Peace of Mind: The Solution For Eternal Peace

By SHASHI GULATI

The computer era has popularised the term "solution". All metros now display advertisements and posters that offer a variety of solutions.

The names are equally enterprising: "Ideal Solutions", "Smart Solutions", "Party Solutions", "Curtain Solutions", "Critical Solutions"... the list is long. When the question is of one's well being, a superficial solution will not work.

It has to be a solution that will last - preferably for-ever. Every one of us goes through various trials and tribulations during the course of life. Struggle and strife, dislike and depression, hatred and hesitation, these are all part of everyday life. Many of us naively believe that miraculously, a state of well being will somehow come to be. At a more practical level, it is important to find ways of overcoming psychological disturbances, agitations and mindless rage.

The world is made up largely of people who are toilers, whose lives are a continuous activity of earning, spending, sweating, sobbing and smiling. For them, contemplation, meditation and self-study have very little meaning. There are others who want a life of knowledge, perfection and progress. They want total well being.

Man is evolving constantly. Each plane of his being - physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual - has its own force of consciousness and though separate, is interconnected with others. Through these levels of attainment he supports his own evolution. When he is at the physical level, any pain - even a fever - can bring about anxiety or depression. At the mental plane, well being begins with learning. Self-observation, self-analysis and self-knowledge need an intellectual approach. Ordinarily, negative emotions like anger, hatred, greed within certain limits are accepted as normal human weaknesses. However, these emotions have no place in the life of those who seek spiritual evolution. An agitated mind is 'impure' while a steady mind that is alert and joyful is 'pure'.

Non-apprehension of Reality is the cause for all misapprehensions. A deluded mind creates misunderstandings. One who broods over the past mars the present which is what shapes the future.

Each moment, one is not only reaping the fruits of past actions, but one is also creating the recipe for life tomorrow. The power of the past on the consciousness is what determines our behaviour. Indeed, it is not easy to break away fully from the negative influence of the past, but it is important to realise the need for change. In the worldly sense, through self-effort or help from others, one achieves a certain amount of success and happiness but this is not enough to experience total well being.

One does not have to be a yogi to know the secret of the final solution for good fortune, health and success. A royal, final formula for achieving peace and joy was expressed 5,000 years ago by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (Ch 9): "To you, who are devoid of the carping spirit, I shall now unfold the most secret knowledge of nirguna brahma along with the knowledge of manifest divinity, knowing which you shall be free from the evil of worldly existence".

The final solution is for those who prepare the mind for its inward journey, still staying in tune with the orchestra of life, maintaining a healthy relationship with the world outside. This knowledge is the royal science of life because it provides us with scientific, achievable techniques. This is called the royal secret because it is too profound for the lay person. This is the final solution because it is the supreme purifier which leads us to the ultimate truth that is really within us.

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See also: Peace of Mind, Peace on Earth, Life and Beyond, Love and Happiness, Body Mind and Soul)