The Peacemakers – Part Three
The paradoxical truth that has been taught through the centuries by the founders of religion and enlightened Sages, is that peace and justice are the fruits of “inaction”, not of action. The way to overcome evil is not by resisting it, but by not resisting it.
We may liken evil to the roiling waters of a stormy lake. When the waters of the lake are rough with turbulence, our efforts to suppress evil are like the legendary attempts of King Canute, who tried to beat the waves into submission.
Every act of striking the water merely adds to its turbulence. We can never restore calm by beating the waves. However, if we do nothing, the waves will subside of their own accord.
As Lao Tzu states in the Tao Te Ching, “Who is there who can make the muddy water clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually become clear of itself.” 1 “It is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it knows how to overcome.” 2 “Perfect virtue is inactive, having no need to act.” 3
In counselling others, he entreated: “Practise inaction, occupy yourself with doing nothing. Practise inaction, and there is nothing that cannot be done. Leave all things to take their natural course, and do not interfere.” 4
Lao Tzu’s compatriot Confucius also spoke of the virtues of inaction. “The wise take delight in water; Manhood-at-its-best delights in mountains. The wise are active; Manhood-at-its-best is quiet.” 5
The “wise” man of today assesses a problem by means of intellect, and initiates actions that are designed to counteract the problem. The underlying difficulty however, is that it is the mind of the “wise” man that is itself the problem, and therefore any course of action simply contaminates that situation.
The Sage, by contrast, does not initiate action as a result of deliberate thought. The Sage, being at one with all of creation, serves the deepest needs of creation by the mere resonance of Being, as we see from the following conversation with the 20th Century Indian Sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Question: “How does the gnani (enlightened being) proceed when he needs something to be done? Does he make plans, decide about details and execute them?
Maharaj: “A gnani understands a situation fully and knows at once what needs to be done. That is all. The rest happens by itself, and to a large extent unconsciously. The gnani’s identity with all that is so complete, that as he responds to the universe, so does the universe respond to him”.
“He is supremely confident that once a situation has been cognized, events will move in adequate response. The ordinary man is personally concerned. He counts his risks and chances, while the gnani remains aloof, sure that all will happen as it must; and it does not matter much what happens, for ultimately the return to balance and harmony is inevitable. The heart of things is at peace.” 6
Being rooted in Transcendent Peace, the Sage’s actions automatically serve to restore this peace, even though there is no conscious effort to do so. The “inaction” spoken of by the Sage should not be misinterpreted as idleness, nor is this “inaction” the “absence of action”.
“Inaction”, as it is referred to in the Hindu classics, is action without motive. The Sage acts without the express intention of influencing affairs for the better. As we read in the Ashtavakra Gita:
“The mind of the freed Sage is unmarred by trouble or pleasure; it is inactive, static and desireless and also free from doubts. The mind of the Sage is free from effort whether meditating or acting. His actions and meditations are not prompted by personal motives.” 7
As Krishnamurti was fond of saying, the mind of a liberated Sage is characterised by “effortless and choiceless awareness”.
The Sage does not seek to impose his will. In a world dominated by purpose and motivated by action, it may seem impossible to imagine action without a motive. Motiveless action, or inaction, is however the inevitable fruit of self-sacrifice. It was that sacrifice which allowed the Christ to say “Not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22: 42)
A person who has sacrificed his or her personal self becomes transformed within. It is a transformation that is charged with power. This inner transformation leads mysteriously, but naturally, to outer transformation, without the least effort or motivation to do so.
Whatever effort is consciously expended to induce peace or happiness in the world is bound to fail. Peace is not the reward of effort. It is the perfume that radiates from the mere presence of the flower of inaction. It is through “not acting” that this inner transformation occurs, and which leads inevitably to outer reform. As Maharaj advises:
“Let go your attachment to the unreal and the real will swiftly and smoothly step into its own. Stop imagining yourself being or doing this or that and the realization that you are the source and heart of all will dawn upon you. With this will come great love which is not choice or predilection, nor attachment, but a power which makes all things love-worthy and lovable.” 8
Ramana Maharshi warned that it was the discrimination between right and wrong that was the true origin of sin.
