How I Abide in Peace Now!

How I Abide in Peace Now!

First I abandoned desires, then attachment. Now I abide in supreme peace.

I do not mix much. I do not move. I meditate. Now I abide in eternal peace.

I controlled the senses and the mind. I cultivated dispassion. Now I abide in everlasting peace that passeth all understanding.

I am all-pervading, immortal Atman; knowing this, now I abide in immortal peace.

I have renounced both action and renunciation of action. I live happily in any state now. So I abide in perennial peace.

The sense-objects are the robbers. I have annihilated these robbers, I am quite safe and happy. Now I abide in unalloyed peace.

RECIPE FOR PEACE OF MIND

Be contented always in any condition or circumstance or environment.

Erase the impressions of sensual experience quickly, Through Viveka, Vichara, meditation, Mithya-drishti and Dosha-drishti.

Do not allow the mind to dwell or brood over the objects.

Give up planning and scheming;

But you can cultivate foresight or far-sightedness.

Do not argue or have heated debates

Just for bringing the man to accept your opinion;

But you can always have profitable religious discussions.

Cultivate serenity or calmness of mind.

Be regular in your Japa, Kirtan, study and meditation.

Give up reading newspapers and novels.

Be simple in your food and dress and everything.

Be in the company of sages and saints.

Ignore insults, bad treatment, harsh words,

Talk a little, mix a little, eat a little.

Meditate on peace and benefits of peace.

ENEMIES OF ETERNAL PEACE

Sensual enjoyment

Too much talking

Love for the world

Lust, greed, hatred, egoism, etc.

Attachment to wife, children and property

Attachment to body

Lust, greed, hatred, egoism, etc

Are enemies of eternal peace.

PRAYER FOR WORLD-PEACE

When you sit for meditation in the morning hours, send out currents of your love and peace to all living beings. Say – Sarvesham swasti bhavatu – May auspiciousness be unto all; Sarvesham santir bhavatu – May peace be unto all; Sarvesham purnam bhavatu – May fullness be unto all; Sarvesham mangalam bhavhtu – May prosperity be unto all; Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu – May happiness be unto the whole world.

Let us all pray for the peace of all. May absolute peace reign over the whole world. May all nations and communities be united by the bond of pure love. May all enjoy peace and prosperity. May there be deep abiding peace, throughout the universe! O All-compassionate, Adorable Lord! Grant us eternal peace, purity, strength to serve our country and the humanity and the Mahatmas and preceptors! May we all work together harmoniously with the spirit of self-sacrifice for the well-being of the world. May we all develop cosmic love and universal brotherhood. May we see God in all faces. May we all possess an understanding and forgiving heart, broad tolerance and adaptability. Grant us the inner eye of wisdom, O Lord, with which we will behold Oneness of the Self everywhere!

PEACE THROUGH PERFECTION

Peace is the essential nature of every person. Atman is Peace. Ayam Atma Santo – declares the Upanishad. This Atman is Peace by its nature. You can have peace only from where peace resides. Peace is not in external objects. Peace is not in the sensual pleasures. Like the ghee (clarified butter) poured into the fire to put it out, every indulgence in sensual pleasures serves only to aggravate the flames of desires and causes increased restlessness of mind. The panacea for this cycle of sensual pleasures and sensual desires lies in turning the mind away from these objects, recognising the futility of seeking peace in them, and fixing it in one’s own all-blissful Atman. Saints and sages from beginningless past have been dinning this truth into the ears of man, yet due to colossal ignorance, he pays a deaf ear to their counsels and persists in his senseward life. After receiving knocks here and there in his pursuit of happiness in sense-objects, he ultimately turns to God for happiness, having convinced himself that peace does not lie in objects outside.

Peace is in leading a divine life. Peace is in knowing one’s essential Atmic nature. Peace is in practising devotion to God. Peace is in stilling the restless mind. Peace is in serving God in His creations.

Peace and perfection are synonymous terms. There is no peace to the imperfect. Perfection does not consist in physical strength or beauty, nor does it consist in studying a car-load of books. Perfection is not physical, mental or intellectual, but it is spiritual knowledge of one’s Atomic nature, born not through mere study of books, but through purification of one’s heart; hearing, reflection, deep meditation and actual experience of one’s essential Nature alone can make one perfect.

THE ART OF FINDING PEACE OF MIND

The peace that passeth all understanding has been, since the remotest times, the axis around which Indian culture has revolved in all its aspects. Peace is a state of quiet; it is freedom from disturbance, anxiety, agitation, violence, disharmony, restlessness; it is harmony, silence, calm, repose, rest, tranquillity. Peace is the very nature of the inner Self in man.

