Daily Positive Thoughts: October 08, 2016: Friends and Relatives

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 08, 2016: Friends and Relatives

The small, but jaw dropping picturesque town of Chiavenna along River Mera in Italy

Friends and Relatives

If my friends and relatives do not choose to accompany me on my spiritual path, why should I chase after them trying to get them to change? They won't listen to me anyway, no matter what I say. A better approach is to focus on my own change process. A river doesn't need to urge people into drinking its water. People are naturally drawn to it, provided its waters are pure, free flowing and sweet. In the same way become so attractive through your spiritual efforts that everyone will want to join you naturally.

On A Spiritual Joyride (Part 2)

Variety in life is the only way to sustain a spiritual journey which many of us are on. Meditation is a technique which is being practiced by millions all over the world. At the Brahma Kumaris, people from around 115 countries practice meditation in their daily lives but at the same time, as per the knowledge shared by God, they take care that meditation does not become like a daily routine. Everyday meditation is done with different types of positive thoughts. In this way, spirituality is like a fun filled joyride in which different experiences become a daily part of your life. Also everyone at the Brahma Kumaris will not study spiritual knowledge only when they are alone or at home. They will visit one of the centres of the Brahma Kumaris daily for an hour, wherever they are. And they will listen to spiritual knowledge in a gathering. This type of daily routine is something which is rarely seen in any other spiritual movement of the world. The intention behind this type of practice, besides better understanding of the knowledge, is an increase in enthusiasm by sitting with people of the same mindset and gaining from their spiritual power, which is called the power of the gathering.

Spirituality also brings with it the duty of sharing all that you listen and learn, with others, which itself is a way of remaining enthusiastic. Along with sharing, which we call service at the Brahma Kumaris, there is great importance given to changing oneself and improving one’s behavior which is a way of going ahead in life on a non-physical level. This is because changing oneself automatically causes a positive energy of change to flow in my words and actions, which further flows to others causing an increase in enthusiasm in oneself. This is the spiritual joyride on which we sit every day and wait for the next day with a lot of interest.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Truth

The power of Truth is such that you need never be concerned about proving it. 

You need only be concerned with being it and living it. 

Truth is always revealed, at the right moment, at the right place. It is for this reason that the simplest, most powerful expression of truth is humility. 

Real humility results in so much power of truth and inner silence that you don't need to say anything at all in words. 

The power of humility allows you to see the benefit in everything, even in the insults of others.

Message for the day

The easiest way to bring positivity in life is to become worthy of God's love. 
Expression: A simple checking whether to perform an action or not is to see if it would be approved by God. When every action is thus checked, there would be positivity and benefit expressed through everything. There would not be any negative, waste or even ordinary actions performed, but only those that are sealed with the power of positivity.

Experience: When I am able to bring about such positivity in my life, I'll not only win the love of God, but also the love, praise and good wishes of all those around me. I also become trust worthy and an image of support for those who are seeking to bring positivity in their lives. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 07, 2016: How to Stay Peaceful

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 07, 2016: How to Stay Peaceful

Sadhus in Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal

How to Stay Peaceful

Desires cause peace to disappear. You think that acquiring things will make you feel secure, but the reality is that the more you have the more fear there usually is of losing it, and the further you are from peace. Desires are the cause of all conflicts. When you want something and cannot get it you become frustrated. Learning to be free from desires is learning how to stay peaceful.

On A Spiritual Joyride (Part 1)

A very beautiful aspect of our lives is variety. Variety means doing a lot of different things in life which give a feeling of freshness and enjoyment. It means loving every moment of the day by making it special. Whenever you have spent many days in your life doing one particular thing or working on one particular task, ask yourself am I becoming a one task- force. Or do I, while performing the task, also take care that my work is accompanied by periods of creative activities like reading, playing, interacting and improving my personality by spreading all that I know, to others and learning more than I know now?

There was once a king who loved the role he was playing and also gave a lot of love to the people he ruled. There was no one in his kingdom who did not like him or respect him but yet boredom was something he had to face repeatedly. The same routine was something he experienced everyday and did not know how to overcome that. So, one day, he along with his queen, decided to spend a fixed time everyday talking to people in his kingdom discussing the problems that they were facing. And also, he started fixing small targets in his life, like ensuring that by this particular day, this particular work will get done which can also be termed as goal setting. He realized soon that by filling his life with the flavor of ambition, which in small amounts, is extremely useful for progress, his life was no longer repetitive. In fact, life became something he enjoyed, as long as the ambition was kept in limits and he did not overcome over-ambitious, which could lead to stress. Love for each task you perform and at the same time different tasks during the day is the secret to a happiness filled life. A spiritual perspective to variety in life is filling your mind with new thoughts everyday and maintaining a pure and positive mindset. At the same time, let this positive mindset or consciousness be differently positive everyday, by giving the mind new directions everyday, which can also be called being spiritually adventurous

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Integrate Integrity

Integrity means to integrate all the facets of your personality into one consistent, reliable, transparent self.

You're the same inside and out; nothing to hide, no masks to wear. You're honest with yourself, say what you mean and respond to situations authentically, without compromising your values.

With integrity life is easier, you feel good about yourself, there's trust in your relationships, and accountability in your work.

How do you integrate integrity into your life?

Message for the day

To use treasures in a worthwhile way is to be content. 

Thought to Ponder: We are all endowed with a lot of treasures. Treasures like our specialties, our time, our good wishes, our encouraging words are in our access. Without using these treasures, if we ask God for more, or expect from others, it is difficult to get them. When we start using what we have in a worthwhile way, we find these and other treasures increase automatically. 


Point to Practice: Today I will remind myself of any one specialty of mine and make a conscious attempt to use it in my day to day activities. I will remind myself of this, from time to time, and use it consciously whenever I can. When I am busy using my own inner treasure, I will not only be content, but also start achieving success in all I do.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 06, 2016: Love

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 06, 2016: Love

Love

Love provides the environment for everyone's growth. When I experience true love I can provide the right environment for people so that they can progress in their lives. Today I will not hold onto those I love nor expect them to do everything according to my needs, but instead will give them real support.

Realizing Our Natural Nature Of Peace

If we look at nature, we will notice that everything in nature – plants, flowers, etc. do everything they do peacefully – they grow, flourish, decompose and die in peace. We get an obvious impression from them that peace is their natural nature. Even the five elements – earth, wind, water, fire and sky are mostly peaceful by nature. It’s only when we try and exercise control over them and interfere with their balance that they lose their peace. Most of us, irrespective of our age, even in these stressful and hurry filled times, act peacefully and express our peaceful nature in relationships by means of peaceful thoughts, words and actions, unless something is wrong in the relationship. We instinctively like peaceful relationships. If something is wrong in a relationship and it lacks peace even to a small extent, we do not feel good or comfortable about it. All this proves to us that we, like nature, are essentially peaceful by nature. That is our basic personality.

Most of us have, at some time in our lives and even more frequently in the case of many of us, experienced and expressed our peaceful nature. It's so natural, we are not even consciously aware of it. What we are more aware of is when we are distanced from the natural i.e. we are unnatural - worried, scared, irritated etc. But these unnatural phases always pass and we finally return to our peaceful self. There are some people who are permanently grumpy and tight with someone or the other, because of something or the other. On some days we also feel as if we are continuously living on the edge and continuously succumbing to frustration and anger. But even then, away from everyone’s eyes; everyone, the compulsive angerholic (one who cannot live without anger) and you also, will, at some stage, look inwards, relax and have an inner personal spiritual retreat in which they will find relief by experiencing their true nature of peace.

Stay Grounded

Do you walk around with your head in the clouds? Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

Having our head in the clouds allows us to dream big. But if you stay up in the clouds then you don't achieve anything.

To turn your dreams into reality, try to keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. 

Then you'll stay grounded in reality and make things happen. Be a dreamer and a doer!

Message for the day

The easiest way to bring positivity in life is to become worthy of God's love. 
Expression: A simple checking whether to perform an action or not is to see if it would be approved by God. When every action is thus checked, there would be positivity and benefit expressed through everything. There would not be any negative, waste or even ordinary actions performed, but only those that are sealed with the power of positivity.

Experience: When I am able to bring about such positivity in my life, I'll not only win the love of God, but also the love, praise and good wishes of all those around me. I also become trust worthy and an image of support for those who are seeking to bring positivity in their lives. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 05, 2016: Treasure Every Moment

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 05, 2016: Treasure Every Moment

Treasure Every Moment

Treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift... That's why it's called the present.

The Soul Realized (Part 3)

Whenever you get up in the morning, say to yourself that I am a spiritual energy which is completely different from the physical body i.e. it is not made up of the 5 physical elements, also called five tatvas in Hindi, which the physical body is made up of. The words human being literally mean human + being where human means humus or soil, which is non-living and being means spiritual energy, which is living. This is called soul realization. In the teachings of the Brahma Kumaris, which are direct versions of God and in our day to day lives, we commonly use the terms soul consciousness when speaking in English and aatma abhimani when speaking in Hindi. Both these terms mean that I am a soul and I emerge the consciousness of being that in my day to day routine and also while meditating. This does not mean that I stop performing actions and taking care of my work and other responsibilities but I perform all those duties and while performing them I realize that I am a soul and that means experiencing the form and qualities of the soul. The form of the soul is not a physical form, because the soul is a non-physical energy or light. Here, light does not mean that it can be seen by the physical eyes. Also, it is a light, which is minuscule in size or of a very small size and cannot be seen even under a physical magnifying glass or microscope, because it is non-physical in nature.

To make visualization easy, we at the Brahma Kumaris, experience the soul to be a star of subtle light at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, in meditation, though the actual location of the soul is inside the brain, as explained in yesterday’s message. The soul looks at the world outside, through the eyes, listens through the ears and speaks through the mouth, which are the main actions performed by the soul. Also, the other senses of touch, smell and taste are performed by the soul while sitting in its position. Lastly, the qualities of the soul are peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and truth, which undergo change depending on the actions performed by the soul. If the soul performs positive actions, these qualities increase and if the actions performed are negative, they decrease.

Relationship

Had a disagreement with someone you're close to and then found it's gone too far and you're no longer talking? 

Often when we're hurt, we speak harshly and hurt the other person. And then we both continue to hurt in the absence of the other.

Do you wish you were still on talking terms? Why not take time to reflect on the value of the relationship. Let your fondness for the other person flow in your heart. And then write a note, an e-mail, or a text; or simply pick up the phone and start the conversation. Converse to get the relationship back!

Message for the day

Real positivity is to have positive thoughts even during a negative situation. 

Thought to Ponder: To think positive when everything is going on fine is good enough. But to create a positive thought when things are not fine is real positive thinking. It is such practice that makes us stronger, better and more powerful with each passing difficulty. On the other hand, every turbulent situation makes a weak mind weaker.

Point to Practice: Today I will find something positive in the most negative situation. I will try to find the brighter side to something that seems obviously negative. I will remind myself of this and sustain it, so that negativity doesn't influence me. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 04, 2016: Spiritual Tolerance

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 04, 2016: Spiritual Tolerance

Spiritual Tolerance

 

Tolerance is based on going beyond the superficial things that divide us. It's the result of turning within and coming to know the Self. If I can deal with my own ego, then my own anger can be resolved. This goes a long way in resolving external issues, too. With my own ego out of the way I will be able to handle anything. Otherwise it's just the same old thing - you versus me, yours versus mine, etc - intolerance. If I am unselfish and honest in my heart, and am concerned about others' needs, then I will be full enough to give. 'I should be understood' changes to 'I should understand.' Not 'They should change' but 'I will give what's needed'. Patience, peace and maturity develop. Spiritual tolerance cultivates innate wisdom, the kind you can't get from books.

The Soul Realized (Part 2)

The soul is a non-physical energy which runs the physical body in a manner which can be compared to how electrical energy runs a television set. If there is no electricity, in spite of a complex machine which a television set is and with all its parts, big or small, it will not be able to show us images of the world and keep us updated about the world’s events. In the same manner, the physical body with its various parts and different systems cannot function without the existence of the soul inside it. Do you know that as soon as the soul leaves the body, the heart and other organs stop working, even the brain does not function? The soul is a prime mover of the body. The soul is located inside the brain near the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which are parts of the brain. It controls the five sense organs – eyes, nose, ears, tongue and hands through the brain and with the help of the nervous and hormonal systems. The brain functions as a bridge between the soul and the different body parts.

The brain’s activity detected by various sensitive instruments that science has given is caused due to the existence of the soul. If there is no non-physical soul which actually thinks, inside the body, then there will be no activity detected inside the physical brain i.e. the brain will be silent. It’s the mind which actually thinks and not the brain. The mind is non-physical and is a part of the non-physical soul. We can also compare the soul and physical body relationship with a computer. The brain is like a CPU or central processing unit of the computer, whereas the soul is like a programmer of the computer. The brain expresses all thought, word and action programs received from the soul, through the body. The body is like the monitor of the computer which displays the final version of what has been processed by the brain. As we think, the brain, which is a physical organ of the body, picks up these signals from the non-physical soul. The signals or orders which the brain has detected are then converted into various actions performed by the body. Non-physical instructions of the soul are given a physical form by the brain and brought into action.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Faith

Doubt creates a mountain. Faith moves the mountain. When doubt blocks you from taking on new challenges, have faith.

Have faith in yourself, you are more than what meets the eye. Have the faith that anything is possible even if it is not visible in front of your eyes.

With faith, take a step forward and move the mountain.

Message for the day

Powerful thoughts dispel the darkness of the weakness of mind. 

Thought to Ponder: No one likes to be weak. But when weakness comes, we get more weak thoughts and this creates a vicious cycle. It is only long after the situation is over that we are able to come back to a normal state of mind. But we need to remember that positive thoughts (like light) are the only means by which we can finish the darkness of our mind.

Point to Practice: Today I will be prepared and alert. I will keep the light of positivity with me like a torch. This could be in the form of a small positive thought. I will keep it with me all the time wherever I go. So, even if I find negative or a weakness coming my way, I will recognize it immediately and replace it with the positive thought. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 03, 2016: Personal Change

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 03, 2016: Personal Change

Personal Change

When you do not upset yourself thinking about how others must change and instead you concentrate on your own change, good things start to happen. First, you will feel better about yourself. Second, you will start to have positive feelings towards others and start to understand them. Third, others start having a more positive attitude towards you. There are many hidden benefits in personal change.

The Soul Realized (Part 1)

Have you ever wondered what your past is i.e. do you ever believe that life is eternal or in other words life is not only a one birth reality? We all know about what the soul is and hear about it but do we apply the knowledge that we hear in our personal life? Everything that we do, every action that we perform through the physical body is actually the spiritual energy or soul performing the action or speaking the words or even thinking about something, but because the soul cannot be seen, we think it is me, the physical form, which is doing everything. Even science today has started considering the immortality (beyond life and death) of the self and people have started believing how an invisible and non-physical source of peace, love and joy exists which is me, the soul, and this source consists of the mind which thinks. On the other hand, the brain is just a physical medium through which the soul functions and it is a medium which contains chemical and electrical activity corresponding to the entire thought activity of the mind, inside it. The thought activity is inside the mind and is non-physical and the chemical and electrical activity, which is caused due to the thought activity, is inside the brain and is physical. Do you know that every time you create a thought inside your mind, your brain produces weak but clear electrical signals corresponding to that particular thought? The method of recording and understanding these electrical signals is called EEG (Electroencephalography), which also gives us an idea of the thought activity that exists inside the mind. This is similar to the method of ECG (Electrocardiography) which records the electrical activity of the heart.

There is also a group of respected people around the world who are offering their services to spiritual organizations. There are many people from different fields of life like engineering, medicine, business, education and politics who have dedicated their lives to the spiritual upliftment of people, while serving in their respective fields, along with performing spiritual service.  All these people from various backgrounds have recognized and experienced that they are energies of consciousness or souls, who are running their physical bodies, which is the most basic principle of spirituality. Also, there are people in the world who have experienced themselves as separate from their physical body and brain in meditation and also through near death and out of body experiences.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Crack the glass ceiling

For most of us, the glass ceiling that stands in the way of success is our own self-limiting beliefs.

Identify what's holding you back. Determine the steps you need to take to move forward. Take the steps.

When you crack the glass ceiling, there are no limits, just potential and blue sky!

Message for the day

Positivity in the mind brings power in words.

Thought to Ponder: These days, there is a lot of importance for the words that we speak. Small little words can make or break relationships. But, in order to bring impact through our words, we need to have positivity in our mind. When positive words are combined with a positive mind, it brings positive results in interaction and relationships.

Point to Practice: Today I will appreciate someone with love. I will encourage him with positive words. But before that I will take a thought of good wish for this person. Then, whatever I say will have power in it and thus will create a positive impact. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris