Contemplation: January 24, 2020: Life in the Ocean
Life in the Ocean
Our life is like an ocean.
Can any ocean exist without waves?
There are big waves, medium waves and small waves. Situations are the waves that come into our life.
Some waves come to carry things deep into the ocean, other waves toss things out.
What do you choose to take from situations
and what do you toss out?
and what do you toss out?
How do you handle others' success?
Do you justify others' success with some trivial reason and so, easily dismiss them to feel better about yourself?
Take Inspiration
Take Inspiration
Instead of getting into feelings of jealousy, envy or resentment, be genuinely happy for other people. Appreciate all the work and the personal strengths that got them there. Rather than comparing yourself and focusing on how much better others are doing, take inspiration from them and be motivated to go for what you really want in life.
Quality Transformation
The easiest way to understand quality change is to consider the example of roses. These beautiful flowers, although nourished by smelly manure, do not take any of its odour (smell) or colour. They are truly like kings of gardens, in their pink, gold, red and white robes, filling the air with such a fragrance that people who come to the garden do not even notice the manure. The roots of the roses are able to transform (change) the manure to such an extent that the best is taken without any negative side effects. This is an example of quality change. The human world is like a garden. We are like a variety of flowers surrounded by lots of manure, that is, negativity in all its forms, such as ego, fear, anger, attachment, mistrust, etc. People who are quality transformers can accept all these negative things and use them for their personal growth without the negativity penetrating (entering) them; they do not get spoilt, or even touched by it. With understanding and the natural, loving detachment that comes from silence, they realise that the negative person, or situation, in front of them is the Universe's way of giving them an opportunity to create a tiny, silent miracle in their lives. Quality transformers become the spiritual roses in the Garden of Humanity: they display all their beauty and provide inspiration for all those who see them.
Quality transformers can be compared to the oyster. When a tiny foreign particle invades (enters) the oyster's home, it secretes a liquid that combines with the particle to finally create a pearl. The pearl can live in the oyster's home for the rest of the oyster's natural life without causing any disturbance.
In the same way, rather than react negatively to people and events, we can include them and mould with them. Through acceptance, our consciousness jumps to another level of perception (understanding) and we realise that what we might have previously regarded as a problem can, if handled correctly, be a means to develop our strengths and remove our weaknesses. Whether a situation is a problem or a gift depends on our perception. The choice is ours.
Soul Sustenance
Experiencing Spiritual Growth Through Group Interactions (Part 1)
Anyone who is inclined towards growing spiritually will sooner or later feel the need to taking up a particular spiritual path, which provides him/her with an assigned code of leading a spiritual life and helps him/her to incorporate it in his/her life. This also means becoming a part of a spiritual group or gathering or community and participating in spiritual study, practice like meditation or prayer and perform service along with the group. But, on the other hand, there are also many spiritually motivated people who are not very interested in groups and communities and keep a distance from them. They are of the opinion that it is easier to work it out alone by collecting information from other alternate sources by books, the internet, the television, videos, etc. and progress spiritually. But the relationship between spiritual growth and being a part of or participating in a group is clear.
For the isolated and solitary person, growth is limited, since the personality is not activated to the same extent as when it interacts with others. In relationships and in living together, the various forms of hidden ego and the different shades of the personality, positive as well as negative, are stimulated, creating the possibility of being more aware and conscious about them, bringing about greater growth and spiritual development. After all, one of the main objectives of spiritual development is achieving victory over the ego and becoming soul conscious, getting rid of the negative shades of the personality and further enhancing the positive traits and skills, so that they can be used for benefiting the self and others.
Tomorrow we shall explain the various powers that are required to experience success in groups, which as a result, get enhanced in group activities and interactions.
Anyone who is inclined towards growing spiritually will sooner or later feel the need to taking up a particular spiritual path, which provides him/her with an assigned code of leading a spiritual life and helps him/her to incorporate it in his/her life. This also means becoming a part of a spiritual group or gathering or community and participating in spiritual study, practice like meditation or prayer and perform service along with the group. But, on the other hand, there are also many spiritually motivated people who are not very interested in groups and communities and keep a distance from them. They are of the opinion that it is easier to work it out alone by collecting information from other alternate sources by books, the internet, the television, videos, etc. and progress spiritually. But the relationship between spiritual growth and being a part of or participating in a group is clear.
For the isolated and solitary person, growth is limited, since the personality is not activated to the same extent as when it interacts with others. In relationships and in living together, the various forms of hidden ego and the different shades of the personality, positive as well as negative, are stimulated, creating the possibility of being more aware and conscious about them, bringing about greater growth and spiritual development. After all, one of the main objectives of spiritual development is achieving victory over the ego and becoming soul conscious, getting rid of the negative shades of the personality and further enhancing the positive traits and skills, so that they can be used for benefiting the self and others.
Tomorrow we shall explain the various powers that are required to experience success in groups, which as a result, get enhanced in group activities and interactions.
Message for the day
The one who loves is the one who gives.
Expression: True love is free from expectations. When you discover the love within you, you can continue to give. Whether the other person gives or not, true love enables you to give unselfishly.
Experience: Let today be for discovering and giving others the love within you. Make sure you do at least one act that shows your love towards anyone around you. Feel the love flowing from within to the ones around you.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
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