Contemplation: December 01, 2019: Say 'I'm Sorry' and mean it

Contemplation: December 01, 2019: Say 'I'm Sorry' and mean it

Say 'I'm Sorry' and mean it

Is simply saying 'sorry' enough?
To make your apology sincere and authentic:
Make a commitment to change yourself and resolve the issue for the future;
Have a determined thought, 'I am not going to do this again'.

True Independence

Liberate yourself from the bondages of the mind. It is wasteful thoughts that won’t allow you to attain true freedom. 

True Independence is to be, in dependence of only GOD.

A Spiritual Perspective Of True Love

Emotional love can flower into true love when the fire of emotions cools down and is substituted by a wiser and more mature relationship. True love needs a fresh and renewing atmosphere, without fears. When you feel spiritually full, you feel flowing over with pleasure, happiness, wellbeing, and that state helps you to accept the one whom you love as they are, because from your fullness you give and share and you don't need or expect anything from the other. While you need something that you want the other to satisfy, you will have expectations and the fear that those needs might not be satisfied, and you will get frustrated more easily. When you feel like a being of peace, a being of love, a tranquil being, a being that is spiritually full and satisfied, your relationship with others is a relationship of sharing on a level on which fear is not generated. You are not asking for or taking anything from the other. An elevated sharing of love, of happiness, of knowledge, of wisdom takes place, in which you do not generate a dependency on the other.

Attachments and dependencies, fears and insecurity, block our experience of love, of peace, serenity, freedom, happiness. When you have a feeling of love that takes you to a state of joy, to wholeness, but then you attach yourself to the object of your love, be it a person, or a property, automatically the feeling changes into fear: you fear to lose the object of your love and, instead of feeling wholeness and enjoyment, you feel fear. Over time that attachment turns into a dependency and you start to become inwardly empty: that is, your energy level goes down. Love in its purest form is a like a spring that pours forth for the benefit of others. Learn the art of loving, being free and allowing to be. Pure, true, love is an unconditional love that flows freely. Do not cling (hold on to). Love does not cling.

Soul Sustenance 

Detached Observation – A Spiritual Skill 

Detachment is the basis of our ability to be positive and affectionate with others while we interact with them. This is what is known as commitment and the relationship of detachment and it begins with what is known as a spiritual skill: the skill of being a detached observer.

On needs to be a detached observer in two dimensions: one within and one outside:
The inner art of detached observation is the ability of separating ourselves from our own thoughts, emotions, attitudes and behavior. On the external level, the art of detached observation is the art of being witness to the scenes that take place around us. While we detach ourselves and observe how the game of life develops, without being active participants, we are able to see the "big picture" with greater clarity. That makes it easier to see clearly what role we have to play and where our contribution lies. We are creators, and our thoughts, emotions and attitudes are our own work.

In reality, detached observation is the first step towards personal strengthening. If we don't manage to detach ourselves from our thoughts and emotions, they will turn into our owners and will consume our energy.

For the practice of meditation it is essential that you act as a witness of everything you think and feel, and, once some time has passed, you will find that the practice simultaneously frees you and offers power. 

Message for the day 

The one who does not wait for others to change to bring a change in the self is the one who really brings benefit to others. 

Checking: Think of all the things you would like to change but are not able to. Now ask yourself why you are not able to bring about a change - is it because you are waiting for others to change before you change yourself. 

Practice: Take any one thing that you would like to change and tell yourself, “I will change and seeing me the others will change too. I am the leader who inspires others to change, I will not wait for others." 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 26, 2019: CONTROL YOUR ANGER

Contemplation: December 26, 2019: CONTROL YOUR ANGER  

Mount  Pinatubo - Eruption in the PHILIPPINES, 1991

CONTROL YOUR ANGER

Then you will be able to: 

  - respond rather than react

  - be assertive rather than aggressive

  - know when to stand up for yourself and when to step back. 

The art of giving happiness lies in being happy. 

