Peacefulness
(Ahimsa): Happiness
Begins Within
By becoming peaceful, we experience
inner harmony and all outer discord ceases.
Sutra ii.35
Monumental imbalance and strife exist in the world today. There is always something to disturb our peace or make us unhappy. Strangers rage at each other on the road and threats to our safety seem to escalate daily. Conferences on peace take place but individuals still feel alienated and intimidated walking down city streets. The answers to these problems do not exist outside, but rather within our own hearts and minds and this is where we begin with the first and most fundamental of the Yamas, the instruction of non-violence (Ahimsa).
World peace will only occur when the world is filled with peaceful individuals; therefore, cultivating Ahimsa or peacefulness is our essential starting point. This Sutra indicates that we need to proactively cultivate peace and reverence for all beings, rather than passively remain neutral or non-engaged. Assuming that everything in the Universe is interdependent, each thought and action of every individual affects the overall state of peace and unity in the world. As we make a daily effort to establish harmony within our own hearts and minds, and within our families and communities, we experience the interconnectedness of all creation and greater love as a result.
This is a practice of profound internal change, and the choice of peace is fundamental to all that lies ahead. If today we choose to live in peace, embracing respect and love for our neighbors, we initiate change not only for ourselves but also for our communities and nations. To evolve in this direction, patient daily willingness to look at our own motivations, agendas, and thoughts is essential.
Moving beyond the traditional translation of “non-harming,” we see that Ahimsa means to eradicate anything that undermines peace and to actively start helping. Staying detached is not enough. In order to create harmony where it is not, we must consciously look for ways to practice compassion, respect, and thoughtfulness each day, first in our thoughts and then in our actions.
To begin, we learn to relax in our own minds and bodies. Rather than curse the people or things that are frustrating us, if we intend to practice peace, we develop the ability to release stress and hold onto behaviors and thoughts that bring us back to serenity again and again. Thought is our greatest ally and creates according to its own nature in both inner and outer results. Therefore, every time we choose thoughts of gratitude, positivity, and peace, we create a ripple of peacefulness on the planet that affects innumerable others. As we manage our stress, frustration, and anger, we offer an example to those around us to do the same.
Thought Watching
To practice the Yamas and Niyamas effectively, we must train ourselves to watch our thoughts. Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of what we are thinking, feeling, and sensing without being pulled around recklessly by it. Watching thought is key to practicing Ahimsa, because all day, every day, if we are not careful and aware, negative thoughts will slip in and chip away at our peace.
Criticism, anger, jealousy, fear, doubt, thoughts of lack, suspicion, and anxiety all negate peace and create inharmony within us. These thoughts act like roadblocks between us and the life of happiness we wish to have. Training the mind to eliminate negativity and concentrate fully on joy and gratitude is essential. At the end of every chapter, affirmations are included to help with the practice of establishing new patterns of thought that will reinforce the qualities we are cultivating. All change begins in the realm of thought.
It is here we enter the labyrinth of intertwining limbs that in their entirety take us to the center of our true nature. Choosing thoughts of peace is the beginning, and the experience of peace beyond thought is also the beautiful outcome of one of the later limbs, that is meditation (Dhyana). The closer we move toward center, the more effective change agents for peace we become in the world.
The Anger Trap
For now, let us start by assessing our outer lives. How often do we react to challenging people or situations in anger? The emotion of anger is meant to spark needed action when controlled, just like a fire is meant to transform wood into productive heat. But unchecked anger, like a fire, will burn out of control in a way that is detrimental to our health—physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is the root of many illnesses as well as premature aging. Uncontrolled anger prevents understanding and our ability to reason clearly.
Consider the expression about giving someone “a piece of our mind.” What is actually happening when we tell someone off is that we give away a piece of our inner peace. Let us say that an aggressive driver cuts us off in traffic on the way to work. Whether we roll down the window and yell, or refrain but curse him silently, we have literally given him the peace of our mind. Our thought has become poisoned by anger. We are not peaceful. We are not happy. And we are not practicing Ahimsa.
To practice Ahimsa, we stay serene even when conflict arises. We seek a solution based on calm understanding. With the driver who cut us off, we could choose a thought of compassion such as, “He must be really stressed to be driving that way. I hope his day gets better.” In doing this, we feel less tension and he receives our peaceful energy waves. Moving away from the problem and toward the solution is key.
Love and calmness are stronger than anger and we must learn to be self-possessed and even-minded under all circumstances in order to move in the direction of happiness. Finding the foundation of peace within the center of our being tethers us to a power far greater than our own. Peacefulness enables us to make wise decisions rather than reactive or ignorant ones. It enables us to stand in the face of conflict or insult unaffected and undisturbed. Ahimsa means giving peace and continual understanding to those who are angry with us until we foster a bridge of harmony.
By the world standard, it is not rational or logical to feel peaceful when confronted, wronged, dismissed, denied, or attacked. Yet it is our challenge to live these spiritual qualities within the challenges of modern life, rather than run to seclusion and avoidance. The Yoga Sutras indicate that by overcoming our ego’s desire to justify emotions and engage in conflict, we will move into greater ease and deeper connectivity. By watching emotional reactions arise and choosing not to act from them, we are practicing Ahimsa and we experience peace within.
Every frustrating experience of daily life can be approached with either peacefulness or agitation. Part of the practice of Ahimsa is to look within at the ways we choose to remain in conflict and our motivations for doing so. Cultivating peace actively eliminates states of worry and anger.
Both in our thoughts and outwardly in our lives, we will find many opportunities to practice refining more peaceful approaches. Maybe we are holding onto a disagreement with someone, replaying it over and over in our head. Are we harboring resentment or a justification of our position, unwilling to communicate and find compromise? If we cannot harmonize our own minds, emotions, and bodies, we have put ourselves at odds with peace. And even if we are not outright warmongers or conflict instigators, we are contributing to the overall disturbance of anger and fear on the planet.
