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Am I comfortable with silence? Or does the mind get fidgety when I am
physically silent and bring up questions and uncertainties related to
my life and relationships? Silence to some is boring and unproductive
but that depends on my thoughts. I have two magical tools in hand: the
mind and intellect. When I teach both to work in synchrony, I create
for myself unforgettable experiences of empowerment, love, wisdom,
compassion, forgiveness, far-sightedness... In silence, I can detach
from my body, task and relationships and see which next step would be
beneficial for myself and others. The more I discipline the mind with
love, it will become my closest friend.
Thought Diet
Why not make your mind healthier and go on a thought diet!
Cut down on all those unhealthy negative and wasteful thoughts that offer
no nutritional value. Start feeding your mind with positive healthy thoughts.
Here's our suggestion for a balanced diet for the mind:
For vitamins, have creative ideas. For proteins, think powerful thoughts about yourself. For carbohydrates, have good feelings for others.
The Interplay Between Souls, Matter And The Supreme Soul
The forces which interact to produce the phenomena of world history and
geography: souls, matter and the Supreme Soul (God), are threaded by the
law of karma. When there is mental communion (connection) with the
Supreme, the soul's relationship with matter changes. This means that the
internal love-link that the soul has with the Supreme is reflected in the
performance of the soul in the material world and in the degree to which
the soul has mastery over matter; firstly over the sense organs of the body
and through that, over the colors, shapes and sounds of the material world.
We have continually sought to understand which way to act, but have lost
our sense of direction for various reasons:
* We forgot that we were soul-actors.* We became lost on the world stage. * We became over-identified with our costumes the physical body. * We lost sight of the story of the drama.* We forgot that we were residents of the soul world.
* Due to body-consciousness the soul severed (broke) its subtle connection
with the Supreme Soul.
Creating Positive Habits
To overcome a negative habit, we have to ensure that the intellect is strong
and stable enough to lead the mind with knowledge and comprehension. In
this way, transformation is more deep and lasting, creates satisfaction and
fullness, and greatly improves our self-esteem. Our mind, which is under
the influence of an old program, must be left in no doubt that "I", the
original personality, no longer wants to go down that old road. We must
have the strong determination to create a new thought pattern; this will
also be recorded on our memory bank. This new register will help us to
avoid taking up the old habits the next time something similar happens. For
a period of time the two thought patterns, the old and the new, will exist
alongside each other. To achieve a long-lasting transformation, we should
not suppress our mind and immediately eliminate all the habits or
tendencies to which the mind has become accustomed to. If we do this, the
mind will begin to cry and make a fuss, and finally, the moment we lower
our guard and stop paying attention, the old habits will emerge again and
drag our mind towards automatic thoughts and actions so that, almost
without us realizing, we are once again immersed in our old way of thinking
and doing.
We have an alternative: creating thoughts of a greater quality that emerge
from a new conscience. In this way, thanks to these positive thoughts, full
of love, harmony and creativity, the mind will start to cleanse itself,
replacing the old habits and negative tendencies in a totally natural way.
The positive thought that preceded the positive action is still conscious, but
the more we repeat the positive action the less conscious we are of the
thought that created it. The time comes when we don't know why we are
doing whatever we are doing: it has become a positive habit.
The one who is responsible is the one who is always light.
To be responsible means to do everything with the best of
one's ability. It comes with the recognition and the understanding of the
importance of the task. No action is wasted, but everything meaningfully
connects to the fulfillment of the task. So there are not even ordinary
actions, but only those that are meaningful.
When I take up every task that I need to do with full
responsibility, I am able to give my best. Then I will be able to be light
having done my task well and in time. There is never the pressure of work,
but there is plenty of time for the self and for others. I also find my inner
resources being used to the fullest extent.
The power of God's love brings about change internally.
Through His love everything old and unwanted finishes. There is the
natural tendency to bring about such perfection that the one who loves Him
and gets His love becomes like a mirror - a mirror in which perfection of
others too is visible.
There is such inner strength that I get because of God's love that
even if somebody does something to hurt me, I don't allow myself to get
hurt. Even if people are saying negative things, they don't influence or
touch me in a negative way. I am so full with God's love that it naturally
flows out to those around me.
Acceptance
Accepting life as it is a multi-faceted concept. While it's good to
accept circumstances and people as they are, it would be unwise to act
out of blind faith or dejection: Either we say things will happen if
God or destiny wills it, or that things are never going to improve so
why bother... Both perceptions spread a negative vibration. Acceptance
means I don't confront a situation or person simply because things
aren't to my liking, as this drains me of energy I could use to
reform the problem. With a clear mind, heart open to the unexpected,
and willingness to make a difference, I link myself to God and take His
energy to be successful in my goals.
Courage
One of the highest forms of courage is the ability to face my own negativity
without feeling guilty or bad about myself, and then take responsibility for
changing it. To begin this process, I first make contact with my deepest
spiritual core. Reflecting on the things I care about mostly gives me a
glimpse of my innate goodness. Building on this, God will, if I let Him,
gently reveal in me a caring and compassionate nature that can even be
described as divine. The courage to let go of unwanted thoughts and
feelings will develop when I accept that my higher, divine self is not
separate from me, but lies at the very heart of who I am.