If I am not happy with something or someone and I am not able to resolve it, I will not be able to give happiness to others too. If I am bringing about a change in myself for someone and am not happy about it, I will not be able to make a difference. Whatever I do for others, I need to do it with happiness. Today I will make a small change in myself or my life style for giving happiness to someone important in my life. This could be something that they have always been expecting, but it need not be anything big. But, while I am making this change, I need to first ensure I am not bothered or am not feeling heavy about it. When I do it with love, it will give me power and positivity.

Improving The Quality Of My Actions (Part 4)

Karma as spiritual service of others
Service of others can be seen on a very basic level as physical charity but the real service is to uplift the souls of others by inspiring them to re-claim their state of self-respect. There is the old saying that if I give others chapattis, I feed them for a day. If I teach them how to cook chapattis, I feed them for life. In a spiritual way, this refers to the fact that instead of merely performing a positive karma like the donation of money, food, clothes, etc. if one can show others the understanding of karma and how it works and also teach them the ultimate, pure karma of coming closer to the Supreme on a spiritual level, they can make efforts to change their negative karmic situation and bring happiness, peace and positivity back in their lives. When there is a change at the mental and emotional level, then changes will begin to show at the physical level too. Over a period of time, due to understanding spiritual knowledge (as a result of which the soul starts performing positive actions) and a deep connection with the Supreme (due to which negative actions or sins performed in the past are burned up), the karmic situation of the soul, which has been served, starts improving.

Soul Sustenance 

Taking The Path of Spirituality (Part 2)

Religion also tends to encourage us to have faith, to pray and perhaps beg to an entity to whom we are not worthy enough or high enough to look face-to-face with. On the other hand, spirituality would have us believe nothing blindly and never reduces our own basic but now suppressed value or divinity. Spirituality is a path of high self esteem. The spiritual approach to God is one of remaining in that self esteem and cultivating a relationship that is as real, direct and as dynamic as we might have with a member of our family, a friend or a companion. Even worldly relationships work best when the people involved in the relationships maintain their self esteem. It means that personal experience is the only real proof of God's presence in our life.

While religion would tend to encourage the strict following of a set of recorded beliefs, which have been declared by religions or religious organizations, spirituality would say, "You must not believe me when I say it is raining outside — go and see for yourself. Here, I'll show you the way, but you must go and see and touch the rain for yourself." Spirituality would not encourage blind faith in an historical set of other people's beliefs, but would encourage the cultivation of an enlightened faith based on one’s own personal experience. God, as the Supreme Father, does not want to be worshiped; He only wants to see His loved ones, His children awakened from their self-imposed spiritual sleep – that is what spirituality does – wake us up!

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day 

Instead of thinking of the situation, think of your own stage. 

Expression: When you find yourself questioning the things that are happening in your life, ask yourself if your own stage is good. The situation might be bad, but check if your own stage is good and if you have the power to face the situation. 

Experience: The reason for losing the stage in a negative situation is because of negative thoughts. In order to finish such negative thoughts, remind yourself that you are learning from the things that are happening so that you can improve your own stage. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: November 30, 2019: Determination

Contemplation: November 30, 2019: Determination

Artemisia, the first lady navigator, the commander of Acheamenid navy (Persian)

Determination

Determination is an unbroken line, a backbone. 

Without determination life becomes scattered. 

Determination makes you sit up straight and love everything.

The Practice of Meditation

The root of all needs and expectations is an unfulfilled spiritual desire. 

Satisfy your spiritual desires through the practice of meditation and you'll be able to interact successfully with anyone.

No longer needy, you will enter into relationships simply to share and enjoy.

There'll be no strings attached in the way you give of yourself; your love will be unconditional.

The Physical And The Non-Physical

In life many happenings cannot be explained only in material or physical terms. At certain points of crisis (negative) or inspiration (positive), there are deep emotional and spiritual experiences which separate us from the world around. We look inwards at such times; we look into religious or philosophical books, into rituals or symbols, in order to understand these experiences.

