Contemplation: Resolve Conflict

Contemplation: Resolve Conflict

The Great Blue Hole

Resolve Conflict

There has probably never been a time where there has been so much fear and conflict across the world, not just across oceans and borders but across the breakfast table. In fact many now prefer conflict to peace, as they become addicted to the actions of anger and aggression, and the adrenaline rush which results. They don't really want conflict to end, in fact, they will say that some conflict is good to get things done and stimulate change. They are not aware that they are killing themselves. All conflict is simply a symptom of attachment to a position. And as we know, this generates fear, and fear, if allowed to stay, eventually kills it's host. All solutions are based on detachment or letting go. But that will be difficult until we can see that all possession is an illusion, that we have nothing to lose and that there are no victories in winning.

relax7

Inner World

When I observe the inner world of my thoughts and feelings, I can
develop new ways of responding to situations and events which help me
to keep a positive frame of mind. For example, I may constantly become
fearful and upset about ill-health which only makes it worse, but a
period of illness could offer me a space to get off life's roller
coaster for a while, to rest and look at how I have been living. I may
see ways of improving my attitudes and actions. That realization itself
brings fresh hope and happiness. As long as I keep looking inside I do
have a choice. Why choose worry, which will harm me, when I can opt for
positive approach which will uplift me.

The Subtle Forms Of Fear

One result of being afraid is doubt. When a person is lost in a sea of doubts, they cannot believe in the solutions and answers that come to mind, they are not even willing to try them and experiment with them to see if they work.

Doubts can go to the extreme of creating such uncertainty and insecurity that the person suffers mental paralysis or emotional seizure. Then, they can enter a state of panic and become paralyzed to the point of not finding the initiative to be positive. The mind is filled with questions related to How? What? Why?

These questions are not asked in order to find answers but to prolong the doubts, or to remain on the defensive, or in a state of lack of commitment, where the person really does not want to listen or know.

Asking with the objective of being informed is different from doubt. When someone wants to be informed, they ask constructive questions with an openness to learn and willingness to experiment. When there is fear, expressed in the form of doubts, jealousy, secretiveness or a competitive attitude, there is no willingness to learn. At the heart of all this is the fear of loss, whether it be of a person, position, possession or one's own image. Fears cause dependence, expectations, and conflict with oneself or with others.

Soul Sustenance

The Five Spiritual And Five Physical Elements (Part 2) 

There are three entities around which the whole World Drama revolves – the Supreme Soul, the human souls and nature. Nature includes everything non-living like mountains, rivers, seas etc. and living things like plants, trees etc. It also includes living beings like animals, birds, insects etc. which are souls with a lesser evolved intellect than human ones. The human body also comes under the category of nature. 

These three entities are in the form of a hierarchy, the Supreme Soul is the most powerful at the top of the hierarchy, in the middle are the human souls and at the bottom of the hierarchy is nature. The Supreme Soul always remains an Ocean of the five virtues peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy and is the only entity in which the balance of these virtues is always maintained right through eternity. 

In human souls, as explained yesterday, in the beginning of the world cycle, in the Golden Age, these virtues are in balance. As human souls come down in the birth-rebirth cycle and start becoming influenced by body-consciousness or the five vices - anger, ego, greed, attachment and lust, all spiritual building blocks or virtues - peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy start getting depleted. In each soul, some virtues get depleted more, some less.

In each and every soul the depletion is different depending on its actions e.g. in some soul the depletion of peace is immense compared to the other because of picking up sanskaras of anger on its journey and bringing them into actions or in some soul the depletion of joy is immense because of picking up a lot of attachment on the way etc. 

This depletion of the five spiritual elements or virtues upsets the balance between them. This depletion and imbalance causes negative spiritual energy waves or vibrations of sorrow, anger, impurity, hatred, fear etc. from human souls to spread in nature and starts having a negative influence on the five physical elements earth, air, water, fire and sky and even the five spiritual elements peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy in the souls of animals, birds, insects, etc. upsetting the balance of both. 

