Ian | Spirituality for Seekers

How to Find Peace of Mind

The pace of modern life is far more hectic than at any previous time in history, and that has left many feeling far less centred than they would like to be. Beyond the common desire to find relief from momentary stress, or to experience more long-term happiness, most people would simply like to know how to enjoy a greater sense of calm and tranquility in their lives, and so in this post I will share three powerful but easy-to-implement ideas that will be of use to those who are wondering how to find peace of mind.

Carve Out Quiet Times

Although the world is full of distractions, it is still perfectly possible to carve out times of quiet for yourself. A preliminary step to finding peace of mind is to deliberately carve out quiet times by setting aside a period each day for precisely that purpose. You may have already established the habit of doing this, especially if you have previously read about the importance of Silence and Solitude, but if not, you should consider making it a priority to do so now.

Carving out quiet times doesn’t simply mean setting aside time for silence in your diary, but also taking whatever steps are necessary to avoid interruptions, such as turning off your mobile phone or at least putting it on silent. There is plenty of quiet to be had even in the 21st century, but you will need to guard it carefully if you want to make the most of it.

Learn to Meditate

Meditation is a central practice in numerous spiritual traditions, and for good reason – it is one of the most effective methods for quieting the mind that has ever been developed. There are many different types of meditation, most of which you can teach yourself when equipped with a reliable guide. The following audio programs are highly recommended, so take a look at all of them to see which one would serve you best:

Guided Mindfulness Meditation: A Complete Guided Mindfulness Meditation Program by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness Meditation: Nine Guided Practices to Awaken Presence and Open Your Heart by Tara Brach

How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chödrön

Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg

Anyone who is equipped with one of the above programs will be able to learn the basics of meditation in a matter of hours. Of course, you will get better at meditating the more you practice, so be sure to make meditation a part of your normal daily routine if you want to reap its full benefits.

Visualise Calm

My third suggestion for finding peace of mind is to create a sanctuary of calm in your imagination, and to spend at least a few minutes there several times a day. A simple way to do this is to get comfortable, close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting in a natural environment which you associate with a sense of peace, calm and tranquillity. This might be somewhere by the ocean, deep in the heart of a familiar forest, in a log cabin by the lake or even at the top of a mountain.

Whatever your chosen location, focus using your imagination to visualise the environment as richly as possible in all sensory modalities. See the scene as clearly and vividly as you can, smell the air, hear the sounds around you, feel the textures and – if appropriate – appreciate any tastes that are present.

As with mediation, the more you practice visualisation, the more proficient you will get at using the technique and the more beneficial it will be for you. Those of you who would like to study creative visualisation in more depth and explore a broader range of possible applications would do well to spend some time with the Creative Visualization Meditations audio program by Shakti Gawain.

‘Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.’ – Wayne Dyer

As you can see, finding peace is largely a matter of retraining the mind. Live in reaction to the world around you and your mind will always be agitated and restless. However, give yourself space and silence, invest some time and effort into developing the skills of meditation and visualisation, and you will soon be able to quieten the mind at will. When that happens, you will discover a vast ocean of inner peace which no outer circumstance will be able to shake.

How to be Happy

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One of the things which is common to all human beings, regardless of who they are, where they live or what they believe, is the desire to be happy. But what exactly is happiness, and how can we attain it? Those are the two questions which I would like to explore in today’s Practical Spirituality post here at Spirituality for Seekers, so if you are one of the many who would like to know how to be happy, the following thoughts just might help to point you in the right direction.

What is Happiness?

A rather big stumbling block on the path to attaining happiness is the lack of a clear-cut definition of what the word really means. The definition of happiness can seem to be so vague and fluid that it seems to mean something different to everyone, and so people look for it in all kinds of ways, many of which actually take them in the completely wrong direction.

The least correct definition of happiness is the feeling of pleasure which accompanies the achievement of material success. Whilst achieving ones material goals certain can bring about a temporary state of pleasure and satisfaction, that immediate emotional state tends to be short-lived, and is quickly followed by a desire for even more success so that the momentary emotion of pleasure can be repeated.

It is this desire for and pursuit of more and more material success which drives the world economy, but the pursuit never ends, and even those who accumulate more money than they can ever hope to spend still often find happiness to be elusive. Evidence for this can be found in the studies of lottery jackpot winners, which show that, once the initial thrill of winning has subsided, their self-reported level of happiness returns to much the same level as it was before the win.

