Most of us spend a lifetime "looking for love in all the wrong places" - and it IS love that we want more than anything, specifically unconditional love, and even more specifically the unconditional love that we ourselves all are the source of. BUT we mistakenly "externalize" - looking outside for what is actually within, forgetting our own true nature.
What we truly are is always right here, but we're much too busy running around searching for something louder, shinier, elsewhere.
Below is pivotal information for everyone of us, beautifully & intelligently written. The author, Robert Rugg very generously gave me permission to quote the entire chapter 12 of his wonderfully valuable 2024 book, “Awakening to Effortless Being”:
Finding Peace Beyond the Mind
“ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUND realizations you might stumble upon on this journey is that true peace doesn’t come from the mind – it comes from something deeper, something that exists beyond thought.
For most of your life, you may have looked to the mind for answers, convinced that if you could just solve your problems or find the right perspective, peace would finally settle in.
But no matter how much you try to organize or control your thoughts, that sense of peace remains oddly elusive, like a cat that refuses to be picked up.
It’s only when you start looking beyond the mind that you discover a peace that’s steady, completely unaffected by the mind’s usual acrobatics. The mind is an amazing tool – it helps you navigate the world, solve problems, and even remember where you put your keys (sometimes).
But it also loves to get caught up in stories, worries, and judgments. When you’re fully identified with the mind, you’re at the mercy of its constant fluctuations, bouncing from moments of excitement to frustration, from worry to fleeting happiness.
Beneath this mental rollercoaster, though, there’s a stillness, an awareness that simply observes without reacting. This awareness is where true peace resides, untouched by the mind’s ups and downs.
One day, as you sit quietly, observing your thoughts, without trying to change or wrestle them into submission, you might notice something interesting: there’s a space between each thought, a brief moment of silence.
In that silence, you’ll sense a profound presence – a peace that doesn’t care whether your thoughts are positive, negative, or somewhere in between. This peace has always been there, patiently waiting behind the scenes. The more you rest in this awareness, the more you understand that peace isn’t something you achieve – it’s something you uncover.
Exploring Peace Beyond the Mind
Finding peace beyond the mind doesn’t mean you need to suppress or avoid thoughts (good luck with that!). It’s about realizing that you are not your thoughts. You are the awareness in which thoughts arise and dissolve.
This awareness is naturally peaceful because it remains untouched by any particular thought, emotion, or experience. When you connect with this deeper awareness, the mind’s activity becomes like background noise – a little like elevator music. It’s still there, but it no longer has the power to disrupt your inner peace.
In this chapter, I invite you to explore this peace within yourself. Find a quiet spot to sit and allow your thoughts to come and go without jumping into them. Notice the space between each thought, the silence that lingers even when the mind is chattering away.
This silence isn’t empty; it’s alive with a presence, a subtle sense of ‘I am’ that doesn’t need to cling to any particular thought or identity. Let yourself rest in this space, even if it’s only for a few moments.
Bringing Peace into Daily Life
As you continue this practice, you might find that peace becomes more accessible in daily life. You start to notice that the mind can be busy without disturbing the peace within. This is a profound shift – realizing that peace doesn’t depend on the mind’s activity but on your connection to the awareness that lies beyond it.
Living from this place of inner peace doesn’t mean that challenges or difficult emotions will stop showing up (life still loves a bit of drama). But the difference is that you no longer feel defined by them.
You can experience emotions fully without losing yourself in them, knowing that beneath every experience is a steady presence, a peaceful awareness that remains untouched and ever-present.
The Freedom of True Peace
This is the peace beyond the mind – a peace that’s always here, quietly waiting for you to notice it. When you connect with this peace, you discover a freedom that goes deeper than any temporary happiness or satisfaction the mind can offer.
It’s the freedom of knowing that no matter what happens in life, you are always grounded in a peace that cannot be shaken.
Reflection Prompts
1. What happens when you sit quietly and observe the space between your thoughts? Can you sense the stillness beneath the mental noise?
2. How does it feel to know that peace is something you uncover rather than something you ‘achieve’?
3. In moments of stress or overthinking, can you reconnect with the awareness beneath the mind’s activity? What shifts when you rest in that awareness?
This chapter invites you to take a step back, relax, and connect with the peace that’s always been there. As you do, you might find that life’s ups and downs lose some of their intensity, leaving you with a quiet confidence that peace is never far away – it’s right here, waiting for you to let go and simply be.”
Robert Rugg “Awakening to Effortless Being” 2024 - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAR, WELL-WRITTEN, VALUABLE book ($14. from amazon.ca)
Thank you Rob!
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