The Mind as the Origin of Peace and War
The human experience is composed of two important parts, the body and the mind. These two elements communicate back and forth with each other from the
The Mind as the Origin of Peace and War
The human experience is composed
of two important parts, the body and the
mind.
These two elements communicate
back and forth with each other from the moment of birth until death. We recognise the fact that the conscious mind
controls how we think, speak and act in
most situations. Sometimes these actions are admirable,
even noble, but at other times they
can be shameful. For this very
reason, our minds can be the starting point for both war and peace in the world. If a
person’s mind is infected by greed, anger and ignorance, thoughts that lead to conflicts
arise. Like the flame of a tiny matchstick that is capable of completely consuming
houses and even cities, all the wars and strife happening across the world,
causing enormous suffering for millions of people, are ignited by a flame
within the mind.
Just as the mind can be the source
of suffering, a calm and aware mind can be the wellspring
of wisdom, peace and infinite happiness that will
envelop the individual, his family, the community, society and all the people
of the world. From this beginning, world peace can happen – once we realise
that the mind is an important instrument that can spark wars or
perpetuate peace.
Throughout history, we have fought one another, whether
on a large scale like World War
I and World War II, on a smaller
scale such as civil wars, or as confrontation between individuals.The human
race has never once stopped fighting. While we sleep at night, on the other side of the
world where there is sunlight, conflicts are constantly taking place between
nations and between individuals. When it is daylight for us and the other side
of the world is blanketed in darkness, we reverse roles in a cycle of endless killing
and violence.
These never-ending wars and
battles originate from clouded and misguided minds of people.
In some instances, the people who
initiated war will reason that they are really fighting to
establish peace. The truth of the
matter is that war causes physical and psychological damage, more suffering and
death. To argue that war brings peace is to argue that the best way to put out
a fire is to douse it with a bucket of gasoline. Wars only serve to fuel the
hostility and hatred between the combatants and multiply the atrocities –
moving the possibility of peace even further away from our grasp.
Worldly conflicts have never been
able to bring lasting happiness to anyone. The victorious may
one day be defeated. The
conquered, instead of accepting defeat, allow resentment and revenge to fester
in their hearts. Mutual distrust and hatred bind the conqueror and the
conquered together in misery long after the actual war is over, and both sides
will suffer the consequences of their hostility, generation after generation.
In some countries, people live in
dread under the constant threat of terrorism. Never knowing
when the next attack may take
place, they are neither happy nor secure. To eliminate this constant threat of
attack, they strike preemptively at their perceived enemies. Instead of
reprieve, they find themselves at the centre of a cycle of revenge, with consequences
that are more dire than they can understand because what they fail to
comprehend is how long the hatred and malice, caused by their actions, will
perpetuate in the hearts of millions of people. History has demonstrated that
instead of peace, wars only beget great pain, planting
the roots of suffering and hatred
deeply into the bodies and minds of everyone involved.
If we can reflect with a mind
devoid of any ill bias, we will come to realise that all people are our
siblings. We breathe the same air.
We drink water from the same rain clouds. We gaze upon the same sun, moon and
stars. We inhabit the same earth from birth, until the last seconds of our
lives. We all must endure the process of suffering, birth, aging and death. We
all are slaves to evil which seizes every opportunity to invade our minds in
times of weakness. We all live under the law of karma. With so much in common,
we should not be fighting each other since we were never enemies to begin with.
It is a great tragedy that humanity wastes its time and resources on physical
wars. Instead, we should place greater importance on waging the war within us
because it is a conflict with more lasting consequences than anyone has ever imagined.
The enemy is not another human being, but the inner demons of greed, anger,
ignorance and all the different defilements that reside in each of us. These
are the true enemies of humanity. In every step of this fight, there is no
physical loss of life or limb. No one sheds tears, feels sorrow or
harbours resentment. Instead,
there is only joy in this battle, one that is vital in creating an enduring world
peace.
We can initiate the inner ‘war’ by
focusing our minds on our calm centre. Just as a doctor seeks the root of
disease using microscopes with powerful magnifications, we can see and
understand complex issues that require an above-normal comprehension with a
focused and clear mind. If we can train the mind to its highest potential, we
will see with clarity, the true enemy – defilement – embedded deep inside our
minds, the source behind all suffering,
conflicts and strife in the world.
Powerful and ingrained as it is, you can eliminate this enemy just
by calming the mind. It is a
technique to collect and focus the purity of the mind in order to completely eradicate
what is impure.
When you are able to defeat the
defilements, you become a light that will guide your life and
those of others close to you to
the final destination in warmth and safety. When people from all corners of the
world are able to do this, it will be like a million candles shining their
light to banish the darkness that currently overshadows us. When we destroy the
causes of war – greed, ignorance and anger – we also eliminate their
consequences. This is the way to create true and enduring freedom and world
peace.
