~by Peace Pilgrim
IN MY EARLY LIFE I made two very important discoveries. In
the first place I discovered that making money was easy. And in the second
place I discovered that making money and spending it foolishly was completely
meaningless. I knew that this was not what I was here for, but at that time
(this was many years ago), I didn't know exactly what I was here for. It was
out of a very deep seeking for a meaningful way of life, and after having walked
all one night through the woods, that I came to what I now know to be a very
important psychological hump. I felt a complete willingness, without any
reservations, to give my life, to dedicate my life to service. I tell you, it
is a point of no return. After that, you can never go back to completely
self-centered living.
And so I went into the second phase of my life. I began to
live to give what I could, instead of get what I could, and I entered a new and
wonderful world. My life began to become meaningful. I attained the great
blessing of good health; I haven't had a cold or headache since. (Most illness
is psychologically induced.) From that time on, I have known that my life-work
would be work for peace; that it would cover the entire peace picture - peace
among nations, peace among groups, peace among individuals, and the very, very
important inner peace. However, there's a great deal of difference between
being willing to give your life, and actually giving your life, and for me, 15
years of preparation and of inner seeking lay between.
During this time I became acquainted with what Psychologists
refer to as Ego and Conscience. I began to realize that it's as though we have
two selves or two natures or two wills with two different viewpoints. Because
the viewpoints were so different, I felt a struggle in my life at this period
between the two selves with the two viewpoints. So there were hills and valleys
- lots of hills and valleys. Then in the midst of the struggle there came a
wonderful mountain-top experience, and for the first time I knew what inner
peace was like. I felt a oneness - oneness with all my fellow human beings,
oneness with all of creation. I have never felt really separate since. I could
return again and again to this wonderful mountaintop, and then I could stay
there for longer and longer periods of time, and just slip out occasionally.
Then came a wonderful morning when I woke up and knew that I would never have to descend again into the valley. I knew that for me the struggle was over, that finally I had succeeded in giving my life, or finding inner peace. Again this is a point of no return. you can never go back into the struggle. The struggle is over now because you will do the right thing, and you don't need to be pushed into it.
Then came a wonderful morning when I woke up and knew that I would never have to descend again into the valley. I knew that for me the struggle was over, that finally I had succeeded in giving my life, or finding inner peace. Again this is a point of no return. you can never go back into the struggle. The struggle is over now because you will do the right thing, and you don't need to be pushed into it.
However progress is not over. Great progress has taken place
in this third phase of my life, but it's as though the central figure of the
jigsaw puzzle of your life is complete and clear and unchanging, and around the
edges other pieces keep fitting in. There is always a growing edge, but the
progress is harmonious. There is a feeling of always being surrounded by all of
the good things, like love and peace and joy. It seems like a protective
surrounding, and there is an unshakeableness within which takes you through any
situation you may need to face.
The world may look at you and believe that you are facing
great problems, but always there are the inner resources to easily overcome
these problems. Nothing seems difficult. There is a calmness and a serenity and
unhurriedness - no more striving or straining about anything. Life is full and
life is good, but life is nevermore overcrowded. That's a very important thing
I've learned: If your life is in harmony with your part in the Life Pattern,
and if you are obedient to the laws which govern this universe, then your life
is full and good but not overcrowded. If it is overcrowded, you are doing more
than is right for you to do, more than is your job to do in the total scheme of
things.
Now there is a living to give instead of to get. As you
concentrate on the giving, you discover that just as you cannot receive without
giving, so neither can you give without receiving - even the most wonderful
things like health and happiness and inner peace. There is a feeling of endless
energy - it just never runs out; it seems to be as endless as air. You just
seem to be plugged into the source of universal energy.
You are now in control of your life. You see, the ego is
never in control. The ego is controlled by wishes for comfort and convenience
on the part of the body, by demands of the mind, and by outbursts of the
emotions. But the higher nature controls the body and the mind and the
emotions. I can say to my body, "Lie down there on that cement floor and
go to sleep," and it obeys. I can say to my mind, "Shut out
everything else and concentrate on this job before you," and it's
obedient. I can say to the emotions, "Be still, even in the face of this
terrible situation," and they are still. It's a different way of living.
The philosopher Thoreau wrote: If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps he hears a different drummer. And now you are following a different
drummer - the higher nature instead of the lower.
IT WAS only at this time, in 1953, that I felt guided or
called or motivated to begin my pilgrimage for peace in the world - a journey
undertaken traditionally. The tradition of pilgrimage is a journey undertaken
on foot and on faith, prayerfully and as an opportunity to contact people. I
wear a lettered tunic in order to contact people. It says 'PEACE PILGRIM' on
the front. I feel that's my name now - it emphasizes my mission instead of me.
And on the back it says '25,000 MILES ON FOOT FOR PEACE.' The purpose of the
tunic is merely to make contacts for me. Constantly as I walk along the
highways and through the cities, people approach me and I have a chance to talk
with them about peace.
I have walked 25,000 miles as a penniless pilgrim. I own
only what I wear and what I carry in my small pockets. I belong to no
organization. I have said that I will walk until given shelter and fast until
given food, remaining a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace.
And I can truthfully tell you that without ever asking for anything, I have
been supplied with everything needed for my journey, which shows you how good
people really are.
With Me I carry always my peace message: This is the way of
peace: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.
There is nothing new about this message, except the practice of it. And the
practice of it is required not only in the international situation but also in
the personal situation. I believe that the situation in the world is a
reflection of our own immaturity . If we were mature, harmonious people, war
would be no problem whatever - it would be impossible.
All of us can work for peace. We can work right where we
are, right within ourselves, because the more peace we have within our own
lives, the more we can reflect into the outer situation. In face, I believe
that the wish to survive will push us into some kind of uneasy world peace
which will then need to be supported by a great inner awakening if it is to
endure. I believe we entered a new age when we discovered nuclear energy, and
that this new age calls for a new renaissance to lift us to a higher level of
understanding so that we will be able to cope with the problems of this new
age. So, primarily my subject is peace within ourselves as a step toward peace
in our world.
