Daily Positive Thoughts: October 02, 2015: Balance

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 02, 2015: Balance  

Balance

Maintain the balance of responding to situations with a cool head and to people with a warm heart.

Why do most of us find resolving situations quite difficult?

Because we're in the heart of the situation and part of the equation, we're carrying a lot of 'baggage'. This affects our ability to come up with the correct resolution.

So, learn to step out of the equation. Detach yourself from your emotions and your history with the story. Then you're more likely to see the equation clearly and, as a result, be able to resolve the situation.

The Power To Withdraw (cont.)

When I am too open to the world around me, it's as though the arrows of negativity that fly around can easily penetrate my being, so that I lose my power. What others say and do quickly affects me, and I become reactive. This causes a build-up of stress, and eventually burnout, which makes me feel my only option, is to retire from situations altogether, which is not always possible.

I don't want to react; I want to act with concern and reason and effectiveness. When I develop the habit of making a momentary withdrawal in situations of danger, I'm better able to achieve this. Turning within, I'm able to remember my link with the divine, the link of love, the link that fills me with peace and wisdom and good wishes. It's like an exercise: going inwards i.e. connecting with the self, then upwards towards the Supreme and then outwards (in the field of karma). Doing this repeatedly through the day as a discipline as well as at times of danger, I'll keep moving forward with stability and strength.

In order to maintain this power, I have to put a high value on introversion. If I'm too extrovert, I'll become caught up in external circumstances, and won't have power to withdraw available to me at the moment of need.

Soul Sustenance

Busy – Press The Stop Button! (Part 2)

Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party spoiler of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful and create something beautiful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone, one of the favourite pastimes of our current lifestyle.

We’ve talked of being busy for so long that we’ve forgotten that being busy was never the goal. We are not on this earth to be busy. We are here to build relationships, experience life, go places, create things, help others, or whatever else you decide. Our reasons for being will all be different but if you reflect deeply, you will realize and also feel that none of us feel we are here simply to be busy. But this thinking has lead us to think being busy is good, no matter what we’re busy with. Being busy is not the way we should measure our worth and being busy is a not a worthy goal for any of us. Before you know it, you might get caught up being busy doing worthless things. Sadly the business world continues to train us this way as employees are expected to put in 8-10 hours of work a day even though on some days they might have only 2 or 4 hours of productive things to do. Poor training!

God's plan for enlarging and creating His beautiful kingdom of heaven, a new world order of peace, love and happiness of the future is so simple - one person telling another about God, the Savior and the Liberator i.e. giving the Supreme’s message of joyful, loveful and spiritual soul-conscious existence to each one. Yet we're busy and full of excuses. Just remember, someone's eternal destiny is at stake, that someone who is to receive the message from you. The joy you'll have when you see that person in a liberated and joyful state not only here but in that kingdom of heaven being created will far exceed any discomfort you felt in sharing the gospel or message with him by taking out time from your busy existence.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To stamp every thought with the stamp of determination is to be victorious.

Expression: When there is determination in thoughts, there is naturally the ability to give the best in spite of all the obstacles. Situations will not deter such a person from achieving what he set out to. And so there is naturally constant victory for the one who is always determined.

Experience: When there is determination in my thoughts, I am never afraid, whatever happens. In fact obstacles only serve to strengthen determination. I never give up what I have started. It is determination that enables me to add power to my thoughts and make them practical.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 01, 2015: Are you a Fixer?

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 01, 2015: Are you a Fixer?

 

Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of Russia and Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, at the Washington Nuclear Summit, April 2010.

Are you a Fixer?

Are you willing to correct a mistake, even if it wasn't your fault?  Rather than pointing fingers when errors occur, focus on solving the problem.  Then backtrack to identify what went wrong and how similar situations can be avoided.

Positivity

Affluent societies have put huge effort into improving physical facilities, but our minds have suffered neglect. Increased levels of negative states such as anxiety, addiction, irritability and depression have accompanied burgeoning desires. As well as undermining the health of individuals, these negative attitudes and emotions harm society and the environment by causing a loss of fundamental values in our actions. When we feel sad and empty inside, we become part of the problem. We comfort ourselves by blaming others and circumstances. Instead we have to learn how to make our mind strong. That means fill it with positivity.

The Power To Withdraw

The aim of Raja Yoga meditation is to strengthen ones nature so much so that situations which previously might have defeated us, we now find easy to handle. So, the power to withdraw does not mean running away from life, but the ability to find a safe space inside oneself, even in the midst of life.

An image used to illustrate this power is that of the tortoise. When there is danger, the tortoise instantly goes inside its shell, which it carries with it everywhere. In the same way, when I am faced with negativity or active hostility from people and situations around me, there is great strength in become introverted, even for a moment, so as to touch base with the point of peace inside my own being. In doing so, I find not only shelter, but also stability, so that I protect myself from any hostile reactions on my part.

(To be continued tomorrow .....)

Soul Sustenance

Busy – Press The Stop Button! (Part 1)

Gone are the days when 'idle' was not just a word in the dictionary, but a practical reality and life’s inclusive component. The world is dazed and squinting and so are we. When did you last sit on the window pane looking out at the squirrels or the sunset? Or when did you last read a book on self development or spare a few minutes for spiritual relaxation? Or when did you last spend an idle weekend shopping or with your family? Or when did you meet your old friend for a lunch and laughed till your eyes dropped? If you were to ever pass through a busy market place, you will have plenty of time to observe the running men and women with blank faces. Who has the time to smile? To stop where you are and thank God for the life you have.

Being busy is now not just an activity but a disease. People who are working day and night have an obsession for it, also called workaholicism (being a workaholic). They can't sit idle and anxiety takes over when they do so. The day isn't far when humans will be called sheer machines. Today, the lifestyle of a child to that of an aged person is such that there is no scope for personal time. A student's timetable is like a train schedule. Just one after another. From school to tuitions, from tuitions to vocational classes, then to the sports complex and again to another tuition. A corporate professional’s day moves from one assignment to another revolving around the emotions of * I need, * I want and * I own, without ever thinking of rising above the monotonous existence. Is speed is what we are born for? We cannot only blame our lifestyle. There are more internal causes you would guess, like meeting expectations, pleasing everybody and reaching your idol self, your goals and ambitions is what makes you work like there's no tomorrow.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day 

To have equality in thought, word and action is to be successful.

Projection: With regards to what I want to achieve, my thoughts are usually high. I then speak about my high plans to others too. But to bring my plans into action it takes a long time and by then I find that they have lost their intensity.

Solution: I need to remind myself that if I don't implement my thoughts immediately, I will never do it. I also need to check if the thoughts that I have are practical. I need to then plan and speak about it according to my checking. Then I find that my thoughts and plans are not wasted away, but become practical.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 30, 2015: Life

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 30, 2015: Life

Life

Your thoughts guide you to your destiny. If you always think the same you will always get to the same place. Think in a new way and you will be a new person.

Contentment brings discipline in life. 

To be content is to appreciate everything that is in my life. When I life live well, I will make use of everything that I have. At the same time, I will be open to new things without getting overly ambitious. This will ensure that I respect everything I do. This automatically sets a pattern and a discipline in my life and within this pattern itself there will be margin for new things. Today I will set up my routine for the day. While I set up a routine for the physical tasks that I do, I will also set up a routine for the mind. I will ensure that internally I appreciate everything that I do. That means, I am clear about the significance of the task and what quality I need to use while doing it.

Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy (cont.)

Internal contentment or satisfaction is the antidote (neutralizer or healing agent) for jealousy. People with strong self-esteem and self-respect are the ones who remain satisfied or content and away from the emotion of jealousy while coming in contact with different people with their own unique specialties, virtues and attainments.

Self-respect or self-esteem depends on knowing who I am, knowing my eternal (ageless), internal self. When I have found that sense of internal identity, I feel I have a right to be here, to exist. Without this dimension, it is very difficult to really respect myself deeply. If I base my self-respect on identifying with the superficial (artificial) aspects of my being: my looks, personality, wealth, success, my friends, intelligence or my role, I will never have a stable sense of self-respect, because all these aspects are changeable. Thus I will end up fluctuating all the time. To stay stable in my self-respect, I need to have a deeper understanding of my internal self and tap into those riches that are within me forever, waiting to blossom, like the flower from the seed. As I become internally aware, those riches and resources start flowing out of me. The more stable I am in my self-respect, the more I radiate what I truly am. I feel a deep sense of contentment and I am happy to be me, however I am. I accept myself as I am.

Let us be honest a person who is jealous just cannot sit stably on the seat of self-respect - they keep moving i.e. fluctuating. Today they meet a person with lesser specialties or attainments than them and they are on top of the world - they rise above the seat of self-respect and enter the dimension of ego. Tomorrow they meet a person with more specialties or attainments than them and that is a bad day for them - they go underneath the seat of self-respect and enter the dimension of low self-esteem. What a shallow way of living! The ideal way of living - in both cases, remain in self-respect and give respect to the other. Remember that the jealous, the angry, the bitter and the egotistical are the first to race to the top of mountains. A confident and internally content person enjoys the journey, the people they meet along the way and sees life not as a competition. They reach the summit last because they know God isn't at the top waiting for them. He is down below helping his followers to understand that the view is glorious where ever you stand.

Soul Sustenance

Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace (Part 3)

To experience the eternal peace of the soul world, I do the simple exercise explained yesterday and then go a step further. Having created the thought about myself that I am a sparkling star-like energy at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, visualized it and as a result experienced it, now my objective is visualizing my star like form in the soul world. With this objective in mind, I now create a simple thought that I the star-like energy will make a short journey to the soul world and back. So I create simple thoughts and visualize alongside that I, the soul am leaving my physical body and flying outside. Then I, see my star like form, slowly fly past the ceiling of the room I am in and see myself suspended in the sky (night sky makes the visualization more easy). I see myself as a point of radiant light high above many many buildings and lights. This is similar to what one would see from an aeroplane window while landing or taking off. I then see my light form going higher, past the atmosphere and going past a sea of stars and a few planets and the moon. I then take this visualization further and see myself entering the soul world, a region of soft orange-red light (this is similar to how it looks like at dusk). This region is multidimensional and unlimited in size or expanse. I see my star-like form suspended in this region, radiating rays of peace in all directions. I also see other white/golden star-like souls just like me in the same region. I spend some time in this region, in this experience. In this region my thoughts stop completely and I am only visualizing.

This is the eternal peace experienced whilst visualizing the spiritual self in the soul world. The peace experienced in this exercise is greater than in the exercise mentioned yesterday. Thus the sanskara of peace created in the soul in this exercise is deeper. After a few minutes of this experience, I see myself descending in the physical body in exactly the same way as I flew to the soul world. This is just a visualization exercise or experience and the soul does not actually leave the body and go anywhere. The two practical exercises explained in yesterday's and today's message can be used to experience the two types of peace mentioned. At one time, you can choose to either experience both types or only the first one. You can start with a few minutes and increase the time gradually. Continuous practice will create stronger sanskaras of peace and take you closer to your original state of peace.

Message for the day

The method to get help is to take the first step of courage.

Projection: When I set out to achieve something, I usually expect help from situations or people, but am not always able to get it. Then I tend to become disheartened and sometimes tend to give up the task altogether.

Solution: The right way to get help is to first take a step forward even in the most negative situations. With courage and faith when I start in whatever little way I can, I find the help coming to me. Then I will neither stop nor give up with the little setbacks that I am faced with.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 29, 2015: Being free from Desires

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 29, 2015: Being free from Desires

Peter Pan chasing his shadow

Being free from Desires

To be free from desires is to have the experience of attainment. 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 fulfilment of ten
other desires. When we continue to run after desires, we are not able
to have the experience of having attained anything. Running for
desires is like running after the shadow, we can never get it. But
when we turn our back on it, it runs after us. If we are free from
desires, we are rich because we are content with whatever little we
have and we are happy putting in effort to be better with that
little.

