Has anyone here experienced true peace? (grace, Isaiah, quote, God)

[KeraKera]

I grew up Christian and I have tried holding on to the saying, 'God will give you peace that surpasses all understanding.'

I am still waiting on it.

Anyway, I am posing this question to EVERYONE, regardless of religion or non religion.

Have you experienced peace? How? What was the situation? If you have, were you able to maintain it? Thanks

[mordant]

I suppose that it depends on your definition of "peace". It is always a good idea to define terms before you try to discuss anything. If we can agree that "peace" means "the absence of existential angst" then I would have to say that no one experiences that perfectly and 100% of the time and anyone who claims to is pulling your leg. We humans, in evolving self aware sentience, either went too far or not far enough, I'm not sure which; but we really don't do a very good job of handling our self awareness. That is, our awareness of our own mortality, our limited time, where we are in the perceived story arc of our life and how that falls short of goals or not. Our attachment to particular outcomes. Our identification with things like our emotions and thinking that is "me". Thinking that we are a permanent, unchanging "I". Thinking life is all about us, or at all about us.

In my view, your problem is that you see peace as something "out there" separate from you which you have to wait around for someone to bestow upon you. Sort of like a comfort blanket, or kissing the boo-boo to make it better. Peace is something you negotiate actively between your hopes / dreams / illusions and actual observed reality.

[KeraKera]

^^^^ Thanks mordant.

Peace as I have always understood it meant that issues that once affected one deeply cease to do so anymore. No matter the circumstances, if something bad happened, the one who has peace will snap back quickly from the pain. They really move on.

I really like your last sentence. This is what I am grappling with on a daily.

I think true peace is only obtained upon death.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by KeraKera

I grew up Christian and I have tried holding on to the saying, 'God will give you peace that surpasses all understanding.'

I am still waiting on it.

Anyway, I am posing this question to EVERYONE, regardless of religion or non religion.

Have you experienced peace? How? What was the situation? If you have, were you able to maintain it? Thanks

I do find peace through God, but only by ignoring the NOISE about God and religion (dogma or what have you) and focusing on my own spirituality.

[Miss Hepburn]

What a wonderful, meaningful, important question, Kera.
You may not realize how special you are that you notice, care, wonder about this 'peace' spoken of.

You are not talking of peace as in no war...you are talking about the kind that surpasses our understanding even...
that is deep within us...profoundly changing us from the average.

I know alot about this peace!!
People can speculate...listen to people that know.

May I say, it is here, available now...not upon death... only.
Upon death we are released from the earthly burdens of, say, food, shelter, clothing and physical pain,
would you say that's about right?
However, there is no guarantee of being released from emotional, psychological
anguish...confusion and delusion the soul/spirit can remain in, for example.

To make a long post shorter...peace can 'happen'...by an act of Grace, suddenly in a moment, and it
can be deliberately sought.
Both are the Grace of God...lol.
There are different methods or formulas...and for success are not practiced without deep resolve and desire, passion
and consistency...disciplined focus like a laser.

Their are different methods to find this Inner Peace that surpasses even our imagination, let alone
understanding, ha! ... This is why it is written
man does not know the depth and the breadth and the heighth of what is in store for
those that love the Father...it is the most exquisite and sublime.

Yes, I know this peace...funny because I will be joining my meditation group today
at 7 am for our 3 hour meditation today.

It was nice to find this question.

Maintaining was something you asked?
The same determination and need and desire to find this Inner Peace is what a person needs to keep
his focus and priority one-pointed on this peace.
BUT, once experienced, ha!, it is like a moth to a flame...nothing else seems to satisfy you .... ever again.

I mean, how hard is it really to want to come home to your puppy you love...forget the love of the puppy...
and you may get caught up with the many distractions of the world...so it is always up to us to keep our
priorities in the forefront of our minds and hearts.
Not so hard really, but maybe 1 in a 1000 does this.

[mordant]

Originally Posted by KeraKera

Peace as I have always understood it meant that issues that once affected one deeply cease to do so anymore. No matter the circumstances, if something bad happened, the one who has peace will snap back quickly from the pain. They really move on.

I don't mind being deeply affected so long as it is a positive emotional response. But from context I think you are referring to not being deeply affected by "bad" circumstances -- being unflappable or at least resilient.

This brings up an interesting point which is that one possible response some people have to adversity / stress is to become emotionally numb. And the side effect is that you cannot selectively close off your emotions, at least not that I've ever seen successfully done. Close yourself off to fear / anxiety / dread and you close yourself off to joy and intimacy and so forth as well -- or at least you severely restrict your willingness to take risks / put yourself out there for even positive things.

This suggests that to be able to trust, be vulnerable, be connected, etc., we must risk being broadsided, betrayed, attacked in equal measure, unless we can learn equanimity with regard to WHATEVER comes our way. This is one aspect of what it is to be human.

The question is, how does one practice equanimity to harms without becoming inured to one's blessings as well? I have a tendency to always be waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it is difficult for me to practice non-attachment without a certain sense of resignation. I know all the philosophical arguments about non-attachment and acceptance, but living them out can often be another thing altogether.

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by KeraKera

I grew up Christian and I have tried holding on to the saying, 'God will give you peace that surpasses all understanding.'

I am still waiting on it.

Anyway, I am posing this question to EVERYONE, regardless of religion or non religion.

Have you experienced peace? How? What was the situation? If you have, were you able to maintain it? Thanks

I think it's really just an emotion we all kind of aim for. Just like we aim for excitement or love or any of the other good ones.

Peace isn't the end all emotion. Really, it's a mix of many emotions that entails the best moments of someones life (excitement, clarity, painlessness, contentment...), not one emotion in purity.

I do think that opioids release the chemical component of peace in a persons mind though. (Obviously that's not the only way it gets released).

The effects of peace that passes all understanding aren't all that grand though...

Lost my mind, yeah...
I don't mind...
Can't find it anywhere...
I don't mind...

-Alice in Chains

[Miss Hepburn]

I saw this thread again!

Funny, all day at every red light I repeated to myself and then smiled and felt great...
I will give him perfect peace
who stays his mind on me.

~Isaiah something (23:6?)....not looking it up.


I would think..'How could I explain to someone to place their mind on God...
How do you explain abstract thinking....expanding your awareness...as if it were an electron microscope...
'seeing' what is really happening ....that we are 99.99999% empty space and that
Consciousness, Pure Awareness is behind everything like a glue?"

What do you say to a person?...That it is TRUE, yay! ?....Concentrate
on the Creator that is within everything and you not only have perfect peace,
but such exuberant happiness bursting inside you!!?

[Mike Yap]

Nice question. Yes i have experience the peace. The best method for experience this situation is meditation and yoga. It can be possible when you give 100% concentration in one direction. I cant explain the feeling of that moment but with daily practice

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Mike Yap

Nice question. Yes i have experience the peace. The best method for experience this situation is meditation and yoga. It can be possible when you give 100% concentration in one direction. I cant explain the feeling of that moment but with daily practice

Great first post here!
Yes, 100% focus...