Daily Positive Thoughts: September 16, 2016: Exercise and Diet

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 16, 2016: Exercise and Diet

Exercise and Diet

Unhealthy lifestyles are rooted in the mind and seeded in the soul. The spiritual exercise of the mind involves taking the mind out of the physical body and to the subtle body of light and then to our state of being a soul - a sentient point of light and power. As for diet control, pure thoughts are the healthy diet for the mind. Creative thoughts are like vitamins and positive thoughts provide proteins that build will power.

Spirituality And World Transformation (Part 3)

As explained in yesterday's message, in the hierarchy of the three entities around which the whole World Drama revolves – the Supreme Soul is right at the top, the human souls are in the middle and nature is at the bottom. So, the process of restoring the balance of the spiritual and physical elements has to be initiated from the top i.e. by the Supreme Soul. The human souls which are in the middle of the hierarchy benefit from this process directly. The human souls, by transforming themselves i.e. by filling themselves up with the spiritual elements peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and wisdom from the Supreme Soul and restoring their balance in their personalities, then bring benefit to nature which is at the bottom of the hierarchy. This is because their doing this causes the positive energy of the virtues to spread in nature, which results in the balance restoration of the physical elements earth, air, water, fire and sky and the spiritual elements or virtues in the personalities of animals, birds, insects (the same principle as explained yesterday). This entire process, explained above, takes place in the Confluence Age which is a small Age between the Iron Age and the Golden Age, which is again the present time. So, the Confluence Age is an Age in which positive transformation takes place. Thus, at the present moment of time, the two Ages - Iron Age and Confluence Age co-exist.

The Supreme Soul does not bring direct benefit to nature, He does that via human souls, who are intelligent enough to catch his directions and connect with Him and as a result transform themselves. So, the human souls when seen with respect to the Supreme Soul, who is the Creator; are the Creation, who benefit from Him. But the same human souls, when seen with respect to nature can be called the Master Creator and nature can be called as the Creation. Here the phrase Master Creator means children of the Supreme Soul, the Creator, but at the same time those children who possess the power to perform the task of balance restoration for the self as well as the Creation, similar to the Creator, under his guidance and by absorbing power from Him.

We shall explain the actual process of imbibing the spiritual elements from the Supreme Soul in tomorrow's message, which is the last of this series.

Self-revelation

The most powerful revelation we can ever experience is that of our self. It's been so long since we were totally open and beyond the fear of the possibility of hurt, that we keep our hearts and minds concealed from the world. Self-revelation is not some kind of performance, or the seeking of attention - it is the outcome of the healing of our broken hearts - it is the result of many periods of introspection and meditation where we have seen who and what we really are, as opposed to who and what others have tried to make us. We are able to open and truly reveal ourselves when we see that all our hurts, all our pain, was self-inflicted. That's not easy to see, not easy to accept, but when we do, we realize no one can hurt us unless we let them. They can harm our body, but not our minds, unless we give them permission. This inner realization allows us to be comfortable, unthreatened, and safe in moments of self-revelation.

Message for the day

The method to remove negativity is to fill with positivity. 
Thought to ponder: Usually, the method of trying to remove negativity is to negate it. That means, I would say "I do not want to be lazy" or "I should not get angry". But we need to remember that we can't remove darkness, except by adding light. In the same way, we can't remove negativity without adding something positive.

Point to practice: Today I will take up one thing that I always wanted to get rid of. I will then frame it in a positive way. For example, instead of saying "I should not be angry", I will say "today I am peaceful" or instead of saying "I do not want to be lazy" I say "today I have the determination to do what I have to do". This practice will ensure that I sustain positivity. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 15, 2016: Generosity

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 15, 2016: Generosity

Generosity

Become the image of generosity. Have a generous heart and a generous mind. The language of one with a generous heart is 'You first'. Generosity means the generosity of enabling all souls to progress.

 

Spirituality And World Transformation (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 virtues peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and wisdom 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, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and wisdom 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 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 physical elements earth, air, water, fire and sky and even the spiritual elements peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and wisdom 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.

Be a Good Listener

What people want most from us is our undivided attention; that's why listening is such an important skill.

When we give partial attention to others, the result is misunderstandings, mistakes and hurt feelings.

So the next time someone is talking to you, instead of planning on what you're going to say next, texting or checking emails - give them your undivided attention!

Listen completely and you'll enrich the interaction, the relationship, as well as your own experience as a listener.

Message for the day

To have positive thoughts is to be enthusiastic. 

Thought to ponder: Just as we have an attention on our bank account and would like to know our bank balance, we need to check our thoughts too. We need to check how many thoughts are wasted and how many are used constructively. The more I have attention on filling with positive thoughts, the more my energy increases. So, I remain enthusiastic through the day, right till the end. 

Point to practice: Today I will keep a check on the account of my thoughts. I will try and focus on positive thoughts rather than wasting time on waste thoughts. Wherever possible, I will create and sustain positive thoughts. It could be small little thoughts like "I am happy today" or it might be a good wish for another person. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 14, 2016: Time Out

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 14, 2016: Time Out

Artist: Rakesh Das

Time Out

Is there some time for yourself today - just for you, to sit quietly and refresh and renew. Not escaping into the TV, or thrashing around a squash court. Just time to sit quietly, focus your thoughts, check your priorities, make sure there is nothing negative pushing you down in your own mind. Take some time and be ...with yourself. If you don't, you may miss meeting the most important person in your life.

Spirituality And World Transformation (Part 1)

There are various ancient teachings in the East including India which describe the physical elements - earth, air, water, fire and sky as the 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 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 the physical elements mentioned above.

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 peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and wisdom, which are the original constituent qualities or building blocks or elements of the soul. 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 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 peace, love and happiness within the self and even in relationships. The balance of the spiritual elements in the soul causes the 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 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.

Overcome Overwhelm

When you keep thinking about having too much to do in too little time, you can end up feeling overwhelmed. 
Overwhelm clouds the mind, drains the energy and, as a result, not much gets done.

When overwhelm happens, remind yourself: I don't have to live in a state of overwhelm. 

Overcome overwhelm by rethinking: I have exactly the right amount of time to do what there is to do.

Message for the day

To argue is to intensify problems.

Thought to ponder: An argument is filled with attitudes and negative feelings. So, whatever is spoken during an argument is misunderstood and creates wrong feelings. So, such arguments lead us nowhere and bring no solutions. Instead they intensify problem. So, it is important not to get into arguments. 

Point to practice: Today I will not argue about anything. Just for today, I will make sure that I will not get into arguments but will watch in silence to see what happens. I will only converse after the mood of argument has passed. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 13, 2016: Acceptance

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 13, 2016: Acceptance

Acceptance

Accepting others unconditionally allows them to remove their masks and feel at ease with who they are. The security of being accepted gives them the freedom to be themselves and then lets them easily know and accept themselves too.

The Hurting Of The Ego (Part 2)

Continuing from yesterday’s message, we commonly use the terms my ego got hurt or I think your ego got hurt. You hurt my ego is nothing but you hurt or harmed the image that I carry of myself (as discussed yesterday) with me each second everyday. Because I carry it with me all the time, I have become attached to it. e.g. If, on a particular day, you reach home late from office and your wife, who is angry with you, accuses of not being a family man and one who doesn't give enough time to her and the children. Your reasons for reaching home late may be genuine or not, your wife may be right or wrong on that particular day. In either case, you carry an image of yourself, all the time, as being a very loving, caring father and husband, who has been responsible for the all-round growth and development of the family in all respects since the family was created. Your wife's words basically pinch that invisible image, as a result of which you feel insulted and hurt and you react angrily, not necessarily in front of your wife, but it could be in front of someone else or even just internally. This phenomenon happens many times, in various different situations with different people throughout the day and every day.

The image that we all carry of our selves is made of various traits or characteristics, obviously the characteristics of each one's self-created image are different. These characteristics of the image may or may not actually exist inside the real self, but whenever someone challenges any of those characteristics or tries to suggest to us that one of those characteristics is not ours or does not exist inside us, we react.

When a conversation becomes heated, can you respond warmly? 

When giving your opinion, can you express yourself without anxiety?

Assertiveness is our ability to convey thoughts and feelings in ways that can be clearly heard, whilst maintaining our personal integrity, as well as respect for others.

Message for the day

A step of courage brings multi fold help.

Thought to ponder: One step of courage is enough to pave the way for something better. If we get disheartened and stop, we will be worse than what we are. So, whatever the situation may be we need to take one thought of making the situation better. This one thought will help us see the hidden opportunities. Also, we find help coming from others and situations too. 

Point to practice: Today I will take up something that I have given up on, and see where I can start once again. With renewed courage and enthusiasm, I will create a plan and work on it. With the faith that I am going to find a way, I will work on this plan. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 12, 2016: Forgiving

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 12, 2016: Forgiving

Forgiving

See beyond immediate circumstances. Clear the decks of old grievances become free from outdated thinking. Learn from past experiences and move on by tapping inner sources of self-worth and humility. Valuing honesty and commitment, softly let go and enable others to change. There are new horizons, new growth, a new lease of life.

The Hurting Of The Ego (Part 1)

Almost every day or every second day we come across a situation when someone says something to us which is not very pleasurable or we chose to perceive it to be so. In either case, we feel insulted and get upset as a result. In some cases we react and display our feelings. In some, we don't. In either case, the result is a depreciation (decrease) in our happiness index. Why does this happen? It's because you have created, attached to and identified with an image of yourself in your mind that does not match with how the other sees or perceives you, as a result of which you believe you have been insulted and you get upset.

As long as people's perception of you matches the image that you have created inside your mind of yourself, you are content with them, but as soon as the opposite happens, even if it is to a very small extent, you become disturbed, because you are attached to that image. The more the attachment, the greater the hurt, the disturbance or reaction. You could examine this phenomenon very closely, taking place inside yourself every day. This kind of attachment mentioned above is called ego. That's why the phenomenon explained above is called in common language the hurting of the ego.

In tomorrow’s message, we shall explain this phenomenon further with an example.

 Coolness

Maintaining a state of inner calmness protects me from becoming a slave to my emotions. 

It also helps me to keep a cool head when I see others becoming heated or angry. 

Coolness is not to be distant or uncaring; rather it requires that I develop the deeply caring nature of a peacemaker and serve others in the best possible way.

Message for the day

To recognize a weakness is to bid goodbye to it forever. 
Thought to ponder: Mostly, we do recognize our weaknesses but are not able to get to the depth of that weakness. So, although we promise to get rid of it, we are not able to. For example, if I feel my weakness is anger, I need to check myself why that anger comes. Is it because of comparison and jealousy or is it because of an inability to accept people as they are. Once recognized, the real weakness is easy to get rid of with a firm promise.

Point to practice: Today I will make a promise to get rid of a weakness of mine which is coming to me again and again. For today, I will keep myself free from it with the firm belief that "I will surely be able to win over this weakness" 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 11, 2016: Moving Mountains

Daily Positive Thoughts: September 11, 2016: Moving Mountains

Krabi, Thailand

Moving Mountains

The faith that can move mountains needs three ingredients to work: belief in yourself, belief in others, and the 

ability to draw on your inner strength.

Negative Control And Domination In Relationships

In a lot many of the different types of relationships we find ourselves in, may they be our personal relationships or at the workplace, we sometimes feel ourselves to be in a position where we feel we are being dominated and controlled negatively by the opposite person. A very common example of the above negative energy, in personal and non-personal relationships, is when someone gets angry with you and manages to make you react and get upset, they manage to dominate you. Over a period of time they start realizing that they possess an invisible and powerful remote control, using which, whenever they want to control you, what they should do is to get angry with you and that way they will achieve the desired control. Their anger becomes a remote control. When you react you are allowing this control or allowing the other's remote control to work. It is you that chooses to allow yourself to be influenced and dominated. It is important for us to realize that we can choose and take the decision to allow ourselves to be controlled and dominated, or we can choose to express what we feel without being affected by the reaction of the other and still maintaining our love, respect and good wishes for the other.

Let us not allow ourselves to be dominated and influenced by entities external to us which includes objects and people or we will lose energy. Each moment we allow another person's remote control to work successfully or we allow an object to control and dominate our emotional state, we weaken internally. We become like a puppet in the other person's hands. A puppet is never powerful because it does not act on its own but is controlled by someone else. We need to prevent that, if we want to conserve our energy and remain spiritually strong. Meditation and spiritual knowledge both increase our spiritual strength and also increase our self-esteem or self-respect over a period of time. Both these increases help us remain in self-control and not only disallow the other's remote control to work but also become assertive (not aggressive) and take a stand when required.

Exaggeration

We exaggerate to make people laugh or to lighten the atmosphere.

But every time we exaggerate, we're distorting reality. We're making a mountain out of a molehill and much ado about nothing.

Even though exaggeration seems harmless, try to steer away from over-exaggerating.

Replace 'exaggerate' with 'accentuate'.

Emphasize and magnify what's best. Accentuate the positive. Just don't over-accentuate!

Message for the day

To consider myself a child of God is to have a right to His powers. 
Thought to ponder: In times of crises, it is very natural to ask God for help or power to face them. Yet, it seems that there is little power for some time or no power at all to face the situation. On the other hand, when I remind myself that I am a child of God, I will automatically have a right to whatever God has. God is all powerful, full of all powers. It is these powers that I can use as a right, to deal with those difficult situations.

Point to practice: Today I will take a thought, "I am a child - a child of God. Whatever He has, I too have a right over it." I will use these powers instead of just seeking and asking (still feeling powerless).

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris