CHAPTER 6
WHAT IS THE
SECRET OF
PEACE?
DISCOVER THE MONK WITHIN
We all want Peace, but we have not discovered the secret. We have not realized that Peace is not a product that we can purchase. It is not even an emotion to achieve. It is a state of Mind. We can't get Peace, although most of us are seeking Peace. Peace is a state of being. We have to be at Peace. We must develop the art of being peaceful and to experience Peace. We must learn the secret – we must discover the Monk within.
Stress or Peace, it depends on whether we let the Mind remain a Monkey or we make it a Monk! We lose our Peace of Mind, so we say, without even realizing what it actually means. There is a Monk within that is peaceful and blissful. But because it develops a tail that is 'EY' - Ever Yearning, the MONK becomes a MONK-EY. We grow up desiring, seeking, and craving and we make it a habit to want delicious food, exotic fragrances, enchanting music, scintillating scenes, and sensual touches. The cravings of our senses make the Monk into a Monkey. Our Ever Yearning transforms the Peace within into an agitation, a passion that becomes our obsession. We don't realize it, but this Ever Yearning makes us jump from one desire to another desire, from our need to our greed, and in the bargain, we lose our biggest treasure – Peace.
We are all Monks in essence. But we don't discover the secret about the Peace that is within us. Out of Ignorance, our yearning seeks things that will ultimately have to be left behind. Although we come with nothing and go with nothing, and there is no one on earth who can carry even a pin to the realm beyond, we still yearn for more and more. The Monk becomes a Monkey!
We must discover the secret. We must realize the Monk within. Just because it has a tail, there is Ever Yearning, ever-seeking, ever-desiring, ever-craving and ever yelling. We should not live and die in ignorance that we are the Monkey that we have become. We have to discover the Monk within, and the only way is to renounce. We must develop the art of being dispassionate and detached. We must overcome ignorance and realize that nothing belongs to us. We must learn the secret that fulfilling this Ever Yearning will never give us Peace. It is renouncing this yearning, that is the secret of Peace and tranquillity.
In the beginning, we all experience Peace. The Monk within rules the kingdom that is 'us'. Slowly, desires and cravings make the Monk into a Monkey. It jumps from yearning this and that. It feels the excitement, as it enjoys this jumping. Every goal is not achieved, just as every dream is not fulfilled. Every time the Monkey wins, it experiences pleasure, joy, and happiness and it returns to its original state of bliss and Peace that was originally enjoyed by the Monk that it was. However, the Monkey has taken charge of the kingdom within. It has made it a habit and has become a slave of the pleasures of senses. No sooner than it experiences moments of Peace as the Monk, its Ever Yearning tail starts seeking the excitement of achievement. It then jumps on to its next desire. In the bargain, the Monk becomes a Monkey and loses the Divine Peace within.
We must discover this secret of Peace. We must realize the Monk within. The peaceful Monk lives in the depths of our existence but has been made a prisoner due to our own Yearning. First of all, we must discover the Monk. Then, we must cut the Monkey's tail. Thereafter, we must remain in Divine Peace and Enjoy the bliss that comes from 'desirelessness'. The Monkey makes us believe that bliss is Peace when in reality, the Monk within knows that Peace is bliss. Till we make the Monkey into a Monk, we will never experience true bliss. How can we do this?
The key to discovering the Monk within is Silence. When we are still, the Monkey Mind stops its jumping from thought to thought. The Monk within starts its contemplation. We replace the state of an agitated Mind with Mindfulness. It is transforming the habit of thoughtfulness into consciousness. But this is difficult to understand and experience because of the Monkey within. We don't realize the secret that there is no duality within. The Monk and the Monkey do not co-exist, causing Peace and stress. The Monk becomes a Monkey and if we make the Monkey still, it returns to its original state of a Monk. But unless we meditate, we will not discover this secret, nor will we find true Peace.
