“settle this dispute; give me peace-of-mind”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 9

It is interesting how the Buddha has calmed down the warriors of two separate clans, who were on the verge of a war. (the story is there.)

I didn't set out to be a mediator. But, lest readers think more of me than my low estate, I shall keep the details of certain shenanigans to myself. Suffice to say that both professional workplaces and domestic abodes have seen their share of strife, whether overt or covert.

I have been working hard to find a peace-of-mind, which is so sought-after and yet so elusive. (Not even Prime Ministers and business-owners may find this peace-of-mind, though they may certainly boast of more gold bullions and nuclear bombs than me.)

And it seems that old friends have noticed this sense of peace and calm, when we re-unite after a few months of separation.

But I hasten to add that even my present-day circumstances is infinitely intertwined with the good grace of a Creator God who sustains each sun-drenched day – “grace” being defined as “unmerited favour”.

where to, next?

I dare not prescribe a path to peace-of-mind, lest readers try my prescription and then fail to see results.

I suggest looking to wise elders in your respective villages – or modern-day communities. As the saying goes: “when the student is present, the teacher appears. when the student is ready, the teacher disappears.”

The below are books that may be relevant.

  1. “A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life”. by Jack Kornfield.
  2. “All In One, One in All”. by Thich Nhat Hanh.
  3. “The essential nectar: Meditations on the Buddhist Path”. by Geshe Rabten, and Martin Willson.
  4. “How Good Can It Get?: What I Learned from the Richest Man in the World”. by Alan Cohen.
  5. “Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype”. by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.
  6. “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”. by Mitch Albom
  7. “The imitation of Christ”. By: Thomas À Kempis, and Leo Sherley-Price.
  8. “The conference of birds”. By: Farid ud-Din Attar, (commonly known as Attar of Nishapur.)
  9. “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám”.

#talmid