggling with anxiety, fear, sadness, or other distress, I like to use a simple practice that I call the "awareness exercise."
This is my first step in helping people get rid of their psychological distress.
Surprisingly, one can quickly and easily find peace from pain by simply shifting one's attention to the feeling of being in the present moment – feeling the sensation of the body touching the chair, feeling the expansion of the ribs as you breathe, or listening to the sounds in the room.
Even those who are deeply troubled can experience calm when they try this simple meditation for the first time.
This is because peace is already deep within each of us. It's part of who we are. When the activity of the mind stops, even if it is only for a moment, the peace remains.
Imagine the sea.
On the surface of the sea, the water is constantly moving. It never stops, even for a moment. But when you dive into the deep sea, it's quiet and peaceful.
Similar to the situation of the mind.
On the surface, the mind is always active, but deep down in our hearts, there is a natural peace and tranquility that is unaffected by the outside world and is always there. Although this inner peace is always present, most people ignore it because they are used to focusing on the movement of the surface of the mind.
We are so focused on the superficial activities of our minds that we neglect the experiences that lie within.
However, regardless of appearance, there is a peace deep inside of each person that has nothing to do with the surface movement of the mind, and this peace is unaffected.
Take the focus away from your mind, even if it's just for a moment, and it's there.
You don't need to create it, you just recognize that it's always there.
Peace will not leave you, it is you who leave peace.
Stress, anxiety, and unhappiness are mostly found in thought forms.
If you are able to fully immerse yourself in the present moment, the mind will calm down and stress and anxiety will be replaced by peace and serenity.
Of course, most people pick up the painful story again after the meditation is over, but their ability to get rid of the pain for a while provides clues to finding a more lasting solution.
With practice, anyone can learn to withdraw their attention from their mind for a longer period of time, thus prolonging periods of calm.
Have you been looking for peace in the wrong places?
Most people are wrong to look for a place of peace – at least not a place that lasts for peace.
It's a bit like looking for the key in the house but looking for it in the garden.
You'll never find them ......Because they're not there.
Most of the people I help have been finding peace through the path of self-improvement for years.
This makes perfect sense.
If my mind is causing me problems, the obvious solution is to try to fix it – try to "improve yourself", try to transform all the anxious and unhappy thoughts and feelings into pleasant, joyful.
But if you've taken this path like me, you'll know that fundamentally changing the mind isn't easy.
The problem with this approach can be summed up by this quote from the Indian spiritual teacher Nisagdata:
There is no peace of mind. The mind means interference; Restlessness itself is the mind. ”
Just like the surface of the ocean, the mind is always in motion. It is inherently not quiet.
Although there may be brief moments of calm, they will inevitably be followed by agitation and distractions.
Restlessness is the essence of the mind. Trying to calm and tranquil it is like trying to iron out the surface of the ocean. This simply cannot happen.
Instead of trying to calm the mind, accept the mind as it is.
To find a solution that really works, we must first understand the true cause of suffering. It's not what most people think it is.
It is believed that thoughts such as anxiety, fear, confusion, etc., are the main cause of suffering.
They believe that there is something wrong with the mind and needs to be fixed. Anxiety, fear, confusion, etc., are inherently bad or wrong. They have problems because they have these ideas. They cannot experience peace or happiness until these thoughts are gone. These beliefs are the main reason why people suffer.
As the Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello said:
There is only one reason for unhappiness; The false beliefs in your head that are so common, so pervasive that it never occurred to you to question them. ”
Instead of spending years trying to fix what's in your head, focus on accepting your mind as it is.
What if you could accept them as a natural expression of the human condition, rather than struggling with fear, sadness, jealousy, or confusion?
What if you didn't mind if they existed?
Although they may still feel unpleasant, without resistance, they lose the power that affects your peace.
We can wrap our unpeace in the peace of acceptance.
You don't need to be calm to experience peace.
You need to stop giving your mind so much attention and importance.
If you are able to accept with an unbiased attitude of acceptance that whatever arises, whether pleasant or unpleasant, you will always be at peace.
Acceptance is to the mind what Cripton is. It loses the power to disturb your calmness.
The Two Types of Calm There are two types of peace.
One is the feeling of peace, which is a temporary feeling of getting rid of uneasiness or uneasiness. Like all sensations, it comes and goes, like clouds passing through the sky.
Then there is the peace that exists deep within you; The always, ever-present background peace has nothing to do with what's going on in your head.
Even in the most intense storms at sea, in the depths, the sea remains calm and still.
There is a peace in the heart of every human being, which is always unaffected by superficial movements, no matter how intense.
And it's not hard to find. If it's already a part of you, how can it not be there?
You don't need to change anything about yourself to experience what has always been deep within you.
You just have to dive beneath the surface and discover what's always been there.
The peace you seek is always with you. But you'll never find it on the mental level.