This is because nature (as defined in the above paragraph) is lowest in the hierarchy, lesser powerful and easily influenced by the energy that human souls transmit or radiate. This double imbalance of spiritual and physical elements results in peacelessness, sorrow, illness, poverty, natural calamities, accidents, ecological imbalances etc. When all of these reach their maximum extent, that Age is called the Iron Age. This is an interesting principle which needs to be understood clearly. 

How do we restore the balance of the spiritual and physical elements? We shall explain that in tomorrow's message. 

Message for the day

Introversion helps us to manage our thoughts better. 

Expression: With introversion we can very easily manage our thoughts since our mind will be free from waste and negative. Also when we are introverted, we find that there is no need to think as much as we do, but the thoughts required emerge effortlessly. Thus we are able to use our thoughts powerfully. 

Experience: When we find ourselves having a lot of thoughts due to some situation, we only need to sit in silence and practice going within ourselves instead of thinking too much about the situation. We need to make an attempt to experience the peace deep within ourselves and we will find ourselves getting calmer. 

Contemplation: Clean and Tidy

Contemplation: Clean and Tidy

Clean and Tidy

The most important places to keep clean and tidy are my mind and heart. If I allow thoughts to flourish that I wouldn't want to see the light of day, I can never have any real self-respect. By starting each day in quiet reflection and pouring positive, loving thoughts into my mind, I gradually clean out cynicism and unkindness.

Determined Thought

We are good at singing praises of God, about others and about
ourselves. But when we make mistakes or feel incapable of performing
some action, we sing of our weaknesses and failings. This does not help
in removing them. To constantly remind ourselves that we are shy, lazy,
impatient etc is one sure way of staying like that. You must have faith
in yourself that you can do better. Even if everyone gives up on you,
your positive thoughts will help you do better. If everyone thinks you
CAN change, you will not do so unless you yourself have that determined
thought. Within each individual there are strengths and weaknesses, the
balance within each one is different. Know our strengths and
weaknesses, but knowing your trumpet does not mean blowing your own
trumpet.

Radiating Love To The Universe

I sit in a comfortable position... I relax my body...I breathe deeply and let go of tensions...

I centre myself in the present moment... I concentrate my mind... I enter into the space of inner silence... The thoughts diminish and my mind relaxes fully... Now experience the following thoughts:

I am a non-physical being of light, full of love, centered on the forehead... I am a river flowing with love... my source is the Supreme Ocean Of Love, God; whose child I am... I experience myself sitting under his canopy of the light of love...

I love each part of my physical body which is my vehicle. I relax it... I love each thought that I create, it is my creation... I generate gentle thoughts, tender, relaxing... I feel the energy of love that radiates from within me towards the universe... I, the soul give off love towards what surrounds me...

I give off love towards other souls... I look at everyone with the consciousness that each one, whatever their temporary nature may be, their innate nature is love... I give my spiritual assistance, my good wishes to them, so that they return back to their original, basic nature, which is love... I give off love towards each molecule of the five elements of nature - earth, wind, water, fire and sky and the planet as a whole. I am love... I channel this love towards everything I think, feel, do and transmit...

By performing the above meditation and sharing my unlimited treasure of love, I assist the Supreme Father, through my thoughts, in his task of creating a world full of love, where all souls and the nature co-exist in a loveful and peaceful manner...

Soul Sustenance

The Five Spiritual And Five Physical Elements (Part 1) 

There are various ancient teachings in the East including India which describe the five physical elements - earth, air, water, fire and sky as the five pillars of Creation or the building blocks of Creation. These teachings suggest that every particle of the physical Creation is made of these building blocks.

The human body is also made of these five primary elements. These elements need to remain in balance for the Universe to stay in order and the human body to stay in order or good health. Bad health generally means one or more of these elements is out of place. There are various techniques mentioned in these teachings which are used to create this balance, including ancient Indian mantras. The popular ancient Indian Vedic Vaastu science, used by many to build homes even today, also works on creating a balance between these five physical elements. 

