The Inner Calm

Hello there, my dear readers, how are things with y’all? I wish you a very Happy and colourful Holi, may all our lives be filled with colours forever. You know, this morning while working out I got a chance to play the book Buddha: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay on my audio, and I can say that my workout got better than ever. 

I have always been intrigued to find out how leaders function, rather how they should function and it seems like the book came to me at the right time. Even though there are several traits mentioned for a leader to have, for this blog I shall only be highlighting calmness, rather maintaining our inner calmness when everything around us seems chaotic. 

To begin with, the author describes that one must always strive to take refuge in spirituality and then try dealing with it in every walk of life. So, for instance, if there is an atmosphere that seems chaotic to you, or if people are blaming, mocking or ridiculing you, you just have to realise that under no circumstances can you let your inner calm be destroyed. 

Sure, the process is difficult, but of course, it is achievable. One has to try out several times before one is successful. But then the trick is not to be rattled by momentary failures, and never giving up on our mission. In order to make things easier for us, the author cites the example of sea waves. On the surface, they might appear to be rough and chaotic, yet they are actually quite calm on the inside. 

The Buddha talks of our real nature which is calm and happy. And, whenever there is an external blow, all we have to do is connect with our real selves and understand that we are supremely powerful, calm and happy beings. Even though I was absolutely mesmerised by what the author said, my mind came up with questions like what if there are people who treat us badly for no reason. Should we remain quiet then as well, and not react?

The author dismisses this thought and says that when one is in a position of power and when one has people working under them one must always operate from an air of authority, make sure things fall into place and that nothing goes haywire, at the same time ensuring that everything is intact inside, meaning the inner calm must stay exactly as it is supposed to be. 

You might wonder at this juncture what can be the results of all of these practices. The author says that these practices will help us connect with our real nature, help us maintain our own dignity and operate with an inner sense of calm. He added that when one gets the taste of one’s own nature, one would forget to operate in any other way. 

Now, that’s something to ponder about really, and I will. I will from now on, try to maintain my inner sense of calm no matter how chaotic the external world might seem. 

Image courtesy: Pexels