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As Jesus came near and saw the city, he wept over it , saying , "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! Luke 19:41
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to peace is the idea that it can be granted to us by politicians, religious leaders, or others who are in charge of things. Keep this in mind: politicians bring conflict, not peace. We, as people of spiritual power, must release the idea that peace will be achieved by bringing Leftist, wacko coalitions together, strumming guitars, and singing Michael Row The Boat Ashore, Kumbaya, or We Shall Overcome. On the other hand, we must also release the deluded Rightist belief that plastering flags all over everything, adopting a bellicose posture and demanding to rule the world will bring peace. As people of spiritual power, we are caught between the material world drama of the Left vs. the Right, Democrats vs. Republicans, and (fill in the blank) vs. (fill in the blank). It is the illusion of material world power. When I say illusion, I dont mean that it isnt real. Oh, its quite real. The bombs, the blood and guts, the terror and pain are all quite real. Illusion, or as its referred to in Hinduism, maya, is real. It is, however, not permanent. It is constantly shifting and changing. Every time you try to grab onto something in this material world, it changes and slips through your fingers. This is one of the central themes of Bhagavad-Gita, which ironically enough, was spoken by Lord Krishna on a battlefield. It is also one of the central themes of the teaching of Jesus. He said over and over, that his kingdom was not of this world. He constantly reminded the people of his day, that his kingdom was one of spiritual power. They challenged him to go sit on the throne in the kings palace, or to take up residence in the temple, if he was sent from God. Jesus said, Look, dont be so impressed by the grandeur of the palace or temple, because the day is coming when not one of those stones will be left on top of another. They didnt understand the message of the Prince of Peace any more then,than they do now.
True peace can only be achieved through accepting the spiritual truth that our first responsibility is to love God and that our second responsibility is to love our neighbor. Everything that is important revolves around these two responsibilities. Without God consciousness, there can be no true peace. There may be temporary lulls in the fighting, but not peace. True peace is not of this material world, but rather it is a peace of spirit. All of the wonderful things we want, like freedom, abundance, friendship, or justice, are byproducts of true peace. Peace can manifest right this second, if we choose it. If we decide to accept the responsibility for peace, it can be here in an instant. If we are willing to give up the security blankets of our illusionary false idols, true peace will be instantaneous. Only when we allow our own hearts to be transformed, can we share that divine consciousness with others.
Peace is a lifestyle. Peace is not solely the absence of conflict. Peace is not some lofty, seldom achieved ideal. Peace comes from being in the flow. It is a result of the establishment of harmony and balance. We have the power to create peace. Peace is not the gift of politicians or religious leaders. Peace comes about because of conscious choices we, as individuals make, from moment to moment. In the very next moment, that peace can be shattered if we choose violence, instead of peace. Therefore, it is crucial that we keep peace constantly in the most prominent position in our hierarchy of values. We must also realize that justice, freedom, material world abundance, health, and all the other good things we pursue, flow from the fountain of peace. It is not the other way around. We do not achieve peace when we win the lottery, get thin and cute, move up to a mansion on the mountain, and have everyone recognize us for the genius we are. So many people get it backwards, dont they? They use spiritual tools like affirmations, meditation, and visualizations to get a new Mercedes, when they havent even figured out how to make their monthly payments on the Yugo. Similarly, well intentioned, but deluded people will march for peace, yet harbor hatred and violence in their hearts against those with whom they disagree. Humans are really something, arent they?
It can be challenging to establish peace in our own lives,but if we are to experience peace as a society, it must first be manifested in the individual members of society. It is tempting to project our own inner violence onto others. One group tells us that if we can get rid of Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, then well eliminate terrorism and have a chance for peace. Then, another group tells us that if we can elect more Democrats, we can have justice and peace. They hate Republicans as much as the Republicans hate Saddam. Where is your loyalty? If you put your loyalty to a political party, a government, or any other human power structure, ahead of your loyalty to truth and to peace, then you can never experience peace on a personal level. That seems so plain to see; it seems so obvious. Why do so many people keep on stubbornly stumbling all around this truth? Why are they so afraid to stand in their own power and authority?
We, as Homo Sapiens, are the end result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. We are the progeny of the biggest and baddest of the big and bad. . One theory has it that we wiped out the saber-toothed tiger, because we simply recognized that it was us or them. In our ancestral past, the fiercest, most violent lived to mate. If you couldnt compete, you couldnt eat. Therefore, the most cunning, aggressive warriors passed on their genes. Genetically, we are wired for war. Thankfully, however, thats not the end of the story. Today, we have the luxury of transforming those aggressive energies into a spiritual awakening. Great spiritual masters like Jesus, Ramana Maharshi, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gandhi and others have taught us a different way to live. Still, there are those in power, who believe that the only way to achieve peace is to intimidate everyone with superior weapons. They believe that we should trust them with weapons of mass destruction, but that others cannot be trusted with the same technology. Isnt this dangerously insane? The old way of thinking that were the good guys and theyre the bad guys has brought us to the brink.