Nothing can bring man peace but himself; nothing can bring him peace but the victory over his own lower self, the triumph over his own senses and mind, desires and cravings. If he has no peace within himself, it is vain to seek it in external objects and outward sources. Wealth, women, children, property and palatial buildings cannot give him everlasting peace. Look within the chambers of his own heart, he must, should he desire real peace. When he is established in the highest Self within, he will not be shaken by heavy sorrow, loss or failure and inharmonious or disagreeable vibration. He will tide over all difficulties and crises in life easily and will come out with triumph in all life’s experiences.

Peace comes from prayer, Japa, Kirtan, meditation, good and sublime thoughts and understanding. Development of cosmic love, kindness, forgiveness, understanding of the views of others, selflessness, desirelessness, non-attachment, freedom from ‘I-ness’ and ‘mine-ness’ and cravings, devotion to God, self-restraint, control of the mind and the senses, bring happiness and peace of mind.

Anger, greed, jealousy, hatred are all enemies of peace. Development of goodwill, cooperation, mercy, compassion, non-resistance or non-retaliation to injuries done to him, forgiveness, contentment, nobility and magnanimity will flood man with peace. Praying for those that have done him harm, sending of thought-currents of peace and goodwill to them and to all the world, when one sits for meditation or for prayer, will bring the individual great peace of mind.

Perfect peace cannot be had in this world, for the simple reason that this is a relative plane. The mind itself and all objects are conditioned in time, space and causation. But where are we to look for peace? We can find peace in its plenitude in the immortal Self within. The Self in us is the embodiment of peace and is beyond time, space and causation.

Man has forgotten this inner Self, his inherent and essential Nature, on account of Ignorance, and so is he tossed about hither and thither in the ocean of this Samsara by the two currents of Raga and Dvesha, likes and dislikes.

Man vainly searches for his peace and his happiness in perishable objects that are conditioned in time, space and causation, and therefore, he has no peace of mind. The musk deer does not know that the fragrance of musk is emanating from its own naval. It wanders about here and there to find out the source of this smell. Even so, the man of ignorance and worldliness is not aware that the fountain of bliss is within himself in the Immortal Atman or the Soul and he is running after the external perishable objects to get peace and happiness. He can have real and permanent peace if he would turn his mind from the objective universe and live in the Divine within his own heart. He can be free from cares, worries, anxieties, fear, delusion, doubt, restlessness, only if he leads a Divine Life, and obtains purity of heart and concentration of mind. Through Sadhana man should attain Knowledge of the Self within, and it then that ignorance, egoism, anger, jealousy, and all those traits that are responsible for the errors and evils and restlessness of life, will vanish. With their vanishing, man will enjoy ineffable peace of the Self.

UNIVERSAL MESSAGE OF PEACE AND LOVE

The urge of peace which unmistakably manifests itself in the wise men of the world, in those who have the power of discrimination well developed in them is proof enough to convince even the rank sceptic that the essential nature of man is Peace. The Self or the Atman which alone is Reality in every being here, is Peace, because it is non-dual, one without a second. Its other ‘Names’ – if we can call them ‘Names’! – are Truth, Love, Life, Light, Knowledge, Bliss. This Atman is the ultimate Reality of every religion, though each religion gives it a ‘Name’ of its own. If you wish to have Peace, therefore, all that you have to do is to awaken Man to his own real Nature.

Man should adhere to Truth in every sphere of life. He should love all, even those whom he considers to be his enemies – for enemies he should have none. He should respect, love and protect the life of all other beings. Killing of every sort – not only of human beings, but of animals too – should be anathema to him. He should reveal by his thoughts, words and deeds that he is an enlightened being, a man who has a certain amount of knowledge which the lower forms of life do not possess. Then and then alone will there be Peace in this world. Politics has its basis in sociology; sociology has its basis in individual personal development; individual personal development is governed by the philosophy of and the religion that each man follows! The philosophy of the East considers Man as the unit. Man is asked to perfect himself. As the world is only a mirage projected by his own nescience, he is to ignore it and concentrate all his attention on his own Self, removing the defects within him. This has been called a futile – other world philosophy which deprives man of what this world can give him and makes him a dreamer, an idealist, unfit to inhabit this earth. On the contrary, it is this philosophy alone that can give us Peace. Disregarding the world outside him, man endeavours to perfect himself, to find the Peace within himself – for, Peace is the nature of the Self. He loves his neighbours, for Love is the nature of the Self within. A nation or a community composed of such men is naturally peace-loving, united and harmonious. It is a great psychological advantage to tell man that he is of greater moment to himself than what the world around him appears to him to be, to make him realise that what the world depends on what he is and thus to educate him to the peace within himself, so that the world might enjoy Peace.

