Contemplation: Giving

Contemplation:  Giving

 

Giving

With habits, never give in or we lose our dignity. With the self, never give up or we lose our destiny. With others never give your worst or you will never develop your best. The saying, "What we give us what we receive". The lesson: Just to give.

Master of Myself

To be a master is to create positive thoughts under all circumstances.
The one who is the master of himself creates the right kind of thoughts
according to the circumstance. He is not dependent on situations or
people for the right kind of response. Since there is mastery over
thoughts, there is also mastery over all words spoken and everything
done. When I am able to be a master of myself, I am able to constantly
create positive thoughts. I am in touch with the inner resources and I
am able to make use of these resources in a timely way. I never get
confused or pressurized with outside situations, but am able to be in
control in all situations.

Being An Observer And An Actor - Maintaining The Balance

In relation to the other, we have the possibility of observing and intervening (interfering) when we wish to; that is, maintaining the balance between being an observer and acting; playing between forming part of the audience and being the actor.

On being actors, sometimes we can lose ourselves in the acting of the other in his or her or their dramas; we get in so deep with what is happening to the other that we lose distance. We get mentally and emotionally involved in the other's stories. When our awareness gets lost in those stories, we stop being the creators of our own life and of our own story. This habit exhausts us; we lose energy; we lose our concentration and control over our thoughts and our emotions. We lose our inner peace and we begin to look for it again.

We can choose to observe the dance of ideas, images and acts of others, and not get involved in their complications. Only thus will we be at peace with ourselves and with the world. Remember that you create your own story. If you want to live in peace and exercise a positive influence on the people around you, don't try to control or to change the stories of others.

In order to enjoy a painting you do not poke your nose onto it; you remain at a certain distance so you see it with greater clarity. The same thing occurs with the painting of life. By learning the art of being a detached observer and then intervening, of keeping a healthy distance, we manage to be connected with what is essential without losing ourselves in the waste and superfluous (excessive).

That way, our intervention does not arise out of a reaction which has shades of frustration, anger and negative judgments. We are then the creators of spaces of trust and love in relationships.

Soul Sustenance

To Complement And Not To Compete (Part 1) 


Harmony, well-being and the fulfillment of individual purpose are only possible when our consciousness is universal or inclusive (taking everyone into consideration) in the sense that we can recognize and appreciate the purpose and necessity of all things in life and, therefore, give them the space to express their basic right to be.

When people, either on an individual or collective level are no longer universal or they are exclusive (no longer taking everyone into consideration), that is, when the foundation of their identity is based on ego and superiority, then harmony, peace and certainly love are lost both in the individual and in society.

Individuals, societies, nations, religions and politics all do not remain universal when they are gifted a particular specialty, talent or position. While it is healthy and necessary to value who you are, it becomes most unhealthy and violent to become attached to your special qualities, making others feel inferior because they do not possess those same qualities.

 The reason for conflict, on any level, is nearly always this sense of right to dominate or suppress others because we feel we are better in one way or another. Unfortunately, in modern society, the idea of outdoing others in order to prove the value of the person, or idea, has overtaken the basic principle of life, which is complementarity. When we learn to complement rather than compete, there will be peace and, above all, self-respect. Self-respect means to recognize myself as I am and thus fulfill my purpose without injury to, or comparison with, others.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To understand the power of positivity is to finish negativity. 

Expression: All it takes to finish darkness is a little light. What is real is light and what needs to go away is darkness. In the same way, negativity is nothing but a lack of positivity. The one who is able to use positivity in situations, is able to finish negativity very naturally. There is a very powerful influence of this inner positivity, where no negativity of the self or the others remain. 

Experience: When I am able to enable myself to use the power of positivity, I experience myself to be free from the influence of negativity. I am powerful in all situations, and deal with them with great ease. Others or situations don't have an influence on me. Instead I am able to influence others with my own commitment to positivity. 

