Finding Some Peace of Mind.

The Waterfall at Mapsie Den.

This watercolour is of a waterfall my walks frequently take me under. There are days, after the rain , when it sounds like thunder other days when it falls more gently but still makes a beautiful splashing sound.  The other day there I had walked a muddy trail and stood just down the stream a few feet and waved away some of the mud.

The water being so fast flowing is always clear and cold. it is beautiful to the taste, so refreshing especially after a long walk.

There are days when it is almost impossible to be alone by the waterfall it being a popular spot for Sunday walkers. There are other days when you can stand alone and just listen to the music of the falling waters. Even in the noise there can be a sense of some peace. 

How I wish I could find the words to share such a peace with others so that they might find it also.

Finding peace is such am important thing. To be in a state of not being at peace is the worst thing that can ever happen to a person. There are sadly those who have never ever experienced such a sense of peace, this is so sad.

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days of his having found enlightenment. 

While they were travelling, they happened to pass a river. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that river there.” 

The disciple walked up to the river. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water and, right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the river. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. 

The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!” 

So he came back and told Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.” 

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the river and get him some water to drink. 

The disciple obediently went back to the river. This time he found that the river had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha. 

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, “

See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be ... and the mud settled down on its own – and you got clear water... Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.” 

What did Buddha emphasise here? 

He said, “It is effortless.” Having 'peace of mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to the outside. It spreads around you and in the environment, such that people around start feeling that peace and grace.

I frequently tell my son, when he tells me how busy he is, that if you are too busy to find a little moment of quiet and peace it is simple, you are too busy indeed. I am sure my own father was aware of this hence the weekly walks we had together often saying little or nothing. 

For your sanity find a moment to just be at peace. Do nothing and it will happen.