Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

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Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Written by Eleni Pouliezou

Thursday, 17 February 2011 08:56

When I was living on the ‘frontline’ of Brixton, South London — the frontline was Cold Harbour Lane, a multicultural mecca for illicit substance dealers, dance clubs, pubs and food markets — thousands of people passed under my balcony window daily: and the noise didn't stop. I lived opposite a nightclub which would begin after midnight and go on till the early wee hours. I never slept without my earplugs on and to this day, the habit is still with me — even in the tiny and quiet city of Adelaide.

I had planned a week’s break in St. Ives, Cornwall — a favorite sleepy coastal country town to which Londoners flock for ‘peace’ and ‘quiet’ or artists go to capture the glorious light of the landscape on their canvas.

For some reason, all the previous week I had been having difficulty concentrating enough to practice the techniques of Knowledge: a simple way to go within taught by Maharaji. I reasoned that it was okay — I was soon to be in Cornwall and there would find the solitude and quiet I thought I needed in order to be able to concentrate on that experience within me.

Well, St. Ives was a stunning place. Picturesque little houses and pubs and fishermen’s boats dotted the coastline. I lay on the large granite rocks and felt the pelting of the crashing waves beneath me. I wrote poems on the beach about Cornwallian myths. I fished for mackerel (yummy) with a local fisherman and I walked and walked and walked… I tried to practice Knowledge whilst I was there but found the same difficulty that I was having in Brixton. Here I was in picturesque Cornwall — with friendly people, lovely food, quiet countryside and glorious beaches — but I still had no focus. 'What's happening to me?' I asked myself.

The answer didn't arrive until I moved back into the cacophony of Brixton. Deeply longing to feel that inner experience, I sat on my lounge room floor. I could hear the mayhem of the nightclub and the noise of the street below, but from the moment I sat down, an overwhelming experience of joy and peace enveloped me.

It is a realization I have never forgotten. Peace is not the absence of noise. Peace is a plenitude. It is a full and direct experience within the human heart that cannot be created — because it already preexists within us. I just needed to feel my longing. And so, as I know from my days 'on the frontline' — and as I've heard many times before — peace can be felt in the midst of a battleground. And so it was that, in the midst of Brixton’s tumultuous nightlife, I felt besieged by peace. My longing was finally fulfilled.

Illustration by Sara Shaffer.

29 Comments

rohn makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Wednesday, 20 April 2011

cool i'll have to check out St Ives :)
Teresa makes this comment

A veces los tapones no bastan

Sunday, 20 March 2011

Thanks for sharing this. I moved recently from a very quiet place and the noise of the street bothers me a lot.
Werner makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Tuesday, 01 March 2011

Yes! It says: comment is too short? But: Yes! thats all I want to comment!!!
jim boeger makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

are you SURE there weren't some 'funny fumes' coming up from the street???? LOL....!!!*&$$%@#
Lola makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

Yes, I have fallen on that trap too Eleni. This is so true. Isn't it great! Thank you for an enjoyble article and reminder. Best wishes. Lola
Christine makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Monday, 21 February 2011

Hello Eleni, Yes even here . I live in St Ives its nothing without that inner experience from Maharaji's knowledge with it - it is glorious. bye for now Chris
Eileen makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Sunday, 20 February 2011

I went to a Knowledge review today & it was soooo good to be there. Thank you for sharing your story, i enjoyed being reminded of how Knowledge really works with the longing
Beryl Williams makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Sunday, 20 February 2011

Yes, yes, yes! More and more I see that the experience knowledge gives has nothing, nothing, nothing to do with anything that's going on on the outside. What a shelter and what a gift.
Pamela Smith makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Sunday, 20 February 2011

Loved your very well written story. I am very familiar with Cold Harbour Lane as I used to work there Now I live quietly on one of the Southern Gulf Islands and I absolutely agree there is no difference when it comes to practicing Knowledge! Happy Trails!
Carole makes this comment

Sometimes Earplugs Aren't Enough

Sunday, 20 February 2011

Isn't Knowledge amazing! That peace inside can be felt anytime, anywhere, it's us who are the variable. Thank you so much for sharing this story. I love hearing real-life stories of people experiencing Knowledge.