What is inner-peace?

[dimreepr]

12 hours ago, koti said:

I wonder...can you be less condescending than this or is there really no limit and you never run out of bullets?

 

I'm sorry if my statement comes across as condescending because the opposite was my intent; I was trying to suggest we all have weakness'/imperfections, and they are often very similar so if one can recognise one's own flaws its easier to recognise and forgive those of others.

12 hours ago, koti said:

As for me being afraid of the „next level” after you take me to the „oasis” was a joke dimreepr.

Yes, a snide one in this thread, like I said if you don't like the topic don't post.

[dimreepr]

In fact, please don't post because, you've added nothing of value, so far, and I can't see that changing.

[jimmydasaint]

dimreepr, you appear to a guy who is my age group (50-55?).  Inner peace as you feel it seems to be easier with more age as you have passed the age of reproduction and searching for the ideal job etc... From looking at the last page of posting, I guess no-one has inner peace as an absolute, but they have moments of peace in their lives (IMO). 

I just need some "me" time and I can confess to a feeling of peace.  A bit of meditation with intent and I feel close to peace. 

But, when I am knackered at the end of a long working day, fraught with troubles, and return home to a traffic jam of epic biblical exodus proportions, it is OK to let off some steam and then return to peace later.  We are only human my friend; imperfections make us human (if I remember my first series of Star Trek as a youth). 

[dimreepr]

5 minutes ago, jimmydasaint said:

dimreepr, you appear to a guy who is my age group (50-55?).  Inner peace as you feel it seems to be easier with more age as you have passed the age of reproduction and searching for the ideal job etc... 

1

Age doesn't equal wisdom.

7 minutes ago, jimmydasaint said:

I guess no-one has inner peace as an absolute, 

Why not?

10 minutes ago, jimmydasaint said:

I just need some "me" time and I can confess to a feeling of peace.  A bit of meditation with intent and I feel close to peace. 

But, when I am knackered at the end of a long working day, fraught with troubles, and return home to a traffic jam of epic biblical exodus proportions, it is OK to let off some steam and then return to peace later.  We are only human my friend; imperfections make us human (if I remember my first series of Star Trek as a youth). 

It's not about what has been or what might be, it's about now and what you choose to be... success is being contented with now, despite the past or future...

[Prometheus]

22 minutes ago, jimmydasaint said:

But, when I am knackered at the end of a long working day, fraught with troubles, and return home to a traffic jam of epic biblical exodus proportions, it is OK to let off some steam and then return to peace later.  We are only human my friend; imperfections make us human (if I remember my first series of Star Trek as a youth). 

I think what dimreepr means by inner peace is different from what you (and most others) mean by it. That blowing off of steam can be a part of inner peace - it isn't going through your whole life as if floating on a cloud never troubled by anything - that's a Stone Buddha. You can rant and curse to your hearts desire in the traffic if that's how you feel, and when the feelings gone let it go to let the next experience in. Letting go can be quite difficult though - i agree it comes with experience.

It's a bit like some people's concept of heaven: some sedate place where everyone is blissed out all the time. Sounds like a heroin den to me: nothing like an actual heaven would be like.

[dimreepr]

6 minutes ago, Prometheus said:

 

nothing like an actual heaven would be like.

 

Indeed, heaven is here and now despite what the future promises...

[koti]

2 hours ago, Prometheus said:

It's a bit like some people's concept of heaven: some sedate place where everyone is blissed out all the time. Sounds like a heroin den to me: nothing like an actual heaven would be like.

Good analogy, a permanent state of inner-peace doesn’t appeal to me as atractive. One can argue that a lobotomy patient can have a permanent state of inner peace from his/her perspective but from the point of view of others its no bliss (rhe question is weather the point of view of others matter) This comes down to the red/blue pill decision form the Matrix, I have deeply imbeded in me to take the red pill everytime but then again I’ve never been faced with this kind of a decision. Trying to determine a certain set of conditions which when met lead to an inner-peace state is futile in my opinion. Ones inner peace state could be a nightmare for another or the other way around. We see this in every day life, a jogger vs a couch potatoe for example, their ideas of inner peace are quite different but from their subjective points of view they both can have the same positive experience of inner-peace. Another example would be me and dimreepr.

Edited November 4, 2017 by koti

[zapatos]

4 hours ago, koti said:

Good analogy, a permanent state of inner-peace doesn’t appeal to me as atractive. One can argue that a lobotomy patient can have a permanent state of inner peace from his/her perspective but from the point of view of others its no bliss (rhe question is weather the point of view of others matter) This comes down to the red/blue pill decision form the Matrix, I have deeply imbeded in me to take the red pill everytime but then again I’ve never been faced with this kind of a decision. Trying to determine a certain set of conditions which when met lead to an inner-peace state is futile in my opinion. Ones inner peace state could be a nightmare for another or the other way around. We see this in every day life, a jogger vs a couch potatoe for example, their ideas of inner peace are quite different but from their subjective points of view they both can have the same positive experience of inner-peace. Another example would be me and dimreepr.

I really don't think you understand the concept of 'inner peace'.

[koti]

2 hours ago, zapatos said:

I really don't think you understand the concept of 'inner peace'.

That might be the case, please enlighten me.

[iNow]

Inner peace is quite likely one of those concepts that must be discovered within oneself as opposed to being taught by some other, even though others can often help to better illuminate the path and offer suggestions on avoiding common obstacles. 

[zapatos]

24 minutes ago, koti said:

That might be the case, please enlighten me.

I'm hardly an expert on the subject, but I'd suggest you start reading this thread again from the beginning, paying particular attention to Prometheus and dimreepr. They seem to have a good grip on the subtleties, but even a dictionary definition will be an improvement over what you are discussing.  Also read your own posts; they are a great example of what inner peace is not. Using lobotomies in your examples, or couch potatoes vs. joggers, indicates you think inner peace is achieved by finding an activity your like, or feeling nothing at all.

[koti]

7 hours ago, iNow said:

Inner peace is quite likely one of those concepts that must be discovered within oneself as opposed to being taught by some other, even though others can often help to better illuminate the path and offer suggestions on avoiding common obstacles. 

I agree. I also think that not only the path might differ for various people but also the state of inner peace itself might varry between persons. I’m also sceptical of indiciduals trying to illuminate „the path” which I think we can all agree is subjective.

7 hours ago, zapatos said:

I'm hardly an expert on the subject, but I'd suggest you start reading this thread again from the beginning, paying particular attention to Prometheus and dimreepr. They seem to have a good grip on the subtleties, but even a dictionary definition will be an improvement over what you are discussing.  Also read your own posts; they are a great example of what inner peace is not. Using lobotomies in your examples, or couch potatoes vs. joggers, indicates you think inner peace is achieved by finding an activity your like, or feeling nothing at all.

They are just examples meant to emphasize the fact that the state of inner peace is a subjective state, I’m surprised that you take this literally and that you think that I flatten achieving the state of inner peace into a simple activity or feeling/doing nothing at all. Following my opinion that the state of inner peace is subjective, I was curious what it means to you but I guess I wont get an answer? I did read Prometheus’s posts in this thread and I agree that they are valuable, I agree with mostly everything he posted. As for dimreepr’s „subtleties” in this thread I will respectfuly decline having to read through them again, I don’t need my path to inner peace to be clouded.

Edited November 5, 2017 by koti

[zapatos]

5 hours ago, koti said:

I was curious what it means to you but I guess I wont get an answer? 

You won't if you ignore my suggestion to read through the thread again. As I suspected you haven't really been paying attention to what people are posting and instead seem to be looking for a battle. I've already stated what it means to me in the third post of this thread, although others here have caused me to think more deeply about it.

[dimreepr]

5 hours ago, koti said:

 I’m also sceptical of indiciduals trying to illuminate „the path” which I think we can all agree is subjective.

2

Of course it's subjective but why does that matter? Laughter is subjective and we're all capable of that; why would you be skeptical of someone trying to make you laugh?

Edited November 5, 2017 by dimreepr

[jimmydasaint]

Quote

From Prometheus - This seems to suggest you see inner peace as being the same as having no feeling?  Not sure if that is a reflection on Buddhism, but it is a common misinterpretation of the practice.

For instance it's quite common amongst people new to meditation to think that they must clear their minds of all thoughts. But the brain is an organ that thinks - to try to stop is as foolhardy as trying to to start your heart from beating.

My take on inner peace is that you lose your sense of self and separateness from the world. You don't feel like a dancer dancing, there is only dance. You don't feel like a footballer playing football, there is just the ebb and flow of the match. You don't feel like a monk sitting there clearing your mind of all thought, there is just wholehearted sitting. You don't feel like a husband having an argument with his wife, there is just the full blooded heat of the moment.

None of your emotions or perceptions change, it's just that you relate to them in a different way.

•  

dimreepr, if this is what you are saying then I agree with it. Also, I think it is quite pleasing to "live in the moment" and to understand that feelings come from thoughts and our relationship to the thoughts we generate can change our perceptions of the world.   What I have achieved, through self discipline and from a hard life is a sense of calm and gratitude; maybe that is as close as I can come to inner peace but it is a subjective inner peace. 

[dimreepr]

15 minutes ago, jimmydasaint said:

dimreepr, if this is what you are saying then I agree with it. Also, I think it is quite pleasing to "live in the moment" and to understand that feelings come from thoughts and our relationship to the thoughts we generate can change our perceptions of the world.

1

Yes, it is mostly, sometimes I think "that moment" of understanding depends on suffering, a sort of Ying and Yang.

21 minutes ago, jimmydasaint said:

What I have achieved, through self discipline and from a hard life is a sense of calm and gratitude; maybe that is as close as I can come to inner peace but it is a subjective inner peace. 

I said you should stop looking for Nirvana because karma seems to be the final lesson which leads to forgiveness, we don't all have someone to forgive until we include ourselves.

[Outrider]

On 11/4/2017 at 10:28 AM, Prometheus said:

You can rant and curse to your hearts desire in the traffic if that's how you feel, and when the feelings gone let it go to let the next experience in. Letting go can be quite difficult though - i agree it comes with experience.

I guess we just have a slightly different way of looking at it. I would say the "letting go" is when we are experiencing inner peace and the "rant and curse" is when we are not. I would also say that a degree of inner peace can help us cut down on anger in inappropriate situations. Someone suffers great harm due to an individual's selfish and/or foolish act yes I will be mad. But someone cuts me off in traffic I just bump the brake a bit and let them go. Anger would be a waste of time and emotion for me and not affect the reckless driver in any way and if I attempt to reciprocate I am placing my life and those around us in danger. Of course I wasn't always like this my biggest pet peeve on the road has always been tailgating. In my younger days I would speed up and if they stuck with me I'd hit my brakes I even got one to hit me pretty hard. His insurance paid for the repairs and I thought I was really smart when in fact (with his help) I could have got us both killed. Nowdays I just go slower and slower and if that don't get them to back off in a couple of minutes I pull over and let them by.

On 11/1/2017 at 10:03 AM, zapatos said:

Inner peace is beginning to sound to me like:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Not exactly, but this does seem to be a component of it, albeit without the deity.

Good stuff right here Zap! I would say it's a good one sentence description on how to acquire inner peace.

Also accepting that people are going to let me down and deciding I  will forgive them when they do. Also understanding I will let myself and others down and I will forgive me when it happens.

[iNow]

1 hour ago, Outrider said:

I would say it's a good one sentence description on how to acquire inner peace.

Zap is a good writer, a regular Reinhold Niebuhr in some instances. 

[Outrider]

Haha I had always assumed the serenity prayer was attributed to folklore I never knew it had a (known) author.

It does put my in mind of some irish folklore which will go good with the thread. I'll have to look it up or else I'll screw it up.

