| The Peace
Matrix
First Week’s Meditation
“Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world
as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss….
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again.”
-from Peace Train by Cat Stevens
Dear Friends, it is with compassion and joy that I welcome you
to our June 2003, Usui 21-Day Retreat. janeAnne and Mari have
called upon me once again to facilitate our weekly meditations,
and this retreat’s focus will be on a topic that seems rather
elusive in our world these days,
Peace.
We’ve called this retreat, the Peace Matrix. Please don’t
relate this to the popular series of Matrix movies as they may
have some basic spiritual value, but are far from peaceful and
non-violent. The word matrix has the same Latin root as the word
mother and is defined by Webster as “something within or
from which something else originates, develops, or takes form.”
So our work over the next three weeks will examine the energy,
thought and action through which peace can develop and take form
in ourselves, our communities and our world.
We also need to define Peace before we begin. Peace also comes
from a Latin root pac or pax and specifically from the word pacisci
which means, “to agree”, as in the English word, Pact.
It is easy to see that peace means so much more than the absence
of war. It means agreement on both the internal and external levels,
leading to security, harmony and tranquility.
I remember as a teenager in the late 1960’s being swept
up in the anti-Vietnam War “Peace Movement”. In retrospect,
the irony of those times was that those of us in the movement
were anything but peaceful. We were angry…angry at the thought
that we were not being heard or acknowledged, angry at what we
viewed as the un-caring “establishment”, angry at
our parents who we believed didn’t understand our motivations
and mostly angry at ourselves because we didn’t understand
our motivations. Maturity is a great teacher, and the lesson many
of us learned from those days is that in order to promote peace
on the outside, you must first promote peace on the inside. Anger
begets anger; love and compassion begets peace.
Our first week’s meditation will focus on internal peace.
We’ll start the process with a little exercise on identifying
one (only one, please) of the internal triggers that disturb our
tranquility and inhibit our ability to find personal peace. The
reason I ask that you focus on only one is that we are going to
continue this exercise for the full 21 days of the retreat in
addition to our other work. Most of our personal triggers are
actually bad habits that we’ve carried around with us for
a long time, and psychologists have determined that it takes 21
days to break a habit. By identifying and meditating on clearing
just one, you will establish a wonderful practice that you can
continue well beyond this retreat.
Begin with a little journaling. Relax with pen and paper and
start jotting down a few notes on those habits and behaviors that
trigger a negative internal response when you consciously acknowledge
them. This can be any thing that you feel you can reasonably work
on for 21 days. Reflect on your notes and then select one. Keep
the list for future reference on your continuing path of inner
peace through habit change. And take heart in this process because
you are not alone. We are all doing this together; hundreds of
us around the world working on inner peace.
Now, let’s begin our meditation. Take a seat in a comfortable
chair, center and ground yourself, and perform your personal preparatory
ritual. When your setting is right for you, begin with some gentle
stretches, inhaling as you extend your arms to a comfortable position
above your head and exhaling as you allow your arms to gently
float down.
Gently and slowly turn your head from side to side, inhaling
as you turn to the left and exhaling as you turn to the right.
Do this several times, observing the sensations in your neck and
face, allowing all of the tension to leave and feeling a sense
of warmth and contentment.
Return your head to center and allow your hands to rest gently
in your lap with your palms up if this is comfortable for you.
Close your eyes and begin to take a series of slow, deep breaths,
holding each inhalation to your comfort level and then slowly
exhaling completely. Repeat this breath several times until you
feel very relaxed, centered and cleansed, and then allow your
breath to return to its normal rhythmic pattern.
As you go deeper into meditation, begin to visualize or sense
the habit or trigger that you have selected to work on. Suspending
judgment and with total self compassion, remember back to when
this habit or behavior began. Lovingly send healing energy and
the thought-form of release, thanking the habit for the lessons
you’ve learned from it and acknowledging that it no longer
serves you. Gently let it go, seeing yourself released from the
negativity and pain and feeling inner tranquility and peace. Take
as long as necessary for this process to work inside of you. When
you feel satisfied with the session, close the work with gratitude
for the gift of healing, the gift of peace and the gift of life
itself.
Slowly begin your journey back to the present place and time.
Take a series of deep, slow and comfortable breaths. Gently begin
to move your fingers, your feet and any other part of your body
you need to as you return to consciousness. Keeping your eyes
closed, take three more deep breaths, one for the body, one for
the mind and one for the spirit. Return to your fully awakened
state, feeling relaxed, refreshed and most importantly, at peace
with yourself.
As you continue this work, be aware of how the peace growing
within you effects the people around you. Journal any changes
you start to see in yourself and others.
Next week, we will focus on how to extend the energy of peace
out to our community.
Namaste’, blessings and Peace!
