Peace and Harmony in Daily Living

by Ramesh S. Balsekar and Susan waterman

Do you really know what you want most in life? Even if you have all the success, fame and money you want, and the good health to enjoy it - are you happy and fulfilled? Why is it that we all find ourselves seeking something more from life - all the time? Now, modern sage points out that each one of us, at some time or the other, has a taste of what that is: an uninterrupted experience of peace and harmony. He also shows how we can achieve this constant repose in our ordinary, hectic, daily living. This is what the seeking - most evidently, the spiritual seeking - is all about.

Thus, Ramesh Balsekar in his book 'Peace and Harmony in Daily Living' raises a very basic question: Why should anyone seek 'enlightenment' or 'Self-realization'?

A simple examination of one's personal experience will reveal that what usually disrupts the peace and harmony in life is a thought about something we think we - or someone else - should or shouldn't have done. Hence, a massive load of guilt and shame for oneself, or hatred and malice for the other, is perpetuated. Without a lot of arduous effort - work, discipline, sacrifice, sadhana - without outside assistance, but simply by investigating one's own experience, it is possible to get relief from this bondage. What mystics have said for ages, is here viewed from the perspective of modern living: that actions are 'happenings' and not something done by someone. This understanding is what actually contributes to and helps us in discovering the state of equanimity and peace which we most ardently seek.

About the Author:

Ramesh S. Balsekar is a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita master. From early childhood, Balsekar was drawn to Advaita, a nondual teaching, particularly the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei. Ramesh has written over 20 books, and discusses the Indian philosophy of Advaita daily in Bombay, with visitors from around the world. The basic concept is that "all there is, is Consciousness"; all actions are happenings, the functioning of the Primal Energy, and not the doing by anyone. Ramesh frames the concepts in the context of daily living, speaking from his experience as a bank president and a family man.