Daily Positive Thoughts: July 30, 2015: A Solution

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 30, 2015: A Solution 

A Solution 

Problems are simply challenges waiting for solutions to meet them. The two are partners. Think with resolve that a solution will present itself and it usually will.

To understand that I am a creator of my thoughts is to have the power to control them. 

To control thoughts after they go out of control is really difficult or almost impossible. But when I understand that I create thoughts, I can have mastery over them. From time to time, I need to remind myself of this, keep a check on my thoughts, steer and stop them whenever and wherever necessary. Today I will take one thought, "I am the master and creator of my thoughts. So, I have the reins in my hands and can guide them how I want.” Even if any other thought comes, I can have a control over them, instead of them controlling me.

Injustices And Suffering In The World - Applying The Law of Karma

We are presently living in a closely connected world where everyone knows what everyone else is doing, as they are doing it. Each day brings scenes and images, through the media, in front of us, of many apparent injustices and suffering of individuals or groups of individuals. Whether it's in the office, or in the market or on the television news, we hear and see reports of people suffering tremendous pain and sorrow at the hands of others. At these moments, our sense of injustice is stimulated and it becomes easy to rise in outrage against the sinners. In the process we ourselves suffer from our own self-created anger and perhaps hate. This process then becomes a habit and an inner pattern we begin to repeat, not only when we encounter scenes of global peacelessness, but the moment someone in the family or at office does something similar. A panic button is pressed and we react with the same pattern.

What we forget in both global and local contexts, is the history and geography of karma. Every scene and situation has a variety of related causes in both time (history) and space (geography) e.g. emotions of hatred and revenge amongst various countries and religions (in different parts of the world) and the actions connected with these emotions has underlying hidden causes, related to the Law of Karma (Law of Cause and Effect) which go back sometimes to hundreds of years - X is doing something with Y because Y had done something similar with X sometime in the past, but in different physical costumes, sometimes quite some time back in history - this is the reason, we often fail to take these causes into consideration when viewing these negative scenes and situations, because we see the situations with a limited perspective of present physical costumes and circumstances.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

False Attachments

Are you aware that whenever you lose your true self-awareness (soul-consciousness), you will identify with and get attached to something that is not you? It could be another person, your work, or some material possession. Let's say you are attached to your job and one day, due to rising costs, your company decides to downsize and starts laying off thousands of its employees - all of a sudden you are asked to leave. The attachment to and identification with your position in the company, which has become a habit (sanskara), causes the creation of fearful and angry thoughts (e.g., "I'm going to lose my job" (fear related to the future) or "How dare they downsize the company and damage my position" (anger towards the company and its leadership)). The destructive energy of these thoughts becomes emotion (energy in motion) which then invades your entire mind so you cannot have clear and calm thoughts (the prime requirement of that moment). It hijacks your intellect so you cannot make correct, wise decisions and choices (also the prime requirement of that moment) for the future. Any connection you had with your inner peace is broken. All this happens because you forgot who you really are and had begun to think you are what you do. When seen from the point of view of this example it sounds ridiculous that we should identify with what we do or what we have, but this is currently how the world and its people work. So, never forget who you truly are!

Message for the day

To be free from negativity is to be free from limitation.

Projection: In many situations I tend to feel helpless and bound by different things and people coming my way. I continue to blame others for my difficulties, but find no solace or solution. I also look for solutions outside, but find none.

Solution: The real cause of my limitation or my feeling of helplessness is not situation or people but my own weaknesses. I need to check and realize the weakness working within me, in that particular situation and I will be able to overcome the limitation.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 29, 2015: Sweetness of Introversion

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 29, 2015: Sweetness of Introversion

Hawaii

Sweetness of Introversion

Instead of speaking too much and wasting your energy, become experienced in the sweetness of introversion.

Word Power

There's a powerful connection between the words we use and the results we get.

Poor chosen words can kill enthusiasm. Well chosen words can motivate, offer hope and consequently alter results.

To enhance and empower others, harness your word power to work for you, not against you! 

Topics For Meditation Thought Commentaries (cont.)

Here are a few thoughts or themes for meditation to help you:

* I am a point of pure spiritual energy, a point of pure light, situated at the center of the forehead. While the world around me is always changing, various different scenes come and go in my life, while even thoughts, feelings, emotions come and go, I the soul remain here at the centre of everything, at the centre of even myself, stationary, unchanging and totally stable. In this inner space of stillness, I experience pure peace and silence.