So, if happiness isn’t found in a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow of materialistic striving, where is it?

The answer is that happiness can be found at the very opposite end of the rainbow – at the easy to reach end, which is right where you happen to be at this very moment.

Whilst we might not be able to agree on a single and universal definition of happiness, we can and should listen to the thoughts of those who have already attained it, both to learn what it means to them, and how they came to experience it.

‘Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.’ – Denis Waitley

‘Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.’ ― Abraham Lincoln

‘Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.’ ― Mahatma Gandhi

‘Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.’ ― Dalai Lama

‘Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.’ – Anne Frank

‘My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations.’ – Michael J. Fox

In each of the above quotes – and there are thousands more just like them – happiness is described in very non-materialistic terms, reflecting the truth that happiness is not dependent on how much money you earn, what kind of home you live in or what kind of car you drive. On the contrary, happiness is described as something that arises from the habits of living mindfully, acting with intent and appreciating all the good that surrounds you in this very moment.

From this, we can infer that happiness is not a transient emotion which is triggered by external conditions, as is the case with the emotions of pleasure or excitement, but that it is actually a more stable state of being which is experienced when we deliberately cultivate a sense of peace and contentment in the here and now. This is very good news, because it means that happiness is available to everyone, regardless of their circumstances in life.

Cultivating Happiness

As alluded to in the previous section, happiness arises as a side-effect of peace, contentment and mindful action in the present moment. It is not, therefore, something which can be achieved by pursuing it directly. Instead, the most effective way of cultivating happiness is to focus on cultivating the other conditions which enable happiness to arise naturally.

In the Buddhist tradition, the way to do this – and to achieve enlightenment itself – is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. This is a proven path which has been used by millions of people for 2,500 years, but it is beyond the scope of this site to delve deeply into any particular tradition, so I would strongly recommend that anyone who is interested in following this path should study it further. The book Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das is as good a starting point as any, and highly recommended for both its accessibility and practicality.

Of course, it is not necessary to explore the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism in order to cultivate the conditions which lead to the arising of happiness, so anyone who wants to be happier in life can begin by cultivating the following qualities:

Acceptance

Cultivating acceptance means developing the habit of accepting life exactly as it is, in this present moment. The more you fight the current reality by wishing that things were different, the less happy you will be. Circumstances can never be completely perfect, so waiting for them to be so will only result in you postponing the possibility of being happy right now. Learn to accept what is, in this present moment, and you will create a space in which it is possible for happiness to arise.

Gratitude

Having learned to accept the present moment, begin finding things to appreciate about it, and cultivate a general sense of gratitude for the whole of your life. There are always plenty of things to be grateful for when you look for them, so look for them constantly, and allow the feeling of gratitude to permeate your days, from the moment you wake up in the morning, to the time you set your head down to sleep at night.

Kindness

Cultivating kindness means developing the habit of always thinking, speaking and acting in a way which is friendly, warm-hearted and considerate, both to yourself and to other people. This is a major key to happiness, but unfortunately it is one which many people overlook. Avoid that mistake by making the deliberate cultivation of kindness a part of your main spiritual practice and the results will soon begin to speak for themselves.

‘A disciplined mind brings happiness.’ – The Buddha

By cultivating acceptance, gratitude and kindness, you will be creating conditions in which happiness arises quite naturally. The longer you continue cultivating the qualities outlined here, the more stable your sense of happiness will become, until eventually you come to realise that you are happy far more often than not. Begin today, and be sure to enjoy the process.

Spirituality and Health

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It is often the case that people begin exploring the spiritual side of life only when they or someone they care about face a health crisis of some kind, and this is probably because human beings know quite intuitively that the spirit plays an important role in physical health. When a person pursues spiritual development, the state of their physical health can often improve quite markedly, and even when one faces a condition which medical experts have diagnosed as ‘untreatable’, focusing on spiritual matters can still provide a great deal in the way of pain management, peace and emotional support.

In the scientific community, the ‘mind-body connection’ is well documented. For example, scores of peer-reviewed studies have shown that regular ‘mindfulness of breathing’ meditation has all sorts of healing properties, such as improving blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, reducing stress levels and even changing the structure of the brain itself. Other spiritual practices, such as chanting a mantra, spending time in a state of quiet contemplation or journaling on a regular basis, have been studied less extensively, but have still been shown to be similarly beneficial.

