Contemplation: Love All

Contemplation:  Love All

 

Love All

Love can never be exclusive. The sun does not choose to shine on some flowers in the garden and not others. Love is inclusive and has many faces - caring, listening, sharing from the heart, just accepting someone for what they are right now, are all acts of love, as long as you seek nothing in return. It all starts with acceptance of yourself - you're just fine as you are right now, warts and all. It's not that you will stay that way for ever - but you might, if you don't accept. The secret key to the greatest door called love is acceptance. First your self, then others (especially the ones you currently resist) and eventually ...all.

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The Relationship Between My Conscience And Intellect

To act from a state of truth, it is important to realize the relationship between my intellect and conscience and what role these two play in experiencing this state of truth in my thoughts, words and actions. The quality of my thoughts, words and actions is based on the quality of my intellect and conscience. There are three different stages of the intellect conscience relationship.

* The first stage is one in which my conscience and my intellect, both are so pure and transparent that whatever is right and true is naturally brought into my thoughts, words and actions and nothing negative or impure manages to enter into my thoughts, words and actions.
* The second stage is one in which my conscience acknowledges that which is the truth, but the intellect does not have the strength to be able to bring the truth into practical. The conscience tells me one thing, but my intellect pulls me elsewhere, and it overpowers me. I do what I know I shouldn't.
* The third stage is one in which my conscience is not clean enough or aware enough to acknowledge the truth so the question of it influencing the intellect to bring the truth into practical does not arise. As a result my intellect, which is not at all backed by the conscience in this state, takes complete control of me. I do what I shouldn't and I am not even aware of it.

When my intellect overpowers my conscience repeatedly, my conscience loses its influence on my intellect. As a result the conscience keeps weakening until its voice is stifled or silenced. As a result of that, I can then no longer discriminate between truth and falsehood. I will feel that there are no fixed ways of defining right and wrong, that each has their own judgment or definition of truth and falsehood.

True spiritual knowledge, which gets stored in the intellect, and the experience of meditation, which purifies the intellect as well as my conscience, both together, make me aware of the definition as well as give me an experience of what is the truth and what is false, what is right and what is wrong. As a result of that, I am able to maintain the first stage of the intellect conscience relationship very easily in my day-to-day actions.

Positivity

Positivity is a subtle, spiritual attribute or energy, natural to all
of us, that can accumulate in the mind just as electrical energy
accumulates in a battery. A positive frame of mind promotes healing in
oneself, and this energy naturally flows out to others.

Soul Sustenance

When To Say Yes And When No

When you are faced with different situations or opportunities, which do you say yes to and which do you say no to?

In order to decide, it is important to keep the vision of your dream and what you the soul really wants, in front of you. Be aware of what is essential for you. From this space of inner focus, we should see which of these situations/opportunities are going in the direction of your dream, what is essential and what takes you away from your dream; also be aware that sometimes situations are like ‘mirages’ (illusions) that seem to offer something easy and attractive, but which distance you from the essential or the truth. They are opportunities that seem easier and, out of laziness, it would be easier to say yes. But within you, if you listen, you know that, in the long term, you will not be happy, content and peaceful given that you have avoided or are running away from the challenge, you haven't listened to your heart. We need to refuse to allow ourselves to be carried by the current.

When you say yes to the proposal, situation or action that is close to your essence of your spirit, it is a yes in which there is not submission, where you do not lose your freedom or your self-esteem. It is a yes with the certainty that, learning from what life offers you; you and others will move forward in a positive sense.

Message for the day

The ones who are detached watch the challenges that come their way as a game.

Projection: There would definitely be many difficult situations that come our way, but if we are detached, we will not become confused. Detachment gives us the power to observe all the situations just as we would observe a game. We would not feel caught up, but will be able to enjoy under all circumstances.

Solution: If there is any situation where we feel helpless we need to develop the power of detachment. We should practice looking at the situation just as we would watch a play. Then we can feel light and enjoy the different turns that the situation takes.

Contemplation: A Calm Mind

Contemplation:  A Calm Mind

Beautiful Sunset at Beach Cook Islands (South Pacific Ocean)

A Calm Mind

Don't give your mind permission to get disturbed. A disturbed mind is easily influenced. This will cost you your peace. Learn to maintain your peace by freeing yourself from attachments. Competing or comparing yourself with others will not allow you to focus inwards. An inner focus allows you to keep your eye on your higher self. Remember your original nature. It allows you to forge a link with the Divine. Then it becomes easy to recognize useless thoughts and replace them with a spiritual perspective. A calm mind is not just peaceful, it is focused, self-directing and Divine.

Purity - the Basis of Spirituality

It is impossible to attain peace and happiness without purity. Where
there is purity, i.e. no trace of negativities in any form, there is
the power of peace and happiness. Pure ones are always cheerful -- in
fact, purity is the basis of spirituality.

To Complement And Not To Compete (cont.)

We all have a place within this beautiful embroidery of life; let us know it, enjoy it, express it as our right, but never overdo it because we feel our role or position is 'more advanced', or 'better' than others. Sometimes, when there is a sense of personal or collective emptiness, there is the need to be recognized, which creates attachment to your own talents, role or virtues.

We have to learn to complement rather than compete. Nature works on the principle of complementarity. This can be seen with the seasons, day and night, the continual cyclical process of birth, growth, maturity, decay, death and rebirth. Even our bodies work on this principle.

Look at the face! Each face has two eyes, one nose, one mouth, two ears, all in the right position and functioning in an appropriate way. Which of these is more important? Would you say the eyes are more important, so you would prefer to have three eyes and no nose? Or would you say the nose is more important, so you would prefer to have three noses and no ears? We cannot think like this because it is absurd and illogical.

Each feature has equal value and when we recognize the equal value of all things, then we stop being illogical - comparing, competing, feeling superior or inferior, or striving to be what we are not.

In a society that functions, can everyone be a doctor, an engineer or a farmer? Everyone has different talents and positions because different tasks have to be fulfilled if the whole society is to run well. If we examine life carefully, we realize that the recognition of this principle of complementarity is the basis of creating a peaceful and happy coexistence, because the vision of equality respects and honors the differences.

Soul Sustenance

Limiting Ourselves In Comfort Zones

We are basically unlimited beings. But we limit ourselves in many comfort zones. We have a lot of conditionings which, in reality, are mental.

Some mosquitoes were put in a box and they kept jumping a lot. The box was covered from the top and each time they jumped they hit the top of the box, and when they jumped too close to the right or the left they hit the sides of the box. Slowly, to avoid harming themselves, they learned to jump just under the cover and without reaching the sides of the box. One day all the four sides of the box were opened. The mosquitoes were free, but they kept on jumping as far as the limit they had learned. The physical limits were no longer there. But they had become conditioned mentally. The same thing happens to us. We have to open the sides of the box and take off the top, or we can continue to live inside the box created by our own mind.

Given below are some conditionings under which we work, because of which we do not experience complete freedom.

* Beliefs , acquired since our childhood, which limit us.

* The negative images of low self esteem that we have created of ourselves.

* The damaging thoughts of doubt, which does not let the highway of trust to build up inside ourselves and does not allow the creative energy of positivity to flow from inside us to the outside.

* The fear of failure or not being to able to succeed completely. A lot of times the fear exists due to past experiences of failure or not having succeeded as much as you would have liked.

We need to become aware of what our pattern of thoughts is, which brings us under the negative influence of mental conditionings. When that happens, we will be able to become free of these conditionings. While we do not become aware, we will continue to remain under its influence.

Message for the day

The one who is detached is the one who is loving too.

Projection: The lotus flower is both detached and loving. It is untouched by the dirt it is surrounded with and is beautiful and loving at the same time. In the same way, whatever the situations or the people around us, we need to be untouched by their negativity. Then we will become the ones who are loving too.

Solution: When we are faced with a negative situation, instead of blaming the situation, we need to work at our own inner strength. The problem could be created by someone else, but we have to make effort in bringing about the solution. Then we will be able to make things better without having negative feelings towards anyone.

Contemplation: Balance

Contemplation: Balance

Balance

The indication of balance in life is a sense of well-being, optimism and a clear conscience. The foundation for achieving this is to look after myself spiritually - making my mind peaceful, loving and thoughtful at all times. Then I will instinctively know how much time to spend on my own well-being and how much on fulfilling other responsibilities. I can only give my best to others when I am myself at my best

Consciousness

Self-consciousness distinguishes you from other animals. It enables you
to be aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions and to understand
how they influence your behavior. When your consciousness awakens, you
start being truly free because you decide your destiny and take
responsibility for your choices.

To Complement And Not To Compete

Harmony, well-being and the fulfillment of individual purpose are only possible when our consciousness is universal or inclusive (taking everyone into consideration) in the sense that we can recognize and appreciate the purpose and necessity of all things in life and, therefore, give them the space to express their basic right to be. When people, either on an individual or collective level are no longer universal or they are exclusive (no longer taking everyone into consideration), that is, when the foundation of their identity is based on ego and superiority, then harmony, peace and certainly love are lost both in the individual and in society.

Individuals, societies, nations, religions and politics all do not remain universal when they are gifted a particular specialty, talent or position. While it is healthy and necessary to value who you are, it becomes most unhealthy and violent to become attached to your special qualities, making others feel inferior because they do not possess those same qualities.

The reason for conflict, on any level, is nearly always this sense of right to dominate or suppress others because we feel we are better in one way or another. Unfortunately, in modern society, the idea of outdoing others in order to prove the value of the person, or idea, has overtaken the basic principle of life, which is complementarity. When we learn to complement rather than compete, there will be peace and, above all, self-respect. Self-respect means to recognize myself as I am and thus fulfill my purpose without injury to, or comparison with, others.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

The Seven Relationships With The Supreme

Every soul has a close relationship with the Supreme (God), but we simply forget it as we become over-involved in, attached to and distracted by our life on the physical plane and our different relationships with different physical beings during our journey of births and rebirths. Spirituality makes us realize the need of restoring our connection with God, which has either broken or has become loose. It also makes us realize that this connection needs to be a very deep and personal one.

God plays many roles, just as a good parent, being one, but will play many roles while bringing up his or her child. Each role consists of different spiritual characteristics and virtues of God, expressed by Him. Take a few moments to think about the main roles that God plays in our life and identify the main virtues and characteristics which He expresses e.g. in the role of Father He demonstrates the art of living to us and how to perform right karmas. In the role of Mother he gives spiritual sustenance, in the form of virtues like peace, love and joy to us. In the role of Teacher, he showers us with true knowledge of the spirit or the soul. These are just a few examples. We suggest you do your own thinking about seven different roles that God plays: Father, Mother, Teacher, Guide (or Guru), Companion (or Beloved), Friend, Child and how he plays them. Once you have done this inner thinking exercise, experience each of these seven roles on each of the seven different days of the week, one role per day. Feel Him being in that role for you and then note what you feel exactly and how you relate to Him. Also identify the spiritual characteristics and virtues that it brings out from within you.

Message for the day

The power of detachment helps us to watch the different games of life.

Projection: Whenever we are faced with a situation or when we watch someone dear going through a difficult situation, we tend to overreact because we feel caught up in it. Then we are neither able to work to remove it nor are we able to enjoy all that life brings.

Solution: Whenever a situation comes up, we need to use the power of detachment that is within us. With this power we can see and appreciate all the variety that life brings. This makes us enjoy, whatever the situations may be.

Contemplation:Patience

Contemplation:Patience

Tianmen Mountain Zhangjiajie City, China

Patience

Patience is a virtue and a power too. Patience tells us that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and that we get over there one step at a time. Patience teaches us not to rush. Knowing that there is a reason and a season for everything it enables us to smile at the challenges, realizing that there is an answer to every problem. And, even though we cannot see it, yet there is awareness that within every crisis lies an opportunity.

Conflict Resolution

Too often we focus on the 'enemy' rather than understanding the
underlying causes of conflict. Our old beliefs and thought patterns can
be both a block and a limitation. If we as individuals accept personal
responsibility and recognize that the source of conflict is internal
rather than 'the other' - then the possibility of resolving conflict
comes back into our hands. This is a great relief and very empowering.

Beginning Your Spiritual Journey With Acceptance (cont.)

In yesterday's message, we had explained some facts of spirituality, which if accepted initially, help us restore our personal relationship with the Supreme Father or God and experience Him easily. Given below are some more facts:

4. Accept that God does not reside in the physical world, He is not present everywhere as is the common belief, but He is a very real, individual and unique Being, staying in the incorporeal (non-physical) or soul world, situated beyond the physical world.

5. Accept that God is a loving Parent of the soul who does not give sorrow, pain or punishment to His children but who only wants the best for them -- He is a gentle and understanding Father and Mother who not only knows why we loose our true self awareness and, as a result, create sorrow for ourselves; but also helps us regain that awareness.

6. Accept that experiencing God does not require blind devotion. Also accept that it does not take many births of penance to find and establish your connection with the Supreme - only one second, and the right kind of thoughts. The process of creating the right, positive and spiritual thoughts so as to connect with God is called meditation.

Soul Sustenance

The Relationship between Virtues and Vices

When we are internally strong, our nature characteristics and skills are reflected, from inside us to the outside, to everyone we interact in, in the form of virtues. If we are internally weak, those same traits emerge and radiate as vices. Vices are just qualities or virtues that have lost their focus and strength. For e.g. if we take the quality of love - when a strong soul radiates love, it is unlimited and without any conditions. Such a soul respects and has good wishes for everything and everyone and under all circumstances, irrespective of whether love and respect is coming from the other side or not.

When a weak soul radiates love, he/she tends to restrict the love to limits e.g. the love would vary from person to person and from situation to situation. In a sense, if spiritual might (strength) and spiritual light (understanding or knowledge) are taken away from the virtues, they get transformed into the six vices, which make us spiritually unhealthy or weak:


Ego - developing an image of the self that is false, temporary or imaginary.

Greed - finding short term fulfillment by acquiring material goods, a role in society or money or through the physical senses – eyes, tongue, ears, etc.

Attachment - finding security by developing a feeling of possessiveness over loved ones and material objects.

Lust - using excessive satisfaction through the senses as a means of fulfillment.

Anger - the feeling of hatred and revenge when any of the other vices are threatened or being taken away from us.

Laziness - becoming inactive on a spiritual, physical or mental level.

Message for the day

The one who wins over situations with the power of one's own stage is a winner.

Projection: When difficult situations come our way, it is usually our own stage that is affected. We feel disheartened, or frustrated which makes us feel helpless in the situation. We can, then, do nothing to bring about any change and lose out to the situation.

Solution: Whenever a difficult situation comes our way, we need to remind ourselves that the situation is here only for a short time as a test for our own stage and to give us a chance to progress. This thought will help us be stable in the worst situations and will enable us to learn from what has happened in order to improve ourselves.

Contemplation: Role Play

Contemplation: Role Play

 

Role Play

Shakespeare was absolutely right - all the world's a stage and you are on it! It means we all have many roles to play. That means never identify with your role, or you will get very stuck and very stressed. You are not what you do. Your job, position, vocation are just roles. Play the role, never think you are the role - this is the art of making life creative and fun. All great actors dislike being typecast and seen to be good for one particular type of character or role. There is no role you cannot play, if you really want to play it. Which is the same as saying there is nothing you cannot do, if you really want to do it, nothing you cannot be, if you really want to be it. You can even be a Queen or King. You may not have a throne or a court of advisors, but you can create and express all the qualities and behaviours of a 'royal' character - dignity, respect, humility, caring...and many more. Be a 'royal', sit on your inner throne with dignity and self respect, and you will see many other royal qualities emerge through your character. And then...you will feel royal.

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Being a Master and a Child

Free yourself from forcing, expecting or wanting someone to receive
what you think they should take - it could be your idea, opinion, or an
opportunity you think they should accept - you can't make anyone take
anything. Offer humbly. Offer gently. Offer as if you are a master,
and then let go, and retire like a shy child. When you can dance the
dance between being master and child, you'll be surprised how much more
others will accept what you have to say, and how much more they
appreciate your offerings

Beginning Your Spiritual Journey With Acceptance

Sometimes, in order to get a desired result from a process, we need to let go of our resistance and trust the process initially. In order to restore our personal relationship with the Supreme Father or God, we need to let go of our old beliefs temporarily and trust the path or process of spirituality. Given below are some facts of spirituality, which if accepted initially, will help you experience the Supreme Being easily:

1. Accept that the soul and the Supreme Soul are separate energies with the same form. They are both points of spiritual light, extremely small in size but with immense amount of capabilities, virtues and powers; the Supreme Soul, having more of them than the souls.

2. Accept that we must be proactive in building our relationship with the Supreme (and not depend only on Him) and also be aware, that like any worldly relationship, this one also takes a little time to develop.

3. Accept that the re-establishment of the loving connection with the Supreme requires the letting go of, not the material world of objects and people, but our attachment to them.

In tomorrow's message, we shall explain some more facts.

Soul Sustenance

Positive Thinking

Given below are some examples of simple positive affirmations (thoughts) that you can make about oneself, others, real life situations and the future, which will help you in becoming a positive thinker.

The self: I do like myself; I accept my weaknesses; I understand myself; I have special skills and qualities; I value myself; I believe in myself; I am lovable.

Others: I accept others as they are; I look for the best in others; there is something good in everyone I meet; I appreciate others.

A real life situation: I am capable of handling the situation; I have all I need; I am fortunate; there is a bright side to everything; nothing lasts forever.

The future: I look forward to each day; every difficult situation is an opportunity/challenge in disguise; each day brings something new and beautiful, something to learn.

Message for the Day

The one who transforms oneself is the one who is victorious.

Projection: When in a discussion or debate with someone, we usually want to have the last word. We want the others to understand us. When we succeed in this we feel we are a winner. But we find that neither is the other person satisfied with us nor are we able to learn anything new.

Solution: In order to be a winner in all situations, we need to pay special attention to keep learning from each situation. We need to see in what aspect we can bring about transformation in ourselves instead of trying to prove ourselves right. This will make us truly victorious.

Contemplation: Resist Not

Contemplation:  Resist Not

Resist Not

Have you ever noticed that resistance leads to persistence? And behind all resistance is self-created fear. The only way to relax and stay relaxed is acceptance. You don't have to agree, or follow, or condone, but acceptance means you begin any interaction with a serenity which invites others to engage with you. And out of engagement comes the satisfaction of creative expression and an enriching relationship. That's relaxation in action!
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Our Thoughts make the World

We are what we think, all that we are arises with our thoughts," said
the Buddha, "with our thoughts, we make the world." In other words, you
are constantly creating your circumstances by the way you think. It's
as if you had a guided missile in your unconscious that relentlessly
directs you towards its target, and the target is whatever your
thoughts dwell on. Think doom and gloom, and that's what you'll get.
Focus on happiness and optimism, and they're already yours. Negative
thought frustrate the universal forces that can create a happy, healthy
and successful life. They keep our true potential trapped in a mental
prison of our own making.

Freedom From The Dependency On The New - cont.

In the market, there always appears the novelty (newness) of the same product wrapped differently. There always seems to be a new soft drink, a new kind of chocolate, but they are really the same products as always. The only thing that changes is the packaging and their image. Some children, whenever they go to the market, want the new kinds of biscuits, pastries, etc. They always want new things that then stay in the fridge.

We encourage this by telling little children that happiness is stimulation, the new is stimulating, and comes from the outside or you get it from the outside. We create an addiction to the new; in this case, to the newness of the packaging. What kind of newness is that!

When, in order to be happy, you need to go shopping, you try to fill yourself with something that isn't you. You try to find wholeness by filling your life with material things. A soul who is spiritually awake knows that they are already complete and they do not need to depend on the purchase of something new regularly for feeling full internally.

The only effort is in remembering and reconnecting with their whole self, their complete self; reconnecting with their inner treasures of spiritual wisdom, virtues and powers.

Soul Sustenance

Overcoming Fears Connected With Negative Past Experiences (cont.)

The work with oneself to see what aspects of your past burden you and coming to terms with those aspects, requires silence, reflection and meditation. When you come to terms with your own past, you can let go of it and be free of it, not be afraid that the past will come back to you. If not, sometimes, it is like a shadow that follows you.

If your house was robbed once, the shadow follows you that, perhaps, you might be robbed again. If they hurt you, you fear it will happen again. Sometimes that experience presents itself in dreams, in the subconscious or in present attitudes. Reliving the past in your mind, you do not fully enjoy the present. You have to accept the pieces of your past so that they do not continue to generate upsets. Accept that you had to live through them and live the present with a constructive vision of the future.

In the above context, it helps to write letters to God about your experiences. The exercise of sharing them with God in writing brings clarity inside you and helps you to bring the spiritual light and might in your life in order not to be burdened by unnecessary experiences, unhappiness or grief.

Have you ever written to God? You could do it at night and tell Him the things that affected you or that you have learned. You can tell Him the things or intimate feelings that other people perhaps wouldn't understand or wouldn't be there to listen to. You could also talk to Him about all that you question, and you do not have an answer to. And the following morning, when you meditate and study a little bit of spiritual knowledge, you often receive answers.

Message for the day

To be clean means to be a success.

Projection: We usually interact with others based on our past experiences with them. Even if there has been a single negative experience with someone, we keep that in our mind and all our responses are based on that experience. We are, then, not able to be fully successful in our relationships.

Solution: In order to succeed in our relationships we need to keep our mind free from the experiences of the past. We can do this when we look at the uniqueness and speciality of each individual that we come into contact with. This practice makes us respect all and be free from the negativity of the past.