Vic
"In the hearts of people today there is a deep longing for
peace. When the true spirit of peace is thoroughly dominant, it
becomes an inner experience with unlimited possibilities. Only
when this really happens-- when the spirit of peace awakens and
takes possession of men's hearts, can humanity be saved from perishing."
--Albert Schweitzer
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The Peace Matrix
Second Week’s Meditation
“Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile,
then the world will not have peace. It is not by going out for
a demonstration against nuclear missiles that we can bring about
peace. It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being
peace that we can make peace.” -- Thich Nhat Hahn
Dear Friends, welcome to our second week together on the path
of Peace.
I hope that you have been doing the daily exercise to promote
inner peace by focusing on that one habit that triggers turmoil
and inhibits your personal peace. I encourage you to continue
for the full 21 days, and beyond, with this technique.
Isn’t it fascinating that the number of days psychologists
have proven it takes to break a habit is the same number of days
that Usui Sensei spent on Mount Koriyama meditating on the Sutras
and Symbols that would lead to his enlightenment and understanding
of natural healing? The legend tells us that on his first day
on the holy mountain, he made a pile of 21 stones and that on
each day after fasting, meditating and studying, he would throw
one of the stones off of the mountain. True, these stones were
meant as a calendar; a means of counting the days. But the act
of casting away a stone each day has a much more profound meaning.
We can interpret each stone as the letting go of a misconception,
an illusion, a self-doubt; the triggers of inner turmoil and inhibitors
of inner peace. Through this cleansing process, Usui Sensei made
himself ready to receive the gifts of healing and enlightenment
and by following his example we can ready ourselves for new and
wonderful possibilities, and for peace.
So as we work together on inner peace, let us now turn our focus
to peace within our communities.
“It is essential to know that to be a happy person, a happy
family, a happy society, it is very crucial to have a good heart,
that is very crucial. World peace must develop from inner peace.
Peace is not just the absence of violence but the manifestation
of human compassion.” --His Holiness, the Dalai Lama
One of the natural outgrowths of inner peace is compassion. With
compassion, we learn to see others as we see ourselves. This leads
to an inevitable conclusion; we all really are the same. We share
the same basic needs, the same joys, the same fears and the same
tears. What’s different is our cultural conditioning, based
on where and how we were raised, our socio-economic back grounds,
and the way we were taught to view our world. Most of these factors
are matters of chance and accidents of birth.
Compassion teaches us to see with our eyes of “sameness”,
suspend judgment, put fear and suspicions aside and reach out
to each other with open hearts.
Compassion opens the way to something far greater than tolerance.
It helps us to appreciate and admire different cultures, lifestyles
and belief systems and opens the channels of communication that
dispel suspicion and fear.
Peace in our communities comes as an extension of compassion.
Each of us is given the opportunity (and responsibility) to be
personal ambassadors of peace and understanding. As the Venerable
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches, an act as simple as smiling can be the
key to facilitating peace. Our “being and breathing”
peace automatically sends out the energy of peace to our surroundings.
The famous “random acts of kindness” is a powerful
tool of peace. These are gestures that cost us little more than
our awareness and a few spare moments but put in motion tremendous
waves of energy. And for those of us who have more “moments”
to offer, volunteers are needed in so many capacities. Shopping
for the homebound, driving the elderly and handicapped to appointments,
mentoring our young and hospice work are just a few examples of
“compassion in action.”
Our meditation this week will focus on how we can best become
peace makers in our communities. Perform your usual pre-meditation
ritual, being completely compassionate with yourself by honoring
your needs. Create the sacred space that is most meaningful and
soul nurturing for you. When ready, begin by focusing on your
breath and letting go of everything not serving your purpose.
When you reach your deepest meditative state, begin to recall
those people who have touched your life in a special way with
acts of kindness and compassion.
Remember the circumstances surrounding those events; what your
needs were at the time, who the person was, how they came to serve
you and how you felt afterward. Go forward with the feeling and
begin to visualize what skills, talents and opportunities you
have to serve others in your community. See yourself engaged in
acts of kindness and compassion and the way they are received
by those you serve. Sense the energy of peace and love that this
work generates and see it envelope your entire community. Finally,
dwell for a few moments in the aura of this love.
When you are ready, begin your journey back to consciousness,
remembering the beautiful feelings that you experienced. Take
deep breaths of compassion as you return to your normal waking
state and as you open your eyes, sense yourself and your community
in balance and filled with peace.
Journal these experiences and select one of your gifts to share
with someone else in your community. Be gentle, don’t over-extend
yourself or take on anything that would not be compassionate to
you. When your plan is ready, go out into your community and become
walking, breathing peace! And remember, the simple act of smiling
goes a long, long way!
In our final week, we will take our experiences and see how they
apply to world peace. Blessings, love, light and Peace.
