‘Thou wilt keep in perfect
peace
whose mind is stayed on Thee’ (Isaiah 26:3)
whose mind is stayed on Thee’ (Isaiah 26:3)
Deep
down, we all crave peace of mind. Call it serenity, tranquillity, equanimity, or
imperturbability, we certainly know
when we don’t have it. Wanting to be happy all the time is, well, silly, and
quite superficial, but peace of mind is an altogether different thing.
This
verse from the Hebrew Bible contains a valuable formula for obtaining, and
maintaining (‘keeping’), peace of mind. It says that God will keep us in
perfect peace if our mind is ‘stayed’ on God.
Who
or what is this God? Some theological construct? A person, albeit a supra-normal
(whatever that means) one? No, not at all. I know many, many people who call
themselves atheists---and that they are, at least when one applies traditional
theistic definitions of ‘God’---who have perfect peace. They know God, even
though they choose not to use that term---and that is their prerogative.
The
word ‘God’ is not the 'thing,' rather it directs us to the reality to which the word 'God' refers. What is that reality, I hear you ask? Well, this is it---God is simply a word that
some people choose to use (and others choose not to use) to refer to the medium in which all things live, move,
and have their being. Time and space---spacetime, to be more correct---are other
words that refer to more-or-less the same 'thing.' They, too, are mediums---or
rather the medium---in which all things exist and subsist. No wonder mystics
have referred to God as the Eternal Now. Yes, God is the All in all. God is not
a ‘thing,’ nor a ‘person,’ as we ordinarily use those words. Got that? God is not a
thing, but rather ‘No-Thing’ or ‘No-Thing-ness.’
Now,
some or all of the foregoing may be hard to understand but, when you think
about it, it makes much more sense than believing in a so-called personal God.
Actually, the God to which I refer is both personal and impersonal. It is impersonal
in the sense of being general, universal, all-embracing, non-discriminating, and infinite, but it ‘becomes’---for
want of a better word---personal in
and as you and me and all other
persons and things as well as being personal to all who are at-one with its indwelling presence, power, and activity.
So
many people have a terrible concept of God---anything but the truth. The true
nature of the divine, as pure and ever-perfect Be-ing, is revealed in these Bible verses
from the third chapter of the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible:
13 Then
Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of
Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they
say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?’
14 And
God said to Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the
children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’
Yes, God---pure Be-ing or existence--is the one form-less, essence-less, self-existent, self-knowing, self-giving, absolute, indestructible, and abundant existence that forever takes form, that is, incarnates, as you, me, and everything else, but which is never even for a moment absorbed by the innumerable objects of its Self-expression. In other words, God---if you choose to use the word at all---is the life that is the subject of true existence, the very life that lies within, and otherwise manifests itself through and as objects, being all persons and things---the very livingness, or rather Self-livingness, of life itself. Put perhaps more simply, you are I AM in expression---as you. In the words of the renowned Unity minister and author Eric Butterworth, you are an 'eachness' within the ALL-ness of God. Yes, 'Thou art That.' Whether or not you are aware of it, you are divine and one with this 'God-ness,' being the point---and just one of an infinite number of such points---at which the Great I AM reproduces and experiences Itself. Amazing!
Back to our Bible text. What is meant
by the word ‘perfect,’ in the expression ‘perfect peace’? Well, peace is
perfect when it is true, real, and substantial, as opposed to being false or
insubstantial. Material things, and even intangible things such as status and reputation,
are false and insubstantial because they are ‘grounded’—actually, they are not
even ‘grounded’ in any real sense---in our false selves that clamour for
attention and the approval of others. Peace is ‘perfect’ when it is grounded in
the eternal and infinite; this peace is imperturbable, for it subsists at all
times and under all events. The great Swami Vivekananda described this state of mind as 'eternal calmness which cannot be ruffled, the balance of mind which is never disturbed, whatever happens.'
Now, if you want perfect peace in your mind, then keep your mind ‘stayed’ in the Eternal Now, that is, in the medium in which all things live, move, and have their being. Keep your mind grounded in the consciousness of the moment, from one moment to the next. For me, mindfulness is the best form of prayer and meditation. It is the primary means by which I stay grounded in the Eternal Now---God, if you like. You don't need to believe in someone else’s concept of God---not even mine, for heaven’s sake. You don't need to use the word God, or think in theistic terms, at all. All you have to do is to stay mindfully aware of, and alert to, the content (both internal and external) of the present moment at all times or at least as much and as often as you can. Angels---assuming there are any---can do no better.
And how do you know when you are living mindfully? The answer is simple---you are living mindfully when you are no longer fretting about or fighting the past, or fearing the future. You are able to accept, with calm contentment and total equanimity, whatever is. Perfect peace, just like perfect love, drives out all fear, anxiety, anger, and resentment (cf 1 Jn 4:18). Indeed, there is simply no room in a mindset of perfect peace for any negative thoughts or emotions.
The photos in this post were taken by my son
Peter while on vacation in Baja California, Mexico
