A moral heart, a loving and good mind, and an altruistic life will make our heart peaceful. That peace is not strong, loud, or triumphant. Instead, it is gentle, light, and happy.
An ethical mind leads to inner peace. He who lives a moral life will feel peace inside. He who does bad or cruel things could obtain temporary gains, but will have to pay the price of a restless mind later.
There are various levels of joy such as cheerfulness, pleasure, happiness, delight, the feeling of being interested in something, and more. Not all of them are good. Some of them are addictive and can turn us into selfish people.
Families become miserable because a member of the family has gotten involved in debauchery, drugs, alcohol, lust, adultery, gambling, etc. That person is only concerned with his own pleasure rather than others' sufferings. Not only does his family suffer, but he himself has also become disturbed.
Of course the law of cause and effect - karma will eventually bring them inevitable consequences with long lasting misery. But while they are enjoying the inappropriate pleasures, appropriating others’ fortune, and making people painful, they become excited as well as distressed. Greed and cruelty always lead to disturbance.
In contrast, a moral heart, a loving and good mind, and an altruistic life will make our heart peaceful. That peace is not strong, loud, or triumphant. Instead, it is gentle, light, and happy. A wise person will understand such peace is priceless, so he or she will accept hard work, accept disadvantages, accept serving others, and refuse all temptations to keep his or her life perfect.
For example, a man drove a long way to sign a new contract. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he saw some blood on the wheel. He wondered whether he had run over somebody unintentionally. He canceled his important meeting and drove back to find the victim. He found the victim and took her to the hospital. He was suspected of being the culprit. When she woke up, she told them that she was hit by a motorcycle and the biker drove away. She was left unconscious by the side of the road. The car just ran over the blood. After the incident, he was often asked about it. He answered that if he had not driven back to find the truth, he would have spent the rest of his life in regret. By driving back and saving the girl, he could live in peace.
Buddhists often practice meditation in search of a peaceful mind. They think that once they have achieved an absolutely peaceful mind, they will be enlightened sublimely. But Shakyamuni Buddha has taught that it requires many criteria for good meditation. One of them is a moral life. They have to do many good deeds, eliminate evil actions, help others, make offerings, and often give alms to others.
It is clear that all saints encourage living a moral life to create a path leading to pure inner peace.
Janna