The Three Root Causes Of Anger
Any time we sense irritation, frustration or anger emerging inside our
consciousness, if we take a close look at it, we will notice we are fighting a
war in our consciousness with one of these three: either with another
person, most obviously or with the past or with our self.
We are at war with the past because our anger is always towards
something that has already happened and looking at it we react
emotionally which means we are trying to change it, which is
impossible. Any scene that has taken place a year ago, a month ago or
even a second ago cannot be changed. We may be completely convinced
and we may believe we can. That's because we hold this belief
subconsciously. Somewhere and sometime in the past, we have picked up
and absorbed the belief that the world and its circumstances should shape
up exactly as we want.
When our internal desire of a certain type of circumstances is
not fulfilled, or in other words something against this belief
happens, our instant reaction is one of the various forms of
anger and we tend to try and change the incident that has happened
in a far-off past or a past that has just gone by. We keep replaying a revised
incident, with words and actions that we would have liked and that suit our
convenience and we also keep nullifying the actual incident or remain in a
un-acceptance mode towards it. This is like fighting a war with the incident.
We tend to do this inside our minds, repeatedly, even realizing somewhere
deep within, that it is impossible.
As you start your meditation practice, you need to have in mind some
simple topics for your thought commentaries on which you base your
meditation. Repeat them gently. Doing that will give you enough time to
experience the feelings hidden inside them. Realization of thought
commentaries will help your thoughts to develop and your thoughts will
slowly expand as you now guide yourself in your meditation. Take up a few
simple topics or phrases as the foundation for your meditation. Initially,
listening to a guided meditation commentary on an audio cassette or CD,
which is available at any Brahma Kumaris center will be extremely helpful.
As you get an idea about what thought commentaries are all about, you can
gradually start creating your own powerful, positive, thought
commentaries. These will ultimately have more meaning for you because
they have been created by you and you will easily be able to relate to them.
You can continue to take the help of recorded commentaries, though, from
time to time.
Given below are a few topics for your thought commentaries,
which you would find helpful and which you can explore.
• I am a subtle (non-physical) point of consciousness, which resides within
this body (situated at the center of the forehead), I am the energy which
brings this body to life every day. I am the energy which uses this body to
see, to speak, to touch and to hear. I am the energy which experiences
everything via the body. But I am not this body
• I am a soul, a being of light, situated at the center of the forehead,
radiating pure light into my body, out towards others close to me and the
world. As I turn within and remember who I am, I experience my own
capacity to have pure love for all others. It is a generous (kind) love that
neither wants nor needs anything in return.
To be a teacher means to touch the heart rather than the head.
Teaching others means being subtle and explaining in such a
way that the mind opens because the heart has understood. The one who
truly teaches inspires rather than just becoming the one who teaches
others. There is recognition of the positivity that is in each one and so no
comparisons are made with others.
Once I am able to look at the positivity in another individual and
have the pure desire of enabling progress within that person, I am able to
feel the love for him. This is like a parent's love whose love for the child is
that which makes him grow. So I become a teacher who inspires rather than
the one who teaches.
Staying Power
When you have staying power, you have the stick-at-it-iveness. Like a
postage stamp, you're able to stick at one thing until you get there. So,
even when there are lots of mini-failures, don't stop! Use your strength,
energy and focus to steer your way through the obstacles, and stay with it.
Use perseverance and somewhere along the road 'success' will show up.
The Three Root Causes Of Anger
We are at war with our self when we fail to make the world do
exactly what we want, or we believe we have let our self down. An
e.g. of a war with one self is - Suppose you are standing in a queue waiting
for your chance to arrive, only to discover an hour later, just when your
chance is about to arrive, that the time for the counter to close has come
and the counter has closed. You get upset, but with whom? Perhaps the
person at the counter at first and may be with the other people in the queue
and then with yourself, for not having found out the time of closing of the
counter. There are two failures that make you uneasy here. First you failed
to ask someone early enough, which would have saved you the hour time
loss. Second, you failed to control your emotions of anger. Although you
might not externally admit that you failed, inside you know. Because of
these two failures, you then start to get angry with yourself. The thought
pattern that goes inside your mind: to fail is to lose, to lose is to be
sorrowful, to be sorrowful causes me to become angry, as you look for an
external cause of your sadness which, in this case, is initially the person at
the counter and the other people in the queue (who would have known the
time of closing and could have told you). So you demonstrate to others your
justified anger towards them. But deep inside you know it is you yourself
that has made you sorrowful.
As the anger builds up inside you, again, after a while, you find someone
else outside on whom you vent out your anger. You seem to feel better as a
result, but it's only temporary.
The next time you become angry;
interrupt the pattern of your anger by asking yourself two simple
questions: Who are you fighting a war with? Answer: Yourself.
Who is suffering the most due to the war? Answer: Yourself. And
if your anger is directed at yourself for your own supposed
failure then just tell yourself, "There is no such thing as failure,
only a different result from the one that I expected and results
are not going to be exactly as I want, expect or desire. That is a
rule of the game of life."
