Listen to “It’s True.mp3” while you read. Music by Alexander Bell.
In this world, what do we do when we want something? We usually just go and get it. What do we do if we want to recall some important piece of knowledge or information? We think back and remember what it was.
But what if the ‘thing’ that we want – and need – more than anything else in the world is ungettable? And what if, no matter how hard we try, we simply cannot remember exactly what it was, even though we know we desperately need it and want it. Even though we know it is the most important piece of ‘knowledge’ that we ever learned, we just cannot grasp exactly what it was and bring it back into our consciousness. We try and try, but it is completely illusive. It is like trying to grasp a fish in a pond with your hand.
What on earth can we do?
The answer is that we can ‘do’ absolutely nothing. Because the answer does not lie in ‘doing’ ; it lies in your being. What if you just allowed yourself to become very still and very quiet, with your hands and your heart, open and receptive; not grasping, not reaching out – just open and receptive?
That elusive fish in the pond will feel your stillness and your peace. It will be drawn to it. It will come and rest in the warmth of your hand, which you hold
peacefully and non-expectantly in the water.
And so, this is what we must ‘do’. It is non-doing. It is allowing the peacefulness of your being to bring you to a point where you actually ‘want’ nothing. There is no desire for anything, not even to mentally recall something that you knew was important. Because in experiencing the peacefulness of being quiet and still, something beautiful arises within you. Something deeply fulfilling.
Must we give this something a name? What happens if we do? Well, because of how our mind works, this experience becomes something that we store in our memory like everything else, with the name as the trigger for experiencing it again. Then, when we feel we want to experience it again, we just remember the name. Easy right? In theory. But we need more than just a mental remembering. Our body needs to remember the state of stillness and receptiveness, so that Peace can come to it.
We spend so much of our time in states which are far removed from Peace. States of stress, hurry, distraction, tension, anxiety. All states in which we cannot be conscious of Peace. Whilst in the midst of such states – or perhaps after such states have completely exhausted us – we become aware that we need something totally different. Something that nourishes us. Something that renews our spirit, refreshes our mind, revitalises our body. We need Peace.
So we must remember with our body how peace comes to us. We cannot grasp it, this we know. We cannot simply remember the word ‘peace’ in our mind. The mind has taken control of our experience, and what our body and soul – and in fact our entire being – need have become forgotten. So we remember them. We relax and become aware of our body and how it feels. We become aware of our breathing, letting it become calm and gentle. We allow our body to become still and calm, like a beautiful lake that receives the soft, gentle reflection of the moon. We go deeper into stillness, so that we may receive and feel the soft, gentle energy of Peace deep within our being.
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The brightest light conquers the deepest darkness 