- Thomas Bien
Start From Peace
If we wonder sometimes why our meditation and mindfulness practice isn’t bringing us peace, perhaps it is because we are going about it backwards.
Struggle only creates struggle. Compulsive practice only creates more compulsion, tightness, and anxiety. For our practice to increase our peace, happiness, and joy, we have to find a way to approach the practice with peace, happiness, and joy. Then those elements will increase.
You may already know the statement from the peace activist, A.J. Muste: “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” This means that, to practice correctly, peace must already permeate what we are doing.
Let your practice be an expression of the peace, joy, and happiness that are already there, and enlightenment may not be so far away as you think. Let peace, joy, and happiness permeate not only your formal sitting meditation, but also how you walk, how you put the dishes in the dishwasher, take out the trash, or talk to another person.
If you say you cannot do those things that way, then perhaps they are not worth doing.
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