The Voyage of Inner Peace

For many, "inner peace" brings to mind a closed-eyed Indian guru sitting in

lotus position. He is experiencing transcendental bliss. Proponents claim

that you reach this place by meditating -- going within and connecting to the

God Self.

In the West, Christians draw a different picture. They believe that you

cannot find inner peace by going within. Doing that will produce only

trouble, confusion, and egotism. Instead, you must accept Christ as your

personal Savior to find it.

An alternative exists, one that does not require hours of daily meditation

(although it couldn't hurt) or dedicating one's life to a deity (ditto).

This

alternative is the voyage of inner peace. On this journey, you learn to

distinguish between your truth and your ideology. Your true beliefs come into

focus.

Some Characteristics of Inner Peace

Perhaps the most notable characteristic of inner peace is happiness. Indeed,

inner peace and happiness may be synonymous. When you are there, you do not

inhibit yourself by being self-conscious. You flow and act freely. Being

content, you easily connect with others and express your true and deepest

feelings.

This state is neither static nor boring. Everything still happens; you are

more aware of it. You feel protected and secure. As a result, you act more

civilized and have more latitude in showing respect towards others.

Differences do not threaten you, because you do not hold your position that

rigidly or personally.

Being loose like this, some might think that you are intellectually adrift or

undecided. Actually, your perspective is more expansive and accepting. You

see both sides of the coin, though you have your preference.

The Watcher

Many levels of inner peace exist. As you go deeper, you may experience a

strange phenomenon. In the East, many believe in the "Watcher." The Watcher

is the detached witness that observes the drama of your life. For them, this

is the "real you." To understand this concept intellectually is one thing. To

experience the dynamics of the Watcher mystically is another. I use the word

mystically, because you cannot describe the experience accurately in

psychological terms. It is more than feeling detached and, if true, is beyond

the limits of secular psychological models. You observe your everyday-self

doing its dance as a different and distinct entity from yourself.

At first, this new relationship between the Watcher and the ego can be

disquieting, because you can't control that everyday self. Here, you must

take a leap of faith and turn over that control to God. Or, you can just

watch. If you (as the Watcher) try to grab the reins, then -- poof! -- you

are no longer the Watcher.

Getting There: The Four Elements

People say there are many ways to reach inner peace. They prescribe

meditating, Jesus, Allah, psychotherapy, and Prozac. The voyage of inner

peace is compatible with all disciplines, although the reverse is not always

true. On this path, you need four elements: intent, will, knowledge, and

awareness.

Intent means that you wish something. Without it, you would not start a

project. On this journey, your intent must be to make inner peace more

important than anything else. This includes the concerns of your ego. By

giving peace prime importance -- keeping it in the foreground of your

consciousness -- this "lens of peace" tempers your secondary goals and

concerns. Tempering them increases your chances of success, because when you

are calm and content inside you are ready to act clearly and effectively in

an instant.

Will means that you are committed and determined to carry through your

intent. Like so many New Year's resolutions, intent is easily lost and is

only as strong as your desire to make it happen. Without will, intent

dissipates, and you take a new direction. The use of will requires that you

refocus constantly, keeping your priorities in order. To make rapid progress,

you must make peace your highest priority.

For example, while on the journey you may take on other projects, like trying

a new discipline or searching for enlightenment. Seeking enlightenment and

other goals is not at issue here. The question is What is your psychological

state while you are pursuing them? If you make these goals more important

than peace, then whatever dualist elements they contain can slow your

progress (or provide more "lessons"). For example, say you want

enlightenment. Whenever you judge yourself or others to be unenlightened, you

could disrupt your peace. Ask yourself, " Am I going to give this [idea or

action] more importance than my peace?"

Here is a simple focusing technique. Before you go to sleep, ask yourself,

"What do I want?" and answer "Inner peace." These words sound simple; yet,

they can help keep you focused. You don't have to limit this practice to

bedtime, either. Use it whenever you feel out of focus and don't know what

you want.

Knowledge means that you understand your path and goal, and the limits of its

possibilities. You can, for instance, intend to jump off a roof and fly. You

can will it. Leap, however, and you'll crash to the ground. If flying is your

goal, however, you could study the appropriate Buddhist texts and practice

it. Flying, though, is not one of their goals. Rather, it is an alleged side

effect of their spiritual practices.

Knowledge prevents unrealistic expectations that can, in themselves, disturb

your inner peace. Idealistic notions invite egotism and failure when they are

in direct contradiction to existential reality. They sidetrack you, although

you can learn from your mistakes. The more that you explore your path, the

more knowledge you gain.

Knowledge also means that you have the information and the tools you need to

reach your goal and the skill to use them.

