Pace e Amore

December 2023

On the state of Nirvana

Villa Camilla, San Siro, Largo Como, Italia

Buongiorno. When do you have made it? “Making it” undoubtedly means different things to different people. Most people get it wrong. It isn’t about money, fame, prestige of winning the sporting match, or being a person with power. It is about being at peace. Reaching nirvana.

Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism define nirvana as a profound peace of mind which is acquired with moksha, liberation from samsara, or release from a state of suffering. Christians would say it is when you reach a “state of Grace”.

Where do you find nirvana? When do you find or reach nirvana? How do you describe the perfect sun set? A moment of complete peace and tranquility? When are you, personally truly at peace with the world?

Nirvana. The view from the porch of the Villa Camilla might just do it. Although it isn’t a place, but a feeling. So, if can, put yourself in my shoes for a moment. You are perched up the side of a mountain, not far up the mountain, maybe only a hundred meters up the hillside. You are sitting on the porch in a large comfortable chair. You have a glass of wine and your favorite well-lit cigar.

In the background you can hear the adults talking. You can’t really hear what they are saying, and you're not really trying to. The grandchildren, mostly teenagers, are raucously playing a video game and breaking out in spontaneous laughter ever so often.

There is a well-kept, lawn before you. Just beyond the lawn is a large body of water. In this case Lake Como. The water is dark, not motionless, but not moving about angrily. You are looking towards the east, with the sun setting behind you. Across the lake you can see the outline of two mountains with a “v” shaped valley in between. The hills are alive with a variety of colors.

The sky is a light blue and filled with white wispy clouds. Clouds are there just to give a little definition to scene. The clouds look playful not mean. Slowly, as if by some great unseen hand, the scene begins to change. The clouds begin to turn pink; the hills begin to twinkle as the darkness grows. The shoreline across the lake begins to brighten with the lights of the village on the lake.

High on the hill to the left you can see the bell tower of a church. Suddenly it becomes lit with bright white lights. You can almost see the road leading up to the church. You can’t really, it is just the lights in the homes which line the road. Homes filled with families; laughing, enjoying each other's company, and feeling the love.

Your eye follows the weaving pattern of lights halfway down the same hill to where there is another bellow tower. This one illuminated in a blue light.

As the sun sets further the clouds get pinker, the hills get darker, and the lights begin to twinkle. If you weren’t sure, you might think it was a Christmas tree in the distance. You follow the headlights of a car coming down the opposing hill. The headlights blink in and out as the car makes its way howl the hill under the canopy of the trees. It’s a Christmas train, added to the tree to give a sense of motion.

The first quarter moon begins to dominate the sky as the pink clouds grow richer in color and hillsides grow darker. The moon seems to get brighter; a mystic aurora now engulfs the moon. Twinkling lights are spread carefully over the hill, the campanelli, one white and one blue, suddenly everything seems a little brighter. The lights at the base of the two hills, along the opposing shore have a golden hue from the streetlights, which reflect on the lake giving a warm glow.

Right now, there is peace, love and family. Yes, throughout the world there are terrible things happening. Unjust, unequal and just plain unfair. But, within all of that, there are families were the adults are sitting together discussing the days topics, while the children and grandchildren are actively playing a game nearby. In that moment, there is peace, and all is right in the world. When you experience this, you have “made it”, you have reached nirvana!

Pace e amore, Ciao Enrico