Daily Positive Thoughts: August 17, 2017:  Trust Grows From Faith

Trust Grows From Faith

 

It can be difficult to learn who to trust. When we have had bad experience with people who betrayed our trust in the past, it can be difficult to let anyone else in. It can take some time to learn to trust anyone again. Trust goes both ways. If I want to gain someone's trust, I have to show them that I trust them before he or she will open up to me. When I am truthful, this will be evident in everything I say and do. When others realize this, they will begin to trust me. From trust, love begins to grow.

Absorbing Spiritual Light (Part 3)

Continuing from yesterday’s message, we should not keep the vices bottled up inside us like prisoners. Prisoners are always plotting to escape. If we change them into our friends they can help us. For example, the energy required to be stubborn is almost the same as that required to be determined except that one is positive and the other negative. The soul learns to transfer such energy. Anger becomes tolerance. Greed can be transformed into contentment. Arrogance, or the respect for false identity, can become self-respect. Attachment can be changed into pure love.

The more I inculcate the Supreme Soul or God’s virtues, the closer I feel to Him, but if I allow inner disturbances due to any vice, my high stage is grounded. All the power stored up until that moment will leak away. I must recognize that I really do not like being body-conscious.  As I wish for higher experiences I choose to live the life of a meditator with purity in thought, word and action. Obstructions come within and without, but through my connection with God I am drawing so much power so as to remain unaffected. This needs soul-consciousness. So in discarding the rubbish of the vices I have gathered over many births, I become my original form and maintain it through my closeness or companionship with God.

Make up

While we spend much time 'making up' our faces to ensure our
appearance is beautiful for others, we forget to make up our minds.
This is not about making decisions. Making up our mind means ensuring
that our thoughts are positive and our feelings towards others are
filled with good wishes. When we do, others begin to sense a deeper
beauty emanating from behind the skin! This is inner beauty. Don't
hide behind your face. Let the real you show through…

relax7

Message for the day

Royalty of personality lies in cheerfulness. 

Thought to ponder: A royal person maintains his royalty and poise in all circumstances. Cheerfulness in all situations is royalty. There might be situations challenging my state of self-respect and happiness. But I will continue to move forward with a sense of self-respect and positivity. 

Point to practice: Today I will remain seated on my secret of self-respect in all I do. I will order situations, my mind and my own sense organs whilst seated on this seat. I will not come down and get colored or affected by the negativity of the situation. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 16, 2017:  Wise Wealth

  

 

Wise Wealth

 

There are many words for which we have forgotten the meaning - love is one such word, and wealth is another. When we hear or use the word wealth today we immediately conjure images of huge cheques, large properties, five star holidays and the very best in everything. In fact it is this limited form of wealth, measured and defined essentially by money which blocks the realization and manifestation of true wealth.

Every human being is wealthy beyond imagination. But not in their bank accounts. Real wealth is completely intangible, invisible and deeply internal. Every human being is a unique individual spiritual entity. And as such, a source of the most precious energy in the universe. Love is the gold of the soul. We are each that gold at the core of our being. But few of us are aware of it, let alone consciously tapping it and expressing it. No one teaches us that love is what we are, that our purpose in life is to know it, and give it, and that when we do, all other energies, including the material stuff, will come back to us. We are taught instead that love is dead, love is daft, love is for softies, love is sex, loving is losing not winning, love is indulgence, love is about doing deals in our relationships. No wonder we are stressed out. We have a totally distorted view of wealth and an inherited belief system which clouds our view and access to the riches we contain within our heart. No wonder there is spiritual poverty amidst affluence, no wonder the destitute wander streets paved with the riches of their neighbours. No wonder the children in the villages of India have a smile that lights up your soul, while the kids in 'material land' are always miserable with their lot!

Are you wealthy, or are you Wealthy?

Absorbing Spiritual Light (Part 2)

How many times do we hear, Oh, he is always in a bad mood..., It is my nature to be irritable..., He will never change... This shows the extent to which the soul's own light has faded and been replaced by the dark curtain of negativity. Therefore it is better that we do not try to deal with each vice and defect individually. As the soul fills itself with the power of spirituality, its overall condition automatically improves.

Another significant point is that there is a deep-rooted awareness within the soul of God and His sanskars, however much it may be covered by dirt and weakness. This is because each soul is the child of God and being his children we inherit his sanskars. These sanskars are present in us when we start playing our part in the physical world, but gradually they fade away as we take more and more births. As these sanskars are brought to the surface of the consciousness, automatically our thoughts and behavior patterns change.

In modern psychology it is stated that we must express all our negative emotions and note suppress them.  But the fact is that letting it out leads the soul further into slavery to that emotion. Remembering that thoughts, decisions and actions are formed on the basis of sanskars, which are deepened by repetition, the soul can only cause harm by expressing any defect or vice. On the other hand, the psychological effect of suppressing negative emotions can be quite drastic. Suppression can lead to severe personality problems, even madness or insanity. The right path is that we emerge our positive sanskars with the help of meditation and other self-development techniques and the negative ones automatically vanish away.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Inside Connection

When there is the connection outside without looking within, there is
inability to be the best and do the best in situations.  Instead if
there is a constant connection within, before the connection is made
outside, then it becomes easy to express the inner qualities necessary
to deal with the problems outside. When we allow our mind to get
disturbed over small things, it will cost us our peace of mind.  We
are not able to retain our inner power, which is needed to experience
freedom.  On the other hand, if we are able to retain our inner peace,
We can be connected with our innate divine nature.  We are able to
experience true mastery.

Message for the day

As is the aim so is the qualification.

Thought to ponder: If I have a high aim, I will set high standards for myself. I will make efforts to reach that aim. So the qualities that I imbibe will be of a great standard too. So, it is important that I constantly set high standards for myself and make my life qualitatively better. 

Point to practice: Today I will, in any one aspect, set an aim for myself. I will then check to see if I can do a bit better than what I think I can do right now. I will make sure I will set an aim for myself a bit higher than what I normally do. This will increase my qualities and will automatically keep me prepared for higher things. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 15, 2017: Mindful Moments

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 15, 2017: Mindful Moments

Mindful Moments

Most of us are of sound mind, but many of us have trouble maintaining a note of harmony and peace. Most of us know how to think, but few of us are able to control our thoughts. We all have the capacity to be creative, to image new ideas, but few of us are able to do it together and co-create in harmony with each other. We could all do with some mental training so that we may use the most powerful energy in the universe, the mind, which is always at our instant disposal. 

We can begin with mindfulness. It's a simple way to gently help our mind go where it is best to go, do what is the best thing to do. It begins by simply being fully aware of what you are doing. Mostly we are not fully aware, as our minds wander into the past and then into possible futures. We spend most of our time watching others and so rarely fully focus on what we are actually doing ourselves.

Next time you sit down to a meal, watch yourself. Be aware of only what you are eating. Every time your mind wants to wander, bring it gently and lovingly back to the action and sensation of eating. Then do the same when cleaning, when writing, when working. The more you do it stronger and more focused and more rational will be your concentration, the more natural will be your actions, the more peaceful you will feel, and the more relaxed you will be, no matter what you are doing.

Absorbing Spiritual Light (Part 1)

Just as darkness is the absence of light, negativity which manifests as vices and weaknesses inside us is merely the absence of spiritual light. Through the influence of negativity, the sense organs waste away the light. The question of vice, or sin, has been of a lot of importance in religion. No matter how much political or religious control has been imposed, nothing has been able to block the internal wasting away of the light of the soul. Light has a source but darkness does not. Darkness is not created by any source but is rather the absence of a source. In the same way, the negative forces do not emerge from the real nature of the self, but are simply symptoms of a lack of spiritual power or light. As spiritual power declines, symptoms of negativity such as anger, greed, ego, attachment, hatred, jealousy and related vices appear. On the other hand, as the soul's power and spiritual light increases through a union (meditation) with the Supreme, the vices automatically disappear. In fact problems are not fundamentally caused by a particular vice, it is a question of the extent of one's power. If I am weak, the sanskars mostly related to vices dominate my experience. If I am strong they do not have a chance to affect me. 

The negative forces have often been personified as Ravana, Maya or Satan but in fact there is no such entity. Maya describes a level of consciousness. There is no outside being whom we can blame. The vices are symptoms of individual ignorance and loss of power, which appeared only when our original creative powers subsided as we came into the process of birth and rebirth. When the soul's power fell below the level necessary to control matter and the senses; then the vices emerged inside the soul. The soul was more and more propelled by them through many births, until today when they appear to be a basic part of our real nature.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Reaction & Response

The usual response to negative stimuli in the environment is to react
negatively. The impact of such stimuli on the sense organs is
negative, which brings out negative behavior too.  The one who is able
to spend a few moments in silence before responding to situations is
to be a master who is free from negativity. When I am a master I am
able to remain stable in all situations.  I have the practice of
calming my mind and looking at the situation in the right perspective.
My mind grows strong in its commitment to peace and truth in action.
I don't allow the sense organs work according to the previous
conditioning. Instead I consciously monitor, giving them right
direction.

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: August 14, 2017: Lotus Life

Lotus Life

The lotus is a symbol of purity; its roots are in the mud, but the flower remains above dirty water. Live a lotus life. Be in the world, but unaffected by impurities.

God’s Help At Every Step (Part 3)

Whenever you begin your day, let the first thought be that God will accompany me the whole day and I will keep Him with me at every step. Then in the whole day, at regular intervals check whether His remembrance is there with you or not. Also, remind others about God too. Don’t some of us feel that those days when God was remembered a lot have gone away? Ask yourself, at a typical day in the office, how much was God remembered or did we remember different people like our loved ones, office colleagues or other public figures more? There used to be a time when this was not the case. 

Why is sorrow increasing and problems are on the rise so much? Are we going in the wrong direction? God is our parent, our friend and our guide as well as our teacher and most beloved one. And that too the best and highest One. So, being that, does He get that much respect from us? Respecting someone means you make Him an integral part of your life and not someone whom you remember only when there is a need. Do you remember your father or mother or husband or wife or for that matter your child or best friend only when you are in sorrow or all the time? So why is God, who is the eternal parent, friend and most beloved one forgotten? Or is He the one whom we remember once in the morning and then the remaining day everyone else is remembered and God is forgotten?  So, let’s from today, remember God throughout the day and thank Him for all the help He provides. Let’s make Him a more important part of our lives and receive His help at every step and make life’s problems easy to overcome and life itself, a smooth and easy journey for ourselves.

Respect

We normally expect respect from others and when others don't behave
according to our expectations, we tend to get disappointed. We only
think about what else the others have to give but things always don't
go according to our expectations. Instead of expecting others to
change according to our wishes and instead of expecting others'
respect, we need to see whether we give respect to the other person or
not. The more we have the practice of accepting and respecting people
for what they are, we are able to keep our mind at peace (with no
waste and negative thoughts). Also people start responding to our
feelings and give us respect too.

Message for the day

Real contentment spreads happiness to others too. 

Expression: When one feels contentment but the others are not able to perceive that contentment, it means that it is not true contentment. Real contentment is visible in such a way that others too are able to feel the happiness that is created. When there is real contentment, all thoughts, words and actions are filled with quality. 

Experience: When I am content, others automatically recognize the contentment within me. They are able to take benefit from my state. Even in the most hopeless state, I find that I become a source of support for those around me. I am able to give hope to the hopeless and help them get back to a state of happiness. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 13, 2017: Tolerance

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 13, 2017: Tolerance

Tolerance

Tolerance means to bounce back even when thrown against a very hard wall. The ability to do this comes from sensing that life is a game and that all things move in cycles.

What is uncomfortable now will soon change. Tolerance is like saying yes to the game and enjoying it.

God’s Help At Every Step (Part 2)

Everyone expects and wants help from God in times of sorrow. But do we ever ask ourselves how much do we remember Him and never ever leave His hand during the entire day while performing actions? This is because the more we remember Him with a clean heart and with honesty and also with strong belief; the more He will be available to us in times of problems. Also, He will be available when things don’t go well for us. They say that God is remembered a lot in negative times and in happiness He is forgotten. But if God is never forgotten, even when things are going well, then He will respond to our request for help when we need it, much more. In fact, He provides the help Himself, without us asking for it. 

Also, a very good characteristic that we should have in ourselves if we are to take His help is love each one with a pure heart. God loves those who not only love Him but love others with a big heart and keep radiating good wishes to each one. On the other hand, the one who spreads negativity in relationships and is filled with anger and ego, does not receive God’s love as much. God is our Father, the Father of the soul. If we are to come close to Him and experience Him at every step, then we have to reach the expectations He has from us. So, never ever think that we are God’s close ones unless you are very very beautiful in character. This is because God helps those more, who are genuinely kind hearted and give respect to each and everyone.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Success

Normally we tend to associate success with what we get, rather than
how much effort we put in. So sometimes when things don't turn out the
way we expect them to, we tend to have negative feelings because of
the thought of being unsuccessful. So we tend to stop putting in
further efforts for success. When we put in accurate efforts for the
success of every task, we naturally try to do the best. Because of our
own contribution, others too help us and contribute whatever they can
to achieve what we set out to do. So there is success in everything.
When we do the right thing, we will be able to experience constant
self-progress, even if the result is not what we have expected.

Message for the day

To receive respect from others comes more with responsibility than as a right. 
Expression: The one who gets respect is the one who becomes worthy of it rather than the one who just expects it. True respect comes from how well a task is done rather than what is done. The more one's speciality is expressed, the more one becomes worthy of respect. 

Experience: When I go on giving my best in whatever is expected of me, I will start receiving respect from those around me. I will then never expect from others but will naturally be able to give respect to all. This further makes me earn their love and regard. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris