The Dual Nature of the Human Experience: Body and Mind : หน้า 9/50

T he human experience is composed of two important parts, the body and the mind. These two elements communicate back and forth with each other from the moment of birth until death. We recognise the fact that the conscious mind controls how we think, speak and act in most situations. Sometimes these actions are admirable, even noble, but at other times they can be shameful. For this very reason, our minds can be the starting point for both war and peace in the world. If a person's mind is infected by greed, anger and ignorance, thoughts that lead to conflicts arise. Like the flame of a tiny matchstick that is capable of completely consuming houses and even cities, all the wars and strife happening across the world, causing enormous suffering for millions of people, are ignited by a flame within the mind. Just as the mind can be the source of suffering, a calm and aware mind can be the wellspring of wisdom, peace and infinite happiness that will envelop the individual, his family, the community, society and all the people of the world. From this beginning, world peace can happen – once we realise that the mind is an important instrument that can spark wars or perpetuate peace. Throughout history, we have fought one another, whether on a large scale like World War I and World War II, on a smaller scale such as civil wars, or as confrontation between individuals. The human race has never once stopped fighting. While we sleep at night, on the other side of