21st September - Peace One Day - the International Day of Peace
21st September - Peace One Day - the International Day of Peace
Peace is our True Nature. When we begin to practise yoga and meditation we discover that peace is the ground of our being. Sometimes even when our life seems to be in flames and chaos is all around us in the outside world, we discover an unshakeable core within us that seems to be all peaceful, all serene. It is the real unchanging part of us and its nature is Peace.
World Peace Day is a day of hope for all of us; hope that one day violence and war will no longer have a place in our world. There is a shared thought amongst us ... if we can abolish war for this 24 hours, for this one day of world peace .. then it means it is possible. Gradually perhaps we can extend the time of world peace day by day by day until it encompasses all the other 364 days too.
What can we do as individuals to help that to happen? First of all we can remember that one person can indeed make a difference. Jeremy Gilley worked tirelessly for 7 years to bring about this day of peace throughout the world. Gandhiji was one man who brought about a peaceful change of rule to his beloved India through the practise of ahimsa ... the yogic principle of non-harming to all - the practice of peace.
So what we can do to help the world as individuals is practise yoga and meditation to get to know our own inner being, which is Peace itself. And to begin to embody the spirit of ahimsa in our daily lives, remembering the yogic guidelines for a perfect act ... a perfect act is one which harms no one, including yourself, and brings benefit to at least one person, including yourself.
When we begin to live this way, wherever we go we bring peace. Wherever there are troubled waters, we pour oil on them. Otherwise, if we hold violence , anger and hatred in our own hearts, how can we help bring peace to the world? We are like a person running to put out a fire with a can of petrol in our hands ... we are only going to make things worse.
So let's follow Gandhiji's advice to "Be the change you want to see" ... and if we really want permanent World Peace, let's begin with ourselves, mindfully dropping all actions and thoughts that are not based in ahimsa and peace ... and strengthening our own connection with our own inner Peace, the essence of who we are, by the time-tested practice of yoga and meditation.
If you find it hard to do your yoga and meditation practice for your own benefit, perhaps you can do it for World Peace, for the benefit of all.
May there be Peace on the Earth.
May there be Peace in the Heavens.
May there be Peace upon all the Waters.
And may there be Peace in every Heart.
Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi.
Rev. Padma Devi
PS: If you don't already have a meditation practice, or you would like to refresh one you already have, this five minute guided meditation helps us easily and peacefully find that place of peace we are all looking for.