This is, in fact, the Message of every religion in the world. Humanity neglected the various messages it received from the Prophets, Sages and Saviours, lent its ear to the false prophets who assured it maximum enjoyment – confident of injecting this through the senses – and has, therefore, come to grief. The remedy is simple enough, once the diagnosis is recognised. Humanity should turn its back on the false prophets and return to the ancient wise ones. Each man and each woman should be made to realise the paramountcy of religion, which means philosophy-in-practice – and the futility of running after illusory sense-pleasures of this world.

How I Abide in Peace Now! – Inner Stillness, Faith, and Spiritual Balance

How I Abide in Peace Now! is a reflection on the quiet transformation that comes when the seeker stops running after outer support and begins to rest in the inner self. Peace is not found merely by changing places, people, possessions, or situations. It is discovered when the mind becomes calm, the heart becomes pure, and the soul learns to stand apart from restless thoughts and changing experiences.

Earlier, peace seemed to depend on circumstances. If people praised me, I felt happy. If things went according to my wish, I felt secure. If comfort was present, I felt settled. But this kind of peace was fragile because it depended on what could change at any moment. Life taught me that anything built only on outer conditions cannot remain stable for long.

How I Abide in Peace Now! begins with understanding that the mind is not the true self. Thoughts come and go, emotions rise and fall, desires appear and disappear, but awareness remains present. When I identify with every thought, I become disturbed. When I observe thoughts as passing waves, I begin to feel free. This witness-attitude is a doorway to inner quietness.

I have learned that peace requires discipline. A careless life produces a careless mind. Excessive talking, unnecessary worry, uncontrolled entertainment, harsh speech, and restless company disturb the inner atmosphere. Simple living, moderation, prayer, noble thoughts, good company, and silence create space for peace to grow. The mind becomes lighter when life becomes cleaner.

Prayer has become a great support. When the heart feels burdened, prayer gives it a place to rest. I do not pray only to change the world according to my desire. I pray for strength, patience, purity, surrender, and right understanding. Prayer softens the ego and reminds me that I am not alone. It opens the heart to grace.

How I Abide in Peace Now! also depends on surrender. I do my duty, make sincere effort, and try to act wisely, but I no longer want to carry every result on my head. Success and failure both belong to a larger order. This attitude does not make me inactive. It makes action calmer, purer, and free from unnecessary anxiety.

Meditation helps me return to the centre. Sitting quietly, watching the breath, repeating a mantra, or resting in witnessing awareness gradually reduces the noise of the mind. Thoughts may still arise, but they do not have the same power. I have learned not to fight every thought. I simply bring the mind back again and again to stillness.

Control of speech has also brought peace. Many disturbances begin with careless words. Harsh speech, gossip, complaint, and argument create unrest both outside and inside. Speaking less, speaking kindly, and speaking truthfully saves energy. Silence is not emptiness; it is a sacred power when practiced with understanding.

How I Abide in Peace Now! is connected with detachment. Detachment does not mean that I do not love others or perform my responsibilities. It means I try not to cling, demand, control, or depend completely on changing things. I can love more freely when I do not bind others with expectation. I can serve better when ego becomes weaker.

I have also learned to accept life with more patience. Acceptance is not weakness. It is the ability to see the present moment clearly without burning the mind in resistance. Some things can be changed through effort, and some must be endured with courage. Peace grows when I stop fighting reality unnecessarily and begin responding with wisdom.

Self-examination keeps me alert. At the end of the day, I look within and ask: Did I speak kindly? Did I control anger? Did I remember the Divine? Did I act with selfishness or service? Did I waste energy in worry? These questions help me correct myself without self-hatred. Every day becomes a chance to grow.

How I Abide in Peace Now! is possible because I have begun to value inner peace more than outer excitement. The world offers many attractions, but not all of them nourish the soul. Some pleasures leave restlessness behind. Some victories strengthen ego. Some desires create new bondage. Discrimination helps me choose what brings lasting calm.

Good company has also helped me. Noble books, uplifting thoughts, sincere seekers, and spiritual teachings protect the mind from lower influences. The mind becomes what it repeatedly receives. When it receives purity, devotion, wisdom, and compassion, it naturally becomes peaceful. Therefore, I try to guard the doors of the mind carefully.

The deepest peace comes from remembering the Divine presence within. When I forget this presence, life feels heavy and separate. When I remember it, even ordinary actions become sacred. Work becomes offering, difficulty becomes training, silence becomes prayer, and daily life becomes a field for spiritual growth.

In the end, How I Abide in Peace Now! is not a claim of perfect freedom, but a humble expression of inner progress. Through prayer, meditation, surrender, detachment, self-examination, good company, disciplined speech, and remembrance of the Divine, the mind slowly becomes calm. Peace is no longer only a distant dream; it becomes a living possibility within the heart.

The Doctrine of Grace