Daily Positive Thoughts: June 11, 2016: Forgiveness Will Bring Me Closer

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 11, 2016: Forgiveness Will Bring Me Closer

Forgiveness Will Bring Me Closer

Why is it hard to forgive others? Usually because we believe that they are 90% to blame for the problem, that I am not as bad as they are. So I start to carry the load of other people's actions. If my ego is too hurt, I will have the sense of correction, of justice: “I know I am right”, “That is not fair”. But if I start to forgive from the heart, sincerely, then this kind of feeling and attitude begins to dissolve. I remain humble and this forgiveness will bring me closer to others. Then I do not carry regrets or anger, I just let go and remain light.

The I Inside (Part 2)

We all are used to seeing ourselves with the spectacles of others’ perceptions which are all based on physical attitudes and clouded by the worldly view. Today, we look at ourselves with a lot of respect for all that we think is good in us and based on what others tell us about us. And then, suddenly someone criticizes us and we become depressed and lose our mood to the other person’s perception. All this because we have learnt to identify with things other than the real I. Suppose I identify with what specialties I possess e.g. I am a good debater (speaker) and this specialty has bought me a whole lot of praises from people around me all through my academic career. Over a period of time people start praising you regularly for that and the identification gets stronger. Identification means losing yourself in the object of your attachment so much that you completely forget that this is not the real you. In this case, the skill of debating (speaking) with confidence is a characteristic which I possess, which can easily lose its importance if I don’t get an opportunity to express it as I become older or am out of school or college. So, what happened to the object of my attachment with which I identified myself? Suddenly it gets back at me and the same object starts giving me sorrow if the praise that I am used to receiving because of it is no longer available. In this situation, wouldn’t it have been better that I shouldn’t have attached myself so much to this characteristic in the first place. The more the identification, the more the sorrow experienced.

So, a simple way of not experiencing sorrow in the above case is being happy and feeling lucky for what we possess but at the same time keeping a relationship of detachment with the  characteristic of how we express ourselves through our words and deliver our ideas through our voice. A relationship of detachment means not losing myself in the characteristic but playing my role with it and even keeping a pure pride that I possess the characteristic which can also be called self-esteem, but at the same time not get over-awed or over self-impressed by the characteristic. That would lead to a healthier relationship with my attainment, which if it is reduced or is lessened by any chance or not praised any more as much as before, it will not harm my self-esteem and give me unhappiness at any point of time.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Life is all about choices. 

When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. 

You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. 

The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life.

Message for the day

The power of silence can bring peace to any situation. 

Thought to ponder: The instruments for the power of silence are pure thoughts and pure feelings. You can give others an experience with the power of your silence. When you understand and experience the power of silence you will become more powerful. You will then be able to experience peace that you will be able to spread to others too. 

Point to practice: When you have to correct someone in any situation remind yourself that words will not work but silence based on pure feelings and love will surely work. When you accept the person as he is with love you will be able to bring about a change in him. Remember that the lesser you talk the more the peace that is created. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 10, 2016: Giving

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 10, 2016: 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 is what we receive”.

The lesson: Just to give.

The I Inside (Part 1)

We all live our lives at a fast pace, finishing one scene and entering the next one after forgetting the first scene and sometimes carrying its memories into the second one. But have we wondered or stopped to ask ourselves that is our identity which we use to perform our actions one of our profession or role or how we look or dress up or carry ourselves or for that matter our gender or the country or caste which we belong to?When we use the term self-identity, two words come to our mind – one is what we call self or me or I and the other is identifying with what i.e. I, the self, am identifying with what? Very often I am identifying with what I am not or what I seem to be but I am not in reality. The looks and the personality as well as the education are acquired but what I am really is what I am before I learn my education and shape up into the features that I have. You might say that this is an old story of spirituality, but what we need to train ourselves from today to do is to start seeing ourselves in the mirror of spirituality and start observing the real I or me – the one that is invisible to the physical eyes but is the core of what we call ourselves – human beings. As in a coconut, the softer inner surface or the core or center is what gives us strength whereas the hard exterior is what is not eaten or is lesser important.

