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The Inner Well of Peace
A childhood encounter with a drawing of a calm, refreshing Buddha at age nine planted a seed of peace in the store consciousness. At age twelve, a search for a hermit on a mountain led to the discovery of a natural well with water more refreshing than any other. This well became an internal source of purity carried for over fifty years, illustrating how touching beauty in childhood provides a lifelong spiritual root. Remaining rooted in one’s own culture and tradition is essential to responding to the soul of the world; without these roots, it is difficult to touch the most beautiful things in life.
Understanding, or prajñā, is the foundation of love and the tool for liberation from ignorance, fear, and anger. Love is a matter of practice, described by two specific terms:
- Maitrī: the capacity to bring joy to oneself and others.
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Karuṇā: the capacity to remove and transform pain.
These capacities require the art of deep listening, exemplified by the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and the art of looking deeply, exemplified by the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. To love another, one must first understand their suffering, as love is the fruit of understanding.
Transformation and healing are possible through the practice of mindfulness in daily actions such as breathing, walking, and sitting. To find happiness, one must learn to release their cows—the projects, ideas, or possessions mistakenly thought to be essential for well-being. The practice includes:
- Deep Listening: listening with the sole purpose of relieving the suffering of the other person, without judging or arguing.
- Loving Speech: using a calm voice to express one’s own pain and responsibility without aiming to hurt.
- Mouth Yoga: the practice of smiling to relax hundreds of muscles on the face, which in turn relaxes the spirit.
- Stillness: calming the mind like still water so that reality can reveal itself clearly.
A poem describes two images of this state: the moon traveling in the sky of utmost emptiness, and the full moon reflecting beautifully in the calm water of living beings. By creating space within ourselves and practicing with a Sangha, we can water the seeds of insight and maintain the stillness necessary for true compassion.
Part of the following collection
The Happiness of Zero: Freedom from Birth and Death