We are subject to a continuous commentary on life around us from our own thoughts, feelings and deductions.  These faculties of thinking and forming ideas, desiring and deciding (and all the different aspects which constitute our individual personality) are non-physical, yet nevertheless real - we cannot deny their existence. Indeed, anything perceivable to us comes from two sources; that which is detected by the physical senses and that which arises from impressions recorded on these subtle (non-physical) faculties (mentioned above). The things that we can see, taste, hear, smell and feel, as well as the body itself are formed of matter. But the subtle faculties of mind, intellect and personality make up what we call "consciousness".

Soul Sustenance 

Spiritual Vision

A simple definition of spiritual vision is that I see the best in others. A parameter of proving to myself that I have a spiritual vision and I am seeing the best in others is that I naturally thank and praise rather than criticize those with whom I interact at home or at the workplace on a daily basis – even though I may see obvious negative characteristics in them and experience negative behavior from them. Keep a daily chart of the three points, for three people close to you, below for one week. Every night, fill this chart up for the day that’s just gone by.

1. Name of person and relationship
2. How did I thank or praise him/her?
3. What was this person's response?

Remember that although you may be constantly positive with others, constantly seeing their original spiritual qualities, it may take time for your positive energy to transform them and for them to start transmitting positive energy back to you and start behaving positively with you. At the end of the week, check what benefits did you and others experience from this exercise. 

Message for the day 

Become a true well-wisher who transforms others' attitude with your good wishes.

Checking: In your interactions throughout the day, check if your feelings towards someone are negative. Also check if you are expecting someone to change his or her attitude or behaviour.

Practice: Tell yourself each day, "Just as a powerful bulb when switched on transforms darkness into light in a second, there's so much power in my good wishes that they can transform others' negative attitude into positive in one second." 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: November 29, 2019: Happiness Is Your Property

Contemplation: November 29, 2019: Happiness Is Your Property

Happiness Is Your Property 

No matter what adverse situations come in front of you, no matter how many obstacles come in front of you, your happiness should not disappear. An obstacle that comes will also go away. That obstacle comes and goes away but what belongs to you should not go. So, happiness is your property. Whenever an obstacle comes, just think that it has come to go away. When a guest comes to your home, it isn't that he has come as a guest and will go away having taken everything from your home. So an obstacle has come and it will go away but it should not take away your happiness. Happiness should always remain with you.

Life is full of noise and activity. 

Plan some quiet time, whenever it's possible.
If you can, have a one full day of quiet.

To create the quiet space, turn off the TV, radio, phones, computer. And in that quiet time, do simple things.
Write, reflect and read. Read something inspirational, but don't read too much. Go for a walk and enjoy nature.

Stay connected with yourself as you go about your day. Appreciate each scene and each person as they are. Interact with others but at the same time stay quiet.

Motivation

The example of an iceberg shows the need to see under people's surface behaviour; the need of a deeper insight.

Only 10% of an iceberg is visible on the surface, 90% is under the waterline, invisible, but yet prominent.  If there is a wind coming from left to right, just by seeing the visible mass, we think it will move the iceberg to towards the right.  If, against all expectations, the iceberg moves in the opposite direction (left), it is because, under the waterline, there is a strong current running towards the left.
Sometimes you, as a leader, try to move people in a certain direction by giving them orders, instructions, explanations and encouragement, but you do it on the basis of what you see above the surface. The visible part represents what is at the surface such as appearance, behaviour, manners etc.  You do not see what moves them under the surface so you become surprised and maybe frustrated seeing them move in the opposite direction.  The main part, which is the 90% not visible, is within the subconscious.  Under the surface (subconscious) you will find emotions, fears, attitudes, deeply held values etc.
If you want to move people, if you want to motivate others for a project or even just to reach others, you need to be aware of these kinds of things that you find under the surface. The key to understanding others better is to be more aware of your own feelings and under-currents, because, at a deep level, we are very much alike. If you understand your own fears and strong motivators, you will understand others much better.