“Peace is a word
Of the sea and the wind.
Peace is a bird who sings
As you smile.
Peace is the love
Of a foe as a friend;
Peace is the love you bring
To a child
Searching for me
You look everywhere,
Except beside you.
Searching for you
You look everywhere,
But not inside you.
Peace is a stream
From the heart of a man;
Peace is a man, whose breadth
Is the dawn.
Peace is a dawn
On a day without end;
Peace is the end, like death
Of the war.”
Peace, An End by Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfield, King Crimson,
In the Wake of Poseidon, 1971
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The Peace Matrix
Third Week’s Meditation
"If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in
the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony
in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be
order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will
be peace in the world.”--Chinese Proverb
Dear Friends, welcome to our final week together on the path
of Peace.
Last week, we focused on the relationship between compassion
and finding peace in our communities. We meditated upon the acts
of kindness and compassion that others have gifted our lives with
and took inventory of what we could bring to those around us in
need.
Extending that energy of peace to our world requires a little
more effort. It does not require international travel, diplomatic
skills or military might. What it does require is that we open
our “eyes of compassion” a little wider.
While serving as a Chaplain for the Red Cross in New York after
the tragedy of September 11, 2001, I had the privilege of working
with spiritual leaders of all faiths and cultural backgrounds.
Because of the religious and ethnic diversity of those we were
there to serve, we all wore green Red Cross vests with simple
name tags that identified us as members of the Spiritual Care
Team. We may have been ministers, priests, rabbis, or imams but
in our neutral green vests we were one unified body of people
caring for people. We were representatives of love and healing
and peace. In this universal capacity, we served thousands who
lost loved ones, jobs and homes as well as our fellow support
agency personnel.
In this microcosm of the world, we were one, sharing in the grief
and horror of 9/11 and yet experiencing love and compassion on
levels never before seen.
We recognized each other as family and what bound us together
was not the thirst for revenge but the hunger for love and the
desire to find an answer to the great question, why?
Ultimately, that question can only be answered by looking inside
ourselves. World peace may be achieved when each human being finds
self worth, security and experiences compassion.
We can contribute to that process by continuing the work of personal
peace, extending that out to our communities and the world by
supporting international organizations that promote human dignity,
work to end hunger, disease and illiteracy, and foster education.
Of course, education, like charity, begins at home. If we are
to be the seeds of peace, it is our responsibility to learn about
the people we share this world with, their cultures, religions
and ways of life.
When we begin to see the world through their eyes, then our “eyes
of compassion” will truly open and we will know what to
do.
Let’s dedicate our final meditation to the birth of this
process in ourselves, our worldwide family and our planet.
After performing your personal pre-meditation rituals, begin
to focus on your breath. Be aware of how good it feels to be able
to breathe. Allow each rhythmic breath to cleanse and relax you
as you go deeper into your meditative state.
When you are ready, begin to sense, visualize or touch the universal
source of healing energy. Begin to see it as an orb of golden
light floating just above your crown charka. Sense this wonderful
light beginning to flow down into your crown, slowly like honey,
sweet and viscous. See it fill your crown, relaxing and refreshing
every place that it comes in contact with. Sense it flowing down
through your head and into your neck, healing and releasing as
it does. Continue to sense it flowing into your chest, beginning
to warm and fill your heart with compassion and unconditional
love. Sense your heart opening completely and filling with this
divine golden energy so much so that it over flows and begins
beaming out to your immediate surroundings, to your community,
your city, town, state, country and ultimately, your world. Sense
this wonderful energy of healing and compassion reaching the hearts
of every human being on earth, opening them to the simple truth
of the oneness of us all. Dwell in this new matrix of love and
peace and sense a state of total balance and perfection.
Slowly begin to return to yourself, knowing that the energy of
love that you shared has birthed new possibilities for understanding,
compassion and peace and that this peace was birthed right in
your own heart. Begin to close your energy centers, sealing in
the benefits of this wonderful experience. Ground yourself and
take three deep cleansing breaths, one for the body to be healthy
and strong, one for the mind to be open and clear, and one for
your spirit to be light and free. When you are ready, open your
eyes and reflect on the experience.
As this retreat draws to a close, please remember our 21-day
technique and use it in as many cycles as you wish to promote
change within yourself.
To paraphrase the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, allow
yourself to become a divine “instrument of peace”.
Thanks to Mari and janeAnne for continuing this wonderful venue
of meditation and growth and thank all of you for joining us on
this journey.
Blessings, love, light and Peace!
Vic
"So instead of loving what you think is peace, love other
[people] and love God above all. And instead of hating the people
you think are war-makers, hate the appetites and the disorder
in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace,
then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed - but hate these
things in yourself, not in another."
-- Thomas Merton, from "New Seeds of Contemplation"
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