Now, when we say that we desire peace, which peace do we truly desire? Jesus said: “let your heart not be troubled and do not be afraid.” Fear comes when the heart is troubled. When the heart is troubled peace becomes absent. But, can that which is true be inconsistent? Christ is Truth. Truth is Reality. The essence of Reality is perpetuity or permanency. It’s the same yesterday today and forever.
There is what is real or true according to the world; and there are what is real or true according to Christ. Consequently, there are two ways to measure reality or truth. One way is based on sensations. The other way is based on consciousness. There are two ways to measure the reality of peace. You can measure peace based on sensations. And you can measure peace based on consciousness.
Just like sensations are unstable so is the peace measured by sensations. Peace measured by sensations vanishes when the heart is troubled and fear comes in. Peace measured by sensations is not real peace. It is not true peace. It is the peace from the world. Now, what does it mean “from the world”. It means a peace that depends on outside elements such as money, people, possessions, events, conditions, circumstances and opportunities.
Is your heart troubled when you have no money? Do you give into fear when you are in debt? If yes, then money is the provider of your peace. But this peace is impermanent. The minute you find money and the means to pay your debts, your heart troubles will cease and you will have a sensation of peace. This is the only peace the world can give you. This is not a real peace; for the minute you start lacking money again, your heart will fall back again into trouble and fear will return.
The peace that is attached to anything outside of you is not a real peace. The peace of Christ is independent from outside conditions. Sickness cannot take it away. Lack of money cannot take it away. People cannot take it away. This is true peace. This true peace is the source of true happiness also called bliss. It is not a sensation, but a state of consciousness that comes through consistent practice of detachment. Detachment is the way to perfect peace.
When your mind does not stay home, it becomes prodigal. Jesus said: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself” (John 5: 26). Life or energy belongs to God and the son of God (The Christ within). When the mind is always outside wasting energy, he is comparable the prodigal son or the ego that took half of his inheritance (life-substance) and went outside to waste it.
Jesus said “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever” (John 8: 35). Man is awareness or “I am”. When he identifies himself with Christ, he becomes son of God. When he identifies himself with the world, he becomes an ego, a slave to the world. The mind of the ego is never home (within), but always outside (without).
The son of God knows where his supply shall come from. Therefore, his mind is set upon the kingdom of God within. This inner kingdom is the “above” where he receives all good gifts (spiritual ideas) for sustenance. When the ego wants to go out it always asks: “what shall I eat tomorrow? What shall I wear tomorrow? What shall I drink tomorrow?” These questions make up the chain that drags him out of the inner world.
The mind of the son of God says: ‘Tomorrow will take care of itself”. This understanding is the essence of true peace as consciousness. It is not based on sensations but on truth. The prodigal son takes life or energy from within to go waste it without.
The son of God, on the contrary knows that life or energy must not be wasted, for life is more important than temporary satisfactions of the ego. Out of life, the son of God withdraws inspiration to create avenues for success, prosperity, and achievement, yet remains unattached to them all. This detachment means not seeing the world of forms as source of life; but seeing life as source of everything.
The ego believes that matter (stones) can become a life giving substance (bread). The Christ knows that life (bread) can produce stones (physical and material realities); for that which is invisible is the mother of all visible things.
This is the secret to perfect peace: One must remain in the consciousness that all one needs is within, in the very life force. This life force is the ocean out of which ideas (fish) are withdrawn and transformed into tangible things. Things are thoughts because first thoughts are things.
By simply reminding oneself that everything must come from within the inner kingdom, one remains home and do less going-out. This is the true meaning of living in the “NOW”. However, one must be faithful in the practice until the NOW becomes a true state of consciousness.
When Truth becomes your consciousness it can no longer be altered. Even if you want to reverse it, it will be impossible. It will become a natural experience; because a nature in you. Can you change a pig into a dog? No matter what you do to the pig, his nature can never change. His pig-consciousness is real, true, and permanent. In the same way when Christ becomes your inner prince of peace through detachment and the awareness that life is sufficient, you become peace.
