Live in the Ocean of Light

There are people who are at home everywhere, just as there are others who feel out of their element at the slightest change of circumstances. We can all admire those relaxed individuals who seem to be always perfectly at ease, never at a disadvantage and master of the situation. The reason we admire this is a sense in each one of us that this is how it ought to be. It is indeed how it should be from the enlightened point of view, but the individual has to make sustained efforts to achieve that state. It is, when finally achieved, an expression of indisturbable Shanti, or higher Peace, consequent on a realisation of one’s own inviolable nature as Atman. This is brought about neither by running away from the world nor by plunging into it, but by learning to live and act wisely, and by returning home to the true centre of life within.

To the naive, peace or Shanti seems to be attained by a cessation of all outer action, but this is far from the case. Even if we do achieve inactivity, we are like a passive object at the mercy of the outer forces impinging on us. The real state of Shanti is a much subtler and more rewarding achievement. It is hinted at in the Bhagavad Gita when it speaks of being able to see inaction in action and action in inaction. Even in the midst of a tornado there is a still point within the centre of the maelstrom. The same is true of the human personality. It is to find this real centre of Shanti, which remains undisturbed even during the most active phases of the mind and the most disturbing circumstance which life can produce, that is the real secret of inner relaxation and immovable wisdom.