trueand lasting inner peace, my honest answer would have
tobe"no."Whyhaven'tIfoundit?WhatelsecanIdo?

Youare still seekingoutside, and you cannot get out of the
seeking mode. Maybe the next workshop will have the
answer, maybe that new technique. To you I would say.
Don't lookforpeace.Don’tlookforanyotherstate thanthe
one you are in now; otherwise, you will set up inner
conflict andunconsciousresistance.Forgiveyourself fornot
beingatpeace.Themomentyoucompletelyacceptyournon-
peace, your nonpeace becomes transmuted into peace.
Anything you accept fully will get you there, will take you
intopeace.Thisisthemiracleofsurrender.

§

Youmayhaveheardthephrase"turntheothercheek,"which
a great teacher of enlightenment used 2 , 000 years ago. He
was attempting to convey symbolically the secret of
nonresistanceandnonreaction.Inthisstatement,asinallhis
others, he was concerned only with your inner reality, not
withtheouterconductofyourlife.
DoyouknowthestoryofBanzan?Beforehebecame a
great Zen master, he spent many years in the pursuit of
enlightenment, but it eluded him. Then one day, as he was
walking in the marketplace, he overheard a conversation
betweenabutcherandhiscustomer."Givemethebestpiece
of meat you have," said the customer. And the butcher
replied, "Every piece ofmeat Ihave is thebest.Thereis no
piece of meat here that is not the best."Upon hearing this,
Banzanbecameenlightened.
I cansee you are waiting for some explanation.When
youacceptwhatis,everypieceofmeat—everymoment—
isthebest.Thatisenlightenment.