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Be Like a Turtle
There's really only one place where you can fully retreat from the outside world. Somewhere where you, the real you, cannot be harmed. This is where you experience "the peace that passeth all understanding" as the Yogis knew centuries ago.
Manuel Enrique
October 16, 2023
When I was younger, navigating the challenges of being a teenager, I often craved to leave home and escape responsibilities. I longed for a place where I could be free from the burdens of homework, anxiety, heartbreak, or any other troubles I was struggling with at the time. I believed that the simplest way to escape these unwanted emotions was by physically removing myself from my current surroundings.
It sometimes helped. Distraction helped. But the same emotions kept coming back. I eventually realized that everywhere I went, my mind came with me. Like that famous quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn: "Wherever you go, there you are."
And so, everything that was causing me stress and anxiety followed me everywhere. I couldn't escape from it. Until I gradually learned to escape without actually escaping. To find peace during moments of silence. And even if only for brief moments, I experienced a sense of calm and tranquility.
There's really only one place where you can fully retreat from the outside world. Somewhere where you, the real you, cannot be harmed. This is where you experience "the peace that passeth all understanding" as the Yogis knew centuries ago. And the beauty of it all, is that you can access it anytime, anywhere.
You don't have to book a vacation in the middle of the forest, go to a monastery for a 10-day silence retreat, or escape to the beach to lie on the sand listening to the ocean waves crashing. Of course, those places sound amazing. But, they cost time and money and may not be easily accessible for us.
Instead, we have to be like a turtle, as Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita:
"When a man has attained true spiritual knowledge, he becomes like unto the tortoise, which is able to draw within its shell its limbs. Such a man may withdraw his faculties of sense-impression from the objects of sense and shelter them from the illusions of the sense-world, well protected by the armor of the Spirit."
In other words, every time you feel overwhelmed by your specific circumstances, go within. Every time you feel anxiety and worry about the future, go within. Every time your heart is suffering, go within. Realize that you have an inner sanctuary where you can find peace, regardless of where you are. You just need to close your eyes, be silent, breathe and be patient.
With practice, no circumstance, problem, pain, or trouble will bother you within the protective confines of your inner 'shell', shielding your soul from the stresses of human existence. You will be capable of briefly retreating to recharge and returning to action with renewed vitality.
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