Gems of Wisdom

 

✍️ Peace Begins with Accepting What Is - Peace is already with us, quietly waiting. But we have forgotten it because we are too busy struggling against what is, wishing things were different, refusing to accept our circumstances as they are.

When we do not accept what is—when we fight reality, resist our circumstances, insist that things should be different before we can have peace—we cannot live peacefully in this present moment. We struggle in our minds, trapped between what is and what we wish would be.

And with that struggle, we cannot walk forward. We become stuck, frozen by our refusal to accept, unable to take the next step because we're too busy fighting the ground we're standing on.

This is true whether we have a little or a lot. If we hold just a bread in our hand and accept that this is what we have today, we can be at peace. We can breathe. We can take the next step. But if someone gives us gold and diamonds and we cannot accept that it's not more, we will always struggle, always suffer, always be unable to move forward.

It all depends on whether we can accept what is right here, right now.

Acceptance doesn't mean we stop working to improve our lives. It doesn't mean we pretend everything is fine or give up on change. It means we stop adding mental suffering to our circumstances by refusing to acknowledge them as they are. It means we make peace with this moment so we have the clarity and energy to move forward.

When we accept what is—simply acknowledging reality without resistance—something shifts. The struggle eases. Our minds quiet. And suddenly, we can see the path forward. We can take the next step with a calm heart instead of a turbulent mind.

Peace begins here, with accepting what is. Not fighting it. Not pretending it's different. Just accepting it with mindfulness, so we can walk peacefully forward from where we are.

May we all find the peace that comes from acceptance. May we stop struggling against what is and start walking peacefully from where we are.

May you and all beings be well, happy, and at peace.

(#WalkforPeace #BuddhistMonks #PeaceWalk)