Contemplation: Light of Hope

Contemplation: Light of Hope

 

Sky Lantern Festival, Taiwan

Light of Hope

No matter how dark the situation, let me always hold on to the steady light of hope.

Spiritual Well Being

Our spiritual well being can be measured by the quality of our inner
peace, our ability to create stillness at will and our capacity to
radiate love from our heart into the world. Unfortunately it seems we
have decamped from our hearts and moved to take up residence in our
minds. We have become unendingly busy, creating thoughts filled with
worry, anxiety, frequent frustrations and rising levels of anger. Like
the layers of an onion these mental and emotional states gradually
accumulate and suppress our spiritual heart. Negative mind sets to
starve our physical heart and our everyday relationships of the oxygen
of love. Busy minds also lead to busy and tired bodies. Perhaps this is
why we now see meditation enjoying a rising tide of interest and
practice. Meditation is the oldest and most effective way to quieting
the mind, release past hurts, be fully present to know the joy of the
moment, transform the quality of our thinking and begin the healing of
our heart from inside out.

Making Your Dream A Reality (Visualization)

I relax my body... I let go of all tensions... I reduce the speed of my thoughts... I relax my mind, my thinking... I let go of what doesn't let me be well...

What is it that I the soul truly long for? What do I want in my life?

I listen to the answer that arises from the inside of the self... I let the answer come out spontaneously... I don't worry about it...

I visualize what I want and where I want to reach... Now I fly; I fly towards the destiny that I dream of... I visualize myself being what I want to be, doing what I want to do... Without fears, without strings that hold me... I am who I want to be... I see myself like that, having achieved it... I enjoy some moments of this experience... I experience my dream...

I can achieve my dream... I have to visualize it as if I had already achieved it... This strengthens my capacity to achieve it...

Now I return to the present moment... I prepare myself to enter into action with this conviction... I will make my dream a reality...

Soul Sustenance

 “Karmas” In Spiritual Consciousness (Part 2) 

Vikarmas or negative actions are those actions performed in body-consciousness. Sukarmas or positive actions are those actions performed in soul and Supreme Soul-consciousness. Given below are some more differences between the two (we had explained a few yesterday):

Body Consciousness: Relationships become bondages (burdens) and causes of sorrow rather than enjoyment.
Spiritual Consciousness: Relationships with others are purified and elevated. There is no sense of bondage. 

Body Consciousness: Conflicts, which can be called clashes of sanskaras, occur between souls. There is negativity, sensitivity and disunity.
Spiritual Consciousness: Souls are able to harmonize with each other with happiness and peace. 

Body Consciousness: Actions are performed to attract or impress others by the physical identity.
Spiritual Consciousness: Actions are performed to bring others also into relationship with the Supreme Soul.

Body Consciousness: Charity performed for others has the shadow of ego and has limited results.
Spiritual Consciousness: The highest charity of introducing other souls to the Supreme Soul is performed selflessly through thoughts, words and actions.

Message for the day

To be free from attachment of one's own qualities is to have the ability to work on the self.

Expression:The main form of attachment of the self is the attachment to both one's own specialities and weaknesses. When there is the ability to free oneself from this kind of attachment there is the ability to work on both. There is the awareness of them, but not bound by them. There is the ability to use specialities with love and according to the need. There is also special attention given to finish weaknesses.

Experience: When I am free from attachment, I am aware of them, but there is neither arrogance of the specialities nor any inferior feelings for the presence of the negativity within me. I am able to experience detachment from them and able to use my specialities with ease. I am not disturbed with the presence of the weaknesses but am able to win over them with ease.

Contemplation: Peace

Contemplation:  Peace

 

Do not look for peace outside, for it lies within the soul.

