Contemplation: April 07, 2019: Clean & Honest Heart

Contemplation: April 07, 2019: Clean & Honest Heart

Clean & Honest Heart

Deceptive love is love where there is no honesty in the heart. It creates dependency, and looks more like a deal than a relationship. This kind of love has become like a drug. We don’t want love that is going to make us dependent. Love should be such that it makes honesty and truth grow. It is honesty that shows us what love is and real love shows us what honesty is. The way to free ourselves from dependency on false love is to experience the fullness, the sweetness, of love that is true. Replace poison with nectar and it will be easy to recognize the worthlessness of false love. We should not just accept whatever love comes our way - from here, there, everywhere. If somebody wants to give you love, first see what kind of love they are offering. Your intuition should realize very quickly what kind of love it is. To experience true love we should ask: Is my heart clean? Is it honest? Is it open? If it isn't, if my heart is still broken, I will not be able to experience true love.

Introspection

We should have courage to work on the self is to find the beauty
within. Situations come that challenge one's own strength. At such
times the mind tends to become weak displaying weaknesses. Then there
is no courage to look within. The one who is able to be introspective
at that time is able to find a new learning. He is thus able to
express the beauty that is lying within. When we understand that at
each step of our life, situations come to bring out some quality from
within, we'll never be afraid of situations. we'll have the courage
to challenge our own assumptions and move forward based on the
learning that we get and the beauty that we have been able to
discover.

Communication (cont.)

Here are some more common reasons for blocks to communication:

* Lack of sincerity. When our thoughts and feelings are honest and respectful, then the hearts of others will open to us. A positive highway of trust is built and communication flows positively.

* Creating negative perceptions (understandings) and emotions about others i.e. how we visualize or label them. Such emotions, no matter how well hidden, are finally always communicated to others on a subtle (non-physical), non-verbal level, and create an atmosphere of tension and unease.

* Not letting go of negative perceptions (understandings) and emotions. The only method to revive our relationship with others is to let go of negativity on a daily basis, to prevent it from building up. Far too often, the build-up happens without us even noticing it and, we wonder why positive feedback is not coming from the other side.

* Lack of silence. To go deep into the self and put our thoughts and feelings into silence enables them to become positive. The silent relaxation defuses (reduces) anger and the blame and complaints that often go with it.

Soul Sustenance

Projection of Mental Energies in Relationships

Sometimes in relationships, you believe that the other person is hurting you because they do not meet your desires, but in such cases how can you know if it is really true? Let’s go a step ahead; does the belief that they are going to hurt you influence the situation until in the end it happens? Perhaps they won't hurt you. Your belief that the other is going to hurt you is not so powerful that it will necessarily affect the other person. But it affects you yourself. They may not hurt you at all finally, but you will end up hurt, you will become emotionally ill, even psychically ill sometimes. The symptoms will begin to show themselves and you will say: "Did you see? I feel hurt, I keep telling you so." So your belief caused you to get hurt and not the other.

The other person isn't you. In relationships, a moment comes when you don't know if it is their fault or yours, if it is their responsibility or yours, if that person has caused the irritation inside you, or if it was you, if that person began the argument or it was you, if they created the conflict or if it was you, because we project (throw) our energies onto each other. All of this drives us to frustration. A lot of power, negative or positive, is needed for a person to be able to influence others with their consciousness, it is easier to influence ourselves. This is a basic principle of human relationships, which we don't understand. We don't understand, and the reason is that we don't see ourselves, because we are always looking at the other, putting the responsibility onto them, blaming them, criticizing them.

Message for the day

True change brings benefit to all.

Expression: When there is someone who is behaving in a way that is not right, the usual reaction is to have negative feelings for that person. All words and actions based on this negative attitude will naturally create negativity. Instead it is good to see what could be done to benefit the other person. Raising complaints only takes away inner peace.

Experience: When I bring about a change that benefits even the person who is making the mistake, I am able to remain in peace with all types of people. I am not worried about why a person is behaving in a particular way, but I am able to see what is to be done in order to remove that particular negativity. The hatred is not for the person but for the negativity itself.
 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 06, 2019: Be Reluctantless!

