Scott Shaw - About Peace: 108 Ways to Be at Peace When Things Are Out of Control

First published in 2001 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC P. O. Box 612 York Beach, ME 039010612 Copyright 2001 Scott Shaw All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form of by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser. Reviewers may quote brief passages. p. cm. cm.

ISBN 1590030036 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Peace of mindReligious aspectsMeditations. I. Title.

BL627.55.S53 2001 291.432dc21 2001019542 Printed in the United States of America TCP 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. Z39.481992 (R1997). www.redwheelweiser.com www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

Life is complex. Sometimes it seems a never ending series of disagreements, differing opinions, dissenting philosophies, emotional manipulations, and even physical confrontations. Conflict is a part of life. If you allow your peace to be taken away from you by external occurrences or internal disharmonythe person who cuts you off in traffic or the internal I'll never get everything done, I'm stupid, bad, and guilty voice that won't shut upyou will never know contentment.

When we can't seem to get along with the people in our lives, including ourselves... When we let others, who seem to thrive on conflict, pull us into it... we can choose peace. Why don't we? Why don't we stop interacting with people who are willing to do whatever it takes to gain whatever gratification they desire at that moment? Why don't we check out of a society that says motivated, driven, hungry, and goal seeker are good things to be? Why don't we just give up our own disruptive inner dialogues the moment we realize they're robbing us of our tranquillity? Well, we try. But not even the ancient masters were free of strife. In the seventh century C.E., legend tells us that the monk Hui-neng defeated his master, Hung-jen, the Fifth Patriarch of Ch'an Buddhism, in a contest to see who could write the best spiritual poetry.

Hui-neng proved that he was more enlightened than his masterbut he had to flee in fear of Hung-jen's reprisals. Not a very peaceful interaction, even though it led to the establishment of what we now know as Zen. Some people believe that if they could just go someplace else, do something else, then they would know peace. But that place is not here. That action is not now. And they are probably no more satisfied, fulfilled, or at peace than before they made those changes.

Unless, that is, they also work at the process of peace, at developing that in-the-here-and-now, eye-of-the-hurricane attitude. Peace is an inner triumph. It's not something that someone or something can give to you. To embrace peace, in all life situations, you need to develop the skills to become the eye of the hurricanecalm and stillpeaceful in a world torn by conflict. About Peace is a collection of 108 meditations aimed at helping you gain and maintain your own inner peace. One hundred and eight is a sacred number in Buddist tradition.

It represents the number of desires one must overcome in order to gain enlightenment. In many Eastern traditions, people use strings of 108 prayer beads, known as malas, to aid in their meditation. As one recites a mantra, a prayer bead is passed between the fingers, helping one to focus the mind and embrace the calming realms of meditation. The 108 meditations in this book are offered to serve as inspiration and reminder that peace is possible. There is no better time to embrace peace than in this moment.

What would bring you peace right now? A greater amount of money? A more fulfilling job? A new place to live? A loving relationship with a specific person? To be ten years younger? Being more beautiful, thinner, or taller? To be enlightened? Anything that you do not currently possess, anything you are not right now, does not exist in this moment.

As long as you choose to hold on to the desire for something you do not currently possess or to be something you are notyou will never be at peace. As long as you choose to believe that something outside of yourself will bring you peace, you cannot experience peace. Let go. Be at peace.

All life is movement. This universe is in constant motion.

From science we learn that everything around us, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest planet, is in a state of continual flux. The majority of this movement is unseen by the human eye. All of this movement is in perfect harmony. If it were not in perfect harmony, this place we call life would instantly cease to exist. If everything is moving in harmony, you too must be moving and progressing in an unseen accord. When you understand that the universe is in harmony, you know that everything happens for a reason and lends a hand in the expanding perfection.

You are a functioning part of this cosmic whole, and everything that happens to you, no matter how traumatic, happens for a higher purpose and leads to a larger good. Relax, be peaceful, and watch it unfold.

Life is life. No matter how much you protect yourself, things are going to happen that you do not like. When they occur, what are you going to dobecome angry at life, God, and all those people who allowed it to happen? How many times has something you did not like happened to you? How many times has that initial negative experience led you to a higher potential: making you a stronger person, introducing you to new people, allowing you to understand human nature more clearly, giving you the ability to more profoundly understand your existence. Situations are not bad.

How you choose to deal with situations gives you control and the ability to remove any hint of negativity. On the road to peace, do not allow seemingly negative occurrences to take control over you and dominate your mind-set. Instead, see how you may consciously grow from the experience.

We all have our personal likes and dislikes. With every experience in life, you have two choices: One, you can choose to enjoy and learn from the encounter, even if it is something you don't like. Two, you can struggle through the experience, blaming everyone and everything else around you the entire time.

What if you were to view any unfavorable experience in a new way? What if you simply accepted the experience as momentary and learned what you could from it? Think how peaceful that experience would become. If you love Hell, it becomes Heaven. Your feelings are your choicechoose carefully.

Goal setting is claimed by many to be a necessary element of a fulfilled life. Goals are fine but they create an atmosphere from which peace is absent. Why? Because when you believe you should have something you do not possess, be something other than what you already are, you keep yourself from witnessing the perfection and glory of your life in this moment.

Thus, you can never know peace. Let go of goals and you are at peace.

Momentary desires... How many times have you wanted something, only to lose all desire for it once you obtained it? What is wrong with where you are, with what you possess, Right Now? Why do you desire to change it? What will be the price of that desire? What unseen circumstance may this desire bring about? Think how peaceful you would be if you just decided to love everything about yourself and your life, Right HereRight Now. Choose to be strong enough to walk away from the fulfillment of momentary desires and allow yourself to be at peace. Next page