Contentment, not possession, holds the key to peace
It has often been observed that whenever people meet a spiritual personality or a learned, enlightened soul, they invariably express the feeling that their faces reflect inner contentment, peace and purity. However, hardly do these people make a sustained effort to go deeper into the factors that lead to a life of contentment and inner harmony and a state of calm and composure, and much less do they make a serious attempt to attain these, even though they value them highly. A quiet reflection and serene introspection would, however, lead to the conclusion that contentment does not come from high and numerous material attainments. Contentment dawns when the dark night of ignorance ends. It is born of a sense of realisation that all that this material world offers is only ephemeral and short-lived. Only he, from whose mind desires for mundane achievements have been eliminated, has contentment. Contentment is thus a sign of spiritual wisdom and maturity.
So, what is so special about contentment that has made many great people talk or write about it? Well, to understand it, we would first need to understand the opposite of it, i.e. discontentment. A discontented person has a typical habit of building castles in the air while he is as poor as he can be. Such people totally fail to understand that it is only by dint of hard work that a man can make both ends meet, and only a man of right understanding can work on the right lines. Otherwise, it is a blunder to let your reason be clouded by passion and thus lose your own happiness. Hence, we should remember that just as food sustains the body, so does the mind find sustenance in happiness. So, the saying goes: there is no food as good as happiness. And, to be happy, you have to be content. Just as, for bodily well-being, man seeks food, so should he maintain the state of contentment to ensure happiness of mind.
As Alfred Nobel has rightly said, ‘Contentment is the only real wealth’, we should therefore not run after securing another kind of wealth to lose the wealth of contentment. Likewise, peace comes when one’s inner conflicts have been resolved and harmony of the mind and the intellect has been achieved. Peace is born of purity. Contentment, purity and peace are the trio which make one’s life worth living. They appear on the life scene after one has been pursuing one’s spiritual studies and has also been practising deep meditation. Without the practice of yoga, one cannot attain and sustain inner peace and tranquillity.
One of the biggest illusions is that external circumstances must become perfect before we feel inner peace. In truth, it is the opposite-only when we cultivate peace, purity and contentment within does the external world begin to reflect it. Just as a lamp cannot spread light unless lit from within, society cannot become peaceful unless individuals awaken to their inner light.
Spiritual studies are often seen as uninteresting and ritualistic, but this is not so. They are as engaging as any other subject, and meditation is simply about reflection, remembrance and feeling. With a little guidance, even a small investment of time can yield rich dividends in the form of contentment and peace.
Today, very few people devote their time, money and energy to harmony in society. It is time we resolve to do so, for a peaceful and harmonious world must begin with each one of us.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist; views are personal
