Contemplation: Elevated Thoughts
By feeding your mind a diet of
elevated thoughts, you grow up to become an angel.
Purity
Purity in thought
keeps us clean and easy and is the basis of peace and
love. Purity in behavior brings inner strength. Wrong thoughts, words
and actions, on the other hand, destroy our power and also distance us
from God. Impurities of this sort draw us into a world of confusion:
what is happening, what to do, how? However, when you see a fire, you
don't stand around asking questions. You don't even wait for the fire
brigade. You just offer your help, immediately, from the heart.
love. Purity in behavior brings inner strength. Wrong thoughts, words
and actions, on the other hand, destroy our power and also distance us
from God. Impurities of this sort draw us into a world of confusion:
what is happening, what to do, how? However, when you see a fire, you
don't stand around asking questions. You don't even wait for the fire
brigade. You just offer your help, immediately, from the heart.
From Knowledge To
Experience
One aspect of practical spirituality is the practice of values such as tolerance, patience, flexibility, humility (egolessness) etc. Another is for the meditator actually to experience the highest level of consciousness. It is said that when this highest level of consciousness is experienced, there is the strength to practice those values that create well-being. How can we go beyond the stages of information, knowledge and even wisdom to experience the original state of being, that is, truth?
One way to describe the above process is to compare it to the game of the pole-vaulter. The pole-vaulter has a long pole to help jump over the barrier. The athlete runs for a short distance, and then quickly fixes the pole into the ground, enabling the body to be lifted up. When the athlete reaches a certain point in the air, the very pole that was used to get to that point is discarded; if the athlete fails to let go of the pole, then the body will be propelled backwards and it will be impossible to accomplish the task of jumping over the barrier.
We shall explain this comparison tomorrow.
Soul Sustenance
Turning
Qualities into Powers (Part 2)
There are interesting spiritual parallels to the way the physical sciences differentiate energy and power. In physical terms, energy is defined as the capacity of doing work. Power is defined as the rate of doing work.
Similarly, we can look upon spiritual energy as our capacity for experiencing the original qualities of the soul. We all have this capacity, but to different degrees. Spiritual power is then seen as the extent to which we put these qualities to work in difficult situations and in our relationships. Spiritual power helps us remain in a state of truth, in the face of the various tests that come. Also, our actions and relationships give us an opportunity to utilize the power we have accumulated.
The qualities of God experienced in meditation are also the original qualities of the soul, but the link with God is essential for us to enhance these qualities inside us. In fact God, too, needs the connection with us, despite having these qualities to the highest degree, in order to exercise his power to restore truth to the world.
There are eight key spiritual powers (power to tolerate, accommodate, face, pack up, discriminate (or discern), judge (or decide), withdraw and co-operate) in terms of their application in everyday life - all of which we have discussed and shared with our readers previously.
There are interesting spiritual parallels to the way the physical sciences differentiate energy and power. In physical terms, energy is defined as the capacity of doing work. Power is defined as the rate of doing work.
Similarly, we can look upon spiritual energy as our capacity for experiencing the original qualities of the soul. We all have this capacity, but to different degrees. Spiritual power is then seen as the extent to which we put these qualities to work in difficult situations and in our relationships. Spiritual power helps us remain in a state of truth, in the face of the various tests that come. Also, our actions and relationships give us an opportunity to utilize the power we have accumulated.
The qualities of God experienced in meditation are also the original qualities of the soul, but the link with God is essential for us to enhance these qualities inside us. In fact God, too, needs the connection with us, despite having these qualities to the highest degree, in order to exercise his power to restore truth to the world.
There are eight key spiritual powers (power to tolerate, accommodate, face, pack up, discriminate (or discern), judge (or decide), withdraw and co-operate) in terms of their application in everyday life - all of which we have discussed and shared with our readers previously.
Message for the day
To be
free from desires is to have the experience of attainment.
Expression: The more there are desires, the more it becomes difficult to appreciate what is there and what is attained. Life becomes a constant struggle for attaining something else. One desire is fulfilled and before it can be appreciated all energies are focused on the fulfillment of ten other desires.
Experience: When I continue to run after desires, I am not able to have the experience of having attained anything. Running for desires is like running after the shadow, I can never get it. But when I turn my back on it, it runs after me. If I am free from desires, I am rich because I am content with whatever little I have and I am happy putting in effort to be better with that little.
Expression: The more there are desires, the more it becomes difficult to appreciate what is there and what is attained. Life becomes a constant struggle for attaining something else. One desire is fulfilled and before it can be appreciated all energies are focused on the fulfillment of ten other desires.
Experience: When I continue to run after desires, I am not able to have the experience of having attained anything. Running for desires is like running after the shadow, I can never get it. But when I turn my back on it, it runs after me. If I am free from desires, I am rich because I am content with whatever little I have and I am happy putting in effort to be better with that little.
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