The Path to Peace

'Somewhere between extremes,' says the Buddha, 'lies the path to peace...'

As individuals, societies, and cultures we strive for more, yet never seem to attain the deep satisfaction we strive for. We attain something and near immediately want something else. Or worse, we attain something, and it's not what we thought it would be. As a result we go on suffering, dissatisfied, unhappy, at odds, in various ways, in this round of samsara, or this round of existence.

If we could stop the ride for a moment, get off, and look around, we may gain a different perspective. That is, if we became even a little bit mindful, we may shift our view, and actually see things differently. This may lead to a place where the constant bombardment on the senses comes to a halt, or near halt. Then you see like an observer looking upon the fish bowl, not the fish looking out of the fish bowl.

Ultimately, this leads to letting go of the constant need to chase after sense desires. Stopping is hard to do, yet it is very satisfying. Ask anyone who has meditated long enough to actually achieve higher consciousness. They will almost certainly reveal to you a story of something fascinating that has occurred to them. They will likely reveal how their life has changed in positive ways, too, from their practice.

If we stop and contemplate the way we move through life, we will find it is through our five senses, that we interpret the world. Then our mind takes this information and adds another aspect of conditioning. Breaking through, stopping the chase, by being truly mindful, reveals a wonderful peacefulness. It reveals the way things really are. Reality is revealed, and we find that much of what we chase after is not what we 'thought' it to be.

Here, at this place, somewhere along the line of the chain of conditioned arising, whether it's at contact, feeling, craving or attachment, to that 'arising' we can recognize that which few people are capable of doing. We can recognize the cause of that which leads to our feelings of dissatisfaction and suffering. We can then, without forcing it, fall into the peacefulness of what exists right there at that place, and simply enjoy!