Soul Sustenance 

Effect of Food On The Mind (Part 2)

Three categories of foods are defined corresponding to the particular energy that exists in them.

The first is Satwik or sentient food (explained earlier).

The second group is Rajasik or mutative food - it contains a mutative energy of restlessness, constant movement or change. When this force is consumed, the mind and body become agitated and nervous, unable to calm down and relax. These foods include caffeinated drinks such as coffee and many teas, hot spices, fermented foods and some medicinal drugs.

The third group is Tamasik or static food - this type of food has a static force of dullness, inertia, intoxication, and attraction towards sensuality (body-consciousness), decay and death. Death occurs when the other two energies (sentient and mutative) are spent and the static force is the only dominant force. Static foods include meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, mushrooms, onions and garlic. 

Message for the day 

To be successful is to be able to fly over the clouds of situations.

Checking: When there is any obstacle that comes up in your way check if you are afraid of it or if you are able to see it only as an obstacle that you must overcome.

Practice: Each day take a thought in your mind, "All these obstacles that I am faced with are like clouds that come in the journey of my life. I have to go on flying and not stop in the clouds of situations."

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: November 28, 2019: Barriers to Love

Contemplation: November 28, 2019: Barriers to Love

Painting by Todd Abbot Winters

Barriers to Love

Whatever is in your heart that is not clean, not true, will ultimately begin to act like a wall, obstructing the natural flow of love. People who say that there is no love in their life, are being blocked by this wall. Actually there is love, but they just cant accept it. Ego is the clearest example of this. Ego limits the flow of love by placing conditions on the love you give and receive. Ego uses love to satisfy its own needs and desires. It produces a love which is deceptive, one which brings only temporary satisfaction. Ego does not allow you to experience true love or share it. If fact, ego is capable of destroying your ability to feel love altogether.

Repetition of positive thoughts lead to powerful thoughts. 

When ordinary and waste thoughts are repeated, they can become harmful and negative thoughts. On the other hand, when positive thoughts are repeated, they become powerful thoughts. When I take a simple positive thought and practice with it, I find myself becoming more and more powerful. Today I will take a simple positive thought and practice with it. This simple thought could be "I am happy today" or "I appreciate the people in my life". This will help me reinforce this thought and make it powerful. Such powerful thoughts are available with me, specially at a time when things are not so right.

Symptoms Of Stress

When we feel stressed our difficulty tends to be reflected in certain physiological (physical) and psychological (mental) symptoms, whose importance we may not fully understand. These are normal signs that we should re-check our priorities - our body, or our state of mind, is telling us that something in our lives needs to change. Listed here are some common signs:

1. Restlessness - We could have difficulty sitting still for even short periods of time and we may play with our hands, play with our thumbs or play with the rings on our fingers.
2. Impatience And Short-temperedness - We could find ourselves becoming angry at any moment for simple reasons; or we may snap at people, too quick to assume that they are accusing us.
3. Obsessive Working - Overworking can be a stress symptom, although stress can also cause some people to work very little.
4. Loss Of Appetite - Food doesn't interest us anymore. Either we don't eat, or we over-eat junk food.
5. Fear Of Silence - Silence may cause us discomfort, so that we over-talk when with other people or leave on the television or music player when alone. Sometimes we may not tolerate noise at all.

Soul Sustenance 

Effect of Food On The Mind (Part 1)

All foods have their own subtle (non-physical) vibrations or energy levels. Food feeds more than the stomach; it not only affects the working of the body but its subtle energy influences the mind. Consumption of food allows the energy levels to have an effect on our system, for better or worse.

Experimenting with the effects of different foods, three categories were defined corresponding to the particular energy that existed in them.

The first is Satwik or sentient food – this type of food if filled with vibrations of purity, self-awareness, love, peace and joy. This category of food includes fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, grains, milk and dairy products. It helps our emotions and mind to remain in a stable and peaceful state. This in turn affects our thoughts, attitudes and behaviour.

(To be continued tomorrow .... ) 

Message for the day 

Where there is determination there is success.

Checking: Think of all that you wanted to achieve in the past few days. Now check if you have achieved it or are still trying for it. Check if you have left anything midway.

Practice: Pick out one of the things that you wanted to achieve or create an aim for yourself and think, "I am the one who is victorious and I will achieve whatever I set out to. I will not leave any task unfinished."
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: November 27, 2019: Mistakes

Contemplation: November 27, 2019: Mistakes

Mistakes

When you make a mistake, learn from it, resolve not to repeat it and then forget about it. You will feel better again. Do the same with others, instead of making their mistakes bigger, dissolve them in your mind and help them also to forget about them. A sensible person does not criticize the mistakes of others, instead, he learns from them for the future.

Courage

Courage means facing your fear. Instead of 'Forget Everything And Run', face FEAR by, 'Face, Explore, Accept and Respond.'

Look at your fear and decide if you want to step out of your comfort zone and take action in spite of the fear.

Maintain your courage. Courage gives you the strength to go beyond and overcome your fears.

Transforming Anger

In meditation, when I connect with God, I absorb His spiritual love and peace, which causes my own original qualities, which are present in me, the soul, in my pure state when I begin the playing of roles through physical bodies on the world stage, to come to the forefront or to the surface, to emerge in the conscious from the sub-conscious. As a result, now, where previously there would have been conflict, I have a greater capacity to remain peaceful when another person behaves in an unpleasant way with me. I have the power to stay mentally and emotionally stable when someone provokes or insults me. This power is enormously valuable in life, enabling me to cool heated situations, and even remove another person's anger altogether.

Instead of focusing on the anger on a person's face, I focus my attention to the non-physical, star-like being or soul within the person, which was peaceful and loveful in its original, pure state. This increases my tolerance and acceptance power. Also, through my meditation, I am actively aware of the spiritual bond all human beings share, as souls who have a common home of peace, the incorporeal (non-physical) home, from where all of souls come and a common connection with the One Supreme Father, the Supreme Soul. Through this knowledge, I connect with the goodness in the other soul and my love for the soul is maintained. I realize that this goodness is a deeper reality than the anger. The truth is that if I can hold this soul-conscious vision steady for long enough, I radiate positive energy to the other soul, which works like magic and awakens the goodness within the other person. Then, my tolerance bears fruit and peace really does prevail between the two of us.

Soul Sustenance 

The Power Of The Imagination

The power of the imagination is extraordinary. The imagination is one of our greatest resources. It offers us many options and, with the clarity of our intuition and the power of our intention, we can use it to bring about abundance and success in our lives. It is a matter of using the art of the imagination in a constructive way so that it does not betray us. The imagination should be used for our more healthy and positive intentions.

When the imagination is influenced by our limiting fears and beliefs, our mind begins to imagine the worst; it creates fearful scenes that end up generating phobias and blocking us. Then we turn the imagination into an instrument to create negative fantasies that distance us from what is real. We believe in the fantasies that we have imagined. The imagination has to used to help us overcome our limitations and not the other way round, which would be when the imagination is influenced by our limiting beliefs and our fears, with which it weakens us and keeps us locked into the cages created by our own mind. From a grain of sand it imagines and creates a great mountain that prevents it from advancing, and this mountain only exists in its own mind.

When the imagination is used in a positive way, it is capable of turning a great mountain, a difficult situation, into a grain of sand.

There is nothing too big that the human being cannot overcome. 

Message for the day 

Where there is the faith that everything happens for the best, you will remain happy and cheerful.

Checking: When things are going wrong, check your thoughts to see if there is any kind of fear or negative feeling. When there is either fear or disappointment you cannot remain happy.

