“Being Peace”

I was listening to a talk by the noted Gujarati thinker and orator Dr. Nimit Oza, who shared a story that stayed with me. I felt compelled to pass it on.

Many of you would have heard of Thích Nhất Hạnh – a Vietnamese monk, peace activist, and one of the most influential teachers of mindfulness in the modern world. His work has touched millions, not just in the pursuit of world peace, but in discovering inner peace.

In the spirit of the teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh, a story often shared in spiritual discourses goes like this…

In a prison in North America, a man on death row was given access to books – something increasingly encouraged in correctional systems. With only a few months to live, he chose to read, perhaps to quiet his anxiety, perhaps to find some meaning in his remaining time.

The book he picked up was “Being Peace“.

As he read, something began to shift within him. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, his restlessness gave way to reflection. He began to meditate. He let go of old habits like chewing tobacco. The man who had once been consumed by agitation became quiet, composed….at peace.

In the adjacent cell was another prisoner – volatile, disturbed, constantly shouting, even harming himself. One day, noticing that his neighbour had given up tobacco, he asked if any remained.

There was some leftover.

The first prisoner did something unusual. He tore out a page from Being Peace, placed a small portion of tobacco inside it, folded it into a packet, and passed it along.

The second prisoner consumed the tobacco – but in the process, he read the page.

The next day, another page. Then another.

Day by day, page by page, disguised as tobacco, the entire book was passed on.

And something remarkable happened.

The man who once screamed and banged his head against the walls began to sit in silence. The chaos within him softened. He too found a certain stillness.

One day, he sent a note to his neighbour, thanking him for the gift.

And yet, both shared a quiet, haunting realization:
“If only we had encountered this earlier, perhaps we would not be here at all.”

Even within prison walls, they had discovered a form of liberation.

We often believe we are free. But are we?

How many of us are confined within the invisible prisons of our own minds – our anxieties, anger, regrets, and desires? For such minds, the sunrise brings no joy, the breeze carries no calm, and even the beauty of a sunset goes unnoticed.

Is that not a prison too?

Dr. Nimit Oza reflects on this story as a journey – from being a supplicant to becoming a helper, from seeking to offering.

Only a person who has found some peace within can share it with another.

The first prisoner could give the book because he had absorbed its essence. His silence, his transformation, these made the act meaningful. It is only when we begin to heal ourselves that we become capable of recognizing the unrest in others – and responding to it.

As long as we remain inwardly deprived, we can only seek. We cannot give.

To help others, one must first rise within. To bring peace, one must begin with oneself.

And yet, there is a beautiful paradox.

In helping others heal, we accelerate our own healing.

In applying balm to another’s wounds, our own scars begin to soften.

Because in the end, whether it is anger or compassion, restlessness or calm, love or indifference – we can only share what we hold in abundance within us.

“कल तक जो दिल में था, वही आज जहाँ में है,
जो दिल बदल गया तो जहाँ बदल गया।”………….रूमी

Kal tak jo dil me tha, wohi aaj jahaan me hai,
jo dil badal gaya to jahaan badan hayega………….Rumi

What was within the heart shapes the world outside;
when the heart transforms, the world transforms.

And perhaps that is the quiet truth of life that even within the darkest prisons, a door can open… if something within us shifts.

Because in the end, whether it is anger or compassion, restlessness or calm, we can only share what we hold within us in abundance.

And somewhere, gently echoing in the background, as if reminding us of this simple truth:

“टूटे दिल से ही सही, रास्ता कोई निकलता है…”

A song from the movie “Waisa Bhi Hota Hai – II” sung by Kailash Kher Lyricst: Vishal Dadlani Music: Vishal Shekhar

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