Great question, Anne Marie! I posit that it has taken a LONG time for the leaders to become who and what they are and therefore, how they behave. Even if they start practicing insightful meditation, it will take some amount of time before all of that can be undone, so an important component of being at peace might be the patience for all of that to play out.
I believe that the subtlety is in "achieving" peace by the way of one's being. Mindful living that is not subservient to the five senses goes a long way towards such a state of being, and if we can all achieve that, then the outer peace can be achieved. The "all" can mean you and the Other(s), depending on the context of the situation. To me, it is a passage about how to BE, not so much about what to DO. That said, a way of living consistent with what is prescribed in the last paragraph might go a long way towards helping one achieve that state of BEING.
What a wonderfully articulated invitation to BE in the present! Not get caught up in DOING the cravings and aversions in thoughts, speech, or actions.
I feel inspired to sit and practice being the witness right now . . .
Absence makes a heart grow fonder, no :-)? Very astute of Nasrudin . . .
In the end, whether the ring is on the finger or not, what matters is whether the mind is attentive to its presence or absence. If one needs to see the ring to trigger the memory, what is that feeling one feels. Compare that with the feeling that surfaces or wells up from the actual recollection of a memory. I think it is like comparing apples and oranges.
Also -- when one actually experiences an occasion with all the senses present, that is a much richer experience than when is busy recording or snapping it for sharing with those not present or for future "recollection". The images have their value, but they come at the price of the capturer's presence.
After the rich discussion on this passage at last night’s Circle, I came across this intriguing Ted Talk about a different perspective on the subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYp5XuGYqqY&t=38s
Nicely articulated article and the responses to-date. Special thanks to Ashish for posting the link to the emotinalcompetency site. I found that article very useful in improving my understanding.
On Apr 23, 2024 Pankaj wrote on Achieving Peace, by A. T. Ariyaratne: