Throughout the holiday season, the phrase ”peace on earth” is an oft-repeated trope. We can choose to respond to it with unconscious skepticism ("Peace on earth? Yeah, right!”); alternatively, we can allow the phrase to serve as a bell of mindfulness. When I hear those words, I imagine that someone has invited a bell to sound; I take a moment and turn my attention to my breath. I silently say this first line as I breathe in, and the second as I exhale:
“Listen, listen!
That beautiful sound brings me back to my true home.”
Using the same in-breath/out-breath method, we can then practice mindfulness of interbeing (the interconnectedness of all beings) in this way:
I’ve arrived and I am home,
“Listen, listen!
That beautiful sound brings me back to my true home.”
Using the same in-breath/out-breath method, we can then practice mindfulness of interbeing (the interconnectedness of all beings) in this way:
I’ve arrived and I am home,
In the here, in the now.
I am solid, I am free;
In the Ultimate I dwell.
This is a deep and healing practice, very enjoyable and a sure way to regain your balance in the midst of the holiday rush. Peace lies deep inside every one of us and all around us, no matter who or where we are. To realize peace on earth, a critical mass of Bodhisattvas (beings defined by compassion, the heart of enlightenment) needs to practice touching and watering the seeds of peace and joy within themselves. This will be of enormous benefit to all sentient beings.
This is a deep and healing practice, very enjoyable and a sure way to regain your balance in the midst of the holiday rush. Peace lies deep inside every one of us and all around us, no matter who or where we are. To realize peace on earth, a critical mass of Bodhisattvas (beings defined by compassion, the heart of enlightenment) needs to practice touching and watering the seeds of peace and joy within themselves. This will be of enormous benefit to all sentient beings.
The heart of reality is non-duality, nondiscrimination. When I realize that the sufferings of my neighbors are my own sufferings; that my family’s joy is my own joy, the walls between myself and other beings begin to crumble. Soul gently pushes ego to one side; in that pregnant pause in the endless parade of craving and aversion, real peace can be created.
It’s the only way to make peace: as individuals and in groups, we take advantage of the rare lucidity that accompanies true insight and introspection in order to generate lovingkindness. After sitting in deep appreciation of the interconnected nature of reality for ten, twenty, or thirty minutes, you are more than qualified to step outside and put your peacemaking skills to use on behalf of all other conscious beings.
Peace on earth indeed, a joyous Solstice, and happy holidays to all!
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