Awareness means that you catch yourself whenever you are not in inner peace

-- when something is disturbing you. Without this, you will continue to react

to inner and outer circumstances, unconscious that they are spoiling your

tranquility.

For example, say that people who act like "morons" disturb you. Whenever they

don't meet your expectations, you lose your patience and become angry. You

aren't thinking, "I'm disrupting my inner peace by reacting this way."

Instead, you are rightfully angry, because the person "is a moron."

To start, you could think, "Thanks for being a moron and showing me my

weakness." (You can use the template, "Thanks for being _______ and showing

me my weakness," whenever you need it.) This is another reason to love your

enemies. Awareness that you are causing your distress is the first step in

freeing yourself from habitual or instinctual reactions.

Soon, you may experience being angry, but it will not affect you that deeply.

Your anger will be real, yet superficial -- on the surface.

Accepting responsibility for your discomfort doesn't mean that you should

take abuse if you can avoid it. When you are peaceful, however, you can

determine the best course of action to change your circumstances.

Unity and Peace

Inner peace is a natural subset of unity. You cannot explore inner peace if

you are constantly bickering with others. You spend too much time in

separative behavior, like defending your position or attacking others. One

way to avoid this is to become a master of unity.

When most people step onto the path of unity, they believe that they are

unified already. They soon see, however, how far they are from mastering it.

The same principle applies to the voyage of inner peace. At the start, you

may think, "Well, I'm a pretty peaceful person." You soon discover how many

circumstances disturb you.

At the extreme, some experience the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Effect." Their

behavior, both peaceful and disturbing, becomes polarized. This doesn't mean

that they are acting differently. Instead, their imperfections become glaring

to them. ("Imperfections" in this sense are thoughts or actions that disrupt

inner peace.) Being polarized forces them to see; they wake up. When we are

conscious, we can choose to change our behavior.

Ethics and Peace

To be tranquil, you need a clear conscience. Your conscience is clear when

you are living within your code of ethics. Although a detailed discussion

about ethics is beyond our scope here, let's say that you behave ethically

when you do what is right. If a thought or action produces peace, then,

generally, it is right.

Some manage to bypass this. Somehow, they have erased their conscience.

(Having no conscience is different than having a clear one.) They can steal,

cheat, and lie and still sleep well at night. They wake up and do it again

the next day. This attitude, however, does not bring peace, because the

element of happiness is missing. Instead, it is cold and unfeeling -- living

death.

Choose a standard: Christian, Hindu, Judaic, New Age, or anything that works

for you. Live by it. Societies designed religious and spiritual belief

systems to help the serious seeker obtain peace (among other purposes).

Barriers

On this journey, you face two kinds of obstacles. One is biological, while

the other is cultural. The biological barriers are instinctual: surviving,

mating, defending territory, and maintaining or improving one's hierarchal

position. In the East, they call these instincts "desires."

If you spend your time worrying about survival, then you won't have time for

peace. The same applies if you are addicted to sex, are constantly defending

your territory (or "space"), or are attached to your status in the social and

familial hierarchies. In each case, you can become angry or afraid and treat

others as objects.

Cultural barriers are learned: being cool, judgmental, worthy, able, right,

egotistical, and the like. You deal with them the same way as you deal with

biological obstacles -- by learning to let go. Here is a technique:

Whenever life presents you with a situation that disturbs your inner peace,

note it. The event can be public or private. When you can, withdraw

psychologically from that situation and go within. This is like taking a few

deep breaths. From that tranquil place, adjust your physical, mental, and

emotional posture. Then, reemerge and deal with the situation from that

transformed state. Sometimes, just the act of going there will dissolve the

problem. If not, at least you are in a better psychological position to deal

with it.

Withdrawing psychologically, or better, looking within, is an important tool

for reaching inner peace. You contemplate the situation rather than reacting

mindlessly. This "analytical meditation" combines rationality and awareness.

We can contemplate many topics: What disturbs us? What are the motives for

our actions? Where do our beliefs come from? Or, the Big Questions of Life --

Who am I? Why am I here? As a result of this practice, we become wiser and

deeper.

If It Works, It Works

The voyage of inner peace is like an ocean voyage. On land, you can go

straight to your destination from point A to point B. On the ocean, however,

there are currents and tides to deal with. Waves roll. This inner trip is

much the same -- very yin and fluid. You must take your time and feel your

way to your destination. This requires much effort and is indeed a monumental

task.

Experiencing inner peace can take the edge off potentially tense situations

and make unpleasant moments more tolerable. Even your "astral vision" may

improve. If it works for you, then you will become more conscious of your

relationships and be more sensitive to the feelings of others. You will learn

how to avoid disturbing their peace.

Rev. Evin O'Ryan

Starbuilders

www.starbuilders.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]