Meditation has become a fancy technique to experience a sense of wellbeing in today's world. There are different kinds of meditation, each proclaiming its magical influence on the Mind. Each meditation weaves a big story, when ultimately what it does is that it makes us still. It stops the Monkey from its constant jumping from thought to thought, till the Monkey becomes a Monk! We are amazed by the effects of the meditation, without realizing the secret of the Monk within. All that the meditation did was to still the Monkey, till it became a Monk. The stress that we experience froze and the ripples within us that caused stress, worry, and anxiety disappeared. Unfortunately, the moment we stop meditation, the frozen anxiety melts and reappears, as the Monk becomes a Monkey. The Mind steps into the world and starts its Monkey business of jumping from thought to thought. We lose our Peace of Mind.
We are 'human beings', but only in name. In reality, we are human doings. All the time, we are 'doing'. This is because we are wanting, seeking, desiring, and craving. All the time we are 'doing' and we do not experience moments of being the Monk that is within. The constant doing makes the Monk into a Monkey! Unless we deeply engrave within us that we are 'human beings' and to experience that state of 'being human', we must live like a Monk, we will continue to jump like a Monkey and our Peace will fade away. Something as precious as Peace is lost because we don't discover we are 'human beings' and not 'human doings'. We are the Monk, not the Monkey that we have become.
What makes the human being a Monkey? The Mind is joined with the Ego and it becomes the ME. Together, the ME is 'Ever Yearning'. It lives with desires and expectations. Both the Mind and Ego are caught in the illusion and they don't realize that everything is Maya. We are losing our Peace and our bliss due to our ignorance. But who is causing it? Who drives the Mind? It is the Ego, 'I'. Because 'I' crave and 'I' desire, the Mind becomes a Monkey. It is unable to live like a Monk. Therefore, to be a Monk, our challenge is to transcend the Ego. If we let go of the Ego, we will discover the Monk within. Of course, the Monkey Mind is the one that dances to the tune of the Ego to create our misery. But if we transcend the Ego, we can cut the tail off the Monkey and discover the Monk.
Sunil had a Monkey Mind. But if we analyze Sunil's life, what caused the Monkey to crave? It was Sunil's big Ego. He wanted more and more. Greed had overtaken his need. Sunil had everything he could dream of, but he was still not satisfied. His Monkey Mind was jumping from one new project to another, but who was making the Monkey jump? It was Sunil's Ego. He was a slave of his 'I'. He wanted the whole world to be 'mine'. Thus, his Ego along with the Mind became the 'ME' that destroyed his Peace within. The Monk within Sunil never experienced Peace because of his own Ego.
Discover the secret today. It is a choice, Monkey or Monk! We can be silent and enjoy the bliss of the Monk or become the Monkey and live with agitation and stress. We can let our Mind swing from a past that is gone, to a future not yet born. Or we can choose to be a Monk and live in the present. If we want to experience true Peace, we must learn the art of being in the 'now'. There is no Peace in the past, just as there is no tranquillity in the future. When the Monkey Mind takes us there, it makes us regret and fear, and makes our Peace disappear. We must firmly remain as the Monk. It needs a strong commitment, a resolve, a discipline to live as the Monk. The reward is Peace. Due to our ignorance, the Monkey makes us believe that jumping from thought to thought is exciting. The achievement of name, fame, and wealth, will give us pleasure and happiness that is sweeter than Peace. We get fooled into believing the Monkey and we trade our Peace for happiness. We don't realize that Peace is the foundation of happiness. Where there is no Peace, there can be no joy. The Monkey destroys the foundation of Peace and keeps us swinging like a pendulum, from thought to thought, and it robs our present moment of Peace. It steals our state of 'Monkhood' as it becomes the Monkey that we are. The Monk within disappears and with it goes our Peace of Mind. If we want to be peaceful, we must cut off the tail of the Monkey, once and for all. We have to stop the Monkey business of the Mind. We have to flip over from stress to Peace, from Monkey to Monk, from 'doing' to 'being', from joy to Peace.
This is a secret very few of us have discovered. Thus, we find the world in depression. While people may be acting happy, as they are excited about their success, they are living a life of stress, worry, and anxiety. The Monk has become a Monkey because we have lost consciousness of the truth. How will we regain our consciousness that belongs to the Monk? How will we reinstate Peace within?