People who are used to the common practice of seeing in the physical mirror before starting their day are reminded of so many physical characteristics mentioned above that they forget that behind the acquired exterior is a non-visible interior that also requires cleaning up and being dressed up. This is because that is what comes into contact with people’s hearts – people whom we meet everyday, and also it is the inner face that will impress people after they have temporarily been impressed by the clothes we wear and how beautiful we are. After all it is the smile that is more important than the shirt. What use is a good looking suit if the person wearing the suit is egoistic and jealousy filled? Living life in the essence of the inner self is the way of reaching out to others with love and compassion and remaining contented yourself also.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

To believe in success is to have the power not to give up. 

The power of determination combined with faith in the vision of success, inspires us to put in relentless efforts. It is these efforts which help us move towards success. Success is first in our minds. When I start with that, I will be undeterred with the little setbacks I face. I will be able to put in the right efforts for success because I believe in it. Today I will not run away from problems, but will race towards solutions. For something I have wanted to do and is not happening, I will try one more thing. Today I will try once more, one more new idea. I will not give up till I succeed, because I am destined to succeed.

Message for the day

To be generous hearted is to bestow others with your specialities and virtues. 

Thought to ponder: When you are generous you will become cooperative and enable others to become virtuous through your virtues and fill others with your specialities. The more you use your specialities in this way, the more you will find them increasing. 

Point to practice: Think of something that is very special in you. Today take the thought of using this speciality of yours for someone's benefit. Not only will others benefit with this, you will find yourself improving too.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 09, 2016: Power On

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 09, 2016: Power On

Power On

Each day we all need to recharge our spiritual battery, otherwise the light of our consciousness becomes dim, thoughts become fuzzy, and decisions are impregnated with doubt. Power is available inside and outside. Inside us we have a spiritual center, at the core of our consciousness, pure radiant spiritual light. This is what we are. However it is now blocked by our attachments, the record of all our life experiences and many learned beliefs and perceptions. Outside us we have the sun of spirit, the source, invisible to our physical eyes but only one second away when we are able to quieten and focus our mind. Meditation connects us to both sources of power - that's why meditation is the way to access the real vitamins and the minerals that spirit craves. The vitamin of pure love and the minerals of truth and wisdom. Take time to empower yourself today. Sit quietly and connect your mind to each source and allow yourself to recharge and renew.

Nurturing My Relationship With Myself

One of the most significant areas of importance in any human’s life is that of relationships. Someone with very good, close, harmonious and loveful relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, etc. is normally considered very fortunate or lucky. But of all relationships, the first and most basic one is the one I have with myself. So, how good, close or deep is my relationship with myself? How well do I know myself? Am I my own friend? If I think over the last week or fortnight, how many of my reactions were unexpected or uncontrolled or basically not the right ones? How many reactions left me confused, sad, unenthusiastic, peaceless, depressed, negative in any other way or in short uncomfortable? If there have been several such situations, it is an indication that there are still things deep within me that I do not know.

Normally a friend is someone whose company I enjoy, for whom there is love and from whom there is some benefit. As in any worldly relationship, without knowing a particular person to the core I can never have a deep relationship with that person. As the phrase spiritual knowledge implies, it is the knowledge of the spirit or the self. Only by knowing myself completely and having a good relationship with the self, can I channelize my inner potential that I have within myself - just as water from a river, when properly channelized, provides water for various purposes. In any worldly relationship, if enough time and attention is not given to it and it is not nourished, it gets affected negatively.  In the same way, though it's obvious that I have to spend a large chunk of each day involved in situations arising from my duties, routine activities, responsibilities and worldly relationships; my relationship with myself should also be given enough time and attention, so that it does not suffer. If I am not careful about that, my worldly life may use up my energy completely and discharge my inner battery. I need to find times in the day when I give time to my relationship with the self and recharge myself. The peace and happiness I long for internally will be obtained by having a good, positive relationship with the self. 