According to spiritual principles given by the Supreme Being or the Supreme Soul, in the same way, on a spiritual level, the soul also comprises of five original constituent qualities or building blocks or elements– peace, purity, wisdom (or truth), love and joy. When the soul first comes down from the soul world and starts playing its part on the physical world, there is a complete balance of these five qualities in its personality. 

This is the reason that at the beginning of the world cycle, in the period that we commonly call the Golden Age or Paradise or Satyuga, there is complete happiness, love and peace within the self and even in relationships. The balance of the spiritual elements in the souls, causes the five physical elements earth, air, water, fire and sky also to remain in complete balance; hence in the Golden Age, there is complete physical prosperity and richness; there is no trace of illnesses and natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, etc.

Due to the double balance, nature is not only in order but very very beautiful. Even the physical bodies are not only healthy but very beautiful. Even the animals and birds are completely full of all virtues and live in absolute love and harmony with each other. So the balance of the five virtues in souls reflects itself not only on a subtle level i.e. in the personalities and interactions but also on a physical level i.e. in the physical bodies, flora (plants) and fauna (animals), nature in general, etc. 

In tomorrow's message, we shall explain the reason for this. 

Message for the day

Introversion helps us get in touch with our pure, perfect self. 

Expression: Introversion means to spend time in silence, enabling us to get in touch with our pure, perfect self. It helps us to go within and recognize our own inner truth. It is not just to stay within but to recognize one's own inner worth and deal with the world with it. 

Experience: Even during the worst situations, it is necessary to become introverted, look within ourselves and see our own inner worth. We will then naturally be able to maintain our self-respect. This enables us to be stable and happy, whatever the situation might be. 

Contemplation: Real Gentleness

Contemplation: Real Gentleness

  

Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan

Real Gentleness

Real gentleness in a person is a great power. The power that sees, understands, but never interferes. Like the branch of the tree, just touching the earth but never taking root in it. Never to take root in someone else’s mind but to help, that’s gentleness.

The Inner Awakening Wave

Our beliefs either put us to sleep or cause us to remain awake. Even if are awake on a physical level, when we are asleep internally, without even realizing most of the time; we don't see others, situations and the world as a whole in their true light. We see, perceive and interpret reality incorrectly, which causes us pain. We perceive any sort of pain on the mental or emotional level to be normal and think that others and circumstances are responsible for the pain.

All this, because of the incorrect beliefs that we carry inside us, the most important one being that we are physical bodies and not spiritual energies or souls. Only when the subtle pain becomes intolerable, do we look for a remedy for the same, or think we have to do something about it. Most of us go through life asleep and hence in pain. An inner awakening is one in which we realize the incorrect beliefs and are not scared to challenge them. Once we do that, our pain starts receding. We then very naturally look to wake up others, so that they are relieved from their pain.

The present time in the history of humanity is such that while the sleep of some souls is getting more and more sound and pain increases in the world, on the other hand, an inner awakening wave is taking many souls in its tide as more and more souls are waking up from their deep slumber and waking up others.

This is the time when late night and early morning exist side by side. It is the same time, but late night for most and early morning, a time of getting up, for a few. This is happening due to a consciousness shift or shifting of beliefs inside many through spiritual knowledge. Such souls, whose number keeps increasing every day, are experiencing more and more happiness in their lives. Both these groups of souls have similar circumstances and people in their life but the shifting or correction of beliefs inside the second group is causing souls in the group to remain stable amidst these circumstances, free from spiritual pain, depending on how much the shift is.

Soul Sustenance

Experiencing Positive Thoughts 

Positive thoughts emerge from your values and may be experienced as: 

Confidence 
Contentment 
Cooperation 
Enthusiasm 
Generosity 
Happiness 
Harmony 
Honesty 
Hope 
Love 
Mercy 
Peace 
Respect 
Solidarity 
Tolerance 
Trust

Let's look at some examples of positive thoughts (with respect to the above values): 

Happiness: Happiness raises the spirit of whoever possesses it, and brings out a smile in others. 

Love: Be as enthusiastic with the success of others as you are with your own. 

Honesty: If I am honest in all my actions, I will never be afraid. 