Check and Change

To check and change thoughts and feelings constantly is to ensure
positive change. The one who has a constant check on his own thoughts
is able to bring about a change in them. So thoughts when changed to
positive bring about change in words and behaviour too. There is no
negative waste, or even ordinary behaviour. There is speciality
revealed in every act. When I am constantly aware of the quality of
thoughts I am creating at each moment, I can keep a check on them. My
thoughts are not just positive, but powerful too. These powerful
thoughts create a positive impact and I experience constant success.

Empty Handed We Come And Go Away (cont.)

Continuing from yesterday's message, a soul who does not cling, is easy natured, who wears the clothes of its roles and responsibilities, but not very tightly, experiences constant happiness and serenity and connects with everyone or everything, but yet can disconnect whenever required. This is true inner freedom. Such a soul always smiles and coming in contact with such a soul is soothing.

Such a soul is a liberated carefree emperor and gives a comfortable feeling of liberation to everyone and everything it touches or comes in contact with. On a lighter note, if you are still not convinced about living a life of detachment, you can start with asking yourself, do you enjoy interacting with someone who likes to possess or cling or control or someone who does not? What is a more empowering and comfortable experience for you? The answer is obvious.

Once we get convinced about the idea, we will be courageous enough to challenge internal pressures like old thought patterns, habits, beliefs, past experiences and external pressures in the form of real life challenging situations, the information that we receive from outside and of course our friends and loved ones who will try and convince us to take the opposite path of attachment in subtle or non-subtle ways.

Along with inner conviction, becoming aware of ourselves as spiritual beings through meditation, which will help us rediscover our real and authentic being, will also assist us immensely in this process and will provide us the power for the same. Meditation helps us empty ourselves of all that is unnecessary or excess waste inside us and discover the essential, which is precious, as a result we feel full and complete inside, and we no longer desire to possess or hold on to anything physical or non-physical. Hence, we very naturally, without much effort, start living our day-day life without depending on the crutches of attachment.

Soul Sustenance

“Karmas” In Spiritual Consciousness (Part 1) 

The soul creates its destiny according to the karmas or actions it performs. Vikarmas or negative actions are those actions performed in body-consciousness. Sukarmas or positive actions are those actions performed in soul and Supreme Soul-consciousness. Given below is a list of differences between the two:

Body Consciousness: The soul is influenced by any of the vices; principally anger, greed, ego, lust or attachment.
Spiritual Consciousness: The soul brings its original qualities of peace, power, purity, love and bliss into action 

Body Consciousness:The soul is unable to settle its past karmic accounts and so karmic debts accumulate.
Spiritual Consciousness:The soul balances out its karmic debt and actually begins to accumulate or store credit. 

Body Consciousness:Actions cause sorrow and loss for the self and others in contact.
Spiritual Consciousness:Actions fill the self and others with happiness and peace. 

(To be continued tomorrow ….) 

Message for the day

True honesty brings clarity about the self. 

Expression: Honesty doesn't mean just speaking the truth. Honesty means being clear with oneself. Then it naturally brings clarity about one's own capabilities. This clear understanding enables one to do the best according to the capacity. It gives the recognition of a higher step that can be climbed and brings the humility to learn from the different lessons of life. 

Experience: When I am honest I am able to know my own limitations and accept them with love. This acceptance keeps me busy with what I can do and also silently makes me ready for the next step. When time comes, I am able to do it, because I have already prepared myself for it. I don't stop when situations demand more from me because there is total clarity within. 

Contemplation:Courage

Contemplation:  Courage

 

Courage

One of the highest forms of courage is the ability to face my own negativity without feeling guilty or bad about myself, and then take responsibility for changing it. To begin this process, I first make contact with my deepest spiritual core. Reflecting on the things I care about mostly gives me a glimpse of my innate goodness. Building on this, God will, if I let Him, gently reveal in me a caring and compassionate nature that can even be described as divine. The courage to let go of unwanted thoughts and feelings will develop when I accept that my higher, divine self is not separate from me, but lies at the very heart of who I am.

Acceptance, Acknowledgement, Appreciation, Actualization

One of the deepest habits we learn is interfering in others' lives.
Even if we are not actively interfering there is a good chance it's
happening in our heads. Then, when people don't do what we want them to
do, our ability to relax is non- existent. If you want to interfere
successfully in someone else's life, try this loveful approach. It
begins with acceptance, continues with acknowledgement, is empowered by appreciation and ends in actualization. Only in this way can we help
others be all that they can possibly be. Only by making love practical
in this way, can we heal our own habits of criticism, envy and blame.
Accept, acknowledge and appreciate. It doesn't mean you have to agree,
comply or condone. The paradox is that we ourselves will receive the
same in the process, not only from ourselves, as we become what we
give, but from others along the way.

Empty Handed We Come And Go Away

There is an old saying that we came empty-handed not only when we entered this particular life but when seen from a broader perspective, also when we entered the world. The same is the case when we leave this life or the world as a whole. Every birth for the soul is a fresh chapter or innings in its journey of life.

Everything that has come to us will definitely go away from us one day. While some may perceive this basic fact of humanity to be unrealistic and not in tune with practical life, but the fact is that attachment or the tendency to possess or cling is a defiance of this law, which leads to a form of fear filled spiritual suicide because the joy and contentment that seems to come from this tendency is only temporary and artificial and between these moments of happiness, there is fear of the loss of the physical or non-physical object that you try and possess, embedded in between and this fear causes the object to start controlling you and you feel suppressed and in bondage.

As a result, your inner potential and creativity remains untapped and even starts reducing, without you realizing it consciously. In such a state, you fail to see and accept new ideas, opportunities and people in your life. You inner world becomes closed and chaotic and very difficult to manage and your internal self is weakened and harmed, leading to an internal self suicide. When someone stops clinging to anything, physical or non-physical, they don't become indifferent or cold, but their consciousness just starts becoming broader and functions without any limits, barriers or boundaries.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Fulfilling Desires By Changing Your Belief System (Part 2) 

We have been holding a lot of incorrect beliefs as to what can lead us to back to our eternal and original state (these states were discussed in yesterday’s message) and many of our actions are based on these beliefs. We have mentioned a few examples of incorrect beliefs below. There are many more, which you could reflect on.

Lust and attachment increases love in a relationship.

Anger is necessary for success in relationships and is important for getting work done and gaining respect. It provides a mental upsurge of energy.

Greed attracts physical prosperity and brings happiness.

Ego is power; a person with no ego is generally timid or submissive.

Worry prepares us for the worst, worrying for someone close is expressing our love for them.

Being emotional and crying for our loved ones in bad times, is expressing love for them. Being emotional and crying in good times is expressing and experiencing joy.  

Gossiping increases social bonding and gives one an experience of joy.

Jealousy inspires us to do better and achieve more.

The Supreme Teacher changes our belief system and not only makes us aware of these incorrect beliefs but reconditions us by incorporating correct beliefs inside us so that we start performing karmas or actions based on them and start progressing towards our eternal and original state.

Message for the day

God's love brings out the best from within.

Expression: God, who is an image of perfection, becomes a source of inspiration and power for the one who is connected to Him. With the connection with God, and with an experience of His love, it becomes easy to be in touch with the innate qualities of peace and purity. In all circumstances, the presence of God becomes a great motivator to express the inner beauty.

Experience: When I am deeply connected with God, I am able to be connected with the innate beauty. God's love becomes a source of energy to connect me back to my innate beauty. Thus I find that I am able to maintain this inner beauty under all circumstances. I am not negatively influenced by the situations or people.

Contemplation: Cooking and Eating

Contemplation:  Cooking and Eating

Swami Prabhupada – in an ISKCON kitchen

Cooking and Eating

Cook and eat with powerful vibrations. By placing great importance on cooking and eating with loving and peaceful vibrations, you will nourish both mind and body.

Beauty is Life

When we are connected with the true spirit and beauty of life we can be
tireless. It means that we allow nothing to take away the color and the
beauty of life. It comes from an appreciation of the variety that life
brings. Even in a difficult situation we need to remind ourselves that
we can only enjoy the beauty of life if we are able to appreciate
equally all that life brings. As much as we enjoy success, we also need
to enjoy learning from our failures.

Rising Above Limits

From the moment the soul has occupied the physical body, it has been living a life completely surrounded and absolutely controlled by limits. The domination of these limits has been increasing as it has taken body after body. Not just physical limits such as of gender or power, money or material possessions, but of time - the time I spend with my children, the time it takes me to finish a particular task, the time my friendship lasts, the time it takes me to drive to the office, etc.

The beauty of meditation is that it detaches me from the consciousness of the body and as a result I rise above these physical limits and limits of time. I experience the pure and very importantly, free and independent consciousness of the soul. I step out of the boundaries of both space and time. I begin to feel my own eternity, in which I simply am, without a beginning or an end. I existed before the formation of the body and I shall exist after it has returned to dust.

This awareness of my eternal (with no beginning or end) identity is powerful, because it removes the fear of death. With that goes away a lot of the ego-driven, pressure filled behavior, the desperate need to make a mark through my profession or material objects which I own or in my relationships. This is the behavior in which I indulge when there isn't the realization of my eternal identity.

I, the soul, become aware of a continuity to my existence. Very importantly, I am also able to have the feeling of a place that is my eternal home, a place of rest, of peace, of complete stillness and silence. It is my place from where I began my journey. I exist in that home, and I come from that home to play my role on Earth, and I return there when my role is completed. This realization makes me internally full, fearless and content.

Soul Sustenance

Fulfilling Desires By Changing Your Belief System (Part 1) 

One most important characteristic that differentiates the Supreme Soul from human souls is that the Supreme Soul is the only entity that exists in this World Drama that is completely desire-less and remains that way eternally. If we were to make a list of desires that human beings have, we would name a lot many and various different types of desires. 

Whatever karma or action any soul performs at different points in the World Drama, whether positive or even negative, pure or even impure, they are all performed to fulfill these different types of desires. But when seen from a spiritual perspective, whatever the external form of the desire may be, the internal desire is always very simple – to go back to its eternal (or inert) state of peace or original state of peace, love, joy and power. 

The eternal or inert state of each soul is the state in which it exists before it begins its journey of birth and rebirth, when it resides in the soul world and the original state of each soul is the state in which it exists when it has just begun its journey of birth and rebirth i.e. at the beginning of the birth-rebirth cycle. Even negative karmas based on the personality traits of anger, greed, ego, lust, etc. may externally seem to be filled with violence or impurity, but internally, each time any soul performs such karmas, all it desires is a return to its eternal and original state (we shall explain this in tomorrow’s message). But it does not realize how these karmas take the soul away and not close to these states. 

This is where the role of the Supreme Soul comes in. The Supreme Soul is completely desire-less and possesses the capability, knowledge and power to fulfill these desires of the soul. 

Being the Supreme Teacher, He guides and teaches us what are the right karmas or actions that can help us fulfill our desires and take us closer to our eternal and original state and which actions, take us away from it. Also He is the only one who can teach us how to connect with Him so that these desires are fulfilled, because he is the Ocean of all the qualities that exist inside us in our eternal and original state and connecting with Him fills us with these qualities. The connection and the right actions, both, are vital for our progress.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Message for the day

The one who is clean and clear inside is the one who becomes a mirror for others. 

Expression: When there is the ability to realize and bring about a change, there is also the ability to make oneself clear and clean inside. Such a person naturally becomes a clean mirror for others to see their own perfection. He becomes an inspiration for those around for bringing about the best from within. 

Experience: Each and every moment of my life, when I am able to work to bring about a change in myself constantly, I am able to remain in touch with my inner qualities. I have the joy of experiencing my inner perfection, which naturally flows and touches the lives of those around. 

