Finding Peace When the World is on Fire

How do you cultivate inner peace when the news feels like an assault on your nervous system? When wars rage, injustice persists, and the planet seems to be unraveling, is seeking peace just spiritual bypassing? Or is there a way to develop genuine tranquility that doesn't require turning away from the world's suffering?

There's a profound difference between the peace that comes from avoiding difficult realities and the peace that can hold everything - even heartbreak, rage, and helplessness. This deeper peace isn't about feeling good all the time; it's about finding an unshakeable centre that allows us to stay present with what is, without being consumed by it.

The Buddha taught that peace (santi in Pali) isn't the absence of conflict, but the presence of wisdom and compassion in the face of it. From an Integral perspective, we can understand how different levels of consciousness experience and create peace - and how our own inner development directly impacts our capacity to be agents of peace in the world.

Join our group of seekers who are exploring how to marry timeless wisdom with the knowledge and insights of the 21st century. We'll examine what it really means to find peace without disconnection, drawing from both traditional Buddhadharma and contemporary Integral perspectives. Along with the talk, we will also incorporate a peace meditation practice and some discussion time.

Teacher/Facilitator This session will be led by Christopher Lawley, who has been practicing and training in the universalist Namgyal lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism for close to 2 decades. Christopher is also steeped in Integral Theory and uses it to inform how he works with individuals and groups.

Dāna - Pay from the Heart
Everyone is welcome to participate regardless of financial circumstances. Please join us and offer whatever your situation allows. There will be a bowl at the door.
Learn more about dāna (the Pali word for generosity) here.