Repeat as well as expand the thoughts explained over the last couple of days gently to yourself, experience them deeply, allowing them to take root in your mind while enjoying the beautiful feelings of detachment they bring. This will help you reconnect with your spiritual center with ease.   Remember, the final aim of meditation is to go beyond thoughts into the actual experience.   Thoughts are the steps which take you to your final destination of experience. The stage of experience is one which does not contain any thoughts. But you cannot make this happen forcefully.  Use the thoughts to gently guide you there.  They will slowly dissolve on their own and, when the time is right, instead of thinking about peace you will feel peace and reside (stay) in peace - the peace which always resides (stays) within you.

Soul Sustenance

How Our Thoughts Shape Our Personality And Actions

With your thoughts and feelings you create and perceive the world that surrounds you. According to what your thoughts are, thus will be your feelings and emotions, your attitude and your actions. This process usually happens rapidly, and you are not usually aware that it is taking place. As this process repeats itself often, it is easy for a set of habits to be created.

The effort lies in slowing down this process in the mind, as if you were watching television in slow motion. On the screen of your consciousness you can use meditation as a method to slow down this process and be aware of what you are feeling and thinking, how you are acting and being aware of the result that you obtain. It is important to learn to transform (change) and to avoid, that is, to not create unnecessary thoughts in order to be more centered and energized, and to have more clarity in order to take the right decisions.

Positive thoughts heal and strengthen the mind. A healthy mind and thought pattern is the basis of a balanced personality finally.

Let us learn to create thoughts of greater quality. They arise out of a wider vision of spirituality. In this way, thanks to those positive thoughts, full of peace, harmony and creativity, the mind will clean itself, and the memory of our innate qualities will be activated once more, replacing, in a natural way, the old habits and negative tendencies.

Message for the day

The index of change is to have better relationship with others.

Projection: Change or progress for me is usually success in terms of money, status, or name. But usually this does not give an accurate index of the change that is taking place within me.

Solution: Real change can be measured with the quality of my interaction with others. The more I progress, the more I find my relationship with others getting better. Others will also be happy with my progress and me


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 28, 2015: Contentment

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 28, 2015: Contentment

Exotic Bora-Bora

Contentment

Contentment is a great virtue, though it may not attract one's attention at first. Those who are truly content are usually quiet about it. It is a pleasure to be in their company, because they are full, peaceful, and generous. 

Energy

There are times in the day when you have plenty of energy (peak times) and other times when your energy is at low (trough times).

Your focus and attention span ebb and flow. Do you know your peak and trough times? Even though each day is different, you'll most likely find you have a consistent rhythm of daily peaks and troughs. Why not, integrate a variety of tasks according to your energy and focus levels?

So, if you're trying to be productive at the wrong times, it's time to rethink your working habits. Tackle the 'difficult' and the creative tasks during your peak times. Use your trough time to do 'easy' and routine tasks.

Topics For Meditation Thought Commentaries (cont.)

Here are a few thoughts or themes for meditation to help you:

* Like stars shine to bring light during the night, I am a spiritual being of radiant light, like a star in the night sky, reflecting and radiating spiritual light in the present spiritual darkness of the world night. The, light, which emanates from the heart of me is peaceful and loving. It touches each and every being in the world. It is my gift to the world.

* I am just a tiny point of pure energy, of light, situated at the center of the forehead.  And within that tiny point lie all my thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, beliefs and my personality traits. Within the point of light that I am, lie all the qualities of spirit that I have - I am a source of love, peace, power and wisdom for others.

* I am a conscient, miniscule point of energy, at the center of the forehead and I am instrumental in making this body work. This body may be heavy and big as compared to me, but I the soul am so light, and free that I can almost fly. I experience bliss as the soul releases itself from the bondage of matter.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance

Opening The Third Eye

The concept of the third eye has always interested people. What is the third eye? Can it be opened during an operation, or by going on a journey to a religious or sacred destination? In meditation, we understand that the third eye means the ability to understand and to perceive (realize) correctly. Then, on the basis of that perception (realization) or insight (understanding); to act and behave accordingly. In other words, on the basis of spiritual truths, we think, speak and act so that peace and well-being become natural in our life.

Spiritual values, or truths, are necessary for genuine improvement of the human condition and life.

The third eye is the intellect of the soul - when it is open, there is realization of the need to improve, change and/or create something that will help the self and others to make the quality of life better. 

Message for the day

True honesty brings real success.

