Home of Peace

One of the regular sights ahead of major holidays, a lot of people who miss home then travelling far away just to fulfill the inner crying of home. With the risks of long traffic jam, long queuing in the airport, even the possibility of accident, a lot of people still go far away. Nothing hidden behind this but home of peace.

Suffering as Bell

The greatest force that drives people keep missing home is suffering. The rich suffer for fear of losing, the poor suffer because they can not eat. Young children suffer because many desire are not fulfilled, the elder suffer from illness. All suffer. But as it is often heard by many spiritual ears, suffering is not punishment. Suffering is a bell ringing inside, warning people that they are playing too far from home. The same bell also remind all to go back home.

This explains why more than half of meditation students are sick. Some have serious physical illness such as advanced cancer, psychological illness such as stress and depression, until spiritual pain in the form of dry life that can lead one to suicide.

With sufficient spiritual blessings (persistence meditation, deep respect to the Guru and sacred teachings), meditation then open up the layers of misery step by step. On the surface, suffering is scary and ugly. When it is cultivated deeply, the ugly face disappeared. It is replaced by the soft hands of Guru that guide all to go back home.

Suffering, Purifying, Softening

One of the beautiful face of suffering, it purifies as well as softens. Suffering purifies like sandpaper that smoothes the wood which is being made into a statue. Indeed it is painful, but when the pain is over it left nothing but soft and cool heart.

Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-born great writer who wrote a beautiful and touching book of the Prophet,  he was heartbroken at the beginning. In the language of the youth, his love was refused. But this grief did not guide him to the direction of suicide. On the contrary, it was the opening door of beautiful and touching works.  Only a pure mind and a touching heart could write like this: "when people are in touch with happiness in the living room, sadness is waiting in the bed room". Put it simply, people are at home with both happiness and sadness. As a consequence of it, we have no other choice but learn to listen, understand, serve. Peace is hidden here.

Sufi mystic Jalalludin Rumi also suffered mental anguish from the disappearance of his master. More than just the teacher disappeared, his books have gone on fire. No other option then except to dig deeper into the Self. At the peak of the journey Rumi wrote: "Life is like staying in a guesthouse. Everyday the guests change. Whoever the guests always remember to smile". Praised, blamed, success, failure all are guests of life who come and go. As the waitress in guesthouse, the best option is always smiling. Smile is a bridge that connecting two hearts.

Every Step is Peace

Equip with clean mind and clear heart - after being smoothened by suffering - every step is peace. This may happen, if someone is not only smoothened and purified by suffering, but also entered the realm of silence. At the level of silence, there is nothing left except a perfect flow. It is similar to the round of moon at night. There are times when night is dark without moon, then followed by the crescent moon and full moon. The latest full moon shrink into crescent and then disappeared into the dark night. Everything just flow perfectly.

There are traditions that use full moon night as time of worship,  some pray in the time of crescent moon, some others pray when the night is dark. All is perfect as it is. It is totally free from the judgment of high-low, good-bad. Anyone who blends perfectly with the flow, then understand in the depth why the most beautiful book of zen master Thich Nhat Hanh titled: "Peace Is A Step". In every step there is peace.

For the ordinary,  peace is the fruit of meditation, prayer, other spiritual practices. For those who returned back to home of peace (read: being one with every flow of life), the fruit and the Path are one. The Path is the fruit, the fruit is the Path. As soon as one arrives here,  service is as simple as water that is flexible, as natural as sugar which is sweet. As water is soft, as sugar is sweet, the natural nature of existence is service. Service at this level is natural and effortless.