Respect: The only way of receiving respect is to give it first. 

Mercy: Do not lose hope in those that have lost hope.

Message for the day

The one who is simple is the one who is free from pain. 

Expression: When we are simple we are able to be free from pain or hurt even in adverse situations. We are able to take benefit from the wealth of experiences accumulated over the past without feeling the pain. With simplicity we know that we need to remember the past only to the extent that we have to learn from it.

Experience: When something goes wrong and we find ourselves thinking about it again and again, we need to remind ourselves that all the past experiences are only for us to learn from. The past is finished and we don't have to undergo the sorrow again thinking about the past repeatedly.

Clearing the Mind

The method to clear the mind of negativity is to fill it with
positivity. Whenever we come across waste or negativity in the self
because of the situations that we are faced with, we first put in
effort to remove it. We do work very hard to do that but most of the
times we are not able to do so. We then put in more effort or after a
period of time give up trying altogether. The only way to remove
negativity is to fill the mind with positivity. Just as fresh water
added continuously to dirty water cleanses the water, so also positive
thoughts clear the mind of waste and negative thoughts. For this I need
to give my mind positive food every day.

Contemplation: Respect

Contemplation:  Respect

Respect

When I learn to respect myself, other people will respect me. How can I develop respect for myself? By keeping my mind positive and encouraging myself to grow and change for the better. Demanding respect because of my position or background is simply arrogance. On the other hand, listening with humility and valuing other people's advice naturally earns me respect. I get back exactly what I give out.

Self Elevation

To make the self elevated there are three practical steps to take;
first, listen and make sure that you have understood clearly. Then
practice what you have heard. Secondly, give time for your spiritual
effort. Thirdly, stay in good company. By staying in good company my
own company will become such that it supports others. By staying in my
company, others should dance. By seeing that others are able to do
something, we also start to feel that we can do it. When I start doing
it, others will receive inspiration from me to practice that.

The Search For Success Through Desire Fulfillment

The false intention and assumption behind greed, in the form of a thought and feeling, is 'the more I have, the more I am'. It is a combination of trying to add to the value of the self through material possessions, position, role, talent or achievements and then becoming attached to these as a form of identity, finally leading to personal collapse. To try to add to the sense of self in this way has the effect of diverting oneself from the real self, which is why, in many cases, a person who has everything material is left with the feeling of being empty, disorientated and even fearful.

We cannot accumulate, or rely on the external, to create a sense of personal value.

People often try to fill the void of personal inadequacy or emptiness through greed, but this method goes against natural, universal laws. All that I am, all that I can be, all that will make me truly happy must begin from inside the self. We have to start from the inside out, not the other way round, otherwise we create desires that have no end, like the ten-headed Ravana - every time Ram cut off one of his heads, another grew in its place. Ravana did not die until Ram aimed for his heart. Desires are created from wanting one thing or another, believing that we will find achievement when those desires are fulfilled. This pattern of behavior keeps deceiving us and the proof of this is seen in the state of discontentment and emptiness a lot of people find themselves in today.

Soul Sustenance

The Art of Stepping in And Stepping out in Relationships (2) 

In the same way as the gardener (explained yesterday), we have the duty, or rather the honor, of planting positive seeds of good intentions, love, respect and tolerance, at the same time allowing others and the forces of the universe to be given the space to work and respond according to their time and inclination. 

Very often we plant those seeds but want an immediate result: I have shown so much patience, but she doesn't change; or how much longer do I have to tolerate? I feel suppressed. We become attached to what we do, so there is no space for things to happen at their own appropriate time.

Sometimes we have the wrong type of mercy, or we want to take control, thinking we know better, so we step into people's lives too much. This interference and lack of free space provokes hatred, resentment and conflict with others. 

At other times, we get fed up with others; our tolerance and empathy is completely reduced and we say, I've had enough, or I have got to do my own thing and so we step out, but in a selfish way, that is, we isolate ourselves from others, or situations.

We justify, or disguise, this isolation and rejection and dislike towards others with such phrases as, I need my own space or let them stand on their own feet. In actual fact, we aren’t bothered anymore; we have stepped too far out of the picture because we have not cultivated the patience which allows the good and positive to germinate and grow in its own time. 