Enchantment
It's a wonder how God manages to be so enchanting since none of His uniqueness can be attributed to the parameters human beings normally
associate with an attractive personality such as etiquette, education,
fashion sense, social contacts etc. Though God's purity, wisdom,
power, love... are intangible, when I am soul-consciousness I get
exposed to God's unparalleled magnetism. The more I stay in this
spiritual magnetic field, my mind and heart experience a slow but
permanent change by appreciating myself and others for more than
physical qualifications
Topics For Meditation Thought Commentaries
Here are a few thoughts or themes for meditation to help you:
• Like stars shine to bring light during the night, I am a spiritual being of
radiant light, like a star in the night sky, reflecting and radiating spiritual
light in the present spiritual darkness of the world night. The, light, which
emanates from the heart of me is peaceful and loving. It touches each and
every being in the world. It is my gift to the world.
• I am just a tiny point of pure energy, of light, situated at the center of the
forehead. And within that tiny point lie all my thoughts, feelings, emotions,
attitudes, beliefs and my personality traits. Within the point of light that I
am, lie all the qualities of spirit that I have - I am a source of love, peace,
power and wisdom for others.
I am a conscient, miniscule point of energy, at the center of the forehead
and I am instrumental in making this body work. This body may be heavy
and big as compared to me, but I the soul am so light, and free that I can
almost fly. I experience bliss as the soul releases itself from the bondage of
matter.
To keep our self-esteem intact, we need to make sure that we do not have
an impressionable intellect. Being impressed by people, in itself, is not bad,
but we can fall into the tendency of staying trapped in the superfluous
(excessive and unnecessary) and in appearances. What impresses us
influences us and even moulds our awareness at that moment. We lose the
ability to create our thoughts and feelings and these are influenced by the
impression that we have allowed the other person to leave on us.
Sometimes the impression is such that we completely give ourselves to it.
We give up our power to the other, and we allow them to dominate our
emotional world. The results of allowing oneself to be impressed are varied
and on different levels.
For example, when we are impressed by the other's position; it is fine to
respect the authority and the position of the other, but when we allow their
position to impress us, our ability to relate to the person in a smooth way is
blocked. This can make it difficult for us to be the authority in our own life.
Another example is when we are impressed by the achievements of the
other and put them on a pedestal. We compare ourselves with him or her
and have weak thoughts of ourselves, such as that we are not as good or
effective as them, or we might feel jealousy or guilt. All of this acts as an
obstacle on the path towards our own achievement. It is good to recognise
and appreciate the achievements and skills of others, but when we allow
them to impress us, in some way, we submit ourselves to their influence
and we weaken our self-esteem and our respect towards ourselves. Without
realizing, we use the other to fill a gap that we feel in ourselves. This will
not always work. It will not strengthen us; rather it will create a dependency
and dependencies weaken us
Sweetness
Sweetness is a virtue that searches with patience for the good in every
person and situation.
Strong Foundation
When my expectations for a task or another person are unfulfilled, I
sometimes attribute it to my weaknesses or unworthiness. I may accept
the disappointment and even forget the incident but sub-consciously
allow it to hamper my self-respect. Ambitions or relationships are not
appendages of my identity. They are vital in shaping my personality and
taking me ahead, however I need to be prudent in not permitting them to
distort how I see myself. Only my God knows me precisely for what I am
and what I will be. With this faith and confidence, let me see every
experience as a brick thrown towards me to build a strong foundation
for my future
The Negative Shade Of Respect In Relationships
Today we look at this kind of
relationship from that person's perspective from whom respect is
demanded. When the boss or the parent or the spouse (please refer to
yesterday's message) tries to induce respect inside you for him or her, in
return you fear him or her, most of the time thinking it is respect. But, at
that point, you need to remember it is impossible to give respect to
another if we, at the back of our own minds, fear them. If you are
scared of someone or something, it means there is an absence of
self -respect, there is a lack of a true realization of your own
value, your specialties, your skills and the virtues and powers
that you possess. And if you do not respect yourself, you cannot
truly respect another. It is only when you are firmly established in your
own self-respect that you have no fear of others and are then capable of
giving genuine respect to others. Sometimes we are not comfortable with
being seen as fearful, because our image will take a beating, so we try to
avoid admitting we fear someone by saying we respect them, but internally
we are in awe of that person and being in awe is not respecting him or her.
Many a times, two prominent people e.g. two actors or politicians or
sportsmen are not on good terms. They accuse and bring down each other
publicly and are known enemies in the press. While they do that, they also
carry a subtle fear of each other, a fear that the other will outperform them;
the other will be more popular, the other will be more powerful etc. This
normally happens because of a lack of self-respect. They both will probably
hide that and will pretend that they are confident and established in their
self-respect. But if their self-respect were genuine, they would not be scared
of each other, and they would have the courage and the patience to talk and
work with each other and listen to and offer the hand of friendship to each
other, whom they perceive to be an enemy. But when they don't have the
strength of their own self-respect and when they are unaware of their lack
of self-respect, subtle fear for the other creeps in, which they don't realize
and if they realize, they do not admit the same. And that's why the
restoration of self-respect is only possible when the ego is
recognized and no longer nourished. Because, fear always comes
from the ego and ego is nothing but an excessive attachment to
one's false image.
To receive respect from others comes more with responsibility
than as a right.
The one who gets respect is the one who becomes worthy of it
rather than the one who just expects it. True respect comes from how well a
task is done rather than what is done. The more one's speciality is
expressed, the more one becomes worthy of respect.