Smile

Like the torchbearers, carry a flame of light wherever you go.

To carry the flame is, to let the light shine through your smile.

Pass the torch onto everyone you meet because a smile makes everything light and makes everyone feel better.

Message for the day

To be healthy internally is to make the best use of all treasures. 

Thought to ponder: A healthy intellect acts like a mother, always showing the right path. When internally one is strong, there is the natural ability to treat the mind with love and guide it towards the right direction. Such a healthy state of mind naturally enables the recognition and the proper utilisation of everything available. 

Point to practice: Once I have learnt the art of guiding my mind in the right direction with love, I then never experience the difficulty of having to bring back the mind to the right thinking. Because the mind is totally under control in a very easy and natural way and I don't have to control it or force it to think or not to think in a particular way. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 08, 2016: Am I Happy?

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 08, 2016: Am I Happy?

Am I Happy?

If there is any sadness I make a strong effort to be free of it quickly, otherwise it grows like a vine in the rainy season: by midday I will be confused; by evening a whole jungle of weak, wasteful and negative attitudes will have taken deep roots in my mind. The result equals chaos. Sometimes I reach a stage where the attitude is: "So what if I feel the blues today? It is my life; no one else will be affected". Firstly, the more I allow myself to experience sorrow, the less time I have available to be happy and contented. It sounds ridiculously obvious, but am I aware of the value of happiness? It is an extremely rare commodity, and the cost goes sky high. Secondly, is it my life? Yes, I am living it, but am I not a member of a family or a co-worker with others, and am I not part of society? If so, then every movement affects and is affected by those around me.

Love Will Heal The World (Part 3)

The fall in the value system of the world is largely due to love no longer present in the minds of the people of the world in its pure form. There are very few people in the world who are living by God’s definition of love and that is why we see sorrow increasing in the world because both lust and attachment, which are impure forms of love and being lived by almost everyone, bringing with them negative emotions like lack of freedom, expectations, feelings of superiority and inferiority, domination, possessiveness, lack of control over emotions, feelings of jealousy, even depression due to separation or loss of someone with whom either of these two emotions existed. You might question that do we stop loving our friends and family and detach ourselves from them? Do you know that the world in its originality was a world where the love that existed, its magnitude and depth and also its cleanliness remains un-comparable to the love of today’s world? Also, the original inhabitants of the world who are none other than we, but in different physical costumes (bodies), loved their children, their husbands and wives, their parents extremely but what did not exist in that love was physical attraction to the opposite gender and sorrow based attachment. The love of today’s world has brought with it so much insecurity and pain. Relationships today are like two sides of the same coin. As long as everything is okay in the relationship its heads for happiness and relationships like any other coin don’t always fall on heads. The same relationship does fall on tails repeatedly i.e. it brings with it sorrow and dis-heartedness.

Love without lust and attachment is the original love of the world, so we cannot say that it is an impossible love. It is the love that souls, who have recognized God’s i.e. the Supreme Ocean of Love’s present presence in the world, are filling themselves with, from Him. God is actually pouring that pure love, which He is full of, presently into humanity which is healing humanity on an incognito level and giving rise to a new tree of humanity full of the different flowers of closeness, belongingness, concern, respect and good wishes amongst everyone and without the thorns of physical lustful attraction and attachment which hurts negatively.

To honor others' identity is to win their cooperation. 

True leadership is about conquering the hearts of others with my own humility. Then I can place the honor of others in front. Thus, I can attract blessings and respect from others. Also, with this, I will only have the vision of bringing benefit. Today I will look beyond what I see in the present in people. What I may see right now may be negative or not so great. But I look at their potential and what they are capable of becoming. When I do this, I will be able to help them recognize their own potential. They would also then want to use this potential in the task at hand. Your respect also earns their respect and they give full cooperation.

Message for the day

Bringing newness in dealing with life's situations brings happiness.