Projection: When something goes wrong, I usually blame others and consider them the cause of my distress and unhappiness. Such an attitude would amount to carelessness and I only tend to feel disheartened and discouraged

Solution: Whenever something goes wrong, the first thing I need to do is to check where I could correct myself. This correction is not to put myself down but to improve, to progress. This is what brings me real success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 27, 2015: First Change

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 27, 2015: First Change

International Yoga Day- June 21, 2015, Rajpath, New Delhi with Prime Minister Modi

First Change

There is no greater teacher than one's own practical example. To be really benevolent therefore means that I must first change, then I have the power, the knowledge and the experience of thinking and doing for the ultimate benefit of all.

Experiences

We are unique individuals who have been shaped by the experiences we've had. 

Our talents, successes and strengths have shaped us along with the insights that have come from the failures and mistakes. 

Recognising and valuing the past allows us to make better choices today.

Topics For Meditation Thought Commentaries

As you start your meditation practice, you need to have in mind some simple topics for your thought commentaries on which you base your meditation. Repeat them gently. Doing that will give you enough time to experience the feelings hidden inside them.  Realization of thought commentaries will help your thoughts to develop and your thoughts will slowly expand as you now guide yourself in your meditation. Take up a few simple topics or phrases as the foundation for your meditation. Initially, listening to a guided meditation commentary on an audio cassette or CD, which is available at any Brahma Kumaris center will be extremely helpful.  As you get an idea about what thought commentaries are all about, you can gradually start creating your own powerful, positive, thought commentaries. These will ultimately have more meaning for you because they have been created by you and you will easily be able to relate to them. You can continue to take the help of recorded commentaries, though, from time to time. Given below are a few topics for your thought commentaries, which you would find helpful and which you can explore.

* I am a subtle (non-physical) point of consciousness, which resides within this body (situated at the center of the forehead), I am the energy which brings this body to life every day. I am the energy which uses this body to see, to speak, to touch and to hear. I am the energy which experiences everything via the body. But I am not this body.

* I am a soul, a being of light, situated at the center of the forehead, radiating pure light into my body, out towards others close to me and the world.  As I turn within and remember who I am, I experience my own capacity to have pure love for all others. It is a generous (kind) love that neither wants nor needs anything in return.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance

Keeping The Watchman Of Attention Alert

All the religions and spiritual groups place a lot of importance on the virtue of discipline. Without discipline you do not manage to transform negative habits and you do not create a new state of awareness where the self is nourished through the experience of spirituality. Every day you eat, you brush your teeth, bathe, drink water and breathe, and all of this you do not consider a discipline; you have adopted them as something natural in order for your body to continue working. On a spiritual level you also need to nourish yourself and to have a discipline that, with practice, a time comes when it becomes natural because you incorporate it into your life. In the process of change you need to discipline yourself in order not to let old habits come to the forefront. Until you have burnt them and they have died, you should keep the watchman of attention alert in order to maintain your self-control, given that each time you use a negative habit in action, you strengthen it. When you do not use it, you allow it to die.

The path of the spiritual traveler is therefore one of waking (awareness of self as soul) and sleeping (under the illusion that we are our body), waking and sleeping. We tend to fluctuate between the two (like dawn and dusk) until we find stability in soul-consciousness. This is why it is important to awaken and stay awake, and why it's important to give our mind and intellect good spiritual food (knowledge) and exercise (meditation) every day to keep them fresh and alert. Being conscious of the soul, acting from that consciousness, the scars (habits and tendencies) left by past actions based on illusions of bodily awareness are healed. Discipline is necessary for growth and personal transformation if you want to obtain satisfying and permanent results. If not, the old habits continue to rule in your life. The evidence that our discipline in the practice of meditation is working is mental lightness and an increasing easiness in our interactions with others.

Message for the day

The method to serve is to become an embodiment of power.

Projection: Service to others is usually understood as bringing benefit to others through what I do. I have love for such service and make an attempt to do it too. But sometimes busy in such service, I find that my own self-progress is left behind.

Solution: I need to pay attention for my own self-progress by learning from everything that happens. I thus find myself improving and filling myself with power. This power spreads around and shows the right path to others, just like a lighthouse and others continue to take benefit from me.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 26, 2015: Real Honesty

The Prague astronomical clock, first installed in 1410, is the oldest one still working.

Real Honesty

Real honesty means being true to the best that is within you. This is more honest than simply speaking your mind.

Concentration

How often do you hear yourself say, "I can't concentrate!" Actually, concentration isn't a gift and it isn't about intelligence.

Concentration is driven by interest, and interest is driven by attitude. If your attitude swells with interest, concentration is astonishingly easy.

Increase your concentration by reducing multi-tasking and any of the many distractions at your fingertips.

