The city that loved Lennon came out to commemorate his legacy by creating a human peace sign in central park. John may have died here, but he also lived here and the activity of his heart continues. And people continue to love him, and his ideals. John wasn’t a saint. But neither are we.
He was brave enough to be who he was, and to tell the world what he felt. What we share is a need to live in a world that is safe and sane and our fear that that will never transpire. Our world seems to move simultaneously toward and from an ideal of world peace. There is so much possibility. But there is less time. And even less ozone. The wealth of the world is bound and diverted into inconsequence. The Humanity that each of us is born with, and that is our given birthright, is subsumed by defensiveness, competition and material greed. And, yet we love and are loved. We are capable – all of us – of great things. It is our destiny to lead the world from harm, but we are frightened to do our part, and understandably so.
The Shambhala teachings encourage us not to run from fear, but to look into it as a means of connecting to ourselves and the present. 
When we deny our fear, and act out of panic with little regard for the world around us, it is a self-denial that leads to a schism in our being. Fear is human, natural and has great wisdom. However, if we are to move forward in life, we must not cave in to the fear but, as the teachings say, to use that fear as a stepping stone to greater openness. We can embrace the sadness, embrace the hurt, embrace the pain in what Chogyam Trungpa referred to as “the cradle of loving kindness.” Loving kindness is an extended hand, an open arm, and a giving heart. It is a physically open posture. It is not giving in to fear, by clenching around it. It is not lurching past trying to prove something to the world. “Placing the mind of fearfulness in the cradle of loving kindness” is opening to our pain, and having the courage to let it be as it is. Our pain is universal. It is the common language of humanity. We all suffer. By opening to our suffering, we can begin to understand the suffering of others. The Path, altogether, is the personal journey from boundaries to bridges.
Meditation is the core of a wisdom path. In the Shambhala tradition we instruct a grounded and honest practice called Shamatha. Shamatha is the cultivation of peace. It is the simple returning of the mind from disconnection to its rightful place in the present. It is the understanding that we abdicate our power when we succumb to fear, and let the mind wander toward distraction or temporary balm. The practice of Shamatha, or peaceful abiding, is to gently train the mind toward the courage of staying in the body and in the present. This calms the deeper and more reactive parts of our psychology. We begin to calm down as the urges inside us give way to surrender and ultimately insight. We begin to see how running away from ourselves is only creating more suffering. In this way, we begin settle further, and begin to develop true peace within ourselves.
The peace we develop through our meditation practice is unconditioned. It is not reliant upon externals. It needs nothing but the bravery to stay. It is the connection we have with our true warrior heart. It is the courage to be exactly who we are without apology. It is a calm that completes us as our understanding becomes manifest. We have travelled the path, we have seen and learned and felt the truth of our life. And, we have developed the honesty to know when we are here and when we are not. It is available when we see ourselves and are willing to rest in being here without struggle, manipulation or apology.
This peace is not devoid of panic. It is not separate from pain. In fact, it is because of our pain. It is the full acknowledgment of our suffering and a willingness to remain in any case. It has manifested in the core of our being. Inner peace. Our daily practice is giving peace a chance to pervade our system, to grow within us and to deepen into our core experience. We have the confidence to remain, unswayed by the turmoil of the world. We can then be its witness, and be witnessed. As thoughts of materialism, anger, frustration, panic and doubt arise, inste
ad of acting on them, we can bring them back to the steady rhythm of the breath. Calm our heart and begin to wake up to our world. This radiance cannot be denied. It is seen by others. And, in this way, we instill peace in our world. By learning to love ourselves, we can radiate that love to the world.
Lennon was a great sloganeer. And Give Peace A Chance was one of his most resilient mottos. It worked for me, because of the guileless and simple way of presenting the idea of peace. Rather than a banner of aggression, or a slap in the face, as it was used often in those days, it was a simple thought: Why not peace? It was almost acknowledging that it isn’t easy. It was acknowledging that we will, again and again, long to take refuge in aggression. But, why not try? Just try. When we are hurt, broken, doubtful, angry, lonely or sad we need look no further than simply loving ourselves in the moment, as we are. Giving peace a chance to grow. It might change everything. For each breath we return to, is another statement of willingness to be here, in the struggle, in the heart, in the present in the world that so desperately needs us. Giving peace a chance might change your heart. And that might change the world.