Contemplation: May 20, 2019: Choose Feelings

Contemplation: May 20, 2019: Choose Feelings

Choose Feelings

If your days seem filled with unwanted negative feelings, there is only one cure. When they come, choose them. Don't ask why, don't wonder how, don't fight them and never put yourself down for having them. But most of all never blame someone else for how you feel. If you do, it means you are still fast asleep and your choice is to be a victim. When the feelings come, even big disturbing emotional feelings say, "I choose this feeling" and know it comes because of something you have thought or done in the past, perhaps a certain belief that you have learned or an attachment that is threatened. Choice does not mean you want the feelings, but it does mean you are taking responsibility for them. And that is the beginning of self mastery. It is the first step to the healing and resolving of your emotions. But only the first step. Try this today and then ask yourself what the next step might be. If you are really interested to know, you will come to know!

Humility-1

True humility comes from self-respect. When we are full and in our
state of self-respect, we will be able to remain humble in all
situations. When there is no self-respect, any comments or criticism
hurts the ego and we tend to lose our humility. When I find myself
getting affected by criticism, I need to check whether I am sure of
what I'm doing. Let me look within myself and see what specialties I
have that I can use in my daily life. So when I increase my own
confidence in this way and do everything with this confidence, I'll be
humble.

Self Empowerment

Your strengths, talents, capabilities and resources are very important as the foundation of your self progress. Having a clear knowledge of them will help to keep you moving forward, and enable you to take up new opportunities when they arise. Our internal strengths create the foundation on which we make our decisions in life, how we relate to others and how we understand ourselves. For most people their strengths are understood but never made very conscious. They lie below the surface and are not openly talked about. Bringing them into our conscious understanding improves our process of self-empowerment. Also assess your areas of weakness or those aspects of life that are holding you back in some way and/or are causing you some sorrow or discomfort.

Exercise: Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses (5 each)

Now create questions (5-6) which will help in your self progress. Looking at your strengths and weakness, judge how effectively you are using these strengths to improve your personal and professional life, and what negative effects are your weaknesses (shortcomings) having on the same. These are some examples of questions that you can ask yourself at the end of each week:

How are my present strengths being used to improve my worth (value) at the workplace (office)? Is any weakness of mine proving to be an obstacle (barrier) in maintaining a healthy relationship with my spouse (partner)? Am I using my strengths in helping others or doing social service? Does any weakness exist inside me, which if removed, would make my relationships harmonious (peaceful) in the family and office?

Soul Sustenance

Soul Power over Role Power (Part 1)

Every act that we are involved in throughout the day is made possible or real by two entities - role and soul working in conjunction with each other. Although, it is a spiritual fact that the soul is the master and makes the role function, without the soul the role cannot function; while playing any role in our day-to-day life we tend to forget this fact and our entire focus falls on the role that is to be played, forgetting that by doing that, we bring down the probability of success of that role in our personal or professional life. Focusing positively on the soul and its components while playing the role fills the role with soul power and focusing on the role and its components while playing the role fills the role with something you could call role power. We need to create a balance between the role and the soul and a balance in using both role and soul power to bring about the success of the role, the role could be of any type. Even a project that you have to work on in the office which is going to last for a month is an example of a temporary role you have to play. There are many other examples of roles - getting your child’s homework done, preparing food for the entire family, doing charity work at the club together, taking part in an extracurricular activity in school or college, etc.

Any such or other role will consist of some or all of these components - various tasks, interaction with people or relationships, mediums like wealth and other objects, time, knowledge of everything connected with the role including the components that make up the role, etc. All these components are physical in nature and make up the role. The power that these components possess makes up what we call role power. Now, what happens is that as soon as we step into the role each day or on a particular day, obviously our aim is to bring about success of the role, but to achieve that, our entire focus falls on using the power of the role, neglecting the immense potential that soul power possesses. We spend our day and night in streamlining the role components for the well being of the role, not realizing that this purpose could be more easily achieved, if the focus is more on using soul power, obviously without neglecting role power (without which the purpose cannot be achieved).

In tomorrow’s message, we shall explain the various components that make up soul power.

