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The Practice

Enlightenment and deity religions serve the needs of populations interested in post-life liberation from karmic suffering or transgressions against divine law. Much good can come from these practices. However, and unfortunately, many of their followers knowingly act against their tradition’s better teachings by irrationally justifying discrimination and willfully condoning acts of unpeacefulness in all their forms. They’re often as intolerant, unpeaceful, violent, and warring as non-followers. While it’s not a pacifist practice, Sāntimāggā is an amalgamation of Secular Buddhism, Humanism, and Positive Psychology. The practice serves the needs of a population interested in achieving peace of mind first for themselves and then for others.

The Twenty-first century isn’t off to a good start. Totalitarian forces are ascending; we have multiple wars, and democracies are under assault in every land. A sense of global interdependence and responsibility for each of us to contribute to the universal common good is a minority view. The prosperity gap between the haves and the have-nots increases with each passing year. We continue to fall short of urgent environmental actions to ensure a happy, healthy, and comfortable future. Greed-based market-driven consumption is exhausting our planet’s resources, destroying its life support systems, and contributing to chronic stress in all living beings. Opposing and unyielding political and economic beliefs and policies pose a threat to global peace and human survival.

Addressing these challenges doesn’t necessitate the adoption of another ideology, dogma, or doctrine. Instead, we can use the knowledge provided by the social sciences, promote the expression of our innate compassion, and apply kindness and good manners that contribute to civility and peacefulness. Manners are expressed through our actions and words, with kindness as the underlying motivation and sentiment driving those actions. In essence, good manners are a practical way to show kindness and respect in everyday interactions, making the connection between the two undeniable. Sāntimāggā is a practical solution, a chosen lifelong endeavor centered on acknowledging and integrating the Four Insights into one’s way of being. Unlike deity religions, which emphasize salvation, and Eastern traditions, which focus on awakening and enlightenment, Sāntimāggā emphasizes self-awareness and transformation. It’s taking responsibility for peace within ourselves and then with others wherever we are, doing whatever we’re doing as we do it.

Experiencing these insights is crucial for achieving peace of mind and emotional well-being. The first insight confirms that an unpeaceful mind fosters unwholesome mental, physical, and emotional dis-ease, promoting unpeaceful behavior that may damage the overall well-being of ourselves, others, and our shared planet. The second insight reveals that, in the absence of mental illness and personality disorders, the cause of an unpeaceful mind is unwholesome, entrenched beliefs and habitual destructive behaviors. The third insight assures us that we have the power to rid ourselves of an unpeaceful mind. The fourth insight provides a roadmap for achieving this.

1. There is the unpeaceful mind.
   The task for this insight is to recognize and allow the presence of an unpeaceful mind, understanding its stressful nature and its afflicting influences on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

2. There is the cause of the unpeaceful mind.
   The task for this insight is to identify, investigate, and understand the entrenched beliefs and their associated irrational patterns of thoughts that form and bind unwholesome mental formations to unpeaceful feelings and destructive behaviors.

3. There is the cessation of the unpeaceful mind.
   The task for this insight is to dispute, let be, and let go of entrenched beliefs and their associated irrational patterns of unpeaceful thoughts, feelings, and destructive behaviors.

4. There is a three-fold practice leading to the cessation of the unpeaceful mind.
   The task for this insight is to assimilate and integrate the Threefold Practice into our lives to cultivate peace of mind wherever we are, doing whatever we’re doing as we do it.

   First Practice — Choice-Making. Two behaviors serve this practice:

1. Clarifying Beliefs, Understandings, and Behaviors.

2. Knowing Our Thoughts, Feelings, and Emotions.

Second Practice — Seeking Insights. Four behaviors serve this practice:

1. Mindfulness and Meditation.

2. Introspection and Gratitude.

3. Allowing, Letting Go, and Shifting Perspective.

4. Serenity and Niksen.

Third Practice — Being Peace. Four behaviors serve this practice:

1. Ethics as Intentions.

2. Listening and Speaking.

3. Empathy and Compassion.

4. Wise Livelihood and Consumption.

Defining Peace of Mind
Peace of mind, the goal of Sāntimāggā, is not a passive state but an active practice that’s foundational to peace in the world. It's not about avoiding challenges or discomfort, but about cultivating a steady inner clarity that empowers you to face life’s ups and downs without being overwhelmed. It’s the quiet understanding that, in this very moment, you have the power to choose how to respond with courage and wisdom, rather than being driven by entrenched unwholesome beliefs, old habits, irrational fears, or unskillful impulses. Peace of mind is not a distant reward that you'll receive when conditions improve; it’s a practice that you can engage in now, by learning to face whatever comes your way with mindfulness, awareness, discernment, compassion, and wise decision-making.

Living with peace of mind isn’t about retreating from the world. It’s about being able to stand in the middle of it—storms, noise, and all—and remain grounded, steady, and open-hearted. This kind of peace is not fragile. It doesn’t depend on everyone else behaving, or the world being “fixed.” It depends on how you are in it.

How the Practice Supports the Founding Insight
The Four Insights of Sāntimāggā aren’t abstract ideas you memorize; they’re ways of self-understanding and transformation firmly rooted in the founding insight: “Survival of the human family comes down to three things: Peace, people, and the welfare of our shared planet. Peace comes first. Unless we have peace, we can’t protect and preserve the other two.” Their consistent practice changes the way you move through the world:

1. They clear the lens. By integrating the Four Insights into your life, you begin to see people and situations more clearly, without the misconception that you’re a separate self, denying change, or reacting with defensiveness. This clarity is the soil in which peace of mind grows.

2. They strengthen choice. You can’t meaningfully choose peace unless you’re aware of the forces that push and pull at your mind. The Four Insights help you recognize those forces and respond from a place of steadiness, rather than thoughtless reactivity.

3. They widen the circle. True peace of mind isn’t self-enclosed—it naturally extends into how you relate to others and the planet. The more your actions come from insight rather than reactivity, the more they support harmony with people and care for the well-being of our shared planet.

4. They make peace a priority. The founding insight reminds us: without peace, our ability to protect people and preserve the planet collapses. By practicing the Four Insights, you’re not just tending your own well-being; you’re building the inner capacity to act in ways that preserve both humanity and the Earth. Peace becomes the foundation—not the afterthought—of survival.

Peace of mind is the inner steadiness that allows you to live in a way that protects and uplifts your life. The Four Insights give you the tools to create and maintain that steadiness. And when enough of us practice this, “peace first” stops being a slogan and starts becoming the lived basis for safeguarding people and the planet.

Click here to learn more about The Four Insights.