Let Go of the Need to Be Right
Ahimsa becomes a bit more difficult in family or work situations where feelings and agendas are often intense. What if your partner’s work stress is spilling out as short-temperedness with you and the kids? Or a colleague stole a deal you had been fostering for months? It is easy to get angry when we feel mistreated or wronged. We react by attacking back, or putting up an emotional wall. The Sutra on practicing peacefulness is meant for exactly these moments and it requires that we choose the higher, more forgiving and compassionate road even when we might be right or justified in striking back.
Evident by daily news reports, there is plenty of ignorance and hatred in the world that conspires against our effort in this direction. But the choice is ours, moment by moment, in our every thought, word, intention, and action. Clearly, if war were the way to peace we would have achieved it by now.
Mahatma Gandhi, famous Indian political leader and yogi, said that there is no way to peace but rather that peace is the way. He demonstrated this through his non-violent protests of British rule in India. Through peaceful resistance he withstood violence and successfully effected change for his country, eventually winning even the respect of his enemies.
“Not to hurt any living thing is no doubt part of Ahimsa,” wrote Gandhi. “But it is its least expression. The principle of Ahimsa is hurt by every evil thought, by undue haste, by lying, by hatred, by wishing ill to anybody.” 7
The discipline it takes to maintain a mental state of non-violence (Ahimsa) requires tenacity and humility. It is as rigorous as any physical training discipline. The hurt ego is quick to counter. The tired mind is quick to snap. We must slow down and become mindful of our tendencies toward reactivity and judgment. Only then can we create the mental clarity from which to choose wisely, what to say and do that will contribute to peace rather than further conflict. It takes commitment and willingness to stand our ground peacefully, as Gandhi did in the very midst of conflict.
Respect and Care for Self and Others
No peace lies in the future that is not available now, hidden within us in this present moment. It simply depends on our choice. Self-respect and self-care are essential. We are not practicing Ahimsa if we become imbalanced through overwork or lack of exercise. Practicing Ahimsa is both an inner and outer journey and we cannot offer what we have not embodied. If we feel stressed, unworthy, or afraid then we will create these same feelings in our relationships. When we catch ourselves moving into negative inner spaces, we can remind ourselves of the need for self-honoring in order to contribute to peace on the planet. We can choose thoughts of self-compassion, understanding, and forgiveness, rather than negative thoughts of self-condemnation, criticism, or fear. These thoughts ease our inner experience and we quickly see how transformative this approach can be with others. Ahimsa takes root at our foundation and spreads to all those we encounter.
As we strive to meet all situations and people with loving openness and a dynamic peacefulness, we begin experiencing less stress in our own lives. We let things roll more easily and feel less perturbed when things do not go our way. The more we recognize common needs within all people, the more empathy we feel. We address what lies beneath anger and reactivity, which is usually a deep need for love, understanding, and empathy.
The epic Indian text, the Mahabharata, as well as every major religious text since, has encouraged the essentialness of forgiveness under any injury, recognizing it as a noble virtue. Forgiveness releases us from the feeling of anger and the impulse toward retribution, enabling the continuation of harmonious connection between widely differing people, personally and internationally. Whenever we are confronted with opposition, we must conquer with love. Eventually as we eradicate all thoughts that are not peaceful from our minds, we are assured that discord will cease around us. Miracles occur through the creative application of love and forgiveness.
Foundational Happiness
We can all express more love in our thoughts, words, and actions daily. Ahimsa is an active practice that lays the groundwork for all the limbs that follow. By creating an internal environment of peace, watching our thoughts and choosing to hold onto only ones that foster it, and by offering reverence, kindness, and love to all beings, we move toward unity consciousness, the goal of Raja Yoga. If we wish to truly know ourselves and to be fundamentally happy, we must nurture this foundation of spiritual life.
When we are at peace, we are attuned with our soul. As we awaken soul connection, we realize that we are all part of one Divine Essence experiencing life through various human bodies and stories. If we can really feel this oneness, then anything another does is within us as well and we have compassion for him. And anything we do to another, we realize we are doing to ourselves. Every time we take a step in the direction of peace, we effect a positive change in our circle of family and friends. And this extends through them into the greater world.
Never underestimate the power of one peaceful gesture or one peaceful thought. Small steps yield big results over time. If we want to experience peace, we must offer it actively to others. Develop mindfulness and program thought for success and happiness by actively choosing peace at every turn, internally and externally, no matter what happens. Utilize the affirmations at the end of this and every chapter to reinforce the qualities you are developing.
As we embrace forgiveness and choose peacefulness with all beings, we are rewarded with unshakeable inner tranquility and freedom. Our lives move into alignment and our inner light beams brightly. Harmony reigns in our body, mind, and spirit as imperturbable happiness. Eventually all conflict and hostility around us disappear naturally and the world is one step closer to peace.
Daily Practices
Integrate an active practice of peacefulness into your daily life. Remember that it first begins within your own thoughts and then extends to your outer actions. In thought, word, and action, actively choose peacefulness today and notice how even small efforts yield big results over time.
Questions for Further Reflection
Take a moment with your journal now to answer the following questions. Or find a quiet pause sometime today to remember the quality of peacefulness and contemplate these thoughts further.
Affirmations to Post and Remember
Affirmations solidify beliefs in our subconscious mind, creating a foundation from which we can then manifest positive change in our outer lives. Repeat these often with strong intensity and full faith.
7. Eknath Easwaran, Gandhi the Man (Berkeley: Nilgiri Press, 1997), 154.