Message for the day

The right way of living spreads joy to others.

Expression: When people around me are not happy with me, I usually believe that I am right and they are all wrong. I then cannot check or realise my own mistake. So I rarely make an attempt to change myself and continue to wait for others to change or understand me.

Experience: If people around me are not able to get happiness from me or the way I live, I need to look at my own life in a detached way to see where I could change. Even a slightest change brought by me with sincerity will have a great effect on those around me.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation : May 19, 2019: Great Donor

Contemplation : May 19, 2019: Great Donor

Great Donor

To enable others to have an experience of peace from your vision, attitude and power of your awareness is to be a great donor.

Power of Truth

Truth brings simplicity. When you have the power of truth, you are
simple. When there is a connection with falsehood, there is
artificiality and complications. If you have the power of truth
within you and you are living with it, you will never want to show
off, nor would you be dependent on the compliments of others. So life
becomes simple and easy. If you ever find yourself having waste
thoughts because of your expectations from others, ask yourself what
you expect from them that you don't have within yourself. The more
you learn the art of connecting to your own innate truth, the easier
it becomes to keep your life free from complications.

The Energy Of Give And Take In Relationships

Love, more than any other virtue, is an extremely positive energy; it is an invisible prime mover and foundation of each one of our lives, a source of motivation and inspiration. People lacking love in their lives are normally lesser motivated and happier than those who have positive and healthy relationships full of love and an immense amount of love in their lives. But when the same energy of love, possessing immense positive potential, is negatively focused and is not used correctly, it leads to many dependencies which are negative in nature. How?

When you love someone, that could be your parents, your spouse, your children, your siblings, your friends, any relationship for that matter; there is a invisible and positive emotional and mental attraction between you and that person which keeps you connected to him/her, but the moment the love turns into attachment and becomes a dependency, that person starts dominating and controlling your inner world of thoughts, feelings and emotions and your mental and emotional freedom is lost. It is as if your inner world succumbs to the influence of the other person and you are no longer yourself. Everything that goes on inside you and that comes out of you has an impression of the other. This kind of love is not empowering, energizing and healing, because in this kind of love, over a period of time, desires, wants and expectations from the other start emerging. All these emotions place you in a mental mode of taking instead of giving.  Also in such a kind of love, where love is mixed with a desire to possess, over a period of time you start wanting to control the other. From this control, you start exercising a power to influence the other. At first you are under their influence. As more attachment builds up, this is followed shortly by your desire to bring them under your submission and influence them. That way, you feel that you have them and that they belong to you. This is love that wants to take and not give. In this kind of relationship of love, there is suffering and sorrow.  Even if joy exists, it is extremely short lived. Unconditional love or love that only wants to give and not take or expect, strengthens and is healing, it never hurts or inflicts pain on the other.

Soul Sustenance

Going Beyond Others’ Perception Of Us

Watch how many things you do during the day are dependent on how you imagine the other sees you: your husband, your friend, your child, your cousin, your aunt, your boss, the secretary or whoever. You imagine how they are going to look at you and, as a result, you mould yourself accordingly. If you depend on the look of the other, inwardly you will always feel fear. You want to please the other so that they continue to see you as you want.

Because of the dependence that we have on the other to appreciate us, value us and not to reject us, we want to please them. If, in spite of doing everything possible, they do not appreciate us or are not happy, how do we feel? Cheated. After having done everything out of wanting to please them! Inside, you want to please them because you want them to keep on loving you, or you don't want them to sack you from your job, or you are afraid of being different or not being accepted. That kind of dependency takes us away from our true authenticity. If you look at yourself well, in the end, others will look at you well and the one who does not look at you well will perhaps teach you something, but your value and self-esteem do not depend on the look of the other. In this state, you are open because you trust yourself and you have personal security.

The other entity can also be the Supreme Soul (God). We are afraid that God might judge us for being sinners or not. If I think God looks at me with that vision of whether I am a sinner, whether I am this or something else, I distance myself from Him. A judge like that does not help me to live with wholeness. In general, in society, there has been a distancing from the relationship and experience with God, because we have learned that He is a strict being and a judge. Actually, God is love; God looks at me well and sees my potential and my beauty (which reflects His), God embraces me and, in this embrace, He frees me: He does not allow me to depend on Him?

Message for the day

Where there is peace there is patience.

Expression: My usual reactions to the stimuli around me are programmed, so I tend to be impulsive or react quickly to situations, I don't give myself time to think or understand. Because of this lack of patience I lose out on many things and I don't realize that I am losing out too.

Experience: At all times I need to make a conscious effort to keep my mind peaceful and calm, more so when there is a difficult situation. With this state of mind I am able to deal with situations patiently because peace brings power which in turn brings patience.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation: May 18, 2019: Remain Positive

Contemplation: May 18, 2019: Remain Positive

Artist: Kinuko Crafts -Secret Gardens, Beautiful Psych Weeping

Remain Positive

If my mind is still enough, I can see the deeper meaning behind each situation. No matter how bad a problem may seem on the surface, if I remain positive eventually I will see how everything has worked out for the best.

Power of Truth

Truth never needs to be proved. Truth is always revealed at the right
moment and at the right place. You don't need to be concerned about
proving it. You need only to be concerned with being it and living it.
Trying to prove truth reveals stubbornness. When you find that someone
is not believing what you say, ask yourself if you believe in it. If
you do, then you need not be concerned of proving it to others. Only
where there is doubt in yourself you'll want to prove it to everyone.

Super Sensual Bliss

Beyond the limits of this vast expanse of the solar system and galaxies there is a region of non-material (non-physical) light. It is not reached by any physical means e.g. by travelling in a space shuttle, because reaching there is simply not a question of light years or kilometers. It is a region which is beyond the physical plane and therefore can only be experienced through divine vision or by the "third eye" or eye of the mind during the process of meditation. Through deep meditation the soul can travel with its power of visualization to this region and experience the bliss of being free from the limits of anything earthly. This bliss is called super sensual bliss. Sensual bliss is the bliss which is experienced by visualizing, thinking about, seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing or touching something which is physical or in other words something which is made up of the five elements - earth, air, water, fire and space. Super sensual bliss is experienced by visualizing the soul to be completely free and full of bliss in this incorporeal (non-physical) world, in the company of the Supreme Soul or Supreme Father who is also non-physical.

Soul Sustenance

Awakening Your Intuition (Part 2)

Meditation purifies and sharpens our intellect which makes it broader and far-sighted and also makes it free from waste and negativity; very clean and clear, like a mirror. As a result the intellect is able to subconsciously look into the hidden aspects of any situation, sense the underlying thoughts, emotions and feelings of people involved without any of them being visible, also look into the future without it having evolved as yet and sense the right solution. Nothing can remain hidden from a mirror. Even though a mirror is not consciously aware, somehow or the other it will decide correctly. This is only the intuitive capability, the capability of becoming a 'situation doctor', hearing the mental pulse of the situation and coming up with the right cure for it, which is awakened by meditation immensely. If the intellect contains negativity or waste and is not clear, sometimes one or more than one of the many influences which we had mentioned in yesterday's message might be perceived to be the intuition and then we might fail in a particular situation. Its important to note that the intuition, if heard correctly, which is only the case when the intellect is clean, can never be wrong and will always take you in the right direction.

In the above context, for the completely analytical minded, it’s significant to understand that the intuitive perception was favoured more by old spiritual traditions and the intellectual perception, is being favoured more by modern science and medicine. Relying only on the intellectual perception is not wise. It alone cannot give us a complete idea of reality. A balance needs to be created between the two different types of perception. People with a balance will be more successful in life and victorious in difficult situations.

Message for the day

To be flexible is to enjoy everything that life brings.

Expression: When I plan perfectly for the day ahead, I sometimes find that I am not able to implement all that I had planned for. Things seem to be coming up unexpectedly spoiling everything for me. I am then not able to be happy with what is happening and so find it difficult to do my best in the particular situation.

Experience: It is as important to be flexible in my thoughts as it is to be particular about my daily schedule. Flexibility allows me to accommodate the unforeseen situations that come up my way and enables me to make the best use of everything. And so I enjoy everything that comes my way.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation: May 17, 2019: Help Yourself

Contemplation: May 17, 2019: Help Yourself

Help Yourself

Unfortunately these two words tend to describe the generally selfish and materialistic culture in which most of us live. They result not in self-help but in dependency. Our education and our role models do not encourage us to help ourselves to grow, change and expand our capacities as human beings. Real self-help means recognizing that no one else is responsible for our thoughts and feelings, and that we are only ever victims because we choose to be. Our destiny is always and only in our own hands - despite all apparent evidence which may indicate otherwise. Learning to help ourselves is also a prerequisite to extending a hand of assistance to others. We all need a leg up from time to time, but once there, we are always on our own.

Power of Truth

True courage comes when there is the power of truth within you. When
you are constantly truthful, you will have nothing to fear. In all the
challenges you face everyday you will be able to maintain your courage
because of your power of truth. Make sure your actions are based on
truth and when things go wrong, you will still be able to maintain
your courage. Keep reminding yourself that you have the power of
truth with you and you will be victorious, whatever may be the
challenges that come your way.

Revising My Purpose In The Professional Sphere

A young entrepreneur once thought that, in the corporate world, if you earn this much amount of money successfully in a short span of time, you are considered better than the remaining entrepreneurs and you reach the peak of fame. A time arrived when he said to himself "This is stressful. Is this what I want? Working so hard to reach the top, so that you become famous in the entire country and are known amongst the fastest growing businessmen. No, I want to excel in my career, but in another way, without stress, without fighting to reach and maintain fame and power." He then revised his purpose: "What do I want? Why do I do what I do? For what and for who do I do it? What is the price that I have to pay for this dependence on fame?"

Aspiring to be famous causes continuous stress and anxiety. You participate in a race in which you compete and are comparing yourself constantly. You stop taking care of yourself and nourishing your inner self. You take care of your image but not your inner being. This brings about an inner emptiness and loneliness that, sometimes, is unbearable for us. Reaching fame, financial wealth, the power of a visible position, and reaching it with a broken soul, a broken apart family and a sick body, causes anxiety and depression. We need to look inwards and ask ourselves - does our life's purpose revolve around the search for fame and power? If yes, then we need to revise our purpose suitably by realizing the negative effects that this search can have on our lives.

Soul Sustenance

Awakening Your Intuition (Part 1)

In real life, we are faced with many situations when important decisions have to be taken, a particular path to move ahead has to chosen. At such times, our mind is filled with various different voices or influences like the influence of people surrounding us, who give their different opinions regarding the particular situation; they say something, our mental logic along with knowledge of people and things, says something else, then there is the influence or memory of our past experiences which colour our perception of the present situation differently. Also there is the influence of the outside world in general - all that we see, hear and read. There are also our attachments, selfish desires, fears, mental biases towards a particular person or situation, emotions like jealousy and hatred, beliefs etc. which influence our perception. Our mind is full of all these influences, many of them even conflicting each other, and we experience complete turmoil or indecisiveness inside ourselves, we don't know what to do.
In such cases it is sometimes extremely wise to keep all these influences aside, sit in silence and listen to what our intuition is saying to us. There are many situations, in which after the situation is over, we realize that all the influences mentioned above would have taken us on the wrong path, but it was our intuition, our inner voice of wisdom, alone which gave us the right solution and took us safely to our destination.
(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Message for the day

All desires end when there is the one desire to experience progress.

Expression: It is believed normally that in order to progress one needs to have desires. But desires are not always fulfilled and unhappiness is experienced because of it. Then I am not able to appreciate whatever comes my way.

Experience: I need to replace all my desires with one desire, i.e., the desire to experience progress. With this thought, I will be able to make the best use of what I get in the right way. When I move forward in this way making the best use of everything I will be able to experience constant progress.

Contemplation: May 16, 2019: The Wonder of Silence

Contemplation: May 16, 2019: The Wonder of Silence

The Wonder of Silence

In silence lies the ability to listen; to listen to ourselves, to others and to God. Listening is a lost art. Without it we cannot communicate, we cannot relate to each other and so we cannot live life meaningfully. We need to learn to listen. Sitting in silence allows us to listen to ourselves and to understand. This silence can heal. The worries, the pain can be healed when we listen. Spiritual medicine is ever-present in the soul. Whenever we need it, to whatever extent we need it, we can find it within.

Power of Truth

As the saying goes, 'the boat of truth may rock but it will never
sink.' When you are truthful you might temporarily experience
dissatisfaction, but you will ultimately attain victory. When you are
going through a time that is difficult for you, remind yourself that
the truth within you will ultimately get you victory. This faith will
make you face all situations with a cheerful face.

Changing Your Belief System To Overcome Feelings Of Revenge (cont.)

The urge for revenge and the false taste of victory or happiness related to it can only end when the belief, that others are responsible for what you feel, is seen as a false one. Only when you take full responsibility for whatever thoughts and feelings you create will it be possible to end the anger and the hatred that seeks revenge. When someone hurts me, I create a negative image of myself and the other person in my mind's eye, in different ways. I see myself and the other in a negative light, myself as a victim and the other person as a victimizer. I need to stop doing that and see myself and the other in a positive light, in the same light as before, irrespective of the negativity that the other has radiated to me. When we do that, we will stop pointing the finger at others for whatever hurt we may feel. Only when it is fully seen and accepted that someone can hurt or harm my vehicle, the physical body, but not me, the controller or driver of the vehicle, will rage and the desire for revenge stop existing inside my consciousness.

When I start seeing the person who has committed some negative action which is projected towards me, with an innocent, unbiased, untarnished vision, hatred will be transformed into love and compassion for both, me and the other person. Then it will be possible to be totally free of all judgment, criticism and any desire to seek justice and take pleasure and experience victory when justice is delivered. Only then will it be possible to rediscover true happiness in life, because as long as there is even the slightest trace of an urge to seek revenge for what someone has done to me, and the desire to experience the false happiness which is experienced when such revenge is delivered; both of which, the happiness and the revenge, are forms of subtle violence; true everlasting and deep peace, contentment and happiness can never be experienced.

Soul Sustenance

Resisting From Playing The Blame Game

A very common negative habit that some of us possess is blaming others when required, either in the family or at the workplace, to save face and gain temporary respect, even if it is at the expense of someone loosing face and being disrespected. It is a very common occurrence in offices when an issue arises between people, before the issue is taken up with the head of the particular department or the office, one of the two people involved in the conflict, who is more at fault, will present his case to the head in such a way so as to blame the other and to acquit (free) himself and maintain his reputation in the office and find favour with the head.

We explain this phenomenon on a spiritual level. The person who blames is attached to an image of himself being as being extremely efficient and well-respected at the workplace, who never does anything wrong or incorrectly. He identifies with this image completely and because of that is very attached to it. In the above scenario, if he lets his mistake come out in the open, this internal image, which he carries, would get tarnished (harmed), something which he is in love with. So there is attachment and because of that there is fear of loss or harm to the object to which there is attachment, the image in this case. This image, which is so defined in spiritual language, is called reputation in common language. Also, there is attachment with an internal image of being more successful by getting a possible promotion and progressing at the workplace in the future. This image is also about to get damaged since the job might be lost or a promotion might be stopped. So there is attachment to this second image and fear of harm to this image also. To protect these two images, the person plays the blame game. The Law of Karma, though, does catch up sooner or later with such a person and with such behaviour. Being honest may cause temporary harm to these two internal images or reputation as defined above, but one remains safe according to karmic principles in the long run and the temporary harm, if any, is undone and respect regained.

Message for the day

The power of silence makes the impossible achievable.

Expression: When I am faced with a difficult situation, my mind is flooded with thoughts. I also begin to talk about it a lot, describing the problem to all I meet. Then the problem looks so big that I feel I could do nothing to change it.

Experience: I need learn the art of silence(mental and verbal). Internal silence brings the right solutions because my mind is calm. And when I don't describe the problem too much to people I will know there is a solution and I will be able to find it too.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris