Inner Peace and Tranquility

"Karma is intentional action" explained Mr Kweh Soon Han, our speaker on Buddhism this afternoon. I had to attend to other urgent matters and therefore did not arrive on time to benefit the preambles of his presentation. He eloquently elucidated many concepts and terms from Buddhist teachings which I am not familiar with. To be honest I didn't really follow or understand parts of the explanation, particularly when he made reference to concepts in Pali - the language of Buddha. Nirvana, Dharma, four noble truths and eightfold path, among others.

What struck me though was the different levels and states of enlightenment arrived through meditation. I found the idea of inner peace and tranquility attractive, and recalled the verse:

"Those who believe and whose hearts find peace in the remembrance of God -- truly it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace" [Q 13:28]

Inner peace and tranquility are for those who are at peace with themselves, their environment and condition, their relationships with others and not least, their Lord. It is not something that can be exchanged or purchased like other material goods. It is personal -- you either know you have it or don't. And it fluctuates over time given the externalities and challenges or trials both from others and that which is willed by Allah to elevate His servant to a higher station of faith.

We may have all the wealth in the world but that does not guarantee inner peace and tranquility. Like the Buddhist monks who lived on one meal a day and the basic minimum, there are those who may not be economically rich, but certainly not spiritually poor. I am not advocating poverty or to remain poor. On the contrary I dream to follow the footsteps of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and for his invaluable contributions to make poverty history, a Nobel prize winner. But wealth understood as material possessions - cash, properties, shares and stocks may skew our perception and a misunderstanding of its value and worth. It may even lead us to a lifelong preoccupation with worldly wealth as mentioned at the beginning of Surah Al-Takathur [Q 102].

Allah's blessings are in no small measure what wealth is made up of. It certainly includes a happy and loving family, pious and virtuous spouse and children, good health, great friends and bountiful sustenance - not forgetting timeful time.

Contentment and inner peace are outcomes of continuous expression of gratitude to Him, and an attitude of abundance - that we are not poor to give, even if we are the poorest of the poor.

For only by giving we will increase what we have.
Or the more we give, the more we will be able to give.

And that is good karma.