Peace is generated from deep within. It generates from the center of your Being to the mind and from the mind to the environment. It was said that wherever Buddha was teaching, for up to 20 miles all around that place, there was never any violence, and things were very calm and very peaceful.  

A story from Buddha’s time

There was a man named Angulimala who was a dacoit (armed robber). People who know of Buddha also know Angulimala.  He was compared to Hitler in those days. He had killed 999 people and cut their fingers, and made a garland out of those fingers. He was a terror. People were scared of him. He would just butcher people and cut their fingers since he wanted to have a garland!  999 people!  And he was looking for a 1000th finger! 

Angulimala lived on top of a hill. And it so happened that Buddha was passing by. He saw a beautiful man, a good-looking person. He said, ‘Ok, here is my 1000th. I can have his finger as a pendant.’ So he came down the hill, laughing loudly and making noise – ‘I am Angulimala coming.’ And Buddha was unshaken. He just stood there smiling. 

Angulimala tried to chase him, ‘Are you not afraid? You know I am Angulimala.’ People were terrified just by hearing his name. They had nightmares. People would run away. And here he sees a man just standing there, the embodiment of peace, just smiling. With so much compassion and grace, looking at him! Angulimala came in front of Buddha and looked at him, and he was stunned! A few minutes, and then he melted…he didn’t know what was happening to him. 

Buddha said, ‘Yeah, go ahead! You want my finger?’ But Angulimala could not! The amount of light and love just shook Angulimala. He fell at the feet of Buddha. And then he became a Bhikshu (disciple). Buddha taught him meditation. He also changed his name. Everything in him changed. And people could not believe that. Angulimala was doing very strict austerities, staying with Buddha. Buddha taught him how to see the tension and irritation, frustration, and ignorance in him that propelled him to do such work, and when they all fell apart, he was such a wonderful person.

After a few years, ten years or so, he was near Buddha. Buddha told him, ‘You have now attained a very good state, now go and teach.’ Now this man goes out to those villages to teach where he had collected all the fingers. When he goes, even after 10 years, people do not forgive him. They had all the vengeance against him, they were throwing stones at him. He had bruises all over his body. When someone saw him and asked, ‘What has happened?’ But he was still so peaceful, and he had a smile on his face. People said, ‘Here is someone who has come to help somebody, and then he was hit with stones and has been hurt. But he was never hurt from inside, he was still smiling.’ And when someone asked him, ‘How come you are smiling?’ He said, ‘See, these people are showing how much anguish and tension they have gone through in their life. But for this supreme Knowledge, I would have remained like this, and I would have made them more angry. I have created this anguish in them. And now that is being exhibited.’ Angulimala persisted, and when people saw that there was no reaction from him, he was still smiling, still calm, still so peaceful, that’s when they started coming back to him. 

When you don’t react, people get more interested. Because everyone feels normal when the reaction comes – they feel peaceful and happy. But when the other person does not react, it pinches them somewhere. It pushes them to come back. So they all came back to him, they learned meditation from him and they became happy in their lives. That’s when Anguliamala saw that the peace coming from one person created more peace. When one person is peaceful, he creates so much peace all around him. 

It is effortless. Having peace in the mind is not a strenuous job. It is an effortless process. Meditation is like that; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside, the peace permeates outside also. It comes around you. It spreads in the environment. People start feeling the peace and grace around them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor’s note:
Register for the Art of Living Part 1 to experience Gurudev’s ancient secret to modern well-being and higher prana levels, SKY Breath Meditation (Sudarshan Kriya), for yourself. SKY has helped millions of people worldwide improve all aspects of their lives.