CHAPTER 10
WHAT IS THE
WAY TO
ETERNAL PEACE?
LIVE AS A MONK
We human beings yearn for Peace. We wish so deeply for that state of tranquillity. We pray to live a life without fear, worry, stress, and anxiety. Do we like to get angry? Of course not! Even if we lose our temper, we regret it. We want to return to that original state of Peace and bliss.
Somehow, we get carried away. We want pleasure and we pursue all the material things. When we look at somebody who has everything, money, homes, cars, clothes, jewellery, we find that they lived stressed lives. They too seek eternal Peace. All their material possessions aren't able to give them that treasure of tranquillity.
Very few amongst us realize the truth that pleasures cannot give Peace. It is only Peace that can give true happiness. In fact, it is strange that all the things which give us pleasure, ultimately, rob our Peace. What then is the way to real happiness? What is the secret to eternal Peace of Mind?
Desires and dreams can make us achieve our goals, but no sooner than we finish one achievement, that we yearn for another. We rarely enjoy that state of Peace that is the actual bliss that a human seeks. This Peace does not come by making our dreams come true. It comes by living as a Monk, a true Monk!
What do we mean by a Monk? Is a Monk somebody who shaves off his head, wears a colourful robe and roams in jungles or sits in meditation, renouncing the world? There are many people who believe this to be 'Monkhood'. They are taught that they have to renounce all worldly pursuits and devote their life to spirituality. Some are advised not to cut their hair. They grow long beards and their long hair flows but this is not necessarily being a Monk.
A true Monk is one who is the master of his Mind. He is one who cuts the tail of the Monkey within – the 'EY', that is Ever Yearning. A true Monk lives with contentment and fulfilment. Even though he may be busy in his earthly duties, if he has been able to renounce passions and cravings, he is more a Monk than the one who shaves his head and wears a robe, but whose Mind is still seeking and desiring what he has publicly renounced.
Living as a Monk is a blessing because it gives us the gift of eternal Peace. Most of humanity does not enjoy this gift of pure bliss because we are seeking happiness. We live as a Monkey, searching for pleasures and we end up with stress and anxiety. Therefore, most people don't enjoy that state of Peace or bliss. We don't even know why we lose our Peace of Mind, because we don't identify the Monkey Mind within. We rarely experience that state of peaceful, blissful consciousness. We live and die in ignorance as a Monkey seeking bliss. We don't realize the way to eternal Peace and bliss is to live as a Monk.
Therefore, realize this beyond doubt that a true Monk is not the one who appears to be because of outer appearance. A true Monk is one who lives in eternal Peace, with everlasting joy. A Monk realizes the truth that this noisy world, which is so alluring and attractive, finally makes us miserable. All the worldly treasures and trinkets get us so attached to our possessions that the very possessions that were meant to give us pleasure, rob our Peace.
I recently got a forwarded video of a very rich man who was passionate about cars. He was zooming down in his Ferrari and crashed. The car was smashed! As the police tried to rescue him from the debris, he was crying, 'My Ferrari, my Ferrari!' The officer then told him, 'You are so attached to your Ferrari, do you even realize you have lost your hand in the accident?' The Man was shocked as he looked at his hand and started crying again, 'Where is my diamond Rolex watch?' Those who are slaves of their Ferrari and Rolex, may appear to be happy on the outside, but they are empty on the inside. They don't live with Peace. We must be like that Monk who actually sold his Ferrari and exchanged it for a life of eternal Peace. As long as we desire and crave, we will go to our grave with money and wealth in the bank, but no Peace in our Mind.
Why is it that we human beings lose our Peace, but are still seeking it deep within? It is because we don't realize that essentially, man who appears to want happiness is actually seeking Peace. Peace is the foundation of happiness and is a treasure beyond joy, but we don't discover this truth. Somehow, we are taught that success is happiness and happiness is wealth, name and fame. We get on to the roller coaster of life, wanting to enjoy the thrill and excitement till ultimately, we hear that thud and find that emptiness. There comes a time in life when we want nothing else, we just want Peace. Eternal Peace is a gift beyond all the wealth in this world and it comes when we become masters of the Monkey Mind and become a Monk. The happiest man in the world is not one who has the most, but rather one who desires the least, for desires don't end. As we live with our passions, we want more and more. Enough is never enough. Fulfilment of a desire doesn't quench our thirst. It only makes us burst. Our anxiety and stress rob the treasure of our Peace. But if we live like a Monk, none of these attractions trouble us.
The Monk realizes the truth about this cosmic illusion. The Monk lives a life of detachment and is not attracted to material wealth and pleasures. A dispassionate Monk lives a carefree life that has no stress, worry, and anxiety. He lives a life of eternal Peace.
Have you met a real Monk? You will find a glow on their face. They will not only smile but laugh more happily than the wealthiest men. It is not rare to find a billionaire frown, but it is very rare to find a real Monk suffering from anxiety.
A Monk lives in silence and tranquillity. Although the entire world around him is in chaos, the Monk is peaceful and blissful. He lives fearlessly, as he goes about his daily chores in complete surrender. He accepts the Divine will, realizing whatever will be, will be. Whatever unfolds in his life, he accepts it as the Divine will with Peace. Nothing worries him. He lives a life of contemplation and spends his time and life, going within. Unlike the Monkey Mind that is going into the outside world with desires and cravings, the Monk lives in his inner world with silence and Peace.
The silence of the Monk makes him experience a Divine union. He discovers a power inside him as he realizes that everything is a manifestation of the Divine. All these realizations make him silent and peaceful. He realizes that he cannot escape from action but is free in action. For instance, he may have his own real estate business, but he doesn't get attached to his properties, houses, and his wealth. His true Monkhood makes him detached, though he may have millions. To him, all the money that surrounds him is just like a game of monopoly that we played when we were kids. In the end, he knows, everything will be put back in the box and the game will be over. Nothing can rob the eternal Peace of a Monk, as he lives with silence and Peace within.
How does the Monk live with deep eternal Peace? The Monk has made the Monkey Mind quiet. He has become the master of ME – the Mind and the Ego. He realizes he is nothing. His journey must end and finally, nothing belongs to him. Therefore, why should he worry about anything? His realization makes him live as a true Monk, enjoying eternal Peace, as he lives in the state of consciousness of the truth, blissfully and in tranquillity.