Contemplation: April 06, 2019: Be Reluctantless!

 

APJ Abdul Kalam:11th President of India from 2002 to 2007.  Aerospace engineer in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Also known as the Missile Man of India 

Be Reluctantless!

We have a tendency to make significant choices in our lives and then forget that we actually made the choice. Work is such a choice. If we forget to choose the work we do then each day of our life can easily be an experience of continuous reluctance. Would you choose to live your life reluctantly? Every time you use the words ‘have to’ you are telling the universe you would rather not be where you are and you’d rather not do what you are doing at that moment. And if you keep thinking in this way in one area of your life, it becomes a habitual thought pattern which you soon find turning up in your attitude everywhere in your life. And if you keep thinking, feeling, saying and living with this pattern of reluctance you can be absolutely sure the universe will eventually grant your recurring wish. But you will like the result even less. Nothing positive, fulfilling or empowering was ever created with the energy of reluctance. Don’t be reluctant about anything in your life today. Re-affirm your presence and your choices every day.

Humility

Humility brings excellence. Humility means there is no expectation of
being perfect always. So whatever is done comes naturally. There is
no feeling of threat about others' opinion, but the one who is humble
is able to express inner talent without any fear and expectations. So
humility takes one forward towards excellence: When I am humble, I am
able to stabilize myself in my state of self-respect always. This
naturally is felt even when I am not able to bring perfection in my
actions or even when others are not satisfied with me. Internally
there is a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that I am constantly
learning and moving forward.

Communication

A great deal of our communication is non-verbal and we rarely realize the effect that it has on others. Our tone of voice, our body language (particularly our eyes and face), our attitudes and our feelings, are constantly in communication with others, expressing anger, fear, love, trust, rejection - in fact, all our feelings and emotions. We cannot hide what we mean; we may do so for a while, but finally the truth emerges.

Communication is not just with others, but also with the self, with the Supreme Being and even nature. Being still, focused and open enables us to tune in to others so that we can respond in an appropriate and meaningful way, not simply in a mechanical way.

Here are some common reasons for blocks to communication:

* Too many thoughts, and an overload of words and actions, results in us being unable to think clearly. We lose the essence of what is trying to be conveyed (transmitted) by the other.

* Being lost in our own feelings or ideas. In such a state we do not listen attentively to others.

* Remembering the past in a negative way. This does not allow us to tune in properly to our present and future. When we do not communicate properly with the needs of the present time, we loose opportunities.

(To be continued tomorrow....)

Soul Sustenance

What Should We Value More - The Soul Or The Body?

When the soul leaves the body, it's not just the body that dies but it's as if all the connections with the world of that individual are simply switched off. Not only the relationships but all specific plans, projects and desires suddenly have no further means (medium) through which they can be expressed or put into practice. The powers of thinking, deciding and the personality traits (sanskaras) connected with the life that is being left behind, stop and get hidden momentarily to emerge again in a new body, a new life. All the material things that belonged to that particular individual are passed on to others.

It's interesting to note that even when the body is sick it can only be treated when the soul is still present. If we take out the soul no one remains to look after the body.

On the other hand, the body is a truly marvelous vehicle for the soul to express itself through. No manufactured machine could hope to compete. For example, it is calculated that in just one day, the brain is able to complete a hundred times more connections than the entire telecommunications system of the planet. Or compare the human eye with any manufactured camera or the heart with any manufactured pump. The body's importance cannot be played down or not taken into account. 

Message for the day

The best comparison is the comparison with oneself.

Expression: The one who is comparing oneself with what he was and seeing how he can improve or how he has improved is the one who is constantly bringing about progress in his own life. On the contrary the one who is comparing himself with others is the one who is constantly finding excuses and leaving behind the opportunities that he gets for bringing about a change.