Whilst it is obviously a very good thing that spiritual practice is helpful to those who face health challenges, it should also be recognised it is something which can and should promote greater levels of health and fitness in those who do not face such challenges. In fact, if your spiritual development is not already helping you to enjoy greater physical health then it is probably the case that you need to look a little closer at your understanding of the relationship between body and spirit.

We usually talk about the body and spirit as if they are separate things, and that is fine for ease of discussion, but there is in fact no real separation, at least during your time as a human being. Whilst you are essentially a spirit being, you are currently living in a physical world, and you therefore need a physical body to operate effectively in it. The more fit and healthy your body is, the better it can serve your spirit, and vice versa.

‘… your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…’ – 1 Corinthians 6:19

The biblical description of the body being a ‘temple’ of the spirit is a good way to view the relationship between the two, and if you were to live your life according that understanding, it is only natural that you would want to take the very best possible care of your temple.

So how can you do that? Well, your intuition is – as always – your best guide, but here are two essential principles that you may wish to consider adopting as a starting point…

#1 – Mindful Consumption

If your body is the temple of the spirit, you should exercise mindfulness and be respectful when it comes to deciding what you put in it. Consider eliminating (or dramatically reducing) proven toxins such as alcohol and non-prescription drugs from your life, and then exercise the same kind of mindfulness and care when choosing what to eat or drink.

Your temple probably won’t fall apart if you have a less than optimal meal once in a while, so you don’t necessarily need to skip the slice of cake on your birthday, or refuse a special dinner which someone has kindly prepared for you. On the other hand, habitual consumption of processed foods, or those which contain high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fats, will not do your temple any good at all, and could well be indicative of a deeper lack of respect for your general physical wellbeing.

On a mechanical level, your physical body is a superb piece of organic machinery, and like any machine, it will perform best only if treated with care. The cleaner your diet – which includes the liquids that you consume as well as the solids – the more efficiently your body will operate.

#2 – Temple Maintenance

Just as a church or temple building needs checking over and maintaining on a routine basis, so does your temple of the spirit. Neglecting to keep an eye on your medical condition, and to take regular exercise, means that time will take a much greater toll on your physical body than it needs to.

If you aren’t already applying this principle, start by getting checked over by a physician, and then adopt a schedule of regular exercise. The type of exercise that you take should be determined by your personal situation and preferences, so a thirty-minute walk through the park each day can be just as valuable as joining a Tai Chi class or signing up with your local gym. The important thing is to establish the habit of being active every day in a way that suits your current level of health and fitness.

The principle of Temple Maintenance also includes taking good care of your eyesight, hearing, visiting the dentist, being mindful of your posture and getting enough rest. If it helps, try imagining that you are merely borrowing the physical body that you currently inhabit, and treat it with care and respect for the duration of your occupancy.

The Benefits of a Spiritual Perspective

The idea that you should adhere to a clean diet, exercise regularly and take good care of your body are not new, but viewing these things as spiritual practices in their own right can be very beneficial to those who find it difficult to make their physical wellbeing a priority.

Adopt the principles of Mindful Consumption and Temple Maintenance today, start living by them on a consistent basis and your spiritual perspective will automatically help you to enjoy greater levels of health and fitness. Just as importantly, it will also help ensure that you give your ‘temple of the spirit’ the respect that it deserves.

Practical Spirituality

by Ian Leave a Comment

Spirituality is not something that should be viewed as being separate from the way you live your day to day life. If your spiritual practice does not help you to live in a more effective manner – one which provides more happiness, joy, peace and fulfilment than would be the case otherwise – then I would quietly suggest that you may be missing the whole point.

There are millions of people who miss the point every day of the week. We all know those who go to a church or temple every Sunday to say their prayers, confess their sins or listen to words of wisdom from the spiritual texts of their tradition, only to emerge from the building and live in a manner which is completely contrary to the path they proclaim to be following.

That is entirely their choice, of course, and nothing which should be judged, but it is a shame that such people may never come to discover the satisfaction that arises from allowing their spiritual practice to pervade the whole of their lives.

The biggest mistake that people make is in viewing spirituality as some kind of ‘escape from the real world’, but that isn’t the real point. The sacred space isn’t meant to be an emotional isolation chamber, but rather a place where one trains the mind and spirit, much like one trains the body in a gym. Whilst both the sacred space and the gym can sometimes serve as sanctuaries which give you a place to take respite from the stresses and strains of work, relationships, health issues, politics and the economy, that isn’t their main purpose.