When I go on giving my best in whatever is expected of me, I
will start receiving respect from those around me. I will then never expect
from others but will naturally be able to give respect to all. This further
makes me earn their love and regard.
All of us are familiar, to different extents, with the emotion of ego. All of us
don't even define it in the same way. We are also aware to different extents,
about the negative repercussions (effects) of the emotion of ego on us and
on others. Depending on how aware we are about the effects, we work to
eradicate the emotion from our daily lives, so that it neither disturbs us nor
others. Some of us even consider it a positive emotion and feel it
contributes positively to our personal and professional progress. To be
aware completely of the negative effects of ego and to realize
clearly whether it is a positive emotion or not in the first place, it
is important to first become aware of what it is exactly. So, how
can we define ego?
Ego is attachment, inside my consciousness, to an incorrect
image of myself which I then mistake for myself. When the
attachment takes place, you lose your sense of identity in the
image of the object of attachment which you create on the screen
of your mind. That object can be something physical like your body, your
physical personality, a relationship, a material possession, your status,
money, a particular skill, respect from others, etc. or something nonphysical
like a belief; an opinion; a mindset, a memory, a particular virtue,
specialty, power or a sanskar (positive or negative), etc. Therefore ego is
the self-attaching to and identifying with an image that is not the
self. This process takes place entirely within our consciousness many times
in the day, on the screen of the mind. E.g. When we say this is my salary
package (something physical) or my opinion (something non-physical), we
are (without being aware about it) creating an image of the salary package
or the opinion inside our consciousness and becoming attached to it, so that
we lose our self-identity in the salary package or the opinion,
believing that I am the salary package or the opinion. So at that
time, the salary package or the opinion becomes an incorrect image of the
self to which I am attached. This is ego. If while thinking, feeling or
speaking about my salary package or my opinion, we do not become
attached to or do not lose our self-identity in either of the two, then that is
not ego.
To get along with everyone, learn to adapt.
Whilst maintaining your truth, develop flexibility and you'll
find it easy to be friends with everyone
The Negative Shade Of Respect in Relationships
Many a times in offices, we find the dominating boss who wants everyone in
the office to fear him or her. The boss may not necessarily be a person with
a negative personality, but this desire exists inside the boss because he or
she holds a negative belief that people fearing him is the same as
respecting him and respect is something that any boss would naturally
yearn for. This can happen in homes also, with a dominating father or a
dominating mother doing the same with the other members of the family.
The main reason why this happens is because the boss or the father or the
mother is normally lacking in self-respect, although he or she is
unaware of it. Due to this, he or she, without realizing again, is looking
for it from others and in fact over a period of time, as the need
builds up or increases, he or she will start demanding the same
from others, which takes a form of the negative energy of fear in
the relationship. The boss or the father or the mother starts feeling that
the sign that he or she is successful in achieving in getting the respect he or
she wants, would be the other fearing him or her. Simply getting someone's
attention or the other being in awe of him or her or the other being under
his or her negative influence which are all subtle forms of fear is then
mistaken for being respected, and if he or she does not receive respect in
this incorrect manner, he or she will even try and bring about the creation
of respect in the other and try and pull it from the other using various
methods which are violent in a subtle way, harming the relationship in a big
way.
Greatness lies in revealing one's own speciality.
Greatness means recognizing one's own speciality and being a
donor with it. It also means being royal and great in what is given to the
mind - that means giving the mind only the positive. When there is
greatness in this way there is speciality and uniqueness seen in every act of
mine.
Solution: When I am able to perceive my inner greatness, I am able to be
content because there are no expectations, but there's only a feeling of
being a giver. I find myself to be light and easy and enjoying each moment
of my life, slowly moving towards perfection. I am also able to attain the
blessings and good wishes from others.
In numerous studies, anger has been found to have a completely negative
effect on our physical well-being. In one such study, reported at a recent
conference on forgiveness and peace in the US, it was demonstrated that
letting go of negative feelings that we have for someone due to his/her
negative actions relieved and reduced chronic back pain.
It seems we have been conditioned to treat any tension-triggering event, be
it a small accident or a conflict with a partner or colleague, as a big problem
or crisis. At these moments our bodies generate and release the stress
hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Our heart accelerates, our breath
quickens and our mind races. It's all harmless if the tension or fright is brief
and once in a while, like a near miss while driving, but the emotional
disturbances of anger and hatred are like accidents that don't end, and
hormones turn into toxins. The depressive effect of cortisol upon the
immune system has been linked to serious diseases and disorders.
According to a recent medical research, "Cortisol wears down the brain,
leading to cell degeneration and memory loss. It also raises blood pressure
and blood sugar, hardening the arteries, leading to heart disease."
God’s Wonder
The vast, abundant nature has an amazing ability to refresh our minds
and hearts, doesn't it? Quite often it reminds us to marvel at God
and His creation. But aren't we human beings God's greatest
creation? If the inanimate, idyllic nature is powerful enough to touch
our souls and make us lighter and more content, what can I not do? When
others look at me, are they reminded of God's beauty and qualities?
Let my personality be balanced and serene so that my presence comforts
souls and elevates their consciousness.
True Benevolence
There is no greater teacher than one's own practical example. To
be really benevolent therefore means that I must first change,
then I have the power, the knowledge and the experience of
thinking and doing for the ultimate benefit of all
Understanding the Process of Birth And Death
The leaving of one body and the taking of another is nearly always
confusing and soon the details of the old life are erased by the new. Just in
one day we forget so much. After having slept for a while, after some injury
or shock, or even after a change in place, company or circumstances, many
things are forgotten.
Death of the body is a great shock to the soul, especially if there was great
attachment to that body, and the new set of circumstances in the new body
is bewildering (confusing). Because the body and brain are not developed,
the soul cannot express its memory, so it laughs and cries when it cannot
recognize anyone, or when it wishes to express itself. By the time the body
is developed, the soul has forgotten its past birth and has become
accustomed to the new conditions and the new parents. The prominent
sanskaras developed in past lives soon begin to manifest (show)
themselves with new details (in the new birth).
The method to finish a weakness is to be detached from it.
When there is some weakness working within that has to be
overcome, it is very essential for one to get detached from it, that means not
to identify with the weakness. If there is an identification with the
weakness, it is further strengthened and there is the inability to get rid of it.
Since it is there in the consciousness, it is visible in the words and actions
too.
Solution:
When I am free from the identification with the weakness, I am
able to bring about a change very quickly. I find it very easy to stabilise
myself in the awareness of my strength and allow that strength to be
revealed in all my words and actions. There is no heaviness of the weakness
nor is there the feeling of having to give up something, but transformation
takes place very easily.
Thoughts may be temporary. Feelings (either positive or negative),
accompanying repeated thought-patterns, stay a bit longer inside us. But
when a soul suffers a major setback, loss or failure in life that it is not able
to deal with, it becomes emotionally damaged and the results of that can
be extreme.
Suppose I lose a loved one all of a sudden. If the feelings that come to me
because of this loss can be taken care of at that time, through any means
like the remembrance of God, meditation, developing a positive hobby to
divert my mind, spending more time in the positive company of other
family members, etc.; I will deal with the feelings and move on. If however,
I am unable to deal with my feelings through any of the means mentioned,
the experience of loss I feel is going to cause a lot of deep damage on the
emotional level. Then it will not just be a feeling of loss, but it will actually
have wounded the soul emotionally. Until that wound has healed, I'll carry
it with me long after the loss has suffered. The emotions linked to it will
come to the surface repeatedly, though I may have no idea where my
sorrow is coming from. Due to the emotional wound, I'll be unable to stay
happy, no matter how positive my circumstances may be today
Meditation does not require me to go into the subconscious roots of my
pain. Instead, through thought, meditation enables me to take
conscious control of my feelings and emotions, so as to displace
the negative, which brings sorrow; with positive, which brings
happiness. It helps me experience pure, powerful emotions and loveful
feelings to such an extent that the wounds left by past experiences are
healed. Raja Yoga means 'royal union' - it means having a loveful
relationship with God. The experience of God's love is a soothing balm for
my emotions, and a remedy for the emotional pain the soul feels.
Experiencing Freedom in Relationships
How much are you influenced by what others think of you and how they see
you? The degree to which you act on the basis of what you think others
want and expect of you, allows them to have power over your inner and
outer world. Important aspects are how you think others see you, how you want
them to see you and how you see yourself. The person who is not
conditioned by how others see them, and doesn't even think about how they
would like to be seen, but who rather is comfortable with themselves, has a
presence that generates comfort. Others feel fine around that person.
Let us learn to free ourselves from the conditionings that generate the
thinking of how we want others to see us. Let us feel the freedom to let
ourselves be how we want to be.
Try it and you will see that the results are amazing. That way, as you go
along, you will take off the masks that you wear due to the fears of what
others will say and think.
Attention, No Tension
To be tension free, pay attention. Pay attention to the little things in front of
you, as well as thinking and planning ahead. If you neglect or postpone all
the small things today, they'll create tension for you tomorrow. So, today
pick two small tasks from your to-do list and see them through to
completion. Pay attention to the details and do the tasks well.
Values
Every human life has meaning because of the value that he is able to
add to everything that he does and every relationship of his. Values
are the natural power of good within each one of us. Values form the
basis of our relationships and growth. We enrich our own lives and the
lives of those around us when values come into play. Focusing on these
positive qualities/values helps us to transform old attitudes, to gain
fresh perspectives and find unexpected answers. They free our path from
obstacles and make clear life's opportunities.
The one with zeal and enthusiasm is constantly tireless
: Zeal and enthusiasm brings the willingness to move forward
under all circumstances. Never are there are any excuses given, whatever
the difficult situations or challenges that one might be faced with. Instead
whatever has to be done is done without any tiredness. Also the best is
made out of all situations.
When I am able to be enthusiastic under all circumstances, I am
able to be tireless. This tirelessness gives me the courage to move on and
experience constant success. I become aware of my own resources and
make the best use of them. So I also experience internal progress,
constantly.
Sometimes they fly
past the mind leaving hardly any impact on us. At other times, they are
accompanied by such feelings so as to influence our entire perception, even
our complete inner mental state. Thinking about a visit to Kashmir I made
last year, for e.g., I could find myself carried back mentally into the
beautiful experience and its attached emotions. Filled with happiness, I will
even radiate this happiness to others nearby, through my thoughts, facial
expressions, words and actions. On the other hand, thoughts about the
death of my close relative a few years ago will have an opposite impact on
me in the present moment.
