Peace of Mind

By Abu Shazil
 

Once a Sufi Saint, friend of God,  was traveling alongwith his disciples from one town to another town. While they were travelling, they happened to pass by a small lake. They stopped therefor rest and the Sufi Saint told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty. Do get me some water for me from the nearby lake.”

The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some ladies from the nearby town were washing clothes in the water and, right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very dirty. The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy, dirty water to the Saint to drink!” So he came back and told the Saint, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.”

After about some time, the Saint again asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water appeared fit for drinking. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to the Saint.

The Saint looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, “See what you did to make the water clean. You gave it time and let it be ... and the mud settled down on its own – and you got clear water... Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just give it some time and let it be. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.”

What the Saint emphasized here is that “It is effortless.” Having 'peace of mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that peace pervade towords outside . It spreads around you and in the environment, such that people around start feeling it, enjoying it. The peace outside is actually reflection of peace within.