Contemplation: March 17, 2020: Non-violence
Non-violence
Non-violence is a very deep philosophy. Not only does it require me to harm no one physically, but also to avoid harming anyone's self-respect. Such an ethic requires tremendous awareness and sensitvity. When I have learned to be gentle with myself, I can be the same with others.
To have the light of knowledge is to have the ability to finish darkness.
When I have the light of knowledge about something i need to be able to put it into practice. Knowledge then helps me to finish negativity. If knowledge is not finishing my negativity, I need to check whether I understand things accurately. Knowledge also means that I need to understand if I have the power to transform too. So, I do all that it takes to bring about transformation. Today I will take up something that I am bothered with and work on it. I will see what point of knowledge I need to use to make it possible to change that negative into positive. I will bring out all those points of understanding and practice, which will help me to overcome that negativity. This will help me get the courage and also give me the determination to do the needful.
Overcoming The Subtle Desire For Revenge
Ask yourself very honestly how many times in your life did you feel joy, even a slight trace of it, when something negative happened with someone who had harmed you or hurt you or insulted you in any way in the past – either in the immediate or distant (far-away) past. When this kind of joy, which is an impure form of joy, is seen inside you, even if it is at your extremely subtle thought level (if not in your words or actions), you need to remember that this is nothing but a feeling of subtle revenge, even if physically you haven’t got back at any point of time at the person who has harmed you, when he did so. It may not sound very nice, but this kind of joy is enjoying the pain of others and is obviously an extremely low grade form of joy. Sometimes, as a way of justifying our joyful revenge, we call it justice.
The driving energy or fuel behind this kind of revenge is hatred or anger. It is a feeling of: I really enjoyed it when what they had done to me came to them - I was so happy to see them suffer for what they had done, this is their punishment … tit for tat. It is a type of joy that only increases our accounts of negative karmas with the other person, which as a result, increases our sorrow, instead of decreasing it, although it may give us an impression for a while that it is decreasing our sorrow. This kind of joy will only cause the radiation of a negative form of energy to the other person, which will not only give pain to the other person, but will also cause the radiation of the negative energy of hatred from the other person to us that will never bring us long term joy. Imagine someone meeting with an accident on the road and in a lot of pain and instead of helping that person immediately we smile at that person happy with what has happened to him or her. What energy will such a person send us in return? This example is on a physical level, but the same principle applies on a subtle level. So the next time something like this happens in our life, we need to remind ourselves only if we don’t have the slightest trace of joy inside us that we can safely say that we are free from any desire for revenge, even though it may be very subtle.
Soul Sustenance
The Consciousness Switchover (Part 1)
While we have explained in many of our past messages what body consciousness or attachment to physicality is and how it leads to a creation of lot many different types and shades of vices or weaknesses which tend to creep into our sanskaras, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, words, actions, etc. as a result of which we lose access to our pure, positive inherent nature; another process of subtle attachment to physicality that we get drawn into regularly, which leads to the same result, but on a more subtle level, is karma or action consciousness where there is no over consciousness of the physical body but one gets so engrossed in the role one is playing that one becomes role conscious and experiences bondage and burden and mental freedom is lost. As a result our inner comfort and contentment levels drop, others tend to become discontent with us and we become discontent with them, our relationships suffer, the efficiency in our actions drop, even our physical body is affected and we don’t know the reason for the same.
Most of us will experience body consciousness once in a while but we experience karma consciousness every day, something which we don’t perceive as negative but it gives a negative result because it is a subtle form of body consciousness, which can accumulate inside us over a period of time and cross the boundaries of subtlety and take a gross form. What is a simple solution for the same? A consciousness switchover from role or karma consciousness to soul consciousness at different points in the day and then returning to playing the part of karmawith a revised consciousness. The role remains the same and is to be played, the soul cannot exist without it, but the consciousness is changed.
In tomorrow’s message, we will mention a few very simple methods which help us in doing that.
While we have explained in many of our past messages what body consciousness or attachment to physicality is and how it leads to a creation of lot many different types and shades of vices or weaknesses which tend to creep into our sanskaras, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, words, actions, etc. as a result of which we lose access to our pure, positive inherent nature; another process of subtle attachment to physicality that we get drawn into regularly, which leads to the same result, but on a more subtle level, is karma or action consciousness where there is no over consciousness of the physical body but one gets so engrossed in the role one is playing that one becomes role conscious and experiences bondage and burden and mental freedom is lost. As a result our inner comfort and contentment levels drop, others tend to become discontent with us and we become discontent with them, our relationships suffer, the efficiency in our actions drop, even our physical body is affected and we don’t know the reason for the same.
Most of us will experience body consciousness once in a while but we experience karma consciousness every day, something which we don’t perceive as negative but it gives a negative result because it is a subtle form of body consciousness, which can accumulate inside us over a period of time and cross the boundaries of subtlety and take a gross form. What is a simple solution for the same? A consciousness switchover from role or karma consciousness to soul consciousness at different points in the day and then returning to playing the part of karmawith a revised consciousness. The role remains the same and is to be played, the soul cannot exist without it, but the consciousness is changed.
In tomorrow’s message, we will mention a few very simple methods which help us in doing that.
Message for the day
To be a judge of the self means to be free from judging others.
Expression: The one who becomes the judge of the self and not that of others, is free from criticizing others unnecessarily. Such a person also does not plead his own case by giving excuses and proving himself right. So he is able to bring about a positive change in himself and others are able to take inspiration from the change that he brings in his own life.
Experience: When I am free from giving excuses and reasons for things going wrong, specially to myself, I am able to experience progress in my life. For everything that happens, instead of blaming others I am able to take some new learning and use it for my own self-progress. I am able to remain light because I have no expectations from others, but am able to bring about a change in them through my actions.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
To be a judge of the self means to be free from judging others.
Expression: The one who becomes the judge of the self and not that of others, is free from criticizing others unnecessarily. Such a person also does not plead his own case by giving excuses and proving himself right. So he is able to bring about a positive change in himself and others are able to take inspiration from the change that he brings in his own life.
Experience: When I am free from giving excuses and reasons for things going wrong, specially to myself, I am able to experience progress in my life. For everything that happens, instead of blaming others I am able to take some new learning and use it for my own self-progress. I am able to remain light because I have no expectations from others, but am able to bring about a change in them through my actions.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
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