Achieving unconditional peace of mind is ultimately no more than resting naturally in the unconditioned mind.
The conditioned mind does not see reality. It knows only its own creations, products of its historical, conditioned reactions to what happens. It calls its own creation the world. It reacts emotionally to this illusory world, believing it is reacting to reality. The behavior it triggers is irrelevant to what is really happening and so may cause harm both to ourselves and others.
The unconditioned mind sees reality directly. It is aware of the creations and behavior of the conditioned mind as a kind of dream, with no inherent existence or validity of their own. This is the place of peace, of freedom from the effects of our past.
It is enough to rest in the unconditioned mind for healing to occur spontaneously, resulting from complete freedom from tension and stress, regardless of circumstances. The conditioned and unconditioned mind exist only from the perspective of the conditioned mind. Within the unconditioned mind, neither the conditioned nor the unconditioned mind are recognized as having any inherent existence. There is only peace, independent of circumstances.
To achieve peace of mind, three things may be helpful:
- Find a teacher
- Make some quiet time for yourself each day
- Spend time with like minded friends who can support you on the way.