It is an art to know when to step back and when to step forward, but a very necessary one if well-being is to be achieved. 

Message for the day

To understand is to be easy and light. 

Expression: Life brings obstacles and difficulties. They do not come to stop or hinder progress. They can strengthen and help in bringing progress with more experience. To understand this is to keep advancing. Understanding this aspect means to know that it is not always necessary to find a solution, it is enough to keep moving forward, leaving the obstacle behind. 

Experience: True understanding is to understand what the solution of the problem is and bring it into my own life accordingly. When I am able to understand this instead of focusing too much on the problem, I am able to remain happy. This brings a lot of inner lightness and ease and thereby I am able to use all my strength in bringing about solutions. 

Contemplation: Higher Than the Sky

Contemplation: Higher Than the Sky

The "Hand of God" Nebula --NASA Captures Pulsar's Cloud of High-Energy X-Rays for the 1st Time

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 an abundance of patience like the earth. Keep spiritual love in your eyes.

Self Awareness

The simplest definition of meditation is the 'cultivation of self
awareness'. In a media driven age, where information is largely the
currency of exchange, most of us spend our lives being aware of
everything except ourselves. Even the idea of self awareness can sound
pretentious and unnecessary, if not strange. Yet without self awareness
we cannot see what we are doing wrong at the levels of our own thoughts
and feelings. In fact we cannot even see that it is ourselves and not
someone else who creates our thoughts and feelings! When we fall under
the illusion that others are responsible for what we feel we condemn
ourselves to stressful life as we become dependent on external sources
of stimulation and perform our very own award winning performance of
The Victim!

Transforming Reaction To Response

In its original form, anger was not anger, not a negative reaction; rather it was the energy of a positive response to people and situations, but the response gradually changed to reaction. When we return to our spiritual identity, we begin to rediscover that capacity to be still, stable or centred, and we are they able to respond positively even to negative situations, or people. With spiritual consciousness, the energy of this negative reaction is transformed into being able to accept, understand and deal wisely and peacefully with whoever, or whatever, is encountered.

In order to extinguish (overcome) anger, one has to use peace and silence, to understand that peace is the original state of one's being; to remember that 'I am a peaceful being' means to emerge the consciousness of non-violence.

Silence, that is learning to put a brake on the mind and tongue, helps us to think before speaking and, as a result, saves us from many confrontations with others.

Soul Sustenance

The Art Of Stepping In And Stepping Out In Relationships (1) 

For any activity, or relationship to remain peaceful and successful, we must know how far to step in and how far to step out. It is like a gardener who sows seeds at the right time, steps in to plant and water them and then steps out of the picture to allow nature to carry on with her work. However, from time to time, he steps in again to see if there is enough water, if any insects are attacking the plants, if any food is needed. His role is to find the appropriate space for the potential beauty and uniqueness of the seeds to emerge; he does not create the flowers but facilitates their expression. The gardener does not step in too much; that would be called interference. After planting the seeds, he does not demand an immediate result; he does not dig them up next day to see if they have sprouted. He plays his role, fulfils his duty, but lets go because he understands the blooming of the flowers is not dependent on him. Nor does he let go too much. If he did, then the plants would die from lack of care, or the insects and weeds would destroy them. He does not let go so much that he isolates himself from the process. Instead, by knowing when to step in and when to step out, he creates a respectful partnership or relationship with nature. 

Tomorrow we shall apply this example to real life relationships. 

Message for the day

To move towards perfection is to have commitment for goodness. 

Expression: The one who has a desire to move towards perfection is constantly busy trying to add goodness and positivity to everything he does. The aim is not just to keep out negativity but it becomes more important to add positivity. So such a person finds constant progress in his life and slowly moves towards perfection. 

Experience: When I find little excuses to bring about positivity, I am able to enjoy each and every moment. I never find anything ordinary or waste but everything is meaningful and beautiful. I am able to enjoy the richness of each and everything and discover the hidden treasures in each and every moment. I find myself slowly moving towards perfection. 

Contemplation:Generous Heart

Contemplation:Generous Heart

 

Princess Diana

The loving acts of a generous heart always bring about happy outcomes.

Choices

It is said that the mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
At every moment we have the opportunity to choose our company; thoughts which bring oxygen to the spirit or those who bring pain. If I am
loyal to myself, I will continually strive to go back to my inner core
of positivity again and again. I will be patient and loving, and
increasingly my mind will reside in this positive inner truth. When I
am able to be loving and loyal to myself, I can then help others in
this same unconditional manner.

Frozen Perceptions

Like water, which over a period of time freezes and takes the form of frozen ice cubes, when kept in an ice tray; perceptions of different things, people and events, inside our consciousness, which come onto the surface of our consciousness regularly i.e. we shape our thoughts, words and actions based on them, regularly, take the form of rigid perceptions over a period of time. These rigid or frozen perceptions, which sometimes never liquefy in our entire lifetime, are commonly called our beliefs, which can stick in our consciousness like ice cubes and be difficult to uproot at times. One of the greatest harms that holding to a set of beliefs does is, that it doesn't let us see from other peoples' point of view.

Let's say two people look at the same painting from two different points in a room. One describes what she sees and how the painting looks to her. Then the other describes how the painting looks to him. Both perceptions are bound to be different to some extent. They are different because they look from different angles, different points (places) of viewing in the same room. So who has the right view? Neither. But what both of them see is right from their point of view. Another e.g. is, there is Mrs. A at my workplace, whom over a period of time, I have been seeing from a certain point of view and have started perceiving to be inefficient. Bringing this perception into my consciousness repeatedly has frozen this perception inside my consciousness and it has taken the form of a belief, which may be incorrect or correct, partially or completely. Now even if three different people who have all seen Mrs. A from three different points of view i.e. in three different set of circumstances, and have seen three different shades of the same virtue i.e. efficiency in her; come and share their different, but all positive and right perceptions with me, depending on their respective circumstantial view, I will not agree with them and not respect their perception because a person with unfrozen perceptions would at least give a hearing to others' perceptions, but someone with frozen perceptions, i.e. with fixed beliefs, is not able to that and is not able to empathize with or see from others' point of view.

Soul Sustenance

Taking Charge Of Your Responses In Close Relationships 


In relationships with your loved ones, when looking at the other, sometimes positive emotions are generated and sometimes negative. On the one hand, joy, love and happiness is generated on being with them; but then attachment, dependency and expectations are generated. In such situations, you are more focused on others and are always looking at the other person's behavior, you stop seeing yourself and being aware of your reactions and taking the responsibility for the responses that you create. You get frustrated when the other person does not meet your expectations. As you depend on them, if they don't act as you would like, if they don't reach home or call you at the time you would like; all this frustrates you. You radiate this energy to the other: "they are not doing what they should be doing," and so you feel frustrated and discontented. 

All the while that you hold the other one responsible for your frustration, you are not in charge of your own reactions, because you have given power to the other to dominate your emotional world. It is there that you lose your freedom. You lose your freedom because you give to the other, in the name of love, power over your own moods. You allow the other's energy to enter your inner world and cause inside you frustration, bad moods, irritation, sorrow and a mental and emotional dependence where you are constantly thinking about where they are, what they have to do, what they have to say, where they have to go, and all this consumes a lot of your mental energy. Wanting to control the other and the frustration that it brings with it uses up a lot of emotional energy. 

Message for the day

As is the seed so is the fruit. 

Expression: Several times we find things happening unexpectedly. Yet, there should be the understanding that nothing is unexpected or a matter of chance but everything depends on the seeds previously planted. When there is this understanding there is no passiveness but there is an ability to take responsibility and better the situation. 

Experience: Every thing I do has a deep significance and an importance for what I have to attain. When I understand this fact, I am able to make the most out of what I have. I am never discouraged by the negative results that I get today, nor do I take myself to a great height for the positive things that I get. I remain stable and make the best use of what I have. 

Contemplation: Heart Song

Contemplation: Heart Song

 

Heart Song

Everyone has a song in their heart. Everyone has a reason for being here and a season for making their highest, greatest most auspicious contribution. No one knows what that is or when it is for anyone else. Only our own heart knows what and when it is for us. Your heart wants to sing.

Knowledge of the Self

Today we are surrounded by many types of fears. One of the most
haunting fears people have is the fear of public opinion and malicious
slander. We worry about what others will say about us if we perform a
certain action, or we do not conform to their standards or perform to
their expectations. We become stilted in our actions - we evade, we
hide, we cover. If we take a step and believe firmly, after due
deliberation that the step is accurate and that it does not go against
the general standard of decency, then there is no need to fear public
opinion. If we have strength in our speech, our code of conduct,
methods of working and intelligent behavior, we will be able to face
criticism by making critics understand the facts as they are. We lose
confidence in these matters because out methods are not convincing
enough, and also due to lack of knowledge of our true identity. With
accurate knowledge of the self, public opinion remains as it is - a
public opinion - nothing more, nothing less.

Refreshment For The Mind

Silence is a great therapy for healing the self. If we remain very quiet and concentrate, we save a lot of outward energy, with the result that we act and speak less. When that energy is saved, then we are able to turn inwards and even heal our physical body. On a daily basis, the mind needs to go into a quiet space for refreshment and reflection; in much the same way as the body needs regular breaks for rest and nourishment. Refreshment occurs when the mind is able to recharge itself, that is, to re-energize and to have the strength to remain positive, light and creative. Reflection (looking inwards) is the time we give ourselves to refine our internal understanding of external situations so that our interaction with others is of the highest quality. Through reflection, we can change the way we think, feel and interact. We change the way we are voluntarily and without pain.

Spiritual knowledge without silence is like a bird trying to fly with only one wing.

Silence empowers an individual's capacities and enables the recognition and release of their unique potential. In today's world, silence is as necessary for the mind as oxygen is for the body. We need that spiritual breath that sustains our life in a way that is meaningful and fulfilling.

Soul Sustenance

To Complement And Not To Compete (Part 2) 


We all have a place within this beautiful embroidery of life; let us know it, enjoy it, express it as our right, but never overdo it because we feel our role or position is 'more advanced', or 'better' than others. Sometimes, when there is a sense of personal or collective emptiness, there is the need to be recognized, which creates attachment to your own talents, role or virtues.

We have to learn to complement rather than compete. Nature works on the principle of complementarity. This can be seen with the seasons, day and night, the continual cyclical process of birth, growth, maturity, decay, death and rebirth. Even our bodies work on this principle. Look at the face! Each face has two eyes, one nose, one mouth, two ears, all in the right position and functioning in an appropriate way.

Which of these is more important? Would you say the eyes are more important, so you would prefer to have three eyes and no nose? Or would you say the nose is more important, so you would prefer to have three noses and no ears? We cannot think like this because it is absurd and illogical. Each feature has equal value and when we recognize the equal value of all things, then we stop being illogical - comparing, competing, feeling superior or inferior, or striving to be what we are not. 

In a society that functions, can everyone be a doctor, an engineer or a farmer? Everyone has different talents and positions because different tasks have to be fulfilled if the whole society is to run well. If we examine life carefully, we realize that the recognition of this principle of complementarity is the basis of creating a peaceful and happy coexistence, because the vision of equality respects and honors the differences. 

Message for the day

To use the gift that one has is to be powerful. 

Expression: Each one has surely been bestowed with a special gift, a gift that is unique to each one. The one who recognizes this fact is able to use it for the purpose of bringing benefit to one and all. Under all circumstances there is the ability to bring out the best from within the self. So there is the influence of that on all around and everyone is benefitted. 

Experience: When I recognize my own uniqueness, I am able to remain free from comparison and competition. I am able to be in the state of self-respect of knowing who I am. This then keeps me content and peaceful. Along with this, I have a lot of enthusiasm to use this special gift of mine. So there is a constant experience of contentment along with progress.