Humility is to put others first.

But surely, if you were to put others first in the workplace, you'll miss out on recognition & personal development.

Actually, humility is not putting yourself down or downplaying your own value. Humility says, "I have value; you have value." But because humility is not motivated to impress or dominate others, humility puts ego aside & puts others first.

So, go on, say 'you first' instead of 'me first'. Try this:
- At work, praise others for their accomplishments & share
the credit for group efforts.
- When driving, let a car out ahead of you at a junction
(at least three cars on every journey).

Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy (cont.)

In the 21st century, there are so many mediums which inculcate the feeling of jealousy in a person. Social Media is one such platform. While Facebook and Twitter rule the roost, commonly people wonder * How does he get so many likes? * How is she so photogenic? * Again a 'check in'! * His life is so eventful. You never know how and when these thoughts start affecting your life, mental peace and behavior greatly.

Jealousy is a complex emotion, which often stems from insecurity or a fear of losing control. Everybody expresses and handles jealousy in a different way, but certain universal techniques can be used to help conquer it. Being aware of jealous feelings is the first step towards keeping it under control. Also conquering jealousy requires an honest conversation about how you feel. It's far healthier to talk about your negative feelings than to reveal them through your actions. The more you communicate with them, and seek reassurance the more your feelings of jealousy will subside.

Hold a strong and determined belief inside yourself that jealousy is an emotion you will never face. Your idol or perfect self just doesn't deserve the existence of the emotion.  For instance, if you have an acquaintance of yours who is extremely pretty and sometimes, you envy her. That is the time when you need to firmly tell yourself that this is just not your perfect self. You can't feel that way. Take a few minutes to stand back mentally from the person. The next step is to observe your thoughts as if you were an onlooker or a detached observer. Being as silent as possible, ask yourself as if the thoughts you are having are the ones you wish to keep, if they are going where you would choose them to go. In the resulting silence, steer (change direction) your thinking to where you want it to be; perhaps to personal affirmations (positive thoughts) you use to establish yourself on your seat of self-respect. The affirmations can be: * I am aware of myself as a special person with my own unique specialties or * I am aware of myself as internally rich, full of many invisible treasures, * I am aware of myself as a content being and overflowing with happiness, etc.  This technique changes our attitudes and feelings and influences us positively.

Soul Sustenance

Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace (Part 2)

Yesterday we have explained how the virtue of peace works in human souls through the cycle of life. In today's message we explain (with reference to yesterday’s message) how we can experience our original state of peace experienced during the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle. Tomorrow we shall explain how we can experience the eternal peace of the soul world. To have both these experiences, the basic principle that I need to remember is that to experience peace, I need to concentrate on it – concentration means creating thoughts about it and visualizing it at the same time. Secondly to access peace, I need to separate myself from my body and surroundings. So how do I bring these two principles in practice?

The first chapter of the Rajyoga meditation course as taught by the Brahma Kumaris in each of its centers states a simple fact and makes me realize it that I am not this body but I am an eternal soul, a non-physical star like spiritual energy, situated at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, the original nature of which is peace. The body is my vehicle. Now, to experience the peace experienced during the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle, my mind picks the above fact or wisdom from my intellect, which is a reservoir of spiritual knowledge and where the above fact is stored. Then, my intellect, which possesses the decision making ability judges the thought as to whether it is a right or wrong one. If my intellect is convinced about the fact, it judges the thought as right. Next, I take this process further. Along with creating this thought I visualize this thought on the screen of my mind i.e. see my star-like white/golden light form just above the eyebrows radiating white/golden rays of peace in all directions. I do this exercise for a few minutes. This exercise then leads me to an experience of peace, as a result of which a sanskara of peace is created. This is the peace experienced whilst visualizing the spiritual self inside the body – it is the peace experienced in the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle.

