The search for inner peace -- so much a part of our spiritual practice. Is it elusive -- always one step ahead of us, so close, and then suddenly the world interrupts so rudely and inner peace now seems so far away?
A respected forum member wrote this message under an album picture in Birds of Gurbani - Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Many thanks to that forum member. I was intrigued and have set off on a journey to learn and share. Shanti as I knew her in my limited way is a goddess from the Hindu tradition. And she did not seem to have the same glamour or attractiveness of Shakti. Do we not know of the many schools of yoga that seek to raise the creative, generative energy of Shakti, Kundalini energy? So many sources extolling Skahti. So little said about Shanti.
Who is Shanti? Before she was a goddess, in the ancient scriptures of Sanskrit origina she was Ksanti, she was inner peace. And interestingly in the Buddhist tradition she is also patience. Retrieved from Inner peace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shanti is Imner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally or spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. ....Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness.
...In some cultures, inner peace is considered a state of consciousness or enlightenmentprayer, meditation, T'ai Chi Ch'uan or yoga, for example. Many spiritual practices refer to this peace as an experience of knowing oneself...
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, emphasizes the importance of inner peace in the world:
Kshanti or kṣanti' (Skt.) or khanti (Pali) has been translated as patience, forbearance and forgiveness.[1] It is one of the practices of perfection (Skt./Pali: paramita) of both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.
Kshanti is the practice of exercising patience toward behavior or situations that might not necessarily deserve it — it is seen as a conscious choice to actively give patience as if a gift, rather than being in a state of oppression in which one feels obligated to act in such a way. Retrieved from Kshanti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The idea that is growing in my mind is this: That patience clears the mind of anger. That emptying the mind of anger clears the way for inner quiet. That inner quiet creates bliss. That bliss rids one of the desire to be impatient, therefore no anger, therefore no anxiety, therefore inner peace. It is like a circle -- unbroken connections. Kindness that grows within offers kindness without. Broken connections can mend and reconnect.
I do not know why the forum member chose Shanti, Shanti, Shanti as the beginning of his message. But I am glad that he did. He opened the door for a meaningful dialog about patience and peace, anger and bliss from across several religious traditions: Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh. Perhaps even others.
While waiting for others to share in this discussion, read this web site which has a wonderful mantra that creates Kshanti -- its effects very calming.
Om shanti shanti shanti | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation
A respected forum member wrote this message under an album picture in Birds of Gurbani - Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Many thanks to that forum member. I was intrigued and have set off on a journey to learn and share. Shanti as I knew her in my limited way is a goddess from the Hindu tradition. And she did not seem to have the same glamour or attractiveness of Shakti. Do we not know of the many schools of yoga that seek to raise the creative, generative energy of Shakti, Kundalini energy? So many sources extolling Skahti. So little said about Shanti.
Who is Shanti? Before she was a goddess, in the ancient scriptures of Sanskrit origina she was Ksanti, she was inner peace. And interestingly in the Buddhist tradition she is also patience. Retrieved from Inner peace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shanti is Imner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally or spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. ....Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness.
...In some cultures, inner peace is considered a state of consciousness or enlightenmentprayer, meditation, T'ai Chi Ch'uan or yoga, for example. Many spiritual practices refer to this peace as an experience of knowing oneself...
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, emphasizes the importance of inner peace in the world:
"The question of real, lasting world peace concerns human beings, so basic human feelings are also at its roots. Through inner peace, genuine world peace can be achieved. In this the importance of individual responsibility is quite clear; an atmosphere of peace must first be created within ourselves, then gradually expanded to include our families, our communities, and ultimately the whole planet." [1]
Ksanti - the embodiment of patience and forbearance is linked in this way to inner peace in the Sanskrit and Pali scriptures.
Kshanti or kṣanti' (Skt.) or khanti (Pali) has been translated as patience, forbearance and forgiveness.[1] It is one of the practices of perfection (Skt./Pali: paramita) of both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.
Kshanti is the practice of exercising patience toward behavior or situations that might not necessarily deserve it — it is seen as a conscious choice to actively give patience as if a gift, rather than being in a state of oppression in which one feels obligated to act in such a way. Retrieved from Kshanti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The idea that is growing in my mind is this: That patience clears the mind of anger. That emptying the mind of anger clears the way for inner quiet. That inner quiet creates bliss. That bliss rids one of the desire to be impatient, therefore no anger, therefore no anxiety, therefore inner peace. It is like a circle -- unbroken connections. Kindness that grows within offers kindness without. Broken connections can mend and reconnect.
I do not know why the forum member chose Shanti, Shanti, Shanti as the beginning of his message. But I am glad that he did. He opened the door for a meaningful dialog about patience and peace, anger and bliss from across several religious traditions: Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh. Perhaps even others.
While waiting for others to share in this discussion, read this web site which has a wonderful mantra that creates Kshanti -- its effects very calming.
Om shanti shanti shanti | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation
mmm...herbalism)