Personality Radiation

Each thought that we create, every word we speak and every action we perform is responsible for the radiation of non-physical energy or vibration into the universe; towards other people, to the surroundings or the atmosphere as well as to physical nature. A very important aspect of our consciousness which influences the quality of this vibration is the intention or hidden meaning behind each thought, word and action.  When the intention is pure, positive and unconditional, positive packets of the energy of peace, love, good wishes, happiness and truth get transmitted. People who experience this positive energy from us are reminded of their personal positive qualities, even if these qualities are different from ours, and get inspired to imbibe the same and put them into practice, although this may not even be our conscious intention in the first place, but we just have a general pure, positive, intention towards everything and everyone around us. But this giving of inspiration happens automatically. On the other hand, when the intention is negative and impure, it is as if we bring other people, surroundings and nature down i.e. in a way we absorb positive energy from these entities, instead of filling them. People, without realizing, will come down from their positive personality state on receiving this energy and become inclined to thinking and speaking against their basic, positive nature; thus it is a negative inspiration. Both are energy exchanges, but one is positive and the other is negative.

The above process happens even when we are quiet, not creating any thoughts and not speaking or performing any actions. Depending on the kind of nature or personality we have, those type of vibrations keep getting emitted from us all the time. The higher the quality of the activity inside the mind and intellect during the day and in general in our life, even if they are inactive at a particular point of time, the higher the quality of the energy radiated at that time. It's as if we are constant spiritual energy radiators and radiate our personality all the time, even while we sleep. The purer our personality, the purer this radiation is.

Soul Sustenance

The Functioning Of My Internal Processor

The body consists of physical limbs to move around and carry out its tasks in the physical world. So too, the soul has the subtle limbs – the limb possessing the power to think (mind), the limb possessing the power to reason and make decisions (intellect) and limb of its own unique personality. These three subtle limbs are used to maneuver, control and carry out tasks in the inner subtle (non-physical) world of thoughts, feelings, emotions, decisions, mental images and nature characteristics (or commonly called habits). I need to understand completely how these limbs work individually and also how they function together in conjunction as a team. This understanding helps me immensely in putting my personal mental and emotional world in order.

If the processor of my computer develops a problem, my computer comes to a standstill. I will be able to fix it only if I know how it works. In the same way, I have an internal processor which has three processes going on inside it continuously right through the day - the processes of thinking (mind), deciding (intellect) and becoming (sanskaras) – which affect my complete functioning as a human being. Only if I understand completely the functioning of this internal processor, can I start to correct myself and function well.

Message for the day

To be experienced means never to be deceived by anything.

Projection: It is normally understood that to be experienced means to gain expertise in something, or to become a master in a particular field. Such a person, who is an expert in one field might find himself totally impractical in daily situations.

Solution: Life has so many things to teach me through the various situations. I need to keep learning from all that happens. Then I'll never be surprised or cheated by any unexpected events, but will be prepared because of being experienced.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 25, 2015: Steady Light of Hope

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 25, 2015: Steady Light of Hope

Steady Light of Hope

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

As is the aim, so are the qualifications. 

If I have a high aim, I will imbibe qualities to reach that aim. I may or may not get what I set out to, but I will surely gain a lot
of qualities while doing so. On the other hand, having no aim or a low aim, is to be content with whatever I have. I will get nothing new, internally or externally. Even if I get something externally, I will not be enriched personally because of it. Once that situation is over, the benefit is over too. Today I will create an aim in keeping with what I want. One small aim is enough to focus all my energies on it. This will ensure my personal qualities keep improving with every passing situation. Further, I will not be deterred or distracted with anything.

Self-Empowerment

To strengthen the self we need to realize and review our weaknesses or those aspects of life that are holding us back in some way and/or are causing us some sorrow or discomfort. The next step is to use techniques of meditation to remove these weaknesses.

To know your weaknesses, perform the following exercise:
A. Remember the negative times in your life, when you experienced failure. What was the common weakness present in your behaviour at those times?
B. What are the negative or destructive trends in your behaviour because of which you or others experience pain or sorrow?
C. Sometimes certain traits or behaviour of others can arouse a negative response in us. What is that negative response?
D. What are you most frightened of?
E. Now review your answers and summarize.  What are your three main weaknesses?

