Cherished Students:

I greet each of you in the spirit of love and in the dedication to the liberation of all sentient beings. May you make the very most of the growth opportunities put before you during these months of rapid movement. May you experience fully the movement of the Divine in all aspects of your creative reality. May you be a blessing to all you know as well as to yourselves. When you feel your experiencing leads you into humble moments, accept them graciously and know that they will bring you wisdom and fuller spiritual skills. Learn to laugh a little more, be ready to offer an accepting smile in every moment, and count the many blessings which come to you each day.

You may have noticed that July brought some mixed blessings to many of you. Certainly, at a planetary level, you could see actions arising which created a flow of chaos, particularly concerning the G-8 Conference. Many of you (like other people the world over) wondered how the polarized points would turn out, and some of you worried about the implications of the U.S. still holding out on the Kyoto Treaty. Some of you literally felt the grief of Earth as these topics were discussed and stalemates arose.

Many of you have become exceedingly disappointed in the current U.S. Administration, seeing the apparent disregard for environmental issues which other nations are working so hard to protect. Many of you are cringing at the thought of oil exploration in the Arctic, knowing the disruption of fragile ecostructures would likely be negatively impacted. Others of you have been dismayed at the decision to pull funding from a program carried out by many farmers, wherein nearly 1,000,000 acres of vanishing natural wetlands were preserved, and over 125,000 acres saved from urban sprawl, thus making safe the habitats for Florida panthers, Louisiana black bears and Karner blue butterflies, to mention only three. Others of you were saddened to learn of U.S. Interior Secretary, Gale Norton's plan to stop a citizen-run initiative to bring grizzly bears back to the mountains of Idaho and Montana. So much for a single month!

Many of you have felt embarrassment over your government's actions, knowing they do not actively reflect the views of most people. Perhaps this has even helped some of you feel compassion for the Chinese people, who have suffered the negative projections of people around the world for the decisions of their government in many areas, particularly the treatment of Tibet.

Some of you have spent your precious time and energy working, writing, and otherwise protesting these decisions, often only to feel depleted and helpless in the face of big government. At times like this, you must remember to avoid a tendency to sink inward and reflect on those who have also faced seemingly impossible circumstances in their own work, or mission. I would like each of you to hold within you an active mental relationship with either Gandhi or the Dalai Lama. I have selected these two men because they are well known, their situations are well known, and the fact that in the face of being overwhelmed by huge governmental machines, both stood firm in their belief, held fast to what they knew to be right, and in spite of significant suffering, both were/are able to maintain a profound state of internal peace.

In truth, the lesson of this time is about peace. Each of you simply must do whatever you can to become a more peaceful person. This is true for your relationships, your work situations, your communities, but most importantly, with yourself. The only way peace can become the standard for interactions of all kinds on this planet is for individuals -- yes, one at a time -- to become dedicated to living as the embodiment of Peace. Your diligent efforts to attain total tranquility and internal peace were never more needed in respect to the world.

When you observe emotional states or particular behaviors in other people that are estranged from peace, find a way to view the person or incident compassionately and sensitively. Should you become the object of someone's projections, anger or blame, do not engage the ego by taking it personally. See if you can hear what they say without your own emotional contraction. Stay rooted in Truth, and you will know from the space of inner peace what parts you would pay attention to and what parts are out of line. You can, you know, simply notice and let go. You can obtain and maintain internal peace in the face of all difficult situations. Become a Bodhisattva of Compassion and realize all the suffering that is created by hostility, anger, criticism, judgments and envy. Resolve to demonstrate to all who look to you as an example the core energy of the Bodhisattva -- infinite, unwavering peace.

Please join me this month in listening to a talk I gave to the Placerville group just a few nights ago: The Path to Inner Peace. In this lecture, I offered three steps to direct those who choose to follow them into a stronger, more peaceful, internal place of balance. While you will find that all three simple and very basic, it seems to me that such is just what is needed at this time. It is important to remind yourself that these are not the times to create more complications in your own life. These are times to discover the gifts of the great river of internal peace.

Continue sitting from noon to approximately 12:15 in your own time zone, dedicating the merits of your meditation to the liberation of all sentient beings. Begin by relaxing into a calm but deeply awake state of mind. Notice the preciousness of breath. Feel awe as your own breath rises and falls in your body. Allow a flow of gratitude to arise out of the simple, yet profound, activity of breathing. Now, on your in-breath, begin to breathe into yourself peace. See, feel, and know it spreading into every part of you. On your out-breath, breathe peace to the world around you. Continue thus for a couple of minutes.

Then, for approximately five minutes, view with your inner seeing, situations of turmoil and strife around the world. On the in-breath, fill your heart with peace. On the out-breath, send peace from the Heart of Creation through your own heart, into all these situations. One situation at a time, replace turmoil and struggle with profound, gentle peace. Feel gratitude for the opportunity to offer peace in this manner to situations crying out for the blessing of peace. Recognize in compassion that you are fortunate to see through these struggles to peace.

For approximately two minutes, see before you your own physical body. Look at it compassionately and recognize any places that need healing. As you continue breathing in peace, on your out breath, send peace and acceptance to your physical body. Allow all judgments, positive or negative, to fall away from your awareness. Be still in the flowing of peace and gratitude to your own physical body.

Then, for another two minutes, see before you some representation of your emotional body. Look at it with compassion, recognizing it might need healing, calming or soothing. Continue breathing in peace, but on your out breath, send peace and acceptance to your emotional body. Again, drop all judgments, positive or negative, and just flow peace and gratitude to your emotional body.

For another two minutes, see before you some representation of your mental body. In like manner, view it with compassion and recognize where it might need this wonderful flow of peace. Continue breathing in peace, and with the out breath, bless your own mental body with pure, free flowing peace. Drop all judgments that might arise, and experience gratitude for your mental body.

For another two-minute span, see before you some representation of your spiritual body. Notice any places where it is not whole or needs your attention. Breathe peace into it until your entire spiritual body radiates the light of pure peace. Claim this expanded being as your own Real self. With gratitude and compassion, gently return to your normal waking state.

Below is a picture of a famous Tibetan pilgrimage site called "Tarchen." It is on the pilgrimage route known as the Mt. Kailash circuit. Many pilgrims find this a very peaceful place to pray and rest. Let your mind take in this photo so that peace may be established firmly within your innermost being.

In peace,
Djwhal Khul

Tibetan pilgrimage site, Tarchen