There are three simple words in the English language that we throw around without care, almost egregiously. It seems as though we feel obligated to say them, to the point they start to become a meaningless cliché. Yet these words are potent, as at their very core they bring the fullness of the human capacity for emotion to the surface. People have sacrificed a great deal for these words throughout history; many have even given their lives for them. The three words to which I am referring are quite simply, Peace On Earth.
Particularly during the holiday season, we are inundated with this notion of peace. But what is it we are really talking about here? Is it merely the cessation of war? I am certain that is part of it, but I have a feeling true peace encompasses so much more and I am beginning to come to the realization that peace, on earth, is much more difficult to achieve than we ever thought possible, yet more readily attainable than any of us ever dreamed.
I have been practicing yoga for almost 8 years now, but have just recently been introduced to the concept of the Satsang. There is more to it than I can discuss now, but the basic concept (and meaning of the word) is Divine Association: intentionally segregating what is divine from what is not and allowing your mind to focus solely on the divine. The belief is that when we associate our mind and body with something, we develop an attachment to it, whatever that may be – good or bad. We see something that appeals to us and so we think it is good. It entices us, it beckons us, and soon it begins to dominate our thoughts. We begin to desire it, to love it and we become attached to it and are then dependent upon it. This process is the same for the things of the world that can bring pain and suffering, such as addictions, as well as the things that bring health and life such as love and joy. The crux is in choosing what to be in association with and recognizing that the longer we submit to a specific association, the stronger it becomes.
When we look at a thin sheet of ice on top of the water, we see it can be easily broken, but over time, that thin sheet of ice thickens and can eventually become a glacier, which is strong enough to carve mountains. If we continue to feed the ice by slowly dripping cold water on it, we will see its size and strength grow. However, if we slowly drip warm water on it, we will see it begin to melt. So it is with the mind…if we constantly associate and dwell on the things of the world, then there will be no room for God, yet if we steadily begin to associate and attach to the things of the Divine, it will slowly take the place of any negative attachments.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk known for the closeness of his relationship with God, depicts a similar concept to the Satsang in his classic text, The Practice of the Presence of God. To summarize, the majority of the text focuses on how he daily associated himself with the things of God. He would simply think about God constantly and when he recognized that he had become distracted, he simply refocused his attention back to God. And the more he practiced this, the easier it became. His heart and mind were bonded to God in such a powerful way, that meditating and being in communion with God became second nature for Brother Lawrence.
The way I see that this relates to peace on earth is found in the teachings of Confucius; “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.” There is another saying that reiterates this concept, which is attributed to the Dalai Lama; “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
Regardless of your religious beliefs, I have a feeling that there is something here worth investigating...and that is if we truly desire a world of peace, then the only possible way for it to become a reality is for us to take responsibility for the unrest we each bring into the world and begin to set our hearts right. No longer can we tacitly place the blame on others, be it our neighbor, our employer, our politicians, our religious leaders, or even our fanatical left and right wing extremists. I have to accept responsibility for my contributions to preventing peace in my sphere of influence. And slowly, each day, I attempt to make decisions that bring me closer to the divine in hopes of finding an inner peace that may change the world.
So, the next time you hear those three simple words, take a moment of reflection, and hopefully we can all allow the divine that we have become attached to inside our hearts, see and recognize that same divine in others. It may be at that very moment that we truly know and experience peace here on earth.
Several weeks ago I was in a meeting where we were discussing the January worship series for our church, of which one of the weeks will be focused on slowing down in a hurry up world. We talked about the pace in which we live our lives, always seeming to be in a hurry, especially around the holidays. The focus of our culture seems to be on quantity rather than quality...how much can we do? How many friends do we have on facebook? How many activities are we involved in? How many projects can we juggle at work? People always tell me that life goes by so fast, especially in regards to parenting children, and we often express remorse about that fact. I wonder if there are things we can do in order to change the pace in which we live our lives?
