Contemplation: January 08, 2019: Expand My Heart

Contemplation: January 08, 2019: Expand My Heart

Expand My Heart

To welcome an enemy is to take the opportunity to expand my heart. 

Criticism

Criticisms are good things. They help us look at ourselves, to check
and improve. There are situations where you feel that nothing you say
or do seems right, where there is constant criticism. How do we satisfy
people at that time? We must first be satisfied with ourselves before
we can satisfy others. If we do not have the power to quickly change
the negative attitude of others, we must atleast start with ourselves.
Change our attitude towards the one who is constantly criticizing.
Adopt more positive approach. Positive thoughts, words and actions will
eventually bring positive results. Continue acting in this Godly
manner. At least God will be pleased with you.

Absorbing Spiritual Light (cont.)

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.

Soul Sustenance

Where Does The Supreme Soul (God) Reside?

Where does the Supreme Soul (God) live? Is there somewhere I can go to see him, to be with him? Since he is a tiny star-like soul (energy) it is obvious that he does not pervade the physical universe. In fact he is beyond it. He is in one location and when I discover that location, I can connect with him with my mind wherever I am and whatever I am doing.

The home of the soul (from where the soul has come on the world stage) and the Supreme Soul is the region of subtle, golden-red light, the incorporeal world or Shantidham, which is a world beyond the five elements which can be visualized during meditation. It doesn't mean that the Supreme Being is millions of light years away. I can reach him in one thought, just as a correctly dialed telephone number connects me. He is only one thought away from me. In this region of absolute stillness, silence and purity, God, the Supreme Soul is able to remain perfectly stable, constant and unchanging, while the rest of the universe and the souls are changing around him, coming in the cycle of happiness and sorrow. The Father's home is also that of the children. Some people think that he dwells (resides) in the heart of human beings. In a figurative way he does, his love and other virtues are there in our hearts, but his real home is the soul world.

Message for the day

Greatness lies in being humble.

Expression: A seed grows only when it is mingled with the mud. In the same way, the one who is great is naturally humble. He understands the truth that only when there is humility will there be success. Humility gives the power to bow down without reducing one's own self-respect.

Experience: When I am humble I am able to be experience my own inner greatness, which naturally keeps me set on the seat of my self-respect. So when the situation demands, I have no problem bowing down. So I am able to allow the situations to work on me, so I am able to strengthen myself from within under all circumstances.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 07, 2019: Diamond Consciousness

Contemplation: January 07, 2019: Diamond Consciousness

Centenary Diamond

Diamond Consciousness

When you look at the world through your physical eyes, you will see all the facets of our diversity: culture, race, personality, religion and so on. Seeing only through your physical eyes, it is easy to become stubborn and to try to prove yourself right. However where there is stubbornness there is no love. And trying to prove the self right is equally offensive. A diamond will sparkle even in the dust; you do not ever need to prove that you are right. In the face of the dangers that come from seeing only with the physical eyes, always think: now is the time to go beyond all divisions, beyond all that limits us and our sense of self. Whatever the race, the religion, the class - our consciousness now has to go beyond all of that.

Presents in the present

There is no time like the present. The present provides opportunities
for improvement because whatever step we make will either take us up or
down, forward or backward. The present gives us the chance the chance
to lay a brick for the future. The past cannot change, but the present
brings with it the time to change, to build and improve - time to
fill ourselves in the areas we are lacking. As the scene of life's
Drama brings gifts with it, we must look for presents in the present.
They are present, easily visible in light and easy scenes but cleverly
hidden in dramatic scenes. To develop the habit of letting present
become past without finding the gifts it has brought is to be a loser.

Absorbing Spiritual Light (cont.)

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 ...)

Soul Sustenance

The Three Mirrors for Inner Beauty (Part 4)

The third mirror is the mirror of your own thoughts, words and actions – What you think and feel about yourself and others is invisible to others and only you know what it is. But you radiate your thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes through your facial expressions, your eyes, your words, your body language and your actions when you interact with others. That way your words and your actions act as a mirror in which to see yourself. You achieve this when you are a detached observer and you become aware of your responses, your reactions and how you express what arises from within you. This awareness of being an observer needs to be maintained sub-consciously throughout the day and consciously in the night by filling a daily chart before sleeping, on any three personality traits of your choice. Your main weaknesses or strengths you want to enhance should be included in the chart. We have explained the different types of traits that can be covered in a daily chart in our older messages. You could either evaluate these personality traits with a yes or no or perform a percentage wise evaluation like 50% or 80% for e.g. So it is a good practice to look into this mirror once in the night, before sleeping. This mirror will give you a review of the day that has gone by and make you careful for the next day. The daily chart is useful for this purpose. Filling a daily chart does not take more than a few seconds.

Finally and most importantly, always do remember that those who use these three mirrors actively and use them well to ensure that their internal self looks good and beautiful all the time become living mirrors for others. People who come in contact with them are able to see accurately what their internal self looks like. On seeing how beautiful and perfect they are, other people quickly realize their shortcomings or weaknesses and also take inspiration to become as beautiful, clean and virtuous beings as them.

Message for the day

To see only problems is to become the one who only takes service.

Expression: When there is the practice of seeing only problems in all situations there is the inability to find solutions and act effectively. All the resources that could be used for the benefit of the self and others remain hidden. Such a person becomes dependent on others for finding solutions and a source of pity.

Experience: When I am caught up with problems and not able to see anything else, I am unable to experience progress. I find myself moving backward losing a lot of things I have. I would not be able to retain my self-confidence and would become dependent on others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 06, 2019: Get Through the Day

Contemplation: January 06, 2019: Get Through the Day

Moon, Sun and Stars at the same time! - Wisconsin, USA

Get Through the Day

For the days when you wonder how you're going to get through the day, what do you do to give yourself that extra oomph to keep going?

Try this: take a break, even if it's just a few minutes.
Find a window and look out to catch the light, the space and the possibility of seeing something new.

Clear your head. Go from a frown to a smile.
Let the brow become smooth, the features soft. Feel free,
feel new and notice how the day changes for the better.

Faith

When we are continuously being battered by the storms of life, and our
very spirit is ebbing away, then all we need to do is hang onto that
gift called "Faith" that one support which will weather the storms.
Faith does not depend on a clever head, only belief; belief in the self
and the strength that lies within. Faith is the seed of victory and the
foundation of making the impossible possible.

Absorbing Spiritual Light

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 ...)

Soul Sustenance

The Three Mirrors of Inner Beauty (Part 3)

In the last two days’ messages, we have explained the first mirror for inner beauty.

The second mirror is the mirror of meditation – In the silence of meditation which is a connection or the experience of a relationship with the inner self and the Supreme Soul, each day you come close to and dive deep into both of them. When you create powerful, positive thoughts about the self and you also visualize your true spiritual self, you feel and experience your true virtuous being, what you are - radiant and free of all influences. That experience helps you to see yourself as you really are and in contrast to how you are now. Perhaps you feel peaceless, disturbed and dejected today, but by creating thoughts of peace and contentment in meditation you quickly realize that in reality that is your true nature. In that way, it serves as a mirror for self realization and checking and changing. When you visualize the Supreme Soul during meditation and experience His virtues, it helps you to see and quickly realize yourself in contrast to Him and make the required changes in yourself because the child should reflect the qualities of the Father.

So a good practice then is to look into this mirror and check yourself once in the morning before the day’s activities and once before sleeping for 10 minutes each time. Also, since this is the most powerful mirror, it is extremely vital to carry this mirror with you throughout the day and check yourself in it for one minute after every hour. This may sound too much time given to the inner self to many, but all of us are aware that like an untidy, unkempt external self is not pleasing to the self and does not create a favorable impression on those who come in contact with us, in the same way that applies to the inner self also. So one minute spent in looking into this mirror and doing some self-introspection and checking and changing will keep us looking good for the next fifty nine minutes and if we do mess up internally during those fifty nine minutes, then corrections can be made quickly in the next one minute break – it’s as simple as that.

(To be continued tomorrow ….)

Message for the day

To have a balance between being a master and a child is to ensure success.

Expression: To be in the consciousness of being a master means to have confidence in whatever has to be done and in the ideas that have to be put forth. Along with this if there is the consciousness of being a child, there is learning and improvement, because criticism is taken in the right spirit.

Experience: When I am able to be open to criticism as a child, I am able to learn from it. I am able to gain further mastery without being troubled by ego. My learning would never be blocked by what other people think or feel. Instead I am able to experience constant progress and sure success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 05, 2019: Courage

Contemplation: January 05, 2019: Courage

Reflective salt flats in Bolivia

Courage

Courage is taking a step forward into an area of difficulty without a solution in mind, trusting that whatever help you need will become available.

Responsibility

Accepting responsibility without feeling burdened by it may seem
unrealistic. Yet it is possible so long as we stay close to our inner
self and strength. If we are willing to trust them, spiritual
principles and values work like unseen hand guiding everything in a
beneficial direction. When we remain aware of this force at work, we
can accept responsibility and strive to fulfill it without worrying
about results.

Listening To The Voice Of The Intellect

The subtle or non-physical sense organ of the non-physical soul which we use to judge something as right or wrong, good or bad and then make a choice or decision is the intellect. When we are body-conscious, we are attached to many things such as people, our role, objects, money, even our own ideas and beliefs, etc. Due to these attachments, we are constantly creating emotions of fear and anger in the energy of our consciousness. It is these two emotions which then overpower or influence our intellect and stop us from judging clearly and correctly between right and wrong. This constant inner emotional noise of worry and irritation (the seeds of fear and anger) do not allow us to hear the deepest part of our intellect, which is our intuition.

When we are soul-conscious, we are free from attachment and therefore fear and anger. Our consciousness is calm, focused and keenly aware of the quiet, but extremely wise voice of our intuition (inner wisdom). Decision-making is easier and choices are made out of wisdom rather than fear. Meditation is the method which helps us rise above our mental attachments and allow us to connect with the wisdom in our heart, our intuition, our inner voice, which suggests what the right response or action in any situation, is. A practical example of this is when, after being persuaded by your family members you decide not to smoke any more. You let go of the attachment to 'my' belief that there is nothing wrong with smoking, which then allows you to listen to the heart of the other (their feelings) and your own heart or intellect, which suggests to you the right action for your well-being in the long run.

Soul Sustenance

The Three Mirrors for Inner Beauty (Part 2)

In yesterday's message, we had discussed the first mirror, the mirror of spiritual knowledge. Elaborating further, this mirror will also show you the Supreme Soul and it will remind you about His virtues and actions which will help you check where you stand in comparison to Him in terms of virtues and actions and will influence you to follow him by imbibing those virtues and performing actions in the similar way. Lastly this mirror will remind you of your relationship with the Supreme and forging a deep and personal connection with Him in different ways which will benefit you and others.

The knowledge read every morning will help you see and realize what mistakes you have committed in the last 24 hours while performing actions and also in maintaining a connection with the Supreme and also see what you have done positively in the same regard during the same time, which will encourage you further to do the same in the future. The mirror of knowledge will also help you remain careful for the day ahead and perform actions and experience a relationship with the Supreme based on what you have read. It is a common experience of a lot of people that the spiritual knowledge read in the morning is always what the need of the moment for them is. The spiritual knowledge read is very commonly an exact reflection of the activities and mental state of your last 24 hours and/or something which you require for the coming day for the self, for your relationships, for facing different types of obstacles in your personal and professional life. This is the Law of Spiritual Attraction that works in each one's life, but to different extents. Our consciousness and inner requirements attract towards us the spiritual knowledge of a similar nature.

(To be continued tomorrow ….)

Message for the day

It is on the basis of actions that praise is received.

Expression: The one who only talks but is not able to put his talk into practice does not become worthy of praise. On the other hand, the one who is able to bring his good thoughts and words into action becomes worthy of praise. Such a person's actions become inspirational for others and encourage them to follow him.

Experience: When I am able to act according to my thoughts and words, I am able to take inspiration to do more. For every positive action that I do, I experience support and good wishes from others which encourage me constantly. My account of positivity is always full and it takes me further to a cycle of positivity making it a habit. So I find that I don't have to work hard for performing positive actions.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 04, 2019: Pessimist to Optimist

Contemplation: January 04, 2019: Pessimist to Optimist

Artist-Oleg Shuplyak (How many faces do you see in this painting?)

Pessimist to Optimist

If you have the habit of seeing things from a pessimistic viewpoint, then all you need to do is broaden your scope for a moment and step outside of your negative perspective.

View the situation from a different light. See the opportunity in every difficulty, not the difficulty in every opportunity.
Focus on the possibilities and not the impossibilities.

Be more optimistic and you'll be healthier and less stressed than when you were a pessimist.

Focus on the present

Worries are an illusion. They make you live in the future, giving you
the belief that you are very busy and takes you away from the present.
Worries are an excuse for not doing what you really have to be doing. A
reactive person appears very busy and worried. With worry, no problems
can be resolved. A proactive person focuses attention on the present,
acts with initiative, and the understanding that being calm and free
from worry is far more effective.

Internal And External Attachments (cont.)

Each time we attach ourselves to anything which is external or internal (we have mentioned some common examples of both types of attachments in the last two days' messages), we create fears, amongst which the main one is the fear of loss of what I am attached to. The attachment not only gives rise to fear but also brings with it emotions like anger, ego, sadness, jealousy, greed, comparisons, hatred etc. All these emotions have their roots in attachment, which gives rise to insecurity.

Any type of attachment out of the ones mentioned in the last two days' messages or some other is a sanskar that is so deeply embedded inside us that it seems normal to us. It is just a sanskar but it has immense amount of power and it manages to imprison us completely, but most of the time we do not even realize we are imprisoned. The negative emotional states connected with this kind of attachment create a state of internal mental pressure or an inner emptiness and make us feel absolutely helpless at times. Over a period of many births, we have become so accustomed to these attachments and the various forms of suffering connected with it that we have started believing that these are an integral part of the human personality and human life since the beginning and are, therefore, natural. And so we continue with the sanskar and even keep strengthening it, never ever thinking that it should be removed. We do this with internal stress and unhappiness to the point that even our health gets affected adversely. The natural state of the self is free and not attached in this way to anything. Attachments, whether external or internal, are acquired at different points of time in birth-rebirth cycle and are not natural or there from the beginning. All the things mentioned in the last two days' messages have existed from the beginning but attachment to them has not. The present suffering indicates to us that these types of attachments are something abnormal or not natural.

Soul Sustenance

The Three Mirrors  for Inner Beauty (Part 1)

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” are famous words. To check our external beauty or tidiness, we look into the mirror on the wall each day. But on a mental, emotional and spiritual level, what is the mirror that helps you to see if there is anything wrong with your inner face or self or to realize what is happening to you and what you have to do to maintain your inner fairness or beauty?

There are three types of mirrors, which one can use to see or check the internal self:

The first mirror is the mirror of spiritual knowledge – Spiritual knowledge is the knowledge related to spiritual self-development i.e. of the soul and also of the Supreme Soul. Each day, in the morning, you can look into this mirror for 5 minutes at least. Looking into this mirror means listening to or reading a piece of spiritual knowledge for at least 5 minutes that connects you to your inner essence, increases your emotional and spiritual intelligence as well as reminds you of your true purpose.

You will see yourself very clearly in this mirror as this mirror will show you:
* the knowledge of the original and ideal virtues of the soul like peace, love, bliss, purity, power, joy etc.;
* how these virtues can be imbibed in the self to benefit the self and others;
* the knowledge of the different types of weaknesses that can arise in the soul like anger, greed, ego, hatred, fear, attachment, jealousy, sorrow, etc., the roots of all which lie in mis-identification with the physical self and forgetting the spiritual self and how these weaknesses can harm the self and others;
* the knowledge of overcoming these weaknesses.

All of these things which you see in the mirror will help you to check where you stand in comparison to the right code of conduct for thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, words and actions, where you are going wrong and how you can make the required corrections in the same. On looking into this mirror you will be reminded of the Law of Karma (the Law of Action and Reaction), which will motivate you to make these corrections.

(To be continued tomorrow ….) 

Message for the day

To check regularly means to bring about a change.

Expression: When there is any negative action performed, there is an immediate feeling of guilt and a desire not to perform it again. But the checking also needs to be at a level where it never repeats again. Maintaining a chart of one's own weakness means checking regularly. Such checking brings about a permanent change.

Experience: When I am able to maintain a chart where I could monitor my own progress, I am able to remain committed to my transformation. Adverse situations or people will never deter me, but I am able to bring about the desired change. I am able to continue the process of transformation even when what I seek to change is not harmful in the present phase of my life. Thus regular checking will prevent carelessness from creeping in.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 03, 2019: Self-control

Contemplation: January 03, 2019: Self-control

Artist: Josephine Hall

Self-control

Self-control is not about suppressing emotions or tolerating the
pressure of circumstances. Self-control is to be the creator of your
thoughts and feelings, to be creative and find new answers. This helps you to remain calm and cool.

Special Consciousness

Sometimes, while doing even a special task, our consciousness tends to
become ordinary because of negative feelings for the self or others.
Such thoughts make even a special task into an ordinary one. So what
has to be done in a beautiful way is done in a very ordinary way. So
there is a tendency to just perform action and finish the task at hand,
which does not bring specialty and accuracy as much as it should. We
need to understand that as is the consciousness, so is the feeling
behind the task, and therefore its quality. When we are able to start
each task with a special consciousness, like "I am victorious", or "I
am powerful" or "this task is for the benefit of all", we are able to
experience the specialty of doing the task. We are also able to
increase our state of self-respect, whatever the task or however simple
it maybe.

Internal And External Attachments (cont.)

We had explained some common examples of external attachments yesterday.

Some common examples of internal attachments are attachments to:

* your ideas,
* your beliefs,
* your opinions or viewpoints,
* your memories,
* a certain way of thinking
* a particular virtue/virtues or specialty/specialties,
* a particular power/powers,
* a particular sanskar/sanskars - either positive or negative, etc.

Whether the attachment is external or internal, the act of attaching is always internal. e.g. if you attach yourself to your job, you will say "my job". Your job is something external, but you hold on to it inside you - inside your consciousness.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance

The Flight of Harmony

There are two faces to one coin; a person who wishes to live fully as a human being needs to understand that the existence of one's unique individuality has to be acknowledged, as well as the existence of the group or collective. One cannot exist without the other. Individuals who are developing spiritually feel a personal sense of value. They clearly recognize their uniqueness and have the feeling that there is the freedom to be whatever they choose to be. At the same time, their sense of personal independence allows them to come close to others and work with them. They do not have selfish independence. They get close to others because they have found fulfillment in their own self. Someone who has truly found the value of the self above and beyond labels, name, fame and approval can effectively cooperate within the collective or group and interact appropriately. Such people not only feel themselves to be a part of the whole but, even more importantly, the group or collective feels them to be a part of the whole.

In nature, when birds have to fly to a warmer climate in winter, they flock together and start their journey as a group. The success of the journey depends on the group: if an individual bird does not join the group, it cannot reach the destination on its own. Birds fly in a particular formation, with an appropriate space between them as they fly. If they fly too close to each other, their wings get entangled; they lose their balance and fall. If they remain too far from each other, the formation cannot be created properly, and they are not able to ride the currents of air, which help to propel them in their flight. Furthermore, the leader of the formation does not remain the leader throughout the whole flight, but moves back and allows another to take its place. This repositioning continues throughout the flight until the destination is reached, allowing individual birds to contribute to the success of the journey.

The reality of life is that we are individuals within a collective whole. Just like the birds, we are all a part of an unlimited Flight of Harmony.

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

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 02, 2019: Creative Writing

Contemplation: January 02, 2019: Creative Writing

Creative Writing

Put yourself in a creative space and make time to write.
Write poetry, fiction, anything.

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

Evoke a moment in time, a person, an event, an impression, a feeling, an insight.

Give voice to the deep and meaningful part of yourself.

Be creative, be honest, be brave and write.

Personal growth

When someone says something that I don't like, I usually see the other
person's negativity and continue to find fault with him. This is
usually because I am not able to understand the particular situation. I
need to recognize the fact that people in my life are there for a
reason and I can learn from everything that happens through my
interactions with them. Recognizing this fact will stop me from blaming
others and start using each teaching for my own personal growth.

Internal And External Attachments

Attachment can be on two levels - either internal or external.

Some common examples of external attachments are attachments to:

* people,
* objects,
* your physical body,
* your position or role in your family, society or in your professional field,
* money,
* places,
* physical comfort/comforts,
* the way you look or dress up or carry yourself or your physical personality in general,
* a particular skill/skills,
* a particular interest or hobby like watching movies, online social networking, etc.
* your routine or a certain way of working at home or at the workplace,
* respect from others,
* how people see you or behave with you or what they think of you, etc.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance

Turning Qualities Into Powers (Part 2)

There are interesting spiritual parallels to the way the physical sciences differentiate energy and power. In physical terms, energy is defined as the capacity of doing work. Power is defined as the rate of doing work.

Similarly, we can look upon spiritual energy as our capacity for experiencing the original qualities of the soul. We all have this capacity, but to different degrees. Spiritual power is then seen as the extent to which we put these qualities to work in difficult situations and in our relationships. Spiritual power helps us remain in a state of truth, in the face of the various tests that come. Also, our actions and relationships give us an opportunity to utilize the power we have accumulated.

The qualities of God experienced in meditation are also the original qualities of the soul, but the link with God is essential for us to enhance these qualities inside us. In fact God, too, needs the connection with us, despite having these qualities to the highest degree, in order to exercise his power to restore truth to the world.

There are eight key spiritual powers (power to tolerate, accommodate, face, pack up, discriminate (or discern), judge (or decide), withdraw and co-operate) in terms of their application in everyday life - all of which we have discussed and shared with our readers previously. 

Message for the day

The one who is the master of the self is able to master situations and control people.

Expression: If there is an attempt to control situations and people without trying to control the self it becomes impossible. It only takes things more out of control and leads to extreme emotions like anger. To be a master means to be a master of one's own feelings and emotions under all circumstances. It means to have the reins in one's own hands.

Experience: When I am able to be a master of my own thoughts, feelings and emotions I am able to deal effectively with situations and people. I never go out of control or lose my cool however difficult the situation or person may be. This enables me to be aware of my own inner resources and use it to be the best of my ability.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/