Thought to ponder: When there is the desire to find new ways of responding to life's challenges, unhappiness ends which in turn helps to fulfill one's highest potential. All it needs is the determination to adopt a fresh awareness. Thus burdensome thoughts that drain out positive energy are set aside. The quality of life itself becomes better. 

Point to practice: I experience a lot of happiness when there is newness brought in responding to situations. The potential and the energy of the mind is channelized in a positive way so there is an experience of fulfillment and satisfaction. The mind is not caught up with negative or waste but is busy trying for the best solutions in all situations. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 07, 2016: Concentration Ability

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 07, 2016: Concentration Ability

Concentration Ability

When you want to do something sincerely and are decisive about it; the power of concentration becomes available to you. Concentration allows you to achieve more in less time and respond to situations in a more effective way.

Love Will Heal The World (Part 2)

Love, as an emotion, was given a physical manifestation or form by most people, which included the ones who had lived by the essence of true love in their earlier births i.e. at the time when love was one based on soul consciousness and it was free from lust and attachment, at the beginning of the world drama, which repeats itself. Later, the same souls lost their inner conscience i.e. their beliefs started undergoing change because of the soul becoming discharged due to constantly coming in the process of life and death and not because of any negative or impure actions performed by them. It is a wonder of the world drama that souls after a period of few thousand years of a pure world existence gradually started getting attracted to the physical costume (body) of the opposite gender as impure desires took birth inside the soul. This happened in husband-wife relationships in which love took the form of the impure emotion of lust and in other relationships like parent-child relationships or between siblings (brothers and sisters) or other such close relationships, these desires, as we all know, took the form of the negative emotion ofattachment.

So, unknown to the eye of wisdom which was closed at that time, we were swept by the wave of bodily desires and also unknowingly, we became sorrowful. God, who is a source of pure love, the seed of love of the universe, as per the rules of the world drama and as per His role in the world drama, was a silent observer to this happening, for a long time. The quality of love that is found in Him was a part of His creation i.e. us humans at the beginning and suddenly the same creation was abusing that quality which was given to them by God. This is the story of the world creator and creation and how the love virtue works inside them. God, because He does not come in the process of birth and rebirth, does not lose His spiritual energy and that is why He is the only being in whom the positive colour of love does not get transformed into the negative shade of lust and attachment.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Free the Mind

Does your focus get interrupted by reminders - thoughts that keep popping up into your mind reminding you of this and that? 

Rather than let thoughts interrupt your focus, deal with them.

Firstly, acknowledge your thoughts. These random, insistent thoughts are reminding you of things that need attention. Note them down on paper, or digitally, as 'things to think or do later.'

Free the mind from being your reminder pad and you'll find you can focus better.

Message for the day

To be free from waste words is to ensure easy success. 

Thought to ponder: The one who wastes time and energy in gossip or slander has no time for success. All attention is focused on picking out the mistakes and the negativity of others and so there is no attention on learning new things or picking out the positive. So there is negativity visible in one's own attitude, words and actions. 

Point to practice: When I am able to free myself from waste and negative words, I am able to use the resource of my words in a positive and useful way. My words will be for the benefit of all. I would also notice that my words would be filled with the power of positivity and faith, faith in the self and faith in others. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 06, 2016: Experience the Return

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 06, 2016: Experience the Return

Artist: Jill Barton

Experience the Return

Fill your mind with peace and good feelings and your mind will give that experience in return. Whatever you are experiencing in your mind now is what you put there earlier on.

Love Will Heal The World (Part 1)

Have you ever believed love, the most powerful emotion in the world, can transform the whole universe in a second? That’s the potential it holds in itself but the right type of love and a united love channelized correctly. Not the love that we see on television and in movies. The strength of the media is such that it defines love in an improper way and it influences negatively, millions of people all over the world in just no time. People follow the definition of love that their eyes and ears are exposed to and instead of erasing the negatives that the world is full of, it is taking the world into a phase where an uncontrollable collapse of the value system is taking place with no world monitor except God present to stop the same. People talk about a future apocalypse or a physical mass world destruction, as predicted by some famous world astrologers, prophets, preachers and theologians (those who make a rational study and analysis of religious truths, spirituality and God).