Message for the day

Few words are required when thoughts are positive.

Projection: I sometimes find myself using a lot of words to convey what I feel or to give explanations to others. Yet I sometimes find that others are not convinced with my words. I am then at a loss about what is to be done.

Solution: Positive thoughts actually reach out to others and create the right environment. All I need to do is to create an atmosphere of positivity by maintaining my own positive thoughts. Then I will not have to use so many words to prove my point or to convince others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 28, 2015: True Peace

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 28, 2015: True Peace

True Peace

True peace can be experienced only when we stop giving and taking sorrow. In order not to give sorrow we need a clear heart that has no ill feelings and for not taking sorrow we need a big heart that can tolerate and help other souls to get over their weaknesses.

Your 'Original'  Self

Take a moment whenever you remember just to stop. Be still and silent. Sense the quietness of that moment and visualise yourself stepping into an ocean of calm. Submerge your whole being in the quiet waters. As the waves of that calm ebb and flow, begin to unburden yourself. Slip into that place of no thinking and become completely still. Now, in that stillness, become aware of your 'original' self. This is the real, true you. Let it appear quietly but brilliantly. After some moments, emerge from the still waters and try to retain an awareness of the true you as you go back to your everyday affairs.

Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy

Man was handed the master key of the knowledge of good and evil karma by God. He used the key to perform good karma for some time. That was the day of humanity. Over a period of time, while playing the game of different roles in the world theatre, the key was lost and man started to perform evil karma. The evil man started identifying with evil so much that he forgot his original good self and thought that evil is the eternal self. That was and is the night of humanity. That is why in the scriptures, mistakenly it is said that even angels used to sometimes feel jealous. In Indian scriptures, devis and devtas, the original good men and women, have mistakenly been shown to possess the emotion of jealousy at times. Poor perception of the evil men, who made the scriptures and temples in the remembrance of the good men and women, the angels, after they had ceased to exist! The good men and women were nothing but our early births as we started our journey of birth and rebirth as flawless beings.

Today humans are empowered beings who have the capacity to experience so many emotions, both positive and negative. Sadness, anger, happiness, sympathy and the list is endless. Out of all these one very powerful and dominating emotion is jealousy. When we see different players in this game of life playing different roles, sometimes while seeing them with the spectacles of role consciousness, feelings of jealousy or a desire to be like the other are experienced. Comparisons emerge in our minds.

While being competitive and having aspirations to succeed are absolutely fine and there is no doubt that to do that sometimes we have to look at the other or even others and this drive helps us meet life's challenges also, but when this look at the other is accompanied by comparisons and feelings of low self esteem as a result and takes the form of jealousy; it gets out of control and starts having an adverse effect on our relationships, that steps should be taken to curb those feelings.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace (Part 1)

Each and every human soul's original trait or characteristic is peace. Before each soul comes down on the earth to take its first physical body, the soul is in a state of complete peace, residing in the soul world. In the soul world, the two faculties of the soul – the mind and intellect are complete inactive or dormant and the third faculty, the sanskara or spiritual personality is only that of eternal peace and purity and no other virtue like happiness, love or knowledge. The mind is completely silent, not creating a single thought or emotion or feeling nor possessing an attitude. The intellect which possesses the power to discriminate right thoughts, words or actions from the wrong ones does not exercise its power because there are no thoughts, words or actions in the soul world, so there is nothing there to discriminate. The sanskaras (as mentioned above) are also inactive to a certain extent – there are no thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, words or actions to be created or processed, which would be based on the sanskaras or personality.

When the soul first takes a physical body on the world stage, it creates thoughts and feelings which are few in number and they are only positive and its words and actions are also limited and completely positive. Its discrimination power is active and completely accurate and its sanskaras or personality come into an active mode (sanskaras other than peace also become active) but only for a positive purpose to create positive thoughts, words or actions. As a result of this, the soul experiences immense peace, but the extent of the peace is lesser than that of in the soul world, where it is completely still and experiences dead silence or peace. It is never peaceless though at this stage. As the soul starts coming into the process of birth and rebirth, its starts losing its energy slowly; its mind, intellect and sanskaras start functioning negatively or incorrectly, it begins to succumb to the vices, leading to the creation of thoughts, words and actions, which are not only large in number but they are mostly waste or negative in nature. As a result, the soul gradually begins to lose its peace, which it experienced in the soul world (eternal peace) and at the start of its journey on the physical world and starts becoming peaceless.

