Maintaining your inner peace amidst external incompatibility

Image by Okan Caliskan from Pixabay

In a world forever changed by recent events, we are challenged daily with the need to restore and maintain inner peace amidst external incompatibility. And inconsistency is everywhere. Perhaps the novelty of living in the house is spoiled. Or perhaps the world we are resurrecting is not the same as the world we have left behind and does not resonate well. The distractions we previously used to calm ourselves during difficult experiences have lost their sheen.

We can try to meditate to reclaim our sense of inner peace, but once removed from the throne, the reality of situations brings us back to anxiety or irritability. It is completely natural to get relief from these odd situations. And yet, true relief is not found in the distraction, hatred, or judgment of external incompatibility; This is found by changing the way we react to them.

Inner peace does not require us to resist or run away from inconsistent situations; Rather, it lies in finding a way to co-exist with things that do not resonate with us.
For deeper knowledge, we need to learn how to live with discomfort. To explain Pema Chodron, one of the biggest misconceptions of the human mind is thinking that true relief comes from making oneself more comfortable. The truth is just the opposite!

When our efforts to calm ourselves or avoid external disorganization fail, we are in fact ready for a more permanent solution. This is the right chance to find inner peace amidst external anomalies. We can actually maintain a sense of peace within despite the chaos on the outside because we have complete control over what we focus on.
Instead of resisting or fleeing external incompatibility, we begin to change our response by using incompatibility as an opportunity to become more aware within ourselves. We turn to our inner sensations of restlessness and become intimate with them.

How does it feel when our outer world seems disorganized, and a little relieved to see? What happens when we stop running and allow ourselves to hear what is below the surface? How do we feel when we shift our focus away from the outer dissonance and inner center? Asking such questions to ourselves helps us to be more present in this present moment towards the eternal nature of consciousness.

As we inquire within ourselves, we will at first find all kinds of mixed feelings - our own discredited, wounded, deprived, and wrong parts. These are orphaned aspects of our existence that lead us to seek out a goat of external sacrifice or a way to avenge ourselves by projecting our suppressed pain and anger at others. These aspects can also twist the truth to reinforce our habitual narrative of being injured or victimized.

When we turn within ourselves and become aware of these wounded aspects within ourselves, we finally touch the potential for healing and peace. Only by accepting our inner darkness, we begin to develop true honesty with all our aspects. And it is in recognizing our inner discomfort, pain, and anxiety, that we cultivate compassion for ourselves and all other beings.

This process makes us realize that we are all connected at some stage or the other. Interconnection becomes a way of existence and is no longer merely theoretical. We begin to understand Pogo the Possum's statement in the Walt Kelly cartoon when he said: "We've met the enemy, and that's us." We believe that the worst of us is good and the best of us. And we develop compassion for both ourselves and others.

This openness to our own experience makes us more capable of opening up to others. We experience less need to get away from the underworld of life - in ourselves and in others. Rather than isolating ourselves from it, assessing inconsistency and weakness, we can treat it with compassion. We become more honest and comfortable with our own disadvantaged aspects - to know their true nature - and therefore there is also a greater ability to meet others. It is the path to true and lasting inner peace.
There are two primary ways to develop this ability to find inner peace regardless of external conditions: we can learn to engage with inner peace regardless of external incompatibility, and we can use hatred exercises to reduce our habitual reactivity. Can be used.

By aligning with deep, unchanging peace, which is the basis of all experiences, we become more resilient to external dissonance on the surface of life. Instead of applying labels and protesting, we can learn to live with discomfort. We learn to avoid the habit of labeling and judging everything outside our comfort zone and living with what is. Over time, we learn that we are unlimited consciousness, subject only to what we focus on or keep in mind. Hey, superpower!
One way to do it is this: Try to sit for 15 minutes without moving, in your meditation. When uncomfortable sensations arise (itching in your leg, a pinch in your hip), instead of moving it to reduce it, be steady. In this moment of restlessness, open to sensation and allow yourself to rest in it. Notice what happens when you do this.

Observe the thoughts and reactions that arise in your mind, yet do not judge or react to them. Just observe discomfort and see it as an opportunity to discover something new - your innate ability to live with discomfort and remain neutral. The more you expand this ability to remain neutral in the presence of something inconsistent and uncomfortable, the more you will be able to respect your inner peace regardless of circumstances.

The second practice is related to neutralizing your conditioned hate response. Think of a small thing you don't like: smell, taste, sound, or texture. For some, it may be the taste of onion, for others the music emerging from the neighbor. Choose one. When it is visible, turn to it instead of pulling away. Put a small piece of onion on your tongue and be curious to know about the taste. Or sit just below the booming bass and let its rhythm run on your mind and body. Whatever your dislike problem, see what happens when you stop, turn to it, open it and invite it.

As you do so, you will discover different aspects of it, which will turn your disinterest into curiosity. With practice, your consciousness will be able to use incompatibility as a portal, until you are able to rest at the core of your peace, regardless of external triggers.

Achieving inner peace in the presence of external dissonance is a powerful practice that helps us to remain calm, no matter what happens in our outer world. It strengthens our inner ability to navigate life and move straight forward, no matter what it is, without sticking to or opposing changing scenes.