“One’s own sin is reflected outside and the individual in ignorance superimposes it upon another. The best course for one is to reach the state in which such discrimination does not arise. Moreover, however much you may advise them, your hearers may not rectify themselves. Be in the right yourself and remain silent. Your silence will have more effect than your words or deeds.” 9
Again, when asked the best way in which to work for world peace, the Maharshi replied:
“What is the world? What is peace and who is the worker? Peace is the absence of disturbance. The disturbance is due to the arising of thoughts in the individual, who is only the ego arising up from Pure Consciousness. To bring about peace means to be free from thoughts and to abide as Pure Consciousness. If one remains at peace oneself, there is peace all about.” 10
Peace, goodness, happiness and virtue are not goals that can be attained by the action of desire. While we may certainly desire happiness and peace, such blessings can never be won by motivated action. They blossom of their own accord when the conditions are appropriate. These conditions have always been non-interference and non-resistance.
As Maharaj has confirmed, “They manifest spontaneously and effortlessly, when things are left to themselves, and are not interfered with, not shunned or wanted or conceptualised, but just experienced in full awareness.” 11
The images and events of this world are projections upon our screen of consciousness. If we don’t like the pictures that we see projected in consciousness, the answer is to change the contents of our mind that is doing the projecting.
When we look at cinematic images, we may be outraged at the violence and horror that we see portrayed upon the screen. Yet we recognise that these projections are simply part of the film itself. If we don’t like the pictures, the answer is to change the film, not attack the screen on which these images are projected.
It is the person who renounces the desire to help the world who does the most to improve it. He or she is the truly charitable person.
“Find yourself first,” says the Maharshi, “and endless blessings will follow. Nothing profits the world as much as the abandoning of profits. A man who no longer thinks in terms of loss or gain is the truly non-violent man, for he is beyond all conflict.” 12
“Be free first of suffering yourself and then only hope of helping others. You do not even need to hope – your very existence will be the greatest help a man can give his fellowmen.” 13
We imagine that results can only follow from direct action, and that cruelties, violence and war must be attacked by resolute action if peace and harmony are to be achieved. What we fail to see is that each one of us is an integral part of the entire universe. Every action on our part has its counterpart in the universe we see around us.
When we reform ourselves, the world itself becomes reformed, whether we are conscious of it or not. This is the true process of reform.
“There are people in the world”, notes Maharaj,” who do more good than all the statesmen and philanthropists put together. They radiate light and peace with no intention or knowledge. When others tell them about the miracles they worked, they also are wonderstruck. Yet taking nothing as their own, they are neither proud nor do they crave for reputation. They are just unable to desire anything for themselves, not even the joy of helping others. They know that God is good and are at peace.” 14
The presence of enlightened souls transforms the lives of all those with whom they come in contact, not because of any inherent desire to do so, but through the resplendent nature of their Being. Just as shadows are banished by the light of the sun, so do the stains of the mind vanish in the presence of this Transcendent Reality.
When Confucius expressed the wish to live among some degenerate tribes, his followers remonstrated with him. “What about their crudeness?” they exclaimed. The Chinese Sage replied: “If Great Man were living among them, how could they be crude? His very presence would alter all that.” 15
The true message of reform has been passed from generation to generation. Those who seek to achieve social reform must first submit to self-reform.
And in every generation this advice is spurned. For self-reform is a painful process. The soul is torn upon the rack of suffering before it can win its crown of peace, and experience the soaring joy of redemption. Far better say we, and quicker too, to strive for temporal power, and then use that power to compel others to reform.
Throughout long centuries of travail, men and women have selected this path of folly. The banner of ignorance flies today from all the standards of the world. Despite the evidence of sorrow and despair which these attempts have wrought in every age, we remain locked in the conviction that we can succeed where others have failed.
We tie the noose ever more tightly around our necks, and cry out in anguish when it strangles us. Will the world be saved or will it slide into oblivion? The choice does not rest with governments or Kings. It remains where it has always been, with us as individuals.
We do not need to hold high office to initiate change. When Confucius was asked why he didn’t work in the government, he responded:
“It is said in “The Writings of Old”, ‘Filial duty! Just let there be filial duty. Then there will be kindness toward brothers, and this in turn will spread to the administration.’ This too is to be working in the government. Why must one actually hold office in order to work in the government?” 16
It is the individual actions of our daily lives that combine to make up the conditions of the universe. If we truly wish to work for benevolent change, we need to deal with those images that we alone are responsible for creating. When our hearts are changed they will spread their healing to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, whether we intend this or not. For as Maharaj has remarked:
“When more people come to know their real nature, their influence, however subtle, will prevail, and the world’s emotional atmosphere will sweeten up. People follow their leaders and when among the leaders appear some, great in heart and mind and absolutely free from self-seeking, their impact will be enough to make the crudities of the present age impossible.” 17
We believe that we are powerless to influence the vast arena of this world. The world’s problems appear so numerous and oppressive, that we wonder what we, as mere individuals, can do to overcome them. Yet we fail to reckon with the power of a transformed heart.
The people who actively transform this world for the better do not sit in Parliaments, Congresses or on thrones. They are the unheralded individuals in every land who have devoted their lives to rediscovering the True Source of their own beings. It is in the triumph of their inner revelation that the world will be renewed again, as it has been in ages past.
These new leaders of reformation are not daunted by the problems that now confront us. They are not deterred by statistics. If the light of one small candle can hold back the night, then the radiance of a single transformed soul can serve to banish the encroaching gloom.
Throughout history the Sages have borne testimony to the common experience of Transcendental Awareness that lies at the heart of life. While this source is inexpressible in its nature, it can nevertheless be approached by a thousand different paths.
Just as the spokes of a wheel all focus on the centre, and meet in the emptiness of a common hub, so all the religious paths offered to mankind lead inevitably to a single source. That source is the Supreme Reality that underlies and animates all forms.
As Lord Krishna taught his disciple Arjuna in the “Bhagavad Gita”: “However men approach me, in that same way do I show them my favour; my path men follow in all ways, 0 son of Pritha.” (Chapter 4:11) 18
This same truth is conveyed by Nisargadatta Maharaj. “Christianity is one way of putting words together and Hinduism is another. The real is, behind and beyond words, incommunicable, directly experienced, explosive in its effect on the mind.” 19
The source of the power that is capable of re-forming the world lies ever present in each one of us. It is freely available to all who seek it. Any person who has discovered the way to tap its bountiful spring will acquire the power, as Paramahansa Yogananda has pointed out, “to reform thousands.”
The price of this attainment is personal self-sacrifice. It is a price that the comfortable philanthropists and politicians of this world do not care to pay. Yet those who choose to submit find it a small burden for the extravagant blessings it confers. They draw on the power of its Resplendent Silence, which is able to transform all dreams.
Being without motive, and acting without personal desire or the hope for any reward, they work for the welfare of all life and the reformation of the world. This truth rings out through the avenues of time. The ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu soars across the centuries, addressing our modern litany of sorrow:
“But in the present day men cast off gentleness, and are all for being bold; they spurn frugality, and retain only extravagance; they discard humility, and aim only at being first. Therefore they shall surely perish. Gentleness brings victory to him who attacks, and safety to him who defends. Those whom Heaven would save, it fences around with gentleness.” 20
These are the true peacemakers of this world.
References
1 “The Sayings of Lao Tzu“, translated by Lionel Giles, John Murray, London, 1905, p. 33.
2 Ibid, pp. 24-25.
3 Ibid, p. 27.
4 Ibid, p. 35.
5 “The Sayings of Confucius“, translated by James Ware, Mentor, New York, 1955, pp. 47-48.
6 “I Am That“, Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman, Book II, Chetana, Bombay, 1973, pp. 301-302.
7 “Ashtavakra Gita“, translated by H.P. Shastri, Shanti Sadan, London, 1961, p. 44.
8 “I Am That“, Book I, op.cit., pp. 3-4.
9 “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi“, Recorded by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1968, p. 429.
10 Ibid, p. 428.
11 “I Am That“, Book I, op. cit., p. 16.
12 Ibid, Book I, pp. 167-168.
13 Ibid, Book II, p. 22.
14 Ibid, Book II, p. 142.
15 “The Sayings of Confucius“, op.cit., p. 62.
16 Ibid, p. 28.
17 “I Am That“, Book II, op.cit., p. 21.
18 “The Bhagavad Gita“, translated by W. D. P. Hill, Oxford University Press, London, 1928, p. 104.
19 “I Am That“, Book II, op.cit., p. 285.
20 “The Sayings of Lao Tzu“, op.cit., p. 39.