Tomorrow we shall explain how we can return to our original state of peace.

Message for the day

The one who takes inspiration from others keeps moving forward.

Projection: When I look at the specialities of others, I sometimes tend to get discouraged. At such times my own weakness(es) look very prominent and my specialities remain hidden. Such comparision might not actually lead to jealousy but subtly continues to have its influence on me in a negative way.

Solution: At all times I must make sure I am constantly moving forward. Looking at others's specialities I need to take inspiration from them. I need to see what aspect I can imbibe in myself too. When I do this I will be able to experience constant progress being free from negativity.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 27, 2015: Higher Than the Sky

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 27, 2015: Higher Than the Sky

Higher Than the Sky

Keep wearing virtues as your ornaments. Keep loving others. Keep giving regard. You have to go beyond the stars. Keep thoughts higher than the sky, and abundance of patience like the earth. Keep spiritual love in your eyes.

Contentment

When I am content I am able to have a state of mind that is creative. 

So I am able to tap the inner resources for my own personal growth. 

I am able to creatively work with my own inner virtues and am able to add them even to the little acts that I do. 

I am never satisfied to the point of laziness.

The Step Of Donation In Silence

Donating is the final step of silence. We have filled the self with a particular quality and it starts flowing out of us.  We allow this quality to touch the atmosphere around us and consciously donate this vibration to the world, enabling those in need to feel it and to absorb it.

This is the ultimate step of a true meditator, often referred to as the lighthouse stage. A lighthouse stands still and stable in one position in the rough sea and beams the light all around so that ships are shown the way. We are able to bring an original quality of the self into our consciousness, fill our self with it and then, very naturally, let it radiate from the mind.

One of the most important aspects in this step of silence is the link with the Supreme Energy. We make this link with the Supreme Source, we absorb from that Source, we fill the self from that Source and then donate all that the Source has given us.

This is called angelic or instrument consciousness. It is said that an angel is a human soul who has fallen so deeply in love with that Source of Light that it has transformed completely. It is totally filled with Light and Peace and its task is only to serve, to share Divine Love and Peace with others.

 Soul Sustenance

 Understanding The Different Types Of Thoughts That The Mind Creates (Part 6)

We have explained Positive Thoughts yesterday. Today we continue with the same:

Positive Thoughts (cont.)

Positive thoughts make you happy and as a result your expectations of others decrease. This does not mean that they do not matter to you, but that you no longer demand love, respect, recognition, or even calm, from them, and it makes your relationships that much easier. This is the best way to create long-lasting and harmonious relationships. When you have inner happiness, you have the strength to accept other people as they are without wanting them to be different. This acceptance produces more peaceful relationships. With the positive attitude you create, you can offer yourself to other people just the way you are, with your virtues and limitations, without pretence.

Your body also benefits greatly, since when you have a balanced, harmonious mind you are less susceptible to illnesses. A person who has many useless thoughts will often feel very tired because they are spending their energy in creating thousands of unnecessary and inefficient thoughts.

Your mind is strengthened and healed by being nourished with positive thoughts. A healthy mind is the basis of a balanced personality.

Message for the day

The right kind of support makes people independent.

Projection: When I provide help and support to others, sometimes I find that they become dependent on me. They continue to expect the same kind of support that they had got from me before, when I am not in a position to give. Then my good gesture becomes a bondage or difficulty for me.

Solution: When I am providing help to someone, I need to check the kind of help that I am providing. True help is to provide assistance in such a way that slowly the person learns to rely on his own resources and becomes independent. Then there will be no expectations from me.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris