The Peace We Carry

My recent trip to the Dera, being with the Master, and then re-entering the world was a powerful lesson in how we can carry the peace we find in that place of inexplicable beauty and sustain it long after leaving the Master’s physical presence. Along with that experience came a slow-dawning awareness of the pendulum swing between emotions and the mental clarity and subtle insights that come when we expose ourselves to the Master’s teachings and the sincere practice of meditation.

Being at the Dera – held by the Master’s benevolence and love, the sheer spiritual force of the atmosphere there, and the humility and kindness of the sevadars – filled my cup. I thought I was ready to come back home to my family and my life. But returning to “the world” is hard. I didn’t want the deep peace I felt, the sense of experiencing something I couldn’t put into words, to dissipate. I didn’t want to be swallowed up again by the unceasing, loud happenings of the world. I wanted to keep the peace I had felt like a secret tucked away into the very depths of me, a peace that no one or no earthly circumstance could touch or mar.

How could I carry away with me this peace from the Dera and the subtle magic it wove around me? How could I retain the love and clarity that felt so accessible there, so immediate?

I could hold on by walking with simran and by remembering the Master’s message, both spoken and unspoken. By re-committing to my priorities and by walking the path with discipline and joy.

It is the simplicity of the daily routine at the Dera that allowed me to tread a little softer and breathe deeper, to imbibe the experience of being close to the physical Master. Despite the dramatic changes the Dera has undergone since its beginnings more than a hundred years ago, it feels like a place untouched by time, cocooned away from the scattered humdrum of everyday life. It is a place where the profound teachings of the saints shared at satsang provide essential nourishment.

I hope to carry this peace, the Master’s peace, here in my ordinary life. If I think back and try to digest what I heard and felt during my visit, I know that he is always with me and that the peace I seek to cling to is right here, within me, waiting for me to realize it’s – his – presence.

A practical approach
Mystics of all spiritual paths and religions have emphasized that the peace and joy we seek can only be found within. It is the responsibility then, for each one of us to cultivate moments of freedom and equanimity as we go through our lives. But how do we do this?

The only way to hold on to and carry this peace is by infusing our life with meditation. This takes immense discipline; it requires us to refocus and recalibrate when we are off course.

Through our meditation practice we attain true knowledge – self-knowledge, and then we come to know God. We teach the mind, through consistent and regular practice, to come to stillness and silence, so that we can unearth and discover the self that lies hidden within. It is almost as if, through our spiritual practice, we start to chip away all the impressions, pain, and burdens – this heavy load we have carried for so long – to discover the light and the gold within.

At first, back in the rat race of modern living, it seemed the peace I had found at the Dera was only a distant dream. But our Master has provided us with all the tools we need to live consciously, so that we can access this peace in whichever place or time we find ourselves.

The question is: Are we making good use of his guidance, his simple instructions, or are we being pulled along by the senses, the world, and our relationships?

In Philosophy of the Masters, Vol. I, Maharaj Sawan Singh explains, “Guru Ram Das says that so long as a man does not withdraw his attention from the outer music, he cannot find rest in the court of the Lord.”

The world and all our doings scream for our attention, but as warriors of peace it is up to us to turn away, gently but resolutely. It is up to us to turn inward, toward our Master, again and again. It seems that this fight between the mind and the reality of the soul, between the pull of maya and the truth of the Master, are the natural workings of this physical reality. But among our weapons are his constant guidance, his strength, and his love. In this battle, perseverance and effort are what allow us to wield those weapons.

In his book Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, Thich Nhat Hanh, a peace activist and Zen master, offers a sustainable solution to the many crises our planet faces. He writes that we must begin with ourselves – we must cultivate inner peace, compassion, and understanding before we can even think about saving the world. Reassuringly, he writes: “With mindfulness [meditation], you can sit in the heart of the marketplace and still be alone and have peace and freedom. It doesn’t take years in a cave.”

We can find peace right here, right now, in the heart of the marketplace. We know that the Master does not want us to run away from the reality of our lives, from our duties as mothers or wives or any other roles we play in society. Rather, the call is for us to face life, to live out here in the world and carry with us the teachings, the holy names of simran, and the Shabd. The call is to remember him in the busyness of life, through both the mundane and the inspiring. The call is to realize that he is always present and that his peace is the peace that we carry.

The boat floats on water, but water should not be allowed to get into the boat. If it does, the boat will sink. The same has to be the state of mind of the devotees who live in the world. The world should not be allowed to get into the mind. If it does, the mind will sink down into the deep waters of the world. Therefore, lead a family life and do your duty as a householder, but keep thinking of God all the while.
_{Maharaj Charan Singh, Spiritual Discourses}