Soul Sustenance

Emotional Joy And Emotional Sorrow

We commonly become emotional, either in times of sorrow e.g. at being separated from a loved one, at experiencing failure in an external event, on hearing a negative news, etc. or in times of joy e.g. when our child or spouse or even pet performs a warm act, while watching a movie, etc. While we have always believed that it is absolutely normal or natural to become emotional and some of us even believe that it is good to let go of our emotions and crying once in a while makes us lighter and stronger; on a spiritual level, becoming emotional comes under the realm of dependencies and dependencies always weaken us. This is because when we become emotional, instead of influencing our self on our own, we allow something or someone outside our self to influence us. We bring that something or someone or some event outside our self, inside, in front of the eye of our mind, attach our self to it, and lose our self in it i.e. we let the image hijack our internal world in a way, as we become subservient to it. As a result our thoughts, feelings, emotions, words, actions are influenced in a big way by the image. This is a spiritual definition of becoming emotional. Passing on the remote control of my internal world to the outer world in this way is a sign of a not so strong internal self.

So what does one do instead? Instead of creating images of external events and people inside our minds and being influenced by them, we still watch these scenes, but instead of losing our self in them and taking from them, we contribute to them by giving them our internal energy, but at the same time make sure that while doing that, we are detached from them and not over-involved emotionally. Internal energy is given in the form of appreciation and love if it’s a positive scene and power, compassion and co-operation if it’s a negative scene, so as to help the scene to be corrected or resurrected. This is influencing instead of being influenced. This is a more empowering experience. In this way we regain the control over our inner world and rise above such emotional dependencies. 

Message for the day

To bring speciality to actions is to make them special.

Projection: I am usually looking for something better to do. What I do seems to be monotonous and ordinary and I try to think of something better to do, something that will bring benefit to others too. But I really am not able to easily bring about such a change.

Solution: What benefit I bring is not based on what I do, but it is based on the attitude I do it with. So I need to maintain an attitude of bringing benefit to as many as I can, with whatever I do. Then nothing I do will be waste or ordinary.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 24, 2015: Embrace Change

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 24, 2015: Embrace Change

Aurora Rainbow, Dead horse to Homer Alaska

Embrace Change

When you are aware and accept that everything around you is constantly changing, and that you have no control over 99.99% of it, you are able to embrace change like a close friend! Change is a like a river, constantly flowing and moving things around. The river of life is constantly bringing you ideas, people, situations – each one is an opportunity to be enriched or to enrich others, and to learn. Change is the play of the universe as it entertains us in the biggest light and sound show of all time. Why not sit back and enjoy the show!   

relax7

To be free from carelessness is to be constantly enthusiastic. 

Carelessness has a tendency to spread from one person to another. 

When I see someone working carelessly, I need to remain strong within myself and pay close attention to my work. 

This will help me to move ahead with enthusiasm.

Symptoms Of Stress

When we feel stressed we experience certain physiological (related to the body) and psychological (related to the mind) symptoms, whose importance we may not fully understand. These are normal signs that we should re-check our priorities - our body, or our state of mind, is telling us that something in our lives needs to change. Listed here are some of the common signs:

1. Loneliness - We may feel isolated (lonely) from friends and family, or experience a lasting sense of being "lonely in a crowd".

2. Insecurity - We may suddenly feel shy or exposed around people with whom we are usually filled with confidence. Or we may believe that we are always being judged or criticized.

3. Loss of concentration and memory - We may find it hard to recall recent conversations or promises. We may often feel confused, so that understanding and remembering information could also be very difficult.

4. Fatigue (Tiredness) and sleeping difficulties - Although we may feel constantly tired, we could also find it impossible to get to sleep.

5. Tears and mood swings - One of the most common symptoms is that we cry easily. We may also experience mood swings - joyousness followed by sadness or vice versa.

Soul Sustenance

Practical Ways of Changing Old Habits or Beliefs (Part 5)

Exercises of Silence

Exercises of silence help you concentrate your mind and intellect, and go within yourself to recover the positive and eternal energies. With the appropriate concentration of the mind and intellect towards your constructive inner forces of peace, love and happiness, you can strengthen yourself. Being strong means staying positive when faced with negative situations, peaceful when everything around you is chaotic: in other words, not being influenced negatively but influencing the situation with your positivity. When you stay calm in your inner power of peace, you can transmit this to others and help them to calm themselves. When you begin exercises of silence, concentrate primarily on peace. This is the basis of the practice, as when there is inner balance and harmony it is easier to build over these the other values love, happiness, truth and sincerity. The experience of deep peace calms you, clarifies you and fills you with energy to think and act positively and achieve your purpose that you have set for yourself.

Message for the day

The fruit of elevated actions will be revealed at the right time.

Projection: When I do something good for someone I expect them to reciprocate the same. But not always does this happen, in fact sometimes I find a negative response. This discourages me from being positive.

Solution: I need to understand that the seeds of my elevated actions will bear fruit at its own time. When I have this in mind, I will continue to do good without expecting immediate fruit. And I find the result coming naturally at the right time.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris