Inner-Peace

Inner-Peace: The Guiding Light

By Desmond Yeoh

Ceramic Products

The 70-year old Indian Master was seated in the lotus posture on a raised platform in front of his students. His snow white hair and beard gave him a regal appearance. His face was radiant and his eyes were bright and intelligent. The night was cool and silent except for the sound of the forest surrounding the ashram. The fragrance of sandalwood incense added to the sanctity of the night.

In a subdued tone, one of the student said, “Recently, a close friend tried to kill herself because her husband left her. A week before that, I attended a wedding and everyone was celebrating. Seeing these two extremes makes me wonder what life is all about. Why are we here? How should we live our lives? What is the point of being human when there is so much suffering and confusion? Why does life grant us joy, only to take it away the very next moment?”

The Master gazed compassionately at the student. He felt the sorrow and confusion she felt.

“Why are we here?” the Master paused for a moment and then continued, “We are here because we are attracted to this physical world. Our desire for the pleasures that our senses can provide brought us here. So, I say to you, experience life to the fullest. Go after whatever that you think can bring you happiness. If you like to experience wealth and power, go for it.”

“If the world wants to grant you fame, accept it and experience it. Swami Rama was once offered the position of Shankaracharya and his master told him to accept it. He went through the experience and did not enjoy the constant distractions despite the comforts the position offered him. Later, he renounced the position and ran away to the Himalayas”.

“Your physical body allows you the opportunity to experience all the desires that still remain in your consciousness. Those desires led you to take on your physical form in the first place”.

Subra was shocked. How could the Master teach them to chase after wealth, power and fame? That is contrary to what the scriptures teach.

The Master’s eyes met Subra’s and he smiled at him.

The Master continued, “Go ahead and experience whatever life has to offer you. Eventually, you will feel that whatever joy that this world can offer is unsatisfactory. At that point, you will let go of your desires effortlessly and there will be no suppression. You will then be a person who truly renounces the world”.

“Why are the joys of the world not satisfying? Firstly, the natural law of impermanence ensures it. Nothing is permanent. Whatever that you have gained will eventually be lost. Nothing lasts forever. Even if the object that you desired can last a long time, your desire for it will also be impermanent. Eventually, you will lose interest in it and begin to look for other objects of interest”.

Subra remembered the joy he felt when he bought his new car a few months ago. But the joy has left him. In fact, he is already feeling dissatisfied with it.

The Master continued, “Secondly, the law of duality ensures that nothing can give us only happiness without any associated suffering. If you buy expensive jewellery, you will feel good wearing it but you will also worry about someone robbing you. If you left it at home and went out, you will not be at peace because you will worry about someone breaking into your home and stealing your prized possession. You have to incur more money to install the state of the art security system to prevent a break-in”.

“Eventually, you will question – Is there something more to life? At that point, you will come to the realisation that inner-peace is the greatest joy. Inner-peace will guide your every decision. Before deciding on anything, you will consider if it adds to your inner-peace or reduce it. If an option adds to your inner-peace, you will accept it. If not, you will easily reject it without suppressing any desire. You will easily reject everything that could stimulate negative thoughts and emotions. Your only desire is for inner-peace”.

Subra thought about the time when he had dinner with some of his old friends. They were always talking about expensive cars and luxury items. It made him feel conflicted because he wants to live a simple life but the conversation with his friends made him crave for the luxury items. The conversation with them left him feeling tired and dissatisfied. He felt the need to reassess the kind of friends he wants to spend more time with.

Subra asked, “Guruji, wouldn’t having more money add to my inner-peace because it gives me a sense of financial security?”

The Master replied, “We all need to earn a living but the problem with us is that there is no end to our craving. You say that once you saved up ‘X’ amount, you will slow down and focus on your spiritual practices but once you reached that amount, you cannot stop because you will be forgoing the income that you could make if you do slow down. So you continue to run on the treadmill until it is too late to make a significant change in your life. But, like I said, if you want to experience wealth, go for it. Do not suppress that desire because of what I tell you. Experience for yourself if what I said is true and then you will naturally let go of the desire”.

Another student asked, “Guruji, we come to you with all our problems. Wouldn’t that disturb your inner-peace?”

“The desire to help others could disturb your inner-peace if you allow pride and fame to get in the way. If you desire to be known and respected because of your service to others, then your inner-peace will be disturbed when others talk badly about you or do not express gratitude for your help. I am of service to you without any expectations from you or anyone else. I am serving the Divine through you. How can my inner-peace be disturbed in any way?”

The Master paused, chanted a strong ‘OM’ and then closed his eyes to allow his consciousness to be with the Divine. His students followed and they were enveloped in peace and joy.

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