Every time were presented with choices, peace is an option. Every time we choose peace, we experience a miracle. When we forego revenge, we choose peace. When we opt for kindness instead of meanness, we choose peace. When out of compassion, we reject the cruelty of the meat production industry, we choose peace. Every time we choose truth over allegiance to a cherished political party or philosophy, we choose peace. From seemingly insignificant choices to obviously significant choices, peace is a lifestyle we choose to affirm from moment to moment, in thought, word and deed.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to peace is the idea that it can be granted to us by politicians, religious leaders, or others who are in charge of things. Keep this in mind: politicians bring conflict, not peace. We, as people of spiritual power, must release the idea that peace will be achieved by bringing Leftist, wacko coalitions together, strumming guitars, and singing Michael Row The Boat Ashore, Kumbaya, or We Shall Overcome. On the other hand, we must also release the deluded Rightist belief that plastering flags all over everything, adopting a bellicose posture and demanding to rule the world will bring peace. As people of spiritual power, we are caught between the material world drama of the Left vs. the Right, Democrats vs. Republicans, and (fill in the blank) vs. (fill in the blank). It is the illusion of material world power. When I say illusion, I dont mean that it isnt real. Oh, its quite real. The bombs, the blood and guts, the terror and pain are all quite real. Illusion, or as its referred to in Hinduism, maya, is real. It is, however, not permanent. It is constantly shifting and changing. Every time you try to grab onto something in this material world, it changes and slips through your fingers. This is one of the central themes of Bhagavad-Gita, which ironically enough, was spoken by Lord Krishna on a battlefield. It is also one of the central themes of the teaching of Jesus. He said over and over, that his kingdom was not of this world. He constantly reminded the people of his day, that his kingdom was one of spiritual power. They challenged him to go sit on the throne in the kings palace, or to take up residence in the temple, if he was sent from God. Jesus said, Look, dont be so impressed by the grandeur of the palace or temple, because the day is coming when not one of those stones will be left on top of another. They didnt understand the message of the Prince of Peace any more then,than they do now.
True peace can only be achieved through accepting the spiritual truth that our first responsibility is to love God and that our second responsibility is to love our neighbor. Everything that is important revolves around these two responsibilities. Without God consciousness, there can be no true peace. There may be temporary lulls in the fighting, but not peace. True peace is not of this material world, but rather it is a peace of spirit. All of the wonderful things we want, like freedom, abundance, friendship, or justice, are byproducts of true peace. Peace can manifest right this second, if we choose it. If we decide to accept the responsibility for peace, it can be here in an instant. If we are willing to give up the security blankets of our illusionary false idols, true peace will be instantaneous. Only when we allow our own hearts to be transformed, can we share that divine consciousness with others.
Peace is a lifestyle. Peace is not solely the absence of conflict. Peace is not some lofty, seldom achieved ideal. Peace comes from being in the flow. It is a result of the establishment of harmony and balance. We have the power to create peace. Peace is not the gift of politicians or religious leaders. Peace comes about because of conscious choices we, as individuals make, from moment to moment. In the very next moment, that peace can be shattered if we choose violence, instead of peace. Therefore, it is crucial that we keep peace constantly in the most prominent position in our hierarchy of values. We must also realize that justice, freedom, material world abundance, health, and all the other good things we pursue, flow from the fountain of peace. It is not the other way around. We do not achieve peace when we win the lottery, get thin and cute, move up to a mansion on the mountain, and have everyone recognize us for the genius we are. So many people get it backwards, dont they? They use spiritual tools like affirmations, meditation, and visualizations to get a new Mercedes, when they havent even figured out how to make their monthly payments on the Yugo. Similarly, well intentioned, but deluded people will march for peace, yet harbor hatred and violence in their hearts against those with whom they disagree. Humans are really something, arent they?
It can be challenging to establish peace in our own lives,but if we are to experience peace as a society, it must first be manifested in the individual members of society. It is tempting to project our own inner violence onto others. One group tells us that if we can get rid of Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, then well eliminate terrorism and have a chance for peace. Then, another group tells us that if we can elect more Democrats, we can have justice and peace. They hate Republicans as much as the Republicans hate Saddam. Where is your loyalty? If you put your loyalty to a political party, a government, or any other human power structure, ahead of your loyalty to truth and to peace, then you can never experience peace on a personal level. That seems so plain to see; it seems so obvious. Why do so many people keep on stubbornly stumbling all around this truth? Why are they so afraid to stand in their own power and authority?
We, as Homo Sapiens, are the end result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. We are the progeny of the biggest and baddest of the big and bad. . One theory has it that we wiped out the saber-toothed tiger, because we simply recognized that it was us or them. In our ancestral past, the fiercest, most violent lived to mate. If you couldnt compete, you couldnt eat. Therefore, the most cunning, aggressive warriors passed on their genes. Genetically, we are wired for war. Thankfully, however, thats not the end of the story. Today, we have the luxury of transforming those aggressive energies into a spiritual awakening. Great spiritual masters like Jesus, Ramana Maharshi, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gandhi and others have taught us a different way to live. Still, there are those in power, who believe that the only way to achieve peace is to intimidate everyone with superior weapons. They believe that we should trust them with weapons of mass destruction, but that others cannot be trusted with the same technology. Isnt this dangerously insane? The old way of thinking that were the good guys and theyre the bad guys has brought us to the brink.
Every time were presented with choices, peace is an option. Every time we choose peace, we experience a miracle. When we forego revenge, we choose peace. When we opt for kindness instead of meanness, we choose peace. When out of compassion, we reject the cruelty of the meat production industry, we choose peace. Every time we choose truth over allegiance to a cherished political party or philosophy, we choose peace. From seemingly insignificant choices to obviously significant choices, peace is a lifestyle we choose to affirm from moment to moment, in thought, word and deed.