Experience: When I am free from excuses and free from comparison with others, I am able to be light even in the most challenging circumstances. I am not caught up with my own mistakes or those of others, but am able to constantly add on to my treasure store of experiences and be richer and richer with every new challenge faced.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 05, 2019: Think Big

Contemplation: April 05, 2019: Think Big

Think Big

Rise above little things. Be a big thinker. You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, dream big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, image big, love big, live big. Carry that list and you’ll start feeling big. Be a believer and you’ll be an achiever.

Solution

Whenever we are faced with a problem, we naturally begin to worry.
This worry makes us have a lot of waste thoughts. We don't find the
solution, yet we can't stop worrying. A worried mind filled with waste
thoughts cannot find the right solution. The only way to find the
right solution is to keep the mind free from worry. For this we need
to first have the faith that there is a solution and we will find it.
When we thus keep our mind free, our intuition works well and we are
automatically able to take the right decision.

The Cyclic Functioning Of The Three Faculties Of The Soul

The soul consists of three faculties - the mind, intellect and sanskaras.  They work together in a cyclic fashion. How they work together can be illustrated by looking at how habits or sanskaras are formed e.g. if you are used to scolding your children to get them to do their homework, here is what happens when you visit a friend's place and watch, for the first time, how your friend is doing the same to his/her child, you might think (done by the mind): 'I should adopt the same method to discipline my children, they never listen to me '. Your intellect discriminates and judges whether that thought is right or not. Seeing others using the same method, and also seeing that the children are not being affected in any negative way (at least in the short term, not realizing the long term harm) and also seeing them get the desired result, you make a decision to do the same, which leads to the action of scolding your children.  This creates an impression or memory within the soul, somewhat like cutting a groove in a piece of wood.  This groove in the soul becomes a characteristic of your personality and is known as a sanskara .  Within the groove is recorded the memory of, firstly, the action of scolding the children and, secondly, the desired result from the action. Now, whenever your child disobeys you even a little bit, this sanskara is activated and the memory of the action and result associated with it emerge in the mind triggering a thought: 'Let me scold my child, that's the best way to get him to do things'.  The intellect judges the thought, remembering the proof of the scolding, based on past experience, and then makes the decision that it is alright to using anger as a weapon to discipline the child. In this way, the sanskara keeps getting deeper and deeper. The cyclic process explained above, applies to all habits, whether physical or non-physical.

Soul Sustenance

Ways Of Improving Communication - Part 2

We had explained a few ways of improving communication yesterday. Some more are explained below herewith:

* Say what we mean, always. When we speak with courage and a calm self-confidence without force, then communication is honest, open, clear and trusted. Courage doesn't mean to say what we think others want to hear. If we lack courage because of the need for approval and acceptance, or because of a lack of confidence, then communication and the consequent relationship remains superficial and artificial. No one feels satisfied with this situation.

* Learn the language of silence. It is the basis of right intentions, positive feelings and clear attitudes. In this language, there is only one grammar: honesty and kindness. Honesty creates clarity and kindness creates respectfulness.

When we take time to reflect on our level of communication with everyone we meet, the realizations we have in silence will be manifested (displayed) in the higher quality and ease of interaction that we will find in all relations: be it with the self, with others or with the Supreme Source of Light.

Message for the day

To be a leader is to lead by one's own example.

Expression: Everyone knows what is right and what is not. But the one who is able to live by what is right, and shows the same in his words and actions is the one who is able to inspire others to bring about a change. There is then no need to speak a lot of words to inspire others.

Experience: When every action of mine is qualitative , I find that people look up to me for guidance and support. When people look up to me and take inspiration from me, I am able to keep attention on my words and actions so that whatever I speak and do is beneficial for myself and others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 04, 2019: Self-Talk

Contemplation: April 04, 2019: Self-Talk

Self-Talk

How do you talk to yourself?  Thoughts from the past and worries about the future do not create good conversations.  Instead talk to your mind with love.

Gratitude

The intention and the action of gratitude is the inner symphony of the
heart. It opens to sing with thanks for the smallest of things. To
hear a bird sing, to see a child laugh, to receive a friend's
affection - are all invitations to practise the attitude of gratitude.
Gratitude is the kind of loving thanks which touches another's heart
in a place where they will allow you to reside for a long time.

relax7

Accessing Spiritual Power

In the inner depths of the soul there is pure, spiritual power of peace, love, wisdom and un-conditional joy.  This power provides us with the inner strength needed to change.  But how do we access this power? Meditation is the method - it allows this power to come to the surface of our consciousness and into our minds and influence our thoughts, feelings and personality.   In the same way as lava flows from the inner depths of the Earth to the surface through a volcano, we can also create volcanoes of spiritual power when we meditate.  Note, though, that we want to use our power in a positive way: we are not seeking the kind of power that is physical in nature and may cause damage, we are seeking spiritual power. 

When we get access to our own personal source of the power of peace, love and happiness, we essentially become free of any dependency on external sources for feelings of the same.  When we generate our own feelings of love and self-respect, we stop being dependent on others and our addiction to their acceptance and approval reduces and finally disappears.  When we generate our own feelings of contentment and joy within ourselves, we become free from the need for substances, places or physical experiences in order to be happy.

Using this inner power in the right way allows us to uproot or remove completely the old negative habits within our personality. Any unwanted habit can be changed and the scars of all the negative habits, which have developed within the soul over a long period of time, during the journey of birth and rebirth, can be healed in a short time span.

Soul Sustenance

Ways of Improving Communication - Part 1

* Listen with both ears. I should be an active listener by tuning in fully and being present fully with the person and with the moment. If I am not, I listen through one ear and let it out of the other, or I only half listen, which finally creates misunderstandings.

* Understand where the other person is coming from. Do not just assume, imagine or judge; when we do this, our critical vision prevents others from expressing what they wish to say. Then, because of wrong or half-right assumptions, others are not given the possibility to improve, or express, outside the boundaries of what we think of them. To give others a true chance to express themselves, we must not place our own boundaries around them.

* Think before speaking. This is not something new, but however often we hear it, we forget to apply it. To think before speaking means to show consideration to the other and then we say the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.

(To be continued tomorrow….)

Message for the day

To be free from the identification with negativity is to be always light.

Expression: The one who identifies with his negative traits is always thinking about it. There is a trace of this negativity that is seen in everything he does or talks. He is not able to be free from this negativity because with each passing day the identification with it becomes stronger. Slowly others too start perceiving him in the same way.

Experience: When I am able to be free from the identification with my negativity, I am able to be constantly light. There might be situations or people who might provoke my negativity, but I am able to maintain my inner positivity. This is because I have managed to finish my identification with the negativity.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 03, 2019: Good Relationships

Contemplation: April 03, 2019: Good Relationships

Good Relationships

In order to create good relationships:  - with your mind, think about what you have to learn from others, - with your eyes, look into good qualities of others, - with your words, recognize, value and appreciate their accomplishments, - with your actions, cooperate and do something for others.

True winning

If you ever find yourself defending a position, explaining why, or
justifying anything, it means you have been defeated. It means you
have not been able to accept the others point of view, or the fact
that you may be wrong. Fear has conquered your mind and your heart.
Your defences are up and you are running scared. It's not that the
other person has conquered you, it's the self-created fear that is in
control. Until you can accept the other (you don't have to agree) and
you are not threatened by the other, your victories will be delayed.
It's a funny old world when true winning is accepting not resisting,
when victory is found in the wisdom to stop fighting and to begin
engaging.

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The Difference Between Human Souls And The Supreme Soul (God) - cont.

Human Souls: They have physical bodies.
Supreme Soul: God's form is incorporeal (point of spiritual energy).

Human Souls: They cannot liberate humanity.
Supreme Soul: God is the uplifter of all.

Human Souls: They become impure through body-consciousness.
Supreme Soul: God is the purifier.

Human Souls: They are caught up by the present, do not have complete knowledge of the past (since they come in the process of birth and rebirth) and no accurate knowledge of the future.
Supreme Soul: God is the knower of the three aspects of time (past, present and future).

Human Souls: They are takers.
Supreme Soul: God is the giver, He takes nothing.

Soul Sustenance

The Step Of Donation In Silence

Donating is the final step of silence. We have filled the self with a particular quality and it starts flowing out of us. We allow this quality to touch the atmosphere around us and consciously donate this vibration to the world, enabling those in need to feel it and to absorb it.

This is the ultimate step of a true meditator, often referred to as the lighthouse stage. A lighthouse stands still and stable in one position in the rough sea and beams the light all around so that ships are shown the way. We are able to bring an original quality of the self into our consciousness, fill our self with it and then, very naturally, let it radiate from the mind.

One of the most important aspects in this step of silence is the link with the Supreme Energy. We make this link with the Supreme Source, we absorb from that Source, we fill the self from that Source and then donate all that the Source has given us.

This is called angelic or instrument consciousness. It is said that an angel is a human soul who has fallen so deeply in love with that Source of Light that it has transformed completely. It is totally filled with Light and Peace and its task is only to serve, to share Divine Love and Peace with others. 

Message for the day

The one who is clean and clear inside is the one who becomes a mirror for others.

Expression: When there is the ability to realize and bring about a change, there is also the ability to make oneself clear and clean inside. Such a person naturally becomes a clean mirror for others to see their own perfection. He becomes an inspiration for those around for bringing about the best from within.

Experience: Each and every moment of my life, when I am able to work to bring about a change in myself constantly, I am able to remain in touch with my inner qualities. I have the joy of experiencing my inner perfection, which naturally flows and touches the lives of those around.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 02, 2019: Real Gentleness

Contemplation: April 02, 2019: Real Gentleness

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom, Yokohama

Real Gentleness

Real Gentleness is a power that sees, understands, but never interferes.  A branch of a tree touches the earth without taking root.  Never to take root in someone else's mind but to help, that's gentleness.

Deep Healing

The deepest wounds we all carry are locked in our subconscious (out of
our awareness). Deep memories and subtle impressions, from unfinished
experience, rooted in the past. The pain from those wounds comes to
revisit, to block and paralyze us in the moment called now. We all
know it comes without warning - "Why am I feeling this way, I didn't
mean to do that, I don't know what made me say that." Healing does not
mean finding and treating every single inner scar which send it
message to haunt us. It means going even deeper, past those wounds,
beyond those distant memories and recording of unfinished business, to
the core of our self, to the heart of our spirit, where we find the
light and warmth of our own core qualities of love and peace. They are
eternally present within us they are what we need to heal all our
inner wounds. That's why this kind of deep healing is called
spirituality and not therapy.

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The Difference Between Human Souls And The Supreme Soul (God) - cont.

Human Souls: They lose their power and become weak.
Supreme Soul: God is the constant and external source of all spiritual power for all human souls.

Human Souls: They are brothers.
Supreme Soul: God is the Father and Mother.

Human Souls: They come into greed, lust and attachment.
Supreme Soul: God is bondage-less (free), the liberator of all, including the sages, saints, holy teachers and gurus. He doesn't succumb to the vices.

Human Souls: They become worshippers.
Supreme Soul: God is ever worthy of being worshipped.

Human Souls: They have desires based on bodily needs, name and fame.
Supreme Soul: God is completely desireless and selfless.

(To be continued tomorrow ....)

Soul Sustenance

Forgive To Forget

A key principle to remain light and stable in relationships is – forgive and forget - it’s a well-known principle – one that we sometimes find difficult to practice. It can be modified to forgive to forget. Sometimes we spend many years with so much bitterness inside us for a particular person, with an inner violence of wanting to make the other pay (emotions of revenge), the one who has supposedly hurt you. If you don’t strike back immediately, you at least want to keep this guilt card in your pocket, to be pulled out at a later date: “Oh yes, well what about the time when you….” We keep this bitterness inside us because we haven't forgiven. It does not resolve the situation; the only thing it does is increase our pain, makes us heavy and does not let us remain in peace. So the key is that if we do not forgive, we cannot forget. When someone has offended or insulted us, the last thing we want to do is to let it go. And yet, if our desire is to have a healthy, lasting relationship, that is exactly what we’ve got to do.

Sometimes, when it is a question of a broken relationship, it is not only a matter of forgiving the other, but of forgiving yourself for having allowed yourself to enter that experience. It was you that took the step to allow that experience to be entered into. If you hadn't taken that step, you wouldn't have had that experience. You accepted that challenge, that relationship, and what might happen in it – you were aware of the possibilities when you entered in the relationship. So not only do you have to learn to forgive the other, but also to forgive yourself in such situations. Only then will you be able to forget.

Message for the day

Contentment makes one virtuous.

Expression: The one who is content is free from selfishness, yet is concerned about filling the self with inner treasures. Such a person finds his stock of treasures always full and overflowing. So his thoughts, words and actions are those that are constantly bringing benefit to those around.

Experience: When I am always content, I always experience myself to be victorious. I am easily able to learn from all situations and use all my experiences to move forward. Also I become a giver. I thus get the love and good wishes of those around me and am also able to experience constant progress.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 01, 2019: Principle of Pure Love

Contemplation: April 01, 2019: Principle of Pure Love

Principle of Pure Love

If we obey the principle of pure love, our life will always go in the right direction. Altruistic and unconditional love is pure and comes from our inner truth. When we are obedient to that inner truth, our life becomes a joyful dance.

Appreciation

It is much easier to note what one doesn't have than appreciate what
one has. So whenever challenging situations come our way, we tend to
see what we are lacking. When there is such an attitude we are not
able to make any effort to change the situation. We then tend to blame
others or give excuses. During challenging situations and even
otherwise, we need to make special effort to appreciate and use what
we have. When we continue to make effort in this way, every challenge
will allow us to discover and use hidden resources, thus making us
richer. So we would be able to experience constant progress.

The Difference Between Human Souls And The Supreme Soul (God)

Human Souls: They take human bodies and experience birth, life and death.
Supreme Soul: Never comes into the cycle of birth and death.

Human Souls: They are subject to change and the dualities of pleasure and pain, growth and decay, happiness and sorrow.
Supreme Soul: Changeless. The One beyond the above dualities.

Human Souls: They remember and then forget their original pure nature.
Supreme Soul: God is always the ocean of knowledge; he does not come in the cycle of remembering and forgetting.

Human Souls: They are seekers of peace and happiness.
Supreme Soul: God is the One whom everyone seeks (longs for). He is the bestower (giver) of peace and happiness to everyone.

(To be continued tomorrow ....)

Soul Sustenance

The Life Jacket of Hope

In the midst of the constant changes of life and confusing or chaotic situations, hope, becomes our life jacket, which helps us to keep afloat and not to drown in the hurricane that at times causes unexpected or sudden changes. Without hope, we expect the worst. Our vision gets cloudy; we do not find or see any ray of light to see by. The mind fills with questions, allowing it to be overpowered by doubts and insecurity. Fear takes control of us and everything turns into a mountain or an un-climbable wall. It seems to us that we will not be able to get out of the difficult and critical moments, or it will be difficult for us to get out of the "hole". We feel incapable of going forward. Fear and doubt paralyze us and prevent us from deciding with clarity and acting with determination. We need to find support or help and, when we don't get it, we go even further down.

Living with hope keeps us awake. With hope we are open to the opportunities that life offers us. We overcome fear and expect the best. With hope our forces are joined in order to deal with and overcome difficulties. We maintain the vision that everything will get better and things will streamline themselves, giving out benefits to all. Hope helps us to keep the meaning of our life alive.

Message for the day

Cooperation brings beauty and growth.

Expression: Everyone seeks for cooperation from others, but the beauty lies in cooperating with others. True cooperation is that which is given with the heart and touches the lives of others positively. It inspires others to be cooperative too. This is the true help that one can extend to others.

Experience: When I am able to be cooperative with others and provide them with the help that they require, I am able to enjoy the joy of giving unconditionally. I am free from expectations from others and I am able to enjoy the growth that I perceive in others. I don't expect others to change for me but because they can improve.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/