Contemplation: April 22, 2019: The Quality of Mercy

Contemplation: April 22, 2019: The Quality of Mercy

Monk feeding a 3 year old 350kg male tiger

The Quality of Mercy

A person with the quality of mercy works on such a subtle level that the support given never demeans or implies weakness in the other person.

Smile

You never have to be miserable because of someone else's bad attitude.
Your own attitude is yours to control, and you can do with it what you
please. Others will often attempt to draw you into their negativity.
They may whine, scream, glare, pout, or call you all sorts of names,
but never does it mean that you must pick up on any of it. You can
lovingly and politely choose to stay positive. Simply realize that
another person's negative attitude is that person's problem, and does
not have to dictate your behavior in any way. The most powerful
response to negativity is not more negativity. The most powerful,
confident, effective response is to keep yourself focused on moving
positively forward. Smile, and know that you are in control of how
you feel, what you think and how you act. Offer your best, most
sincerely positive face to the world, no matter what kind of faces you
find looking back at you. Rather than being pulled down, you'll be
lifting up. And that's a powerful, effective place to be.

Defining Failure

Given below are some definitions of failure:

* Depending on your perception: failure actually does not exist.
* Staying stuck in what you could have done and haven't done. Letting your though patterns to be influence by the same.
* Experiencing emotions of frustration, pain, suffering.
* Losing your notion (idea) of the dream, of the ideal life you want to lead.
* Not fulfilling set expectations.
* Not having enough courage and bravery to walk through life.
* Not being the ruler of your thoughts, feelings, actions and life in general.
* Allowing yourself to be led by something negative that a particular situation causes.
* Distancing yourself from your values.
* Not being in harmony with your inner conscience (while performing actions).
* When the self does not accept what life brings it.
* Putting your life in the hands of, and blaming, others and circumstances with feelings of emptiness and confusion.
* False expectations.
* Excessive attachment.
* Excessive materialism.

Tomorrow we shall discuss some factors that bring us closer to failure.

Soul Sustenance

Imbibing (Absorbing) Spiritual Knowledge

The first step into experience, particularly the meditation experience, is knowledge. What does it mean to 'know'? Knowing involves four steps, which ultimately give the meditator the experience of realization:

The first step of knowing is information. With information, our intellect opens to new ideas and opinions.

The second step of knowing is knowledge, when we begin to reflect and think on the ideas and views that we have listened to. At this point, we often have to select only a few of the ideas we have heard, as it is not always possible to reflect (think) on all the information that is fed to us. In order to deepen our understanding, we reflect on the information and sometimes discuss our findings and thoughts with others.

The third step of knowing is when we move from thinking to doing, that is, from knowledge to wisdom. Wisdom is gained when we commit ourselves to doing. Knowledge translated into our everyday behaviour is called wisdom, which, in turn, is called quality life. A life of quality is where personal values are not only realised but also lived and experienced through our practical actions.

Doing, or practice, naturally brings us to the fourth and final step of knowing, which is called Truth.

Message for the day

To be merciful means to transform the pain and sorrow of others.

Expression: The one who is merciful always has the feeling of mercy and is able to help those who are in need or in distress. Such a person is able to bring about transformation in others too because of his own pure feelings. He is able to put in effort that becomes a contribution for the progress of others.

Experience: When I have mercy for others, I am able to accept their feelings, emotions and behaviour and provide them with the right kind of mental support. Then I am able to give them courage without being influenced negatively with their feelings of pain and sorrow. So my mercy influences myself positively too as I am able to keep myself positive under all circumstances.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 21, 2019: Your Inner Artist

Contemplation: April 21, 2019: Your Inner Artist

Artist: Vincent Van Gogh-Sunflowers-1888

Your Inner Artist

Today, bring out your inner artist.

Try seeing things from different perspectives.  Look for notable things to wonder at, maybe the tiny detail or a big panorama.

Then engage your inner artist in what you do and turn everyday actions into an artistic expression.

Become an Inspiration

The one who is able to become an example for others by living his life
with quality is the one who becomes an inspiration to others. Then
there is no need for so many words to express what has to be done.
Whatever is required to be done will be done without having to be
told. When I have the aim of becoming a role model, I not only
improve myself but also am able to give inspiration to others too. I
find that the support and the cooperation comes very naturally and
easily. So nothing is difficult for me as I am able to pool in
everyone's resources without having to say anything.

Concentration

With some meditation techniques, people are given ideas or mantras, which they often simply repeat. They do not penetrate the mind and do not bring any sense of meaning. People bounce these ideas around like a ball in their mind and, from the mind, the ball of thought is bounced to the mouth. Sound patterns are repeated, but nothing has really been understood. The result of this is that there is very little power generated from within to bring about change in behaviour, or personality. Thus, everything continues in the same way. In these cases, people are not focused on spirituality. As a result, after a while, such people find meditation boring, they fall asleep, or think that by repeating words, either verbally or mentally, they are doing meditation. However, the right type of concentration is not brought about simply by repeating sounds or ideas.

Natural concentration is when the mind can hold a thought for a long time, when thoughts are under our own control.

Without concentration the mind goes here, there and everywhere, jumping like a monkey from branch to branch, idea to idea. When there is a natural concentration, we can control our mind and there is peace. This one-pointed concentration on a thought, holding it for as long as we like, gradually collects strength in the mind and in the self.

A strong mind is a mind that is peaceful, stable, satisfied and can remain in the deeper meaning of a thought. There is no waste caused by over-thinking, or the high speed of thought. These are the two greatest diseases of the mind these days, which is why there is so much stress and mental breakdown.

Soul Sustenance

Effect Of Food On The Mind - Part 2

Food may be placed in one of three categories. Pure (or sattwic) food constitutes the staple diet of a yogi (meditator). It includes fruits, grains, seeds, sprouts, most vegetables, dairy products and a moderate amount of spices and herbs. Then there is stimulating (or rajsik) food which may be consumed in moderation, and includes coffee, tea, colas, vinegar, radishes and spices. Finally there are impure (or tamsic) items, such as tobacco, alcohol, nonprescription drugs, all meat, fish, fowl, eggs, stale food and also garlic, onion and chives. These should all be completely avoided. Ordinarily onion and garlic are recommended to non-vegetarians as blood purifiers and to help counteract the buildup of harmful animal fat and cholesterol. However, the healthy vegetarian is not in need of such protection and a spiritually sensitive meditator will be aware that they (onion and garlic) tend to arouse anxiety and irritation – passions which reduce serenity and peace of mind. The purer ones diet, the more the emotions remain in a state of equilibrium, bringing tranquility to the consciousness and greater clarity to the mind and intellect. 

Message for the day

The best way to change others is to remain peaceful.

Expression: When there is behaviour seen which is not to my liking or approval, there is a tendency to get upset and worked up about it. So immediately, this is brought into words and actions also. Getting agitated or excited doesn't however solve the problem. When there is the ability to remain peaceful, the right solution is found and there is the right response to the problem at hand.

Experience: When I am able to maintain my inner peace under all circumstances and with all people, I am able to use the power of my thoughts to bring about a change in the mind of others too. I find myself discovering the power of my inner potential and am able to use it for my own benefit and that of others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 20, 2019: Trust Yourself

Contemplation: April 20, 2019: Trust Yourself

Jacob's Well, Wimberley, Texas

Trust Yourself

In any relationship trust is the first thing to leave and the last to return. And if you recognize that the most important relationship is with yourself, then perhaps it's time to start some trust building close to home. Make and keep a promise or a commitment to yourself, however small - in fact, start very small! Make one and keep one today, and then notice the surge of inner power as a result. See how much more you like yourself as a result. Trust is being built.

Humility

The magic potion for mixing and matching Sanskaars or personality
traits is the precious virtue of HUMILITY. Humility brings harmony in
relationships. When there is humility there is the ability to
understand and relate to others. There is an acceptance of the other
person as he is. There is no pressure on the other person to change
according to one's own personality, but there is the ability to
provide an environment for the other person's growth. When I am
humble, I am able to see and relate to others with their specialities.
I do not think about what I have given to the relationship, nor do I
expect anything from the relationship. But I continue to enjoy and
appreciate what I get. So this keeps me positive even when the
personalities don't match.