The Limitless Mind
If we compare the two entities - mind and matter - the most obvious
difference between the two that comes to the forefront is that one is nonphysical
and the other is physical. Another very important difference
between the two is that whereas on one hand, matter has limits, in the
sense, that's its fixed in time and space. The mind, on the other
hand, is beyond limits, in terms of physical parameters. It's not
fixed in time and space.
When we take a close look at what is going on in our mind, its power
becomes visible to us. Since it is not fixed in space, it can link me to a friend
in, as far as, Washington or Singapore in less than a second. My mind can
even move in many different directions at once. Since the mind is not fixed
in time, I can think about yesterday, or about fifteen years ago; about
tonight, or the next three years. That's the reason we can say that the mind
is limitless, hence powerful.
Self-Empowerment
Your strengths, talents, capabilities and resources are very important as the
foundation of your self-progress. Having a clear knowledge of them will
help to keep you moving forward, and enable you to take up new
opportunities when they arise. Our internal strengths create the foundation
on which we make our decisions in life, how we relate to others and how we
understand ourselves. For most people their strengths are understood but
never made very conscious. They lie below the surface and are not openly
talked about. Bringing them into our conscious understanding improves
our process of self-empowerment. Also assess your areas of weakness or
those aspects of life that are holding you back in some way and/or are
causing you some sorrow or discomfort.
Exercise: Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses (5 each)
Now create questions (5-6) which will help in your self progress. Looking at
your strengths and weakness, judge how effectively you are using these
strengths to improve your personal and professional life, and what negative
effects are your weaknesses (shortcomings) having on the same. These are
some examples of questions that you can ask yourself at the end of each
week:
How are my present strengths being used to improve my worth (value) at
the workplace (office)? Is any weakness of mine proving to be an obstacle
(barrier) in maintaining a healthy relationship with my spouse (partner)?
Am I using my strengths in helping others or doing social service? Does any
weakness exist inside me, which if removed, would make my relationships
harmonious (peaceful) in the family and office?
True knowledge brings humility
True knowledge inspires and encourages one to bring about a
practical change in one's life. The one with knowledge naturally imbibes it,
which is also revealed in his practical life. This is because he is humbly
willing to learn from all situations. As much as there is knowledge, so much
there is divinity and elevatedness revealed in all words and actions. Also
such a person keeps learning from all life's situations
Solution:
To have the ability to learn from all that life brings is to have
love for knowledge. Since I have love for knowledge, I am able to experience
self-respect. This self-respect gives me the humility to accept situations and
people as they are and keep learning. So whatever the situation or whoever
the person I come across, I only find myself enriching myself and moving
forward.
The first lesson on the path of becoming a peacemaker is to stop being at
war with myself. It is only when the turbulence of my mind ceases that I can
begin to make peace with the world.
Recognition
We normally have a lot of desires and expectations from life itself. We
want something or the other and when we don't get them we tend to have
negative feelings. Sometimes these feelings turn to feelings of
inferiority too. So even good things are hidden from our vision. When
we recognize our own talents and gifts that life has bestowed on us, we
are able to recognize what we deserve rather than what we desire. We
are able to use our resources to attain what we desire. We then do not
feel what we lack but are mo
Without a powerful intellect, a weak soul is at the mercy of the surrounding
atmosphere whether at the workplace or at home or at any other place.
Whatever the atmosphere, so will be the emotions and thoughts in the
mind, whether the person enjoys them or not. At such times it is impossible
to escape from the effect of the atmosphere. When a soul is so dependant it
is unable to choose its thoughts or remain in any desired positive
experience.
To be detached from a negative atmosphere and to be instrumental in
creating a powerful, positive atmosphere, the soul must:
* have powerful attention to its own true nature.
* use the intellect to clear the mind at that moment.
* look deep into the self and choose the purer, more elevated human
emotions of peace, power, contentment, or whatever quality is needed in
that particular situation, and retain that in the mind.
Meditation helps us in achieving all of the above.
The power of cooperation enables the most difficult task to be
successfully done.
To have the power of cooperation means to have the ability to
see and use the specialities of others in any task that is to be done. It is the
ability to respect and use the suggestions and ideas of each and everyone
which contributes for the success of the task. So the one who is able to use
this power is able to be successful in any task that he takes up.
When I am able to give cooperation and take cooperation from
those around me, I never experience fear for any task that has to be done,
but am able to be at ease, knowing that everything is possible. I am also
able to earn the respect of those around me for having made the best us
focus While moving towards my destination, I tend to get distracted with even
the little things that happen. Even a small negative or positive
incident is enough to distract my thoughts from my destination. I am
sometimes so busy with such things that my vision moves away from my
destination and I stop moving forward. I need to first clarify my goal.
Once I have done this, I need to take care that my vision is focused on
it. Even when situations come by, trying to distract me I need to
remind myself that these are only side-scenes which are not important
for me. It is more important to keep my energies focused towards the
goal.
key to success
Too Quick to Judge
Are you quick to judge others? Right and wrong become good and bad so
fast, as our thoughts jump to negative conclusions about 'the other'.
Don't be quick to judge. You don't know the whole story. Exercise an
attitude of curiosity. Try to understand what makes others tick and what
compels someone to do something a certain way. Remember there is
always more than one way and it's not necessarily your way
Imagine owning the finest instrument in the world and not knowing how
to maintain or operate it at its optimum? This is the irony we face
with nature's most valuable gift: the mind. It is a fertile piece of
land, which does not discriminate between good and bad seeds, or
thoughts. Whatever I the soul sow (or think), the field of my mind will
automatically nurture and reap fruit accordingly. Just as choosing a
career is not taken lightly, when I value my thoughts and 'think'
before I think I can save myself a lot of energy and time.
Be Like a Cloud
Before you can give to others, you need to give your mind some
space to rest and re-energize. Let your mind relax and become
light and easy. Like a cloud, just float in the sky.
When you feel relaxed, let your mind open up to the sun and reenergize.
Then fill yourself up with positivity. Like a cloud, gather
water from the ocean. When you become full, share your positive
energy with the world. Like a rain cloud, shower droplets of rain
onto the earth.
The Journey Of Purpose
All of us, at some point of time, in fact almost right through our life, keep
different types of long term or short term goals - personal goals,
professional, financial, social, relationship goals; goals related to physical
well being and health, spiritual goals etc. Sometimes we are not even aware
ourselves, but we are passing through the journey of life with some purpose
or the other at all times, the purpose may be a higher purpose or something
connected to our day-to-day living.
Whatever actions we perform then, our aimed at fulfilling this purpose.
Also these actions are full of lots of expectations, the expectations of
achieving some results. These results which we desire or expect arrive at
times and sometimes they don't. If they don't, which is a very common
aspect of any such journey of purpose; they generate emotions of worry
inside us. Even if the results are achieved, the nature of journey, prior to
those results is stressful as compared to a journey which is purpose filled
but expectation free, which some might argue is not possible. Worry and
stress not only harm the spiritual and emotional self but even our physical
body and relationships, making the journey difficult and tiring. It is not
incorrect to be action oriented and having some clear objectives
in progressing towards our purpose, but we need to be capable of
aiming ourselves at our dreams without becoming date
conscious and the expectation of them being fulfilled now, or on
a specific date, in a particular way or form. If not, we live in a
tomorrow consciousness and tend to get upset or discouraged easily
and we don't enjoy today. It is not incorrect to be happy when we achieve
something, but if our happiness is dependent on our achievements, we will
always delay it. Happiness is not later, it is always now. It is commonly said
- * Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Here we say - * Happiness is
not only in reaching your purpose, your destination, but also in the journey
of purpose. Also, it's important to note that a carefree and detached
intellect will always attract positive circumstances which serve
as bridges in reaching one's purpose, much more, as compared
to a worried intellect.
In order to change an addiction, we need to work out what need lies behind
this addiction. What is the spiritual desire that we are trying to satisfy?
If we smoke for relaxation (by smoking we breathe deeply and this relaxes
us), perhaps what we really need is peace of mind. Any doctor will tell you
that mental peace cannot be found in a cigarette. On the contrary, instead
of calming your stress, it makes you more irritable and nervous, especially
when going through withdrawal symptoms. We can learn to find relaxation
and peace through meditation and will not have the need to smoke.
The same applies to all the other qualities that we need to experience in our
lives so that we feel satisfied and happy: it is in our inner self where we can
turn to discover what we need. Although our mind often asks for visible and
material things, its needs are deeper and nothing superficial can satisfy it.
Meditation leads us to what is genuine and eternal.
Simplicity is free from the complications of waste questions,
doubts and expectations. The one who is simple is naturally accurate and
inspiring in his actions. He is able to understand the demands of the
environment and mould himself accordingly, so he himself has no
demands. And he is able to move forward to his satisfaction. Solution: When I am simple in my thoughts, I am also able to be simple in
my responses to the outer environment i.e., to both situations and people.
So internally I am able to remain content. This contentment further brings
newness and creativity in the way I respond to situations, and I naturally
experience further progress.
True knowledge inspires and encourages one to bring about a
practical change in one's life. The one with knowledge naturally imbibes it,
which is also revealed in his practical life, because he is humbly willing to
learn from all situations. As much as there is knowledge, so much there is
divinity revealed in all words and actions.
When I am able to humbly learn from all situations. I am able to
enrich my own knowledge. This knowledge further enables me to become
more and more practical. So during all difficult situations, I am able to
remain light and internally stable. There will be no fluctuation experienced
within, whatever the challenges may be.
There are times when my mind faces inertia: it can either be that the
fast speed of thoughts is tough to control, or there is a lack of
enthusiasm to think new and differently. An efficient driver has good
control over both the accelerator and brake. Similarly, my day runs
smoothly when I can operate the mind and intellect to maneuver the flow
of thoughts and generate productive thoughts as I wish. The best way to
enhance my mind is to take few minutes out at regular intervals to
clean out unnecessary and waste thoughts, and focus my attention on the
Supreme Ocean of Power and Divinity.
The Origin of Addictions: How to Overcome Them
Today, the number of addictions and addicts is growing fast. It seems that
today human beings can become addicts of almost anything: credit cards,
eating, drinking, sweets, lust, smoking, relationships, television, the
internet and computer games, football, earning money, spending money,
power, work, arguing, war.
