Sharing Peace; Living in Conscious Community.

"There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community."

-Morgan Scott Peck, M.D best-selling author of ‘The Road Less Traveled'

Life exists in a sacred balance. We share the experience of individuality but many are awakening to a deeper reality. It is often said that "peace comes from within" but how often do we truly experience this? On occasions we may catch a glimpse of this deep river of peace, but how do we stabilise the experience in our own lives and how do we share it with others?

Modern society is enthralled to the belief that earthly success lies in material achievement. We live in a world of rapid change endlessly bombarded with information, entertainment, news and decisions to make. We have to do this, know that, or attain something else in order to achieve peace "later". This often creates a constant state of tension, of disease with life that feels so normal we may not even be conscious of it.

How do we take a step back from all this and experience the simple wonder of just being alive? How do we learn to trust the essential goodness of life to provide us with what we need? (Even if it isn't always what we think we want!) How do we learn to trust ourselves and each other when we often don't understand our own true nature?

The answers to these questions do not usually come easily without making a commitment to investigating them an integral part of our everyday life. Without the answers to these questions how can we find satisfaction in our life, work and relationships? Finding a balanced approach where we can explore the important things in life in a relaxed and practical way is a challenge even for many experienced spiritual seekers. Living and working together in communities we can support one another to live in a balanced way.

Every situation has its benefits and difficulties. Being born into a family of six children, my rarely boring childhood taught me the practise and value of Sharing. My early-life circumstances were to give me first-hand experience of the principles of benefiting the whole rather than focusing on the individual.

With the openness of a child it was easy to sense the principles of oneness at work. From my instant familial community to dealings with the world at large, I had a strong interest in the human connections that we form in living and working together. A common goal and shared understanding form a healthy framework for us to work together in a way that will truly enrich our lives.

Four years ago I made a personal commitment to incorporate meditation into a balanced lifestyle, which felt like the priority in my life. A week after making this decision I was invited to come and live and work at a meditation centre and community in New Zealand. I could not believe it was a co-incidence, so I went. After I arrived I looked back in my diary to a manifesting experiment that I had written six months previously to attract my ideal circumstance. Every condition was met; it was perfect.

The experience continues to be the perfect situation for me to live in a way that supports what I find most important in life and to share it with others who may be looking for similar answers. The Challenges that come are perfect for my growth and all part of the fun.

The word "community" has old roots, going back to the Indo-European base mei, meaning "change" or "exchange." Apparently this joined with another root, kom, meaning "with," to produce an Indo-European word kommein: shared by all.

We invite all to share with us here this experience of growing in Awareness and Love. A common commitment to living in truth and sharing that experience creates a beautiful environment for conscious community. The challenges that we all face in living together can be used to deepen our own experience of our underlying oneness.

The community was founded by a beautiful spiritual teacher Maitreya Ishwara. Maitreya is the author of the book "Unity: The Dawn of Conscious Civilisation," which proposes a rational basis for a conscious Civilisation to come. I feel most blessed to have the opportunity to live in such peace, although Maitreya is currently teaching in Europe the energy and the vision here remain.

Shared daily meditations are the foundation of our life at the centre. We use the Sanskrit term "Satsang" which translates as "meeting in truth". Twice daily we come together in a sacred space beyond words, ideas and beliefs, to openly experience who we are. Having the support of a group can make meditation so much easier and more powerful. During this time unspoken bonds are formed of respect and trust; most people find themselves feeling at home here very quickly.

Working together in community we can ease the workload of the individual. Sharing resources and work energy can free us from the struggle of trying to do it all on our own. Cooking, cleaning, and gardening can be kept to the highest standards when we combine efforts. We have time to enjoy our work and contribute our individual talents, encouraging each other along the way.

When we come together with an ideal to live to our highest potential so much becomes possible. Our Centre shares an Organic vegan wholefood diet, gently detoxifying the body it is the best support for growth in Consciousness, and I have never before enjoyed such good health.

Community offers the opportunity of sharing our journey, to celebrate and support each other. Our meditation centre receives a constant flow of visitors from all around the globe each bringing unique gifts and perspectives. The structured support of community life and twice daily satsang meditation afford the perfect balance for integration of the inner journey into daily life, offering a nourishing and relaxed refuge to renew your energy on all levels.

Finding peace within for me has been made easier through sharing the journey with others. I am blessed to live in this beautiful place where I can share my truth with others and make many friends along the way. Healthy Conscious community is the way of the future and an important step towards creating a peaceful world.