Understanding What Are Karmic Accounts

We are not individuals acting alone in this world drama; we act in this extraordinary drama or play of life with other actors or souls who (along with us) play their different roles with different physical costumes at different times in the drama. During the process of interaction with other actors (souls) and according to the type of interaction with them, we create accounts of debit or credit that become the basis of our connections with others. The reasons for which a specific relationship goes well or not are in the so called 'karmic account' that I have accumulated with the other person in the past. The past could be in this birth alone or in one or many previous births. The souls that play the parts of parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, office colleagues and others whom I know form a network for the giving and receiving of happiness and sorrow from accounts established in the past or being created in the present.

The strongest relationships that I have now were established previously. We knew each other in other lives and but in different roles. The daughter of some births ago returns now as the father, the best friend comes back as the sister etc. As long as the account exists, the interchange of actions between two souls continues. When there is nothing more to give or receive, the paths between the two souls separate by death, a break-up, a divorce or simply by the loss of contact. An e.g. of this is our school friends. Many of our friends whom we were close to in our school days, we are not in touch with today. Another e.g. is when we change jobs; we might lose complete contact with our old colleagues.

Soul Sustenance

Effect Of Food On The Mind - Part 1

In harmony with our great spiritual, religious and wisdom traditions, the Brahma Kumaris places great importance on food. Whilst modern science tends to take a technician’s approach and sees the molecules, chemical compounds and nutrients that feed the body; we look at a more spiritual, holistic perspective which places a sacred significance on what we eat, seeing how the food’s energy can touch, heal and nourish the soul as well. The body needs sustenance but so does the soul: we must absorb, assimilate and integrate spiritual energy as well as physical energy from our food. Practitioners of the Raja Yoga meditation, which the Brahma Kumaris teaches, are typically lacto-vegetarians (diet is a vegetarian diet which includes dairy products). They believe that non-violence is an essential characteristic of the spiritually awakened individual and that the essence of the human soul is peace, tranquility and love. If the internal workings of the soul are disturbed, by eating the wrong type of food then the individual is not able to enjoy meditative serenity (peacefulness). The meditator sees that whatever food is eaten has an effect on the mind, in a subtle form, in a similar way in which alcohol or intoxicating drugs can dramatically change our mood and power of judgment.

We shall be explaining the different types of foods tomorrow …

Message for the day

To be powerful is to destroy unwanted habits.

Expression: To be powerful means to be aware of one's own hidden powers and to use these powers in destroying old unwanted habits. It is to apply a powerful brake to the thoughts in a second, so that there is the ability to master the situation. Such a person does not fall prey to the situation but makes effort to become a destroyer of the weakness in a second.

Experience: When I am able to use my inner powers I am able to apply a brake to my thoughts in a second. I am able to finish old unwanted habits and be free from the burden of having to be with negativity. So I am able to be a master who is well equipped to face all situations in life. And I am able to be successful both in relationships and in my work.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 19, 2019: Forgiveness Brings Me Closer to Others

Contemplation: April 19, 2019: Forgiveness Brings Me Closer to Others

Forgiveness Brings Me Closer to Others

Why is it hard to forgive others? Usually because we believe that they are 90% to blame for the problem, that I am not as bad as they are. So I start to carry the load of other people's actions. If my ego is too hurt, I will have the sense of correction, of justice: 'I know I am right', 'That is not fair'. But if I start to forgive from the heart, sincerely, then this kind of feeling and attitude begins to dissolve. I remain humble and this forgiveness will bring me closer to others. Then I do not carry regrets or anger, I just let go and remain light.

Focus on Happiness

The reason why negative thought energies are so detrimental to our

well-being is that they 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. "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. "

Stages of Meditation to Realize The Self

1. Relax your body.

2. Withdraw your attention from everything around you, including your body.

3. Affirm (confirm), using your thoughts, your identity as a soul or spirit, and your nature as peaceful and full of love.

4. Contemplate (think) the knowledge of yourself as a soul, a point of spiritual light, situated in the centre of your forehead.

5. Concentrate attention on yourself as a peaceful, loving being.

6. Experience (visualize) yourself as a soul and acknowledge the feelings of inner peace.

7. Maintain, without force, consciousness (awareness) of yourself as a soul even while in action and while interacting with others.

Soul Sustenance

Negative Reactions To Negative Actions

We very commonly react negatively with anger to another person’s anger filled words or actions, which we perceive to be unjustified or unreasonable. But this kind of action on our part, which we feel is our right and is a justified reaction or response, only adds to the negative energy already existing inside a particular situation, increasing the energy and making the situation even more complicated and difficult to resolve. Two negatives never make a positive, they make a higher negative, to which a very high positive has to be added (as compared to before) to bring the situation back to neutral or normal. Also, when you react, you are doing exactly what you believe the other person, the attacker, is doing – injuring someone on an emotional level, which is a form of subtle violence.

Lastly and very importantly, the other person’s negative and impulsive behavior, directed at you, portrays that at that particular moment he/she is experiencing an emptiness or void of wisdom, joy, peace, love and power, a void which he/she believes you have created and can only be re-filled by you. The anger filled action is a desire directed towards you, for this filling up. Hidden behind his/her anger is the feeling, "Because of this person, I have lost my happiness at this particular moment and he/she should give it back to me immediately", which means that the other person is lacking the realization that no other person is ever responsible for your happiness. You are, always. Instead of switching on the awareness of this spiritual fact and emerging the value of forgiveness inside yourself, forgiveness because the other person is lacking this wisdom at that moment of time, you react, which makes you similar to him possessing a similar belief, something which you will definitely not appreciate too much. But, what happens is that the emotional storm inside you at that moment hides your ability to see how you are yourself injuring your spiritual heart. While you are in that emotional state, there is no way you can heal the wounds of the other’s heart i.e. correct the other person. 

Message for the day

To have the right attitude is to add meaning to circumstances.

Expression: Circumstances are like objects. They are not alive but they come to life depending on the kind of attitude that one has. If the attitude is positive, there is the ability to make situations positive too. But if the attitude is negative, even the most ordinary situations seem to be negative. So every action done with such an attitude creates a negative impact on one's own life and that of others too.

Experience: When faced with a situation, if I am able to look at it in a positive way, I am able to make the best of the situation. I accept the situation as it is and I am able to be happy and light. This positive state of mind creates a great impact and it spreads around touching the lives of others too.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 18, 2019: Miss Everything

Contemplation: April 18, 2019: Miss Everything

Miss Everything

You can only be in one place at any moment in time. If you feel you are missing out on something then you are. But it's not the party, or being with another person that you're missing, it's your own life. As long as you are thinking of where you could be, you are marking yourself absent from where you are now. Which means you are nowhere. Many people spend their entire life in 'nowhere'. Not a wise choice!

Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is
that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?" Actually, who are you
not to be? You are a child of God! Your playing small doesn't serve
the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's
in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our
own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

The Role Of Emotions In The Functioning Of The Soul

Inside the soul, there are four components - thoughts, feelings, emotions and sanskaras. Thoughts and feelings are present more on the surface of the soul in the conscious. Emotions and sanskaras on the other hand are less easily perceived and lie below thoughts and feelings.

Sanskaras can be defined as the traces left on the soul due to actions performed by it and also due to its interactions with others in relationships.

Emotions, on the other hand, are impulses associated with the sanskaras and are very close to these traces.

The internal functioning of the soul is cyclic - 'thoughts gives rise to actions, actions give rise to sanskaras, and sanskaras give rise to further thoughts'. This description becomes complete, when we add an additional component - emotions. The deepest component inside the soul is the sanskaras. Next up from sanskaras are the emotions, above that are feelings and then finally the uppermost component inside the soul is the thoughts.

Thoughts can be caught instantly. Feelings can be seen and perceived if I stop for a moment and check. Emotions are deeper than both of them and are very close to the sanskaras, and just as its difficult to see all the sanskaras of an individual, we can't always see their emotions.

Feelings, being more towards the surface, can be clearly identified, but you have to go deeper to see the quality of emotions a person is creating and the quality of his/her sanskaras.

Soul Sustenance

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God - Part 3

Continuing from yesterday’s message:

The Zoroastrians worship God as fire (Indian Zoroastrians are called Parsis).

The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun as God.

A Buddhist sect in Japan focuses the mind on a small oval shape. They call it Karni, the Peace-giver.

The Jews have the Menorah (a candlestick or holder for many candles together) which when lit is a memory of the form of God as light.

It seems therefore that human beings, without realizing, have all been worshipping and trying to discover the same God. There is only one God and His form is light. If union between the soul and the Supreme Soul is to take place, it can only be possible if there is knowledge and experience of that form.

On the basis of our (soul and the Supreme Soul) similarities of form and place of residence, I learn from God of my own original sanskars of peace, purity, love, knowledge, power and bliss. As I tune my thoughts to Him, His influence fills these original qualities in me. He is the perfect and infinite fountain, indeed the ocean, of these qualities. His superiority lies in the depth, clarity and continuity of His divine sanskars. Whilst human souls fluctuate between peace and peacelessness; love and hatred; knowledge and ignorance; sorrow and joy, God is ever constant and above and beyond these fluctuations.

Message for the day

Humility wins hearts.

Expression: The one who is humble is able to put the other person forward. Such a person recognizes, appreciates and uses the specialities of others for the success of any task. So, along with giving the best, he is also able to bring out the best in the other person too. So, he is able to do the best in any task.

Experience: When I am humble, I experience harmony in relationships. I am able to learn from the different experiences and make myself better and better each day. So, I experience success in all I do. I am also able to win the hearts of others and get good wishes from them.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 17, 2019: Like the Diamond

Contemplation: April 17, 2019: Like the Diamond

Archduke Joseph diamond

Like the Diamond

Diamonds are a symbol of endurance;
they're born under intense heat and extreme pressure.

Just like the diamond, we too become resilient and radiant thanks to life's pressures.

"The only thing to fear is fear itself."

As we move toward different wars and calamities, do not fear...instead
have Faith that all things are working as they should. Do not judge
with mortal eyes the tragedies of war, for we do not know the higher
order of things evolving. Instead, pray for Wisdom and Swift
resolution of a war...a war we have no control over. The only thing we
can control however, is our thoughts and what we focus on in each
Precious Moment of our lives. So as the media bombards us with fear
and horror; let us focus on Peace, focus on Love, focus on God's Light
and might.

The Soul Journey

A common question asked by many is - "Do we go back to the soul world, the incorporeal world (non-physical world), the home of all souls, when we die?" When we understand and experience ourselves as souls, as un-destroyable, eternal beings, we realize that death is only a physical phenomenon.   At the death of the body, the soul enters another physical costume and a new chapter in its journey of life begins.    Depending on the soul's karma performed through the body, its new birth is likely to be somewhere in the company of those souls with whom it has been close in previous births.  It is quite a paradox that when a soul leaves a body, the relations which it has left, mourn over the loss of their loved one, and the new relations which it gets attached to celebrate with happiness, over an addition of a new-born entrant in their family.

The soul only leaves the home (the soul world) once in a unique, personal journey. This journey of the soul is not linear i.e. a straight line, with a beginning and an end. But, on the other hand, it is cyclic i.e. a circle, with neither a beginning, nor an end - although both leaving the soul world and going back to the soul world happen once each in every cycle.   This soul journey can be compared to actors who leave home to go to the theatre to play their parts.   They change costumes between scenes - they don't return home at the end of each scene, they return home when the play is finished, only to return the next day to repeat their part in the play. Each birth of the soul that it takes can be compared to a new scene of the play, which consists of many different scenes.

Soul Sustenance

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God - Part 2

Just as a candle flame emerges from a point source and assumes an oval form, mystics and saints throughout the passage of time have had visions of God as a point of self-luminous light with an oval aura.

Most religions have images, idols or memorials, having one name or the other to represent God as light or as an oval shape.

Throughout India there are statues of an oval-shaped image. They are called Shivalingas, and are thought to represent the Creator Himself. The names of the temples of Shiva confirm this: Somnath, the Lord of Nectar; Vishwanath, The Lord of the Universe; Mukteshwara, the Lord of Liberation, etc..

In the Old Testament of the Bible, it is mentioned that Moses had a vision of light as a burning bush in the desert. Jesus also referred to God as light. In some Christian ceremonies, during the ceremonies, an ostensorio is held up. The ostensorio is a golden ball with many rays radiating from it. Perhaps this is a symbolic representation of God.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism called Him Ek Omkar, Nirakar, the one non-physical (bodiless) being or soul.

According to Islamic legend, when Adam left paradise he came to a low hill upon which he saw a shining white oval stone. Around this stone he circled seven times praising God. He then built the Kaaba. By the time of Abraham it needed to be rebuilt as a temple to honour the one God. The town of Mecca grew around this spot. This oval stone, later called Sang-e-aswad and now ‘blackened’ by the kisses of millions of sinners, so they say, is the only object of worship in the whole of Islam.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

Where there is faith, there is greatness.

Expression: To have faith means to recognize the positivity in the self, in others and in situations. It also means a deep connection with God. The one who has faith is able to bring out the greatness in everything and everyone. So such a person reveals his greatness wherever he is.

Experience: When I have unbroken faith, I have the understanding that everything that happens is for some good cause. So, I am satisfied with everything that happens in my life. So I am creative in my responses to the environment, which in turn, makes me truly great.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 16, 2019: Full of Drama

Contemplation: April 16, 2019: Full of Drama

A pod of 9 dolphins surfing a wave behind a stand-up paddle boarder - talk about an experience! Elouera Beach, Cronulla, Sydney, Australia

Full of Drama

Take life as it is, full of drama and adventure.  Experience the fun and the excitement, if not, it'll turn into melodrama!

So, the next time things get dramatic in your life, add the ingredient of humour and go from feeling heavy to being light.

Lighten up and you'll lighten up the situation; going from melodrama to enjoying the drama of life.

Wasteful Thoughts

By having the sanskars or personality of wasteful thoughts, you
increased the duration of a situation. When you have wasteful
thoughts, you understand that they are wasteful, but just as there is
great force of a river or an ocean, so the flow of wasteful thoughts
is so fast that they pull you. No matter how much you try to stop
them, they still continue to flow. You understand and you also think
that it is not right; you understand that it causes a great loss, but
you still continue to allow them to flow. What is the reason for this?
The lack of the power to transformation.

The Filtration Process In The Soul

The mind and its creation i.e. thoughts, in these times, in most people, are controlled by three main factors:
i. their habits or sanskaras
ii. their past experiences, and
iii. information which they are exposed to and which they imbibe.

The intellect is like a filter which has the function of discriminating, of judging the thoughts and deciding which ones to put into practice and which ones not to, basically filtering them. Presently the filter of the intellect has become weakened, confused and unsure; it has become blocked by many incorrect beliefs, due to which this filtration does not take place properly - as a result many wrong thoughts get converted into actions. A lot of times during the day, thoughts become actions so fast, that the filter of the intellect does not even come into play i.e. thoughts become actions bypassing the filter.

The beliefs that we have today are related to our cultural, physical, social, religious, political identity associated with our age, gender, occupation, wealth, role etc. of our body. Beliefs connected to materialism, to having rather than being, are living based on the perception of the sense organs, and not on the intuition and the wisdom of the spirit. There are beliefs that block you, or brake you, others break you, they bring about fears in you and a limited perception of reality and of yourself. However much you try to generate positive thoughts, if you do not change these beliefs, their influence on the intellect will be so strong that it is almost impossible to maintain a positive state of mind. Even if you experience it, it will be short-lived and temporary.

Soul Sustenance

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God - Part 1

There are some universally accepted characteristics of God:

• He is the creator and the one who sustains and takes care of the entire world population.
• He is the Highest of Highest.
• He is the Supreme Father.
• He is non-physical.
• He is omnipotent (one with unlimited power).
• He is a living being.
• He is all-loving and possesses complete knowledge.
• He is unchangeable.
• He is one and He is light.
• He is perfect in values and morals.
• He is absolutely just.
• He is the Supreme Benefactor (the one who brings benefit to everyone).
• He is the savior of souls.
• He is the purifier.
• He is mysterious in His ways.

Even in those religions that believe in and worship many Gods, there is one God who stands above the others. Then there are other faiths who believe God to be one single Supreme Being. Traditions, sacred texts, monuments, sayings and rituals all over the world, point to the existence of and belief in one knowledgeful, all-powerful and merciful being or soul. That being is universally called out to and recognized as the remover of sorrow, the giver of happiness and the savior of the sinful.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To be a master means to win over habits

Expression: Normally habits rule over the person and there is the inability to be a master over them. But to be a master is not to get influenced negatively by the habits but to be a stronger influence. The one who is a master never reacts to situations, but is able to respond to situations positively. Such a person is free from negativity in words and actions.

Experience: When there is inner silence I am able to overcome the negative influence of my habits. Inner silence comes with an experience of positivity. With practice I experience detachment from the situations and am able to feel the inner powers,  which frees me from the negativity of the situation too. So there is victory over the habit.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/