Irish folk saying.

Quote

 

In life, there are only two things to worry about—
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about,

But if you are sick, there are only two things to worry about—
Either you will get well or you will die.
If you get well, there is nothing to worry about,

But if you die, there are only two things to worry about—
Either you will go to heaven or hell.
If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about.

And if you go to hell, you’ll be so busy shaking hands with all your friends
You won’t have time to worry!

 

 

[dimreepr]

On 05/11/2017 at 1:29 AM, iNow said:

Inner peace is quite likely one of those concepts that must be discovered within oneself as opposed to being taught by some other, even though others can often help to better illuminate the path and offer suggestions on avoiding common obstacles. 

 

Almost impossible on this medium, face to face is so much easier.

One needs to understand/recognise the illusion of time and the illusion of control first, then get to grips with the difference between, needs and wants and expecting and accepting not to mention understanding the torment of the greedy and bully (karma) and finally understand/recognise the fact that we aren't unique, just clones.

+1 BTW

14 hours ago, Outrider said:

I guess we just have a slightly different way of looking at it. I would say the "letting go" is when we are experiencing inner peace and the "rant and curse" is when we are not.

 

You're missing the point, inner-peace is a good "rant and curse" and when we're not.

[Prometheus]

12 hours ago, Outrider said:

I guess we just have a slightly different way of looking at it. I would say the "letting go" is when we are experiencing inner peace and the "rant and curse" is when we are not. I would also say that a degree of inner peace can help us cut down on anger in inappropriate situations. Someone suffers great harm due to an individual's selfish and/or foolish act yes I will be mad. But someone cuts me off in traffic I just bump the brake a bit and let them go. Anger would be a waste of time and emotion for me and not affect the reckless driver in any way and if I attempt to reciprocate I am placing my life and those around us in danger. Of course I wasn't always like this my biggest pet peeve on the road has always been tailgating. In my younger days I would speed up and if they stuck with me I'd hit my brakes I even got one to hit me pretty hard. His insurance paid for the repairs and I thought I was really smart when in fact (with his help) I could have got us both killed. Nowdays I just go slower and slower and if that don't get them to back off in a couple of minutes I pull over and let them by.

Yes, and i think your interpretation is the more common one. But to my mind that kind of inner peace is just another emotion - or maybe a lack of certain 'negative' emotions. Inner peace isn't itself an emotion or lack thereof, but a way of relating to emotions and experiences.

To try to use the rollercoaster ride analogy: inner peace isn't just the fun bits that go down, or the sedate bits that go up (depending on your preference), it's learning to relax and enjoy the entire ride (using the words enjoy and relax in a very loose way).

 

[koti]

25 minutes ago, Prometheus said:

Yes, and i think your interpretation is the more common one. But to my mind that kind of inner peace is just another emotion - or maybe a lack of certain 'negative' emotions. Inner peace isn't itself an emotion or lack thereof, but a way of relating to emotions and experiences.

To try to use the rollercoaster ride analogy: inner peace isn't just the fun bits that go down, or the sedate bits that go up (depending on your preference), it's learning to relax and enjoy the entire ride (using the words enjoy and relax in a very loose way).

 

I wish I could give you more than one +1 for this.

[dimreepr]

12 minutes ago, koti said:

I wish I could give you more than one +1 for this.

Strangely, you can. 

A spoilt child suffers, just a little differently to an abused child. 

[koti]

1 hour ago, dimreepr said:

Strangely, you can. 

A spoilt child suffers, just a little differently to an abused child. 

Nice, didn’t notice that in the new forum.

As for the spoiled/abused child thing I don’t get it dimreepr. I prefer not to get it because if is what I think it is my inner peace will fluctuate again. 

[dimreepr]

25 minutes ago, koti said:

Nice, didn’t notice that in the new forum.

As for the spoiled/abused child thing I don’t get it dimreepr.

2

Of course not... 

 

There's nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility is being superior to your fellow self.