Peace
The choice to return to centre
This week’s reflection from the game of Gyan Chaupar.
When we think of peace, we often imagine stillness. A quiet room. A meditation cushion. A silent forest.
But peace is not only about stillness. Peace is an act. A verb. A conscious choice to meet the moment, not with force, but with presence.
In the game of Gyan Chaupar, peace is not passive. This powerful square reminds us that the real strength comes not from dominating, but from being anchored. Anchored in your values and in your body. Anchored in what you know to be right.
Peace is a kind of inner leadership.
It doesn’t mean staying silent. It means speaking or acting from a place of clarity, not chaos. It’s the energy of the peaceful protestor, the calm mother, the focused changemaker. It’s grounded and rooted. And it's generative, as it restores what urgency drains.
Peace is not the same as avoidance. It doesn’t mean “not reacting” or pretending everything’s fine. True peace includes truth. It allows and holds space for anger, grief, joy, and action. It holds these qualities with intention, not reactivity.
When you choose peace, you’re choosing:
– to be fully in your body
– to step out of reaction
– to return to your own centre before trying to change the world around you
Because the world doesn’t need more noise. It needs people whose presence is calming, clear, and quietly courageous.
Mantra for the week:
“I choose peace — not to avoid, but to act with clarity, care, and conscious power.”
As usual, below are our 4 thoughts and 2 questions about Peace.
4 thoughts on Peace
From Buddha
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
From Ralph Waldo Emerson
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
From Aristotle
It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.
From Vineeta
Peace begins with inner stillness. However it cannot grow without compassion. Until we extend that care to all living beings, true peace - within or without - will remain just out of reach.
Two questions about Peace
What does peace look like in your life — not as a theory, but as a practice?
Where can you choose peace without shrinking yourself?
Peace doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means doing what needs to be done. Also doing from the right place in your heart.
With steadiness,
Vineeta
If you’d like to explore more inner qualities like this through the ancient wisdom of Gyan Chaupar, you’re always welcome to reach out.
Boards and posters are available at: gyanchaupar.co.uk
Spectacular writing, getting to the heart of peace that is readily available, should we choose to access it, with support of a guide who has achieved it themselves.