07. Peace
By Luang Pu Thate Desaraṅsī
Date: n/a, 1983
All of you, make an effort to practice according to your ability. If we don’t practice the Dhamma, we won’t truly know the Buddha’s teaching that says, “There is no happiness equal to peace.” That statement is true. If you haven’t reached it through practice and merely guess or speculate, you might believe it or not. Truly and genuinely believing the Buddha’s teaching is very difficult. Even if we sometimes believe and sometimes doubt, once we practice and actually reach that point, then we will truly believe: “Ah! This is what the Buddha taught—that there is happiness and peace, just like this.”
Where does peace come from? Most people are busy and agitated with all kinds of things, scattering their attention here and there, unable to find peace. That is why there are so few who believe that peace is happiness. Merely guessing, thinking, and imagining won’t lead to genuine peace. To attain true peace, we must let go of everything—all the turbulent emotions that swirl within the mind must completely disappear, with no involvement. Only then does true peace arise. If you are still involved in various matters, you cannot reach peace. This is the very point where people don’t truly believe the Buddha. In our practice, we are training to find peace. Everything we cultivate leads only to peace. Restlessness is abundant. From the moment we are born, we cannot find peace. Even if in a whole day of 24 hours we could have just five minutes or ten minutes of true peace, that would be enough to clearly see the truth of the Buddha’s teaching within our own minds.
In Buddhist practice, regardless of the method—whether it’s different meditation techniques or different teachers—it all leads to the same peace. Whether practicing “expanding and contracting,” “sammā arahaṃ,” ānāpānasati (mindfulness of breathing), maraṇasati (mindfulness of death), or anything else—it’s all aimed at attaining peace. But in truth, when one reaches peace, one might not even recognize it as peace; some might think peace is stupidity. Have you ever experienced that kind of stupidity? We practice to reach that stupidity. Without reaching that stupidity, there is no wisdom. You have to let go of everything first; wisdom doesn’t come first. Therefore, peace is the foundation of practice. Whatever skillful means we use in practice—listening to Dhamma talks, learning methods from teachers—all of that is upāya (strategy or skillful means). But when we truly attain peace, that is paṇīta (excellence or true discernment).
Paṇīta and upāya are different. Paṇīta is something no one else can teach—it is knowing for oneself. Attaining peace is our own paṇīta. Once we have that paṇīta, if we try to teach others, saying, “You must do this and that to reach peace,” that becomes upāya again. Paṇīta gives rise to upāya for others. They hear it as upāya, and when they train and truly reach peace, it becomes their own paṇīta. Paṇīta is wisdom itself. That is why Buddhism teaches us to first attain peace, which is called samatha (tranquility). Without samatha, there is no paññā (wisdom). Samatha is peace. When peace arises in the mind, one sees clearly all the things that are not peaceful. The harm of restlessness is seen right there, clearly manifesting in one’s own mind. That is paññā.
If you haven’t attained peace, the mind remains unsettled, agitated, and involved. Even if something is clear and true, it won’t be clearly known by yourself because it’s mixed with various emotions and defilements, so you remain restless. But when you attain peace, you see clearly for yourself: “Ah! So this is peace—the peace of which they said, ‘No happiness equals peace.’ It’s exactly like this.” Speaking inferentially, when nothing at all is connected to the mind, what remains there? Nothing, of course. Having various things involved—that is called not being peaceful, and you don’t see peace.
True peace has absolutely nothing, yet one is aware of oneself that nothing is involved there. That is genuine peace. But this is said as an upāya for you to hear.
When anyone attains peace, they see it for themselves. From then on, no matter where they are, no matter what they say or discuss, they see peace all the time. Even if at that moment they don’t have perfect peace, they think of peace, recollect peace, and see peace constantly. When they have free time and make effort—walking meditation, sitting meditation—the mind becomes peaceful. Only the mind remains, with nothing involved. And that is happiness, you know. When nothing is involved, that is happiness. People who have never let go of entanglements never see that happiness. They see entanglements as happiness and comfort, so they chase after one thing after another. It is difficult to know the Dhamma and see the Dhamma, the Buddha’s teaching.
Therefore, I say: Just keep practicing sincerely. It’s fine. Our practice is correct. Practicing to aim for peace is correct. Restlessness is abundant—it arises on its own. Restlessness comes naturally according to its own conditions. Restlessness is always there. So peace is hard to find, while restlessness is easy to find. Wherever you go, you will find restlessness.
Thus, in this life, try to attain peace for just a while each day. If you can get peace for even a short while, that is already very good. That’s all.
True peace has absolutely nothing, yet one is aware of oneself that nothing is involved there. That is genuine peace. But this is said as an upāya for you to hear.