War and Peace - (more on the illusion of opposites)

The last post is prompting a few emails, relating to the perceived illusion of opposites regarding the phrase "war and peace" . So perhaps see this posting as an extension of the previous.

War and Peace

'Worldly prosperity is like writing on water'

Zen saying

At the outset let us reverse this phrase from War and Peace to Peace and War. The power is always in the positive - the real. As with Love and Hate - Life and Death - Light and Darkness - Truth and Untruth etc the power rests in the positives - Love - Life - Light - Truth. Not the illusory negative shadows - hate - death - darkness - untruth.

Leo Tolstoy wrote his monumental work 'War and Peace' with the backdrop of a material world in conflict. For Leo Tolstoy War had to be placed first. However in esoteric teachings the power is in Peace. The power is always in the positive. Peace is not merely the absence of war but far more profound. Peace cannot be the opposite of war.

Love - Life - Light - Truth - Peace are but names that attempt to describe attributes of the absolute - the self - the Atma or God. They attempt to describe a presence of the real - of totality. Peace is the Divine state of consciousness aware of itself. Peace is a state of 'being-ness' not 'doing-ness' - a state of Divine contentment - it is the serenity of the soul.

The soul call of the multitude is "I want Peace". Yet if one removes or goes beyond the "I" (the ego-mind) - removes the "want" by realizing that wants are but desires of the ego-mind - then one is left with "Peace". This is not a mere play on words. One's inner nature is peace. Conflict arises with the mind. By controlling thoughts (or understanding the nature of thought) and by centering oneself in the real self, peace automatically envelops the being.

Whilst peace is beyond the mind, war or conflict arises from the mind.

To begin to understand conflict one should start by understanding the nature of mind. When thoughts arise, each thought is a subtle comparison with the known. The known (memory) is the conglomeration of past thoughts, experiences, attitudes, beliefs, cultural conditioning etc. The new thought is deciphered through this conglomeration - and the comparison or judgment is made. Thus, as an example, to a native deep in a rain forest who has never seen or heard of a plane before, when confronted with the vision of a plane flying overhead for the first time, might justifiably say to his or her companion "look up there - big iron-bird that creates thunder!" The new is always deciphered via the old. A subtle conflict arises between the 'what is' (the real) and the 'what one thinks it is' (the illusion).

The conflict is exasperated somewhat when two or more sentient beings , each with their own perceived false comparison of the 'what is' or phenomenal world, begin to expect or demand that the other should see matters the way they themselves see them - which of course is absurd and an impossibility.

Further, when the ego-mind begins to 'think' or convince itself it is 'the self' rather than a useful tool of 'the self' then conflict becomes absolute. The real 'I' or Atma gradually becomes buried under layers of illusion and delusion and the false-ego reigns supreme.

But - unfortunately that is not the end of the story.

The ego-mind is totally insecure and must be so. Nature has made it so. The ego-mind is not permanent and is doomed to die. Those who mistake their mind as the real self, and are not detached from the mind, begin to suffer - and suffer greatly.

The ego-mind's desperate answer to annihilation is to grasp onto the known and to hold on to it to the death. It begins to accumulate - belief systems as well as material goods. It seeks power. It's repressed insecurities demand satisfaction. Subtle or gross measures of greed, envy, jealousy, lusts and hatreds fuel the ever increasing karmic unquenchable desires. As one is possessed in equal measure by one's possessions the fear of loss and annihilation also proportionately expands. At the society level, war becomes the insane option. War is both caused and fuelled by ignorance of self. War is suppressed conflict materialized.

US President Kennedy said, "Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind."

Mmmm - perhaps one can change that to "Mankind must put an end to belief systems or belief systems will put an end to mankind."

To end war it is not a question of merely showing tolerance to each other's belief systems. To tolerate is not understanding. Tolerance is not patience. Patience is heart felt compassion born out of wisdom and love. To tolerate is a mind thing. That is, "I don't agree with your beliefs, race, skin color, sexual preferences etc but for now I will tolerate them." To tolerate means one had to first pre-judge via the ego-mind. Toleration leads to suppression and suppression leads to violence.

Only the other day a man said to me, "Charles I want to explain that I really do show great tolerance to my wife's weaknesses and failings, however........." Needless to say I shuddered. Now change the statement to "Charles I want to explain that we really do show great tolerance to your country's weaknesses and failings, however....". Sound familiar? Toleration is neither understanding or patience and cannot end with lasting peace.

Conflict can only end when one becomes realized. When the permanent nature of the real self is known. When our children are no longer indoctrinated by the society into belief systems and are instead shown that freedom lies beyond the known - beyond the mind - then mankind has a chance of survival. A revolution is needed. Not a violent struggle. Not even a revolution in thought. A revolution in thought is not revolution. It is a belief system modified. The revolution I speak of is a revolution in consciousness. A mass awakening from illusion, despair and suffering. A mass realizing of the real self.

War (destruction) is the negative shadow (or polarity) of Creation. Peace is God or the absolute. Thus war and peace are not and will never be opposites.

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