The main purpose of a gym is to develop a well-trained body so that its owner can live the whole of his life with a greater level of energy, health and vitality. Similarly, the main purpose of following a spiritual path is to develop insights, habits and skills which enable one to live the whole of life from a higher perspective, in a state of greater peace, balance and happiness.

Adopting spirituality as some kind of compartmentalised escape can often mean running to the meditation cushion to hide whenever life gets stressful, or simply praying for divine assistance whenever you mess things up. Pursuing practical spirituality, on the other hand, means training the mind on the cushion so that it is more resilient to stress, or developing a greater level of mindfulness so that you don’t mess things up quite so often in the first place.

The more you practice spirituality as an escape, the less effective you will be in the real world, but the more you pursue practical spirituality, or what some prefer to call applied spirituality, the more effective you will be in all areas of life.

For this reason, over the next few weeks I will present a number of posts about how to apply spiritual wisdom and techniques in very practical ways to help you achieve positive outcomes in your day to day life. If you are someone who would like to be healthier, happier and calmer, and enjoy a greater level of success in your career, relationships and finances, be sure to subscribe to the Spirituality for Seekers mailing list and then keep an eye on your emails for notifications of these new posts as and when they are published.

Developing Spiritual Discernment

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In my previous post I wrote about the importance of viewing your intuition as the only spiritual authority that you will ever need. Not too many people have a problem with that idea, but a few will sometimes express concern that their intuition might potentially give them bad advice, or mislead them in some way. What if their intuition tells them to eat a dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts every day for breakfast, for example? Or to kick the cat? Or even to take a leap from a very tall building?

These are legitimate concerns, but only because the questioners do not yet understand that their intuition would never guide them to do anything which would be harmful to themselves or others. Not all of our inner urges are intuitive, and therefore not every inclination that we have should be viewed as such.

We have said that human beings are spiritual beings in flesh-and-blood bodies. As such, you have both a spiritual nature and a physical nature. Intuition is the voice of your spiritual nature, but you also have plenty of inner urges which arise from your physical nature. It is therefore important that you develop spiritual discernment so that you can learn to tell the difference between the two.

Urges which arise from the physical nature tend to be concerned with obtaining some form of emotional or physical satisfaction. The desire to vent your anger or disappointment, to be impatient, to shout, to scream, to take revenge for some perceived wrong that has been done to you, to question your self-worth, or to feel sorry for yourself, are all good examples.

The voice of the spiritual nature, or intuition, on the other hand, tends to be concerned with your development as a spiritual being. This is the inner voice of reason, which gives you wise counsel which often runs contrary to your physical urges. For example, your intuition may suggest that you should resist giving in to your anger or disappointment, that you should strive to be more patient, that you should remain calm and trust the universe, that you should forgive those who have done you wrong, that you should be more mindful of your spiritual identity and that you should be grateful for all the good that you have in your life.

Another difference between the voice of intuition and urges arising from the physical nature is that the former will tend to advocate attitudes, responses and actions which promote the spiritual wellbeing and long-term happiness of both yourself and others in equal measure, whilst the latter will only tend to promote short-term pleasure, and usually for yourself.

Being aware of these differences between your intuition and the urges of your physical nature will help you to discern between the two in daily life.

For example, if you suddenly feel the urge to spend some time in prayer or meditation, or to speak words of genuine encouragement and kindness to someone, it should be quite clear that these are the promptings of your intuition. However, if you feel a compelling urge to give someone a ‘piece of your mind’ or cope with a feeling of sadness by seeking solace in a bottle of vodka, then it should be equally clear that these are the promptings from your physical nature.

It should be obvious that not all physical urges are to be ignored. The urge to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, sleep when tired, and so on, are things which serve to keep you alive and healthy. What you should do is examine the urges of your physical nature as they arise and then choose consciously whether or not you should act upon them, and if so, how to act upon them in a healthy and balanced manner.

By taking this approach, listening to your intuition will not mean going along with every whim and fancy which arises, but evaluating your inner guidance to sort the wheat of genuine intuition from the chaff of sometimes irrational physical urges. Then, as you continue developing spiritual discernment, you will find that the voice of your intuition becomes ever clearer, and before long it will be quite easy for you to know which ideas are intuitive and which are not.