In some ways, this shows the presence of an inner void (emptiness) that
people try to fill with external things. While a person becomes an addict to
any of the above aspects, their willpower is gradually weakened. And if one
does not realize what is happening or does not put a stop to it, it is possible
to fall into a spiraling series of automatic and compulsive actions that
gradually limits our freedom to decide what we want to do with our lives,
causing a loss of self-esteem and a state of depression, anxiety and
dependency.
The origin of many addictions is due to a desperate need to solve a problem
or a spiritual need (which may be a lack of respect, love, peace, attention,
consideration) of a materialist form.
Here are a few examples:
* In a cigarette: one looks for peace, calm and relaxation.
* In alcohol: one looks for confidence, determination and security.
* In sugar and chocolate: one looks for love, sweetness and tenderness.
* In coffee and tea: one looks for energy and inner strength.
A Beautiful Meditation Experience
Every moment of every day is an opportunity to strengthen your ability to
be soul conscious. The practical application of meditation means that you
can move into this "soul awareness" wherever you are - while cooking,
during a journey, in the middle of a conversation, while working in the
office etc. These are the basic steps to practice moving into a state of
stillness and focusing your awareness.
Sit in a comfortable but alert position wherever you are right now...
Imagine your whole body is surrounded by an envelope of subtle light... See
the light draw itself up to a point of focus above and behind your physical
eyes...
Be aware that you are that point of focus...
Just as you might stand absolutely still as you look through the windows of
your home to see the street or garden outside... look through your eyes now
as if they were windows... Be aware that you are not your eyes... you are the
still point of awareness, a tiny sparkling star, the soul, looking through your
eyes seeing the world 'out there'... Remain still inside...
As you watch people and life moving around you, remain completely still...
just watching without thinking about what you see... Then, in one split
second 'narrow' your awareness to one small detail in the scene that you
see...
Hold that detail for a moment...
Be free of any judgment or assessment of the detail...
Just watch...just be aware...
Then 'expand' your awareness to the entire scene once again... Remind
yourself of who you are...the soul looking out through the windows of the
eyes...completely still....focused...fully aware.
Letting Go of Sorrow
If I allow bitterness and resentment to fester inside, it will make my
relationships guarded and unsatisfying. The more I close down to others,
the more I become a stranger to myself. By letting go of sorrow and
negativity, I can keep my nature open and loving. Remaining open to life,
with its constant adventures and opportunities to grow, is the only way to
reach my full potential.
The word karma has been given many
negative meanings. In common language, most people almost always relate it to
suffering, but the simplest meaning of karma is action. Newton's Third Law of
Physics (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) is a physical law of
motion. The Law of Karma is the metaphysical (non-physical) equivalent of the
Newton's Third Law - it refers to action and its result (fruit) or, simply,
cause and effect. The quality of my actions, thoughts more specifically
determines my personal level of happiness. Our natures today are the result of
everything we have thought; they are formed by our thoughts. It's not so much
the act that determines the return or fruit but the quality of the motive or
intention behind it e.g. in the simple task of buying a new car, the intention
can be different in the case of three different people:
- I need to buy a good car; it’s an urgent need of my family (concern).
- What if I am not able to buy that car model which my wife so badly wants
(worry)?
- With me at the wheel of the brand new car, which I will be buying soon, I
will be the talk of the town, my office colleagues will really be jealous of me
(ego)!
Although the action is the same in each case, each of these attitudes will lead
to a different result. This role of intentions become clear when analyzing the
difference in guilt between an army officer who kills another while protecting
his country and another person who plans for months to commit a murder out of
personal enmity and hatred. The karma of taking the life of someone is the same
in both cases, but the return or fruit of the karma depends on the intention.
The importance of work is by its
quality and not by its quantity.
When I want to work well I think of
putting in a lot of effort in terms of quantity. I try and fit in as much as
possible in one day, yet I do not find as much satisfaction as I should by the
end of the day. I need to concentrate more on the quality of work I do rather
than thinking about how much I do. Each action of mine should be with a value
and should never be just ordinary. When I concentrate on this, I can contribute
for quality work.
Message for the day
To be special is to do ordinary things in
a special way.
Thought to Ponder: If I want to be
special, I don't really have to do something special and spectacular. Probably,
the opportunities for doing such things are also very rare. But we surely have
plenty of opportunity to do each and everything in a special way. That means, I
value the contribution I make and I value the action itself.
Point to Practice: Today I will bring specialty to my actions. Before I start
any action, I will remind myself of the contribution I have to make and also
understand the significance of the task itself. I will then start the action.
This will bring specialty to all I do.
Go Giver
t’s been said that you cannot give away what you do not have. One of the
most spiritual important insights or secrets in life is that you already have,
and always have had, what you need to give away! If you impart the message that
I ‘I am not worthy’ the universe will send it straight back in many shapes,
forms and circumstances. When we say ‘give me’ we are imparting this message.
We are saying we think we need to get something to complete ourselves or prove
our worth. Most of us are taught to live a life of gimmie gimmie gimmie –
always striving, desiring, wanting, struggling. We do so only because we think
that when we get what we want we will be fulfilled and esteemed by others. But
it’s an illusion. We are all already complete and worthy but we cannot know it
and experience it, until we give it away! Only giving allows us to know what we
are and what we have within. Ask the question – how can I serve? The intention
to serve will point you towards what you need to give. If the intention is real
it also generates the will. The most successful people in life are not go
getters, but go givers