Contemplation: Peacemaker

Contemplation: Peacemaker

 

Peacemaker

The first step on my path to becoming a peacemaker is to be at peace with myself. It is only then that I can make peace in the rest of my world.

Creativity

Silence brings creativity. Every great invention of science or art has
always been in silence. Silence just doesn't mean that we don't talk
or there is no noise. Silence is a beautiful quality of the mind where
we are able to experience the peace that is within. This automatically
brings out the best from within us. It is very important to spend a few
moments each day in solitude. During this time we need to practice
stabilizing ourselves in a single thought of peace. Let the experience
of peace from us flow to others too. During interactions too, let us
redirect out mind to a state of peace. Consistent practice like this
will help us become more and more creative.

Varied Concepts About The Supreme Being or God - cont.

There is an endless variety of human theories and concepts which appear to create confusion and even hatred among people when they are opposed to each other, but ultimately I must ask myself how far "I", the individual, have the experience of His powers and qualities.

The basis of forming a relationship with anyone is knowledge of who they are, what they look like, where they are from, and what they do. Similarly if I am to have the awareness of myself as a soul, and emerging from that, a close relationship with God, the Supreme Soul, then I must know:

* Who He is?
* What His form is or what does He look like?
* Where He is or where does He reside (stay)?
* What His personality traits or sanskars are?
* What His acts or karmas are?
* What is my relationship with Him?

God is living and real, not a matter of scientific research. It is necessary for me to re-establish a living relationship with Him, on the basis of complete knowledge of Him. My connection should not be based on the fears and superstitions of the past.

Soul Sustenance

Enhancing (Strengthening) Qualities with The Help Of Meditation (Part 2) 

Think and visualize alongside the following words in your mind so that you begin to feel and experience what is being described. Soft music may be played in the background. 

I remove my awareness from my physical body and my surroundings in which I sit and turn my attention inwards... I become aware of many thoughts going through my mind... I look at my thoughts from a detached observer point of view. I watch each thought come and then move on like light clouds in the sky... As I am a witness to my thoughts, their speed of coming and then moving on begins to slow down; my thoughts reduce in number... Gradually, I focus my attention on the idea of peace... I experience an energy wave of peace gently washing over me, removing all anxiety and stress from my mind... There is just peace... my thoughts fade away… In this moment, it is as if ... I ... am ... peace

My mind is now calm and clear - peace becomes a feeling… I experience deep contentment within... I relish the taste of this inner state… I realize, this is my natural state; this is what I like... Having returned to my natural state of peace… I sit for a while, enjoying these feelings of calmness and serenity... I feel that in a short while, I have collected the treasure of peace…

Now I bring in front of the eye of my mind a situation that I very commonly face in my office or at home… I visualize myself maintaining my state of inner peace using the treasure I have just collected and how it is affecting my thoughts, words and actions in the situation... I feel the power of peace helping me and others... I gently repeat the scene in my mind and begin to see how the power of my inner peace gets radiated to others around me through my thoughts, words and actions and then reflected back to me by them... With this feeling of total peace, I gently return back to my awareness of this physical body, of this room.

Practice the above meditation for about 10 minutes at least twice a day.  The best times are in the morning before the day starts and then once again in the night, before going to bed.

Message for the day

To tighten the loose screw of carelessness is to be powerful.

Expression: The one who is careless is not able to use the powers and the skills that he has. All the positive qualities within are wasted, because the one who is careless is not able to use them in the best possible way. But the one who is able to tighten the loose screw of carelessness is able to recognize and use the potentials that are within. So there is power visible in such a person.

Experience: When I am able to be free from carelessness, I am able to move forward with lightness and happiness.  There is no difficulty of any situations experienced and I do everything to the best of my ability without giving any excuses.  I am able to experience being powerful under all circumstances, as I am the master of the situation. 

Contemplation: Generosity

Contemplation: Generosity

Generosity
If I limit the love I give to just one or two, it will eventually go stale. If I learn to create altruistic love inside my heart and then silently send that love to many, love will grace every corner of my life.

Creativity

Creativity is to use inner resources for enrichment. Situations give us
a chance for us to use untapped resources creatively. Otherwise
situations take away our clear thinking, our perception of our
resources and so we become weaker and weaker. We first need to
understand that difficult situations are not obstacles but are
opportunities for us to creatively use all the resources for our own
enrichment. When I understand this, I will be able to first perceive
what I have and use that for progress.

Varied Concepts About The Supreme Being or God

Various questions related to the Supreme Being or God for the vast majority remain unanswered and therefore the experience of God remains unfulfilled. The concepts about God are as varied or different as are the sanskars of human beings.

Some common concepts about God:
* Some say God is everywhere.
* Some say He is nowhere.
* Some say He created the whole Universe out of nothing or out of Himself: others see that as illogical and impossible.
* Many say God is beyond the understanding of limited human intellects, others believe that they have understood Him and are then respected as self-realized or spiritually knowledgeable humans.
* Still others believe themselves to be God and allow themselves to be worshiped.
* Some say that God creates only what is good, and others say that He also creates evil or bad, and that everything that is happening in the world is just God's play.
* God is seen by some to be just an expression of human beings' needs and that they will soon go beyond needing such a figure-head (someone who is looked upto).
* Some say He makes the grass grow and the wind blow, others say He is merely the voice of the conscience - the inner voice.
* Others define God as the higher self who remains constantly at peace; this concept is called cosmic-consciousness, since the one with this characteristic is said to be at one with the whole universe.
(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Enhancing (Strengthening) Qualities With The Help Of Meditation (Part 1) 

The present lives of most people are filled with frequent phases of stress and anxiety.  The meditation which we are sharing with you in this set of messages will help you focus on the experience of the quality of inner peace and tranquility and combat this stress or unwanted noise of negative thought and visualization processes.  There is an important basic principle on which meditation is based - where our attention goes i.e. what we give our thought power and visualization power to, there the energy of the mind and intellect flows; and where energy flows, things grow.

If we give our thought power and visualization power to something positive or constructive or useful, there is a constructive use of the energy of the mind and intellect, there is a buildup of the positive energy of the mind and intellect and hence there is a feeling of empowerment (strengthening). If we give our thought power and visualization power to something negative, there is a wastage of the energy of mind and intellect and hence there is a feeling of disempowerment (weakening).

When applied to the virtue of peace, as we 'give' our mental or emotional attention to the topic or idea of peace, we feed it with the invisible energy of our mind or consciousness; as a result it grows from a thought into a deep feeling of peace and the final result is the experience of inner peace – not only do our thoughts and feelings become peaceful, but our words and actions are also filled with a peaceful vibration, which is not restricted to us but which others around us also experience and absorb.

Inner peace is not a state of timidity or submissiveness.  It is a state of inner power. Experiment with the thoughts we will mention tomorrow in our meditation. Using the meditation as an example, you could meditate on other qualities such as fearlessness, love, humility, happiness, tolerance, flexibility, or any other quality you would like to strengthen or enhance within yourself.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

Change comes with what is done than what is thought of.

Expression: Thinking about others' actions can give a headache.   Instead it is good to think about what is to be done. If someone is doing something wrong, instead of risking one's peace by raising complaints in the mind, it is good to do something to change the situation. When this is done, it creates good feelings for others.  These good feelings become like ointments that heal wounds and re-establish friendship and relationships.

Experience: When I am able to think about what is to be done in all circumstances, I can find myself progressing.  There will naturally be the understanding that there can be nothing that can be done to change the other person, so I am able to be happy and content under all circumstances.  Yet I am able to have the enthusiasm to make effort to change the situation.