Practice: Each day pick out one thing that didn't happen in the right way and see what good has come from that. Make the practice in such a way that you will automatically see the good out of each and every situation. Even if you can't, there'll at least be the faith that things will turn out to be the best.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: November 26, 2019: Learn Meditation

Contemplation: November 26, 2019: Learn Meditation

Painting in a South Korean Temple

Learn Meditation

Why has meditation been the core practice of all wisdom paths for over two thousand years? Because it is the most effective method to access your innate wisdom, rediscover inner peace and enhance your creative ability. Meditation restores well being, and once your being is well again, all that you do will be successful and fulfilling. But maybe you think you are OK as you are. Perhaps you feel your being is well. But is it. Do you feel tense, worried, hopeless, mentally tired, emotionally upset...ever? Then your being is not well. Your body may be OK but you, the being, is unwell. Medication is for the body, and meditation is for the soul, that's you, and for your mind. Learning how to meditate is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself. Practicing meditation says you care about yourself. Being in meditation can touch the minds and hearts of others a thousand miles away. It actually says that you care about others too. But first...your self.

To invest rightly is to increase savings 

How we spend is more important than not spending at all. When it comes to our biggest asset, our thoughts, we need to invest well. When we have positive thoughts, they become a saving for the future too. Today I will spend at least half an hour with something that gives me a feeling of positivity. Today I will also be careful to avoid anything that will create negative feelings in me. This will ensure that I will be investing my thoughts in the right way, without wasting them.

Will Power

The expression will-power is often used to refer to our ability to put into practice the ideas we know to be for our well-being and to resist actions (karmas) which are harmful. This is directly related to the soul's intellectual strength. When we speak of weakness or strength in the soul we are referring to the intellect. In the case of a weak soul (one with lower will-power) it is almost as if the intellect plays no part in determining which thoughts arise in the mind, but they come as if pushed by the sanskaras (mainly in the form of habits) or are triggered by the atmosphere around or the moods of others. On the contrary, a powerful soul (one with higher will-power) enjoys the experience of its own choice regardless of external stimuli (influence).

Rajyoga meditation develops the intellect to such an extent that this degree of control is possible. A practitioner of Rajyoga meditation can be in the midst of a situation of intense disturbance, yet remain so unshakably calm that the inner strength becomes a shelter and inspiration to others lacking in that strength. The weak soul is like a leaf at the mercy of the storm, the strong one, a rock in the face of a rough sea.

Soul Sustenance 

Analyzing Success And Failure (Part 2)

For many, society has conditioned us to look for success through the path of our career, achievements, profits, praise, financial wealth etc. That way, we have learned a narrow view of success. Running in search of this kind of success and pursuing it, we come to exhaust ourselves, get burnt out and depressed. In order to achieve these successes we have stopped caring for the inner being (the soul) and relationships. That has meant and means stress, pain, anxiety, family break ups, personal and relational disintegrations, the destruction of the environment and planetary and climatic imbalances. As a consequence, we feel empty. Although we achieve the applause, the income and other successes, the soul is malnourished and has the sensation that it is lacking something. Reaching fame, financial wealth, the power of a visible position, and reaching it with a broken soul, broken up family and a sick body, causes depression which explains why, in our recent history, famous people have ended up committing suicide.

If we want to redirect our personal and collective lives toward true wellbeing and wholeness, we have to re-evaluate and redefine our beliefs and factors that lead to success and failure. Before asking yourself what success and failure mean for you, it is important to be clear what context you want success in. Depending on the context, the dimension and the meaning of success and failure will be different. For example, in the work context, a failure will be different to that in the family context. In the personal context or in life in general, the way of perceiving success or failure varies.

Message for the day 

The way to overcome your weakness is to feel that the weakness is not yours.

Checking: Check what weakness within you is not enabling you to attain success in the way you want to. Also check how many times during the day you have felt caught up with that weakness.

Practice: See yourself in your perfect form and let there be the thought in your mind that the weakness is not yours and you are the one who has developed it in yourself. This thought helps you to gain mastery over that weakness and gives you the control to overcome it.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/