While none of the predictions of the world coming to an end have come true up till now;as per the principles of the world drama and its various scenes and phases that God has shared at the present moment, who is above the predictions made by humans and does possess the knowledge of the immediate future of the world, the world will undergo a transformation and not a complete reduction to a zero existence. The world wide mass birth of unsolvable problems in the ecological, social, political, religious and financial spheres will pave the way for the future world of peace, love and happiness established by the power of love for God and His remembrance based on that, compete purity of the mind and spiritual knowledge. The world will not come to an end. This complete transformation is expected to happen in the near future and is already happening slowly and is something people from many sectors of society are sure about. It is not an immediate event, but we are seeing signs of the same. But before that happens, we are already staring at a spiritual apocalypse or destruction of the value system of the world in the near future; in fact it has already begun.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Walk in your own shoes

Would you walk a mile in someone else's shoes in order to understand them - where they're coming from and where they're going? 

But can we really understand others?

We can keep trying, but at the same time remember, someone else's shoes will not always fit.

To understand others better, we have to understand ourselves and walk in our own shoes. 

Understand who we are, where we're coming from and where we're going.

Message for the day
To be a giver means to give according to need. 

Projection: The one who is a giver would be sensitive to the needs of others and will be able to give what the other person needs at the right time, instead of giving what he wants to give. Also such a person is able to give without expecting anything in return. 

Solution: When there is even a little thought to share with others whatever I have, I would naturally be able to perceive my own inner treasures and experience being full. Sharing with others, whatever I can, enables me to get their good wishes also. I thus find myself experiencing the richness of life. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 05, 2016: Great Expectations

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 05, 2016:  Great Expectations

Great Expectations

The root of all needs and expectations is an unfulfilled spiritual desire. Satisfy your spiritual desires through the practice of meditation and you'll be able to interact successfully with anyone. No longer needy, you will enter into relationships simply to share and enjoy. There'll be no strings attached in the way you give of yourself; your love will be unconditional.

Understanding What Is An Angel (Part 2)

In Christian mythology, angels are commonly shown as small children with wings – this is symbolic of the fact that angels are very innocent and pure, untouched by vices like anger, greed, lust, ego, hatred, jealousy, etc. (so are children). The purity of an angel is depicted in mythology in the form of an aura of subtle light or a halo around the head.

An angel’s love for humanity is unlimited, yet it is completely detached as the Supreme. An angel experiences that whatever comes through it in the form of thoughts, words or actions has the effect of blessing other souls, as if it is able to perceive or judge immediately or instinctively what each soul needs and cater to their needs. This act of blessing others is depicted in the form of a magic wand. Angels are commonly shown with magic wands in their hands, with which they shower blessings on others.

An angel’s thoughts, words and actions are all serving others.  An angel is a lighthouse, mighthouse, connected with the Supreme; it radiates the spiritual rays of light and might, the love, peace, happiness and power of the Supreme Soul, to others.

Put yourself in a creative space and make time to write. 

Write poetry, fiction, anything. You don't have to write for anyone, just write for yourself. Don't let the rules of language become a barrier.

Evoke a moment in time, a person, an event, an impression, a feeling, an insight.  Give voice to the deep and meaningful part of yourself. Be creative, be honest, be brave and write.

Message for the day

The one who is detached enjoys all facilities and yet is not dependent. 

Projection: For the ones who are detached, the facilities available are a medium for attaining something. They make the best use of each and everything available, for their benefit and the benefit of others. Yet they don't stop because of lack of facilities because they are able to find a way even if there is nothing available. 

Solution: When I am detached, my internal stage is beyond fluctuation. I am able to enjoy each and every thing that comes my way and be light constantly. Also it enables me to be free of dependency. So I am able to make use of all facilities, and yet be free from negative feelings when I am deprived of them. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris