Om Shanti
Om Shanti
कम बोलो, धीरे बोलो, मीठा बोलो            सोच के बोलो, समझ के बोलो, सत्य बोलो            स्वमान में रहो, सम्मान दो             निमित्त बनो, निर्मान बनो, निर्मल बोलो             निराकारी, निर्विकारी, निरहंकारी बनो      शुभ सोचो, शुभ बोलो, शुभ करो, शुभ संकल्प रखो          न दुःख दो , न दुःख लो          शुक्रिया बाबा शुक्रिया, आपका लाख लाख पद्मगुना शुक्रिया !!! 

Contemplation: July 05, 2019: Humility


Contemplation: July 05, 2019: Humility

Image may contain: plant, tree, outdoor and nature



Green Man


Humility

Humility accepts what's there. Sometimes there is a lot available and sometimes only a little. It doesn't matter. In humility there is the trust that everything will come anyway, at the right time.


No Procrastination

Good planning is always helpful, but time spent stressing and procrastinating about having too much to do or doubting whether you're capable of doing it, just drains your energy and achieves nothing.

Instead of thinking about doing something just get on with it. The faster you get on with it, the fewer problems you create. You'll find that the more willing you are to respond positively to opportunities, the more your capacity will grow.




Different Thought Types (cont.)


We have explained Positive Thoughts yesterday. Today we continue with the same:

Positive Thoughts (cont.)


Positive thoughts make you happy and as a result your expectations of others decrease. This does not mean that they do not matter to you, but that you no longer demand love, respect, recognition, or even calm, from them, and it makes your relationships that much easier. This is the best way to create long-lasting and harmonious relationships. When you have inner happiness, you have the strength to accept other people as they are without wanting them to be different. This acceptance produces more peaceful relationships. With the positive attitude you create, you can offer yourself to other people just the way you are, with your virtues and limitations, without pretense.

Your body also benefits greatly, since when you have a balanced, harmonious mind you are less susceptible to illnesses. A person who has many useless thoughts will often feel very tired because they are spending their energy in creating thousands of unnecessary and inefficient thoughts.

Your mind is strengthened and healed by being nourished with positive thoughts. A healthy mind is the basis of a balanced personality.




Soul Sustenance


Frozen Perceptions

Like water, which over a period of time freezes and takes the form of frozen ice cubes, when kept in an ice tray; perceptions of different things, people and events, inside our consciousness, which come onto the surface of our consciousness regularly i.e. we shape our thoughts, words and actions based on them, regularly, take the form of rigid perceptions over a period of time. These rigid or 'frozen perceptions', which sometimes never liquefy in our entire lifetime, are commonly called our beliefs, which can stick in our consciousness like ice cubes and be difficult to uproot at times. One of the greatest harms that holding to a set of beliefs does is, that it doesn't let us see from other peoples' point of view.

Let's say two people look at the same painting from two different points in a room. One describes what she sees and how the painting looks to her. Then the other describes how the painting looks to him. Both perceptions are bound to be different to some extent. They are different because they look from different angles, different points (places) of viewing in the same room. So who has the right view? Neither. But what both of them see is right from their point of view. Another e.g. is, there is Mrs. A at my workplace, whom over a period of time, I have been seeing from a certain point of view and have started perceiving to be inefficient. Bringing this perception into my consciousness repeatedly has frozen this perception inside my consciousness and it has taken the form of a belief, which may be incorrect or correct, partially or completely. Now even if three different people who have all seen Mrs. A from three different points of view i.e. in three different set of circumstances, and have seen three different shades of the same virtue i.e. efficiency in her; come and share their different, but all positive and right perceptions with me, depending on their respective circumstantial view, I will not agree with them and not respect their perception because a person with unfrozen perceptions would at least give a hearing to others' perceptions, but someone with frozen perceptions, i.e. with fixed beliefs, is not able to that and is not able to empathize with or see from others’ point of view.



Message for the day


To be free from the burden of responsibility is to fulfill the responsibility well.

Projection: When I am responsible for something or people expect me to be answerable for something, I tend to feel heavy because of these responsibilities. With the such a feeling of having a burden, I'm not able to fulfill my responsibilities to the best of my ability.

Solution: Whatever responsibilities are given to me are according to my capabilities. When I remind myself of this I'll be able to be light and give my best to fulfill all my responsibilities.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris



Contemplation: July 04, 2019: Trust yourself


Contemplation: July 04, 2019: Trust yourself


Image may contain: 1 person





Trust yourself


You must begin to trust yourself. If you do not then you will forever be looking to others to prove your own merit to you and you will never be satisfied. You will always be asking others what to do, and at the same time resenting those from whom you seek such aid.




Sharing



The best things in life are free so share what you have, freely, all without needing acknowledgement or recognition.

Even if you only have a little, share it openly.


You'll feel richer for it!



Different Thought Types (cont.)




We have explained Necessary, Unnecessary and Negative Thoughts in the last few days. Today we explain:

Positive Thoughts
Positive thoughts are those thoughts which give us and others the experience of our original virtues like peace, love, bliss, happiness, etc. They enable you to accumulate inner strength and equip you to be constructive. Positive thoughts are always beneficial in all circumstances, without trapping you in the external appearance of a situation.

Thinking positively does not mean ignoring the reality of your world and living in a fantasy or longing to be another person. For example, if you were to repeat over and over again, "I am well, am well," when you were ill, this is not what we mean by positive thinking.

Thinking positively involves looking at problems and recognizing reality, but at the same time being able to find solutions without becoming obsessed or confused. This often requires tolerance, patience and common sense.

A person who thinks positively is aware of the weaknesses of others, but even then will direct their attention towards their positive characteristics.

(To be continued tomorrow .....)



Soul Sustenance


Varied (Different) Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (Part 2)

There is an endless variety of human theories and concepts which appear to create confusion and even hatred among people when they are opposed to each other, but ultimately I must ask myself how far "I", the individual, have the experience of His powers and qualities.

The basis of forming a relationship with anyone is knowledge of who they are, what they look like, where they are from, and what they do. Similarly if I am to have the awareness of myself as a soul, and emerging from that, a close relationship with God, the Supreme Soul, then I must know:

• Who He is?
• What His form is or what does He look like?
• Where He is or where does He reside (stay)?
• What His personality traits or sanskars are?
• What His acts or karmas are?
• What is my relationship with Him?


God is living and real, not a matter of scientific research. It is necessary for me to re-establish a living relationship with Him, on the basis of complete knowledge of Him. My connection should not be based on the fears and superstitions of the past.

Message for the day


The method to stay in constant enthusiasm and to keep others enthusiastic is to see specialities in others.

Projection: Many times while I am sincerely working towards my task, I find myself losing my enthusiasm. I also might find people not very happy with me or my work. I do make an attempt to understand their feelings but fail to do so. Such negative responses further reduce my enthusiasm.

Solution: I need to develop the art of looking at specialities in people. The more I am able to see their positive qualities, the more I am able to relate to them with that speciality. This encourages the other person further to use that speciality. This will naturally keep me constantly enthusiastic


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation: July 03, 2019: Anger


Contemplation: July 03, 2019: Anger

Image may contain: fire and night




1000s evacuate as Villarrica volcano explodes with stunning nighttime eruption



Anger

To be influenced by anger is to repress the soul's original qualities of tolerance and love.





The biggest service is to show others the right path. 



When someone is going wrong, it is very easy to get influenced and go wrong too. For example, others' negativity brings anger, fear or sadness, which is negative too. Then, I lose the ability to show others the right path. When someone is negative, it is all the more reason to have a positive state of mind so that I can guide them towards the right path. Today I will take a few minutes before I react. Whenever there is a negative situation I am faced with, I'll wait for a minute or two before I give any reaction. this will help me finish negativity and I will be able to respond with positive.





Different Thought Types (cont.)


We have explained Negative Thoughts yesterday. Today we continue with the same:

Negative Thoughts (cont.)
If your thoughts are based on the five vices or related emotions (as explained yesterday), it is as if you had poisoned your own mind and the atmosphere around you. However much you may be right, it does not matter. By thinking negatively you will always be the loser, since negative thoughts take away the respect you have for yourself and others respecting you. Generally speaking, people who think very negatively about others will often find themselves alone, even though they have many relationships. Other people will try to avoid someone who has angry thoughts since anger is like a fire that destroys and causes damage, and nobody wants to approach this fire.

A negative person who only sees the negative side of things causes disharmony in their immediate environment. These types of thoughts are more prevalent in people today, and are one of the causes of stress, fragmentation, aggressiveness and suffering in our current society.

At a practical level, negative thoughts make you lose energy and weaken you. They are a form of inner pollution that must be cleansed so that your mind becomes a more efficient tool.

(To be continued tomorrow .....)



Soul Sustenance


Varied (Different) Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (Part 1)

Various questions related to the Supreme Being or God for the vast majority remain unanswered and therefore the experience of God remains unfulfilled. The concepts about God are as varied or different as are the sanskars of human beings.

Some common concepts about God:

• Some say God is everywhere.
• Some say He is nowhere.
• Some say He created the whole Universe out of nothing or out of Himself: others see that as illogical and impossible.
• Many say God is beyond the understanding of limited human intellects, others believe that they have understood Him and are then respected as self-realized or spiritually knowledgeable humans.
• Still others believe themselves to be God and allow themselves to be worshiped.
• Some say that God creates only what is good, and others say that He also creates evil or bad, and that everything that is happening in the world is just God's play.
• God is seen by some to be just an expression of human beings' needs and that they will soon go beyond needing such a figure-head (someone who is looked upto).
• Some say He makes the grass grow and the wind blow, others say He is merely the voice of the conscience - the inner voice.
• Others define God as the higher self who remains constantly at peace; this concept is called cosmic-consciousness, since the one with this characteristic is said to be at one with the whole universe.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

The way to bring transformation in others is to have mercy for them.

Projection: Inspite of wanting to bring about a positive change in people and working towards it, I rarely find that kind of change that I expect. People continue to display their old patterns of behaviour and finally I end up only feeling disappointed or frustrated.

Solution: Real change can come in people only when I am able to have a vision of mercy for them. With mercy I am able to percieve and bring out the best in people without actually being caught up with expectations. Once I am able to see the positive qualities I am able to encourage them to use these qualities


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation: July 02, 2019: Sweetness


Contemplation: July 02, 2019: Sweetness


Image may contain: food

Sweetness

Sweetness looks for the good in things, for at its heart is the conviction that good is somewhere there in everything.





Adjustment



Often when we have to adjust to a person or a situation, we experience many negative thoughts. 



We find it difficult and tend to feel we are making this adjustment only for the other person's benefit. 


To adjust means to understand that nothing can be done to change a situation - it is more sensible to accept it. 



I adjust not because it will benefit others, but because I will benefit in the long run. This is like crossing a physical obstacle; I cannot remove it so I have to find a way around it if I am to progress.





Different Thought Types (cont.)


We have explained Necessary and Unnecessary Thoughts in the last couple of days. Today we explain:

Negative Thoughts

Negative thoughts harm you and are not good for you. As well as the impact they may have on others, these thoughts disturb your peace and weaken your inner strength. If these thoughts occur on a regular basis, they can cause health problems, both physical and mental. They can even become destructive.

Negative thoughts are based on the five vices primarily - lust, anger, greed, ego, attachment. They are chiefly caused by selfish and harmful reasons, without taking into account the values and inner qualities of the person.
* If he speaks to me again in that way I'll beat him up (rage), * I think they should pay me more without having to do any more work to earn it (greed).

Negative thoughts also arise from unsatisfied expectations, in disagreements, in laziness, vengeance, racism, jealousy, criticism, hate and an excess of power.
* My boss never appreciates my work but he always values my colleagues more (jealousy). * An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth or * He who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword (vengeance).

(To be continued tomorrow .....)



Soul Sustenance

Freedom from the Dependency on the New (Part 2)

In the market, there always appears the novelty (newness) of the same product wrapped differently. There always seems to be a new soft drink, a new kind of chocolate, but they are really the same products as always. The only thing that changes is the packaging and their image. Some children, whenever they go to the market, want the new kinds of biscuits, pastries, etc. They always want new things that then stay in the fridge. We encourage this by telling little children that happiness is stimulation, the new is stimulating, and comes from the outside or you get it from the outside. We create an addiction to the new; in this case, to the newness of the packaging. What kind of newness is that!

When, in order to be happy, you need to go shopping, you try to fill yourself with something that isn't you. You try to find wholeness by filling your life with material things. A soul who is spiritually awake knows that they are already complete and they do not need to depend on the purchase of something new regularly for feeling full internally. The only effort is in remembering and reconnecting with their whole self, their complete self; reconnecting with their inner treasures of spiritual wisdom, virtues and powers.


Message for the day


The method for easy progress is to claim the blessings of all.

Projection: Sometimes we find ourselves making a lot of effort and putting in a lot of energy for getting something done. Yet we find that the results are not according to the efforts that we have put in. We then begin to wonder it happens so.

Solution: To be able to give happiness to those around is to increase the speed of my progress. For this I need to pay special attention to keep giving happiness and not giving sorrow to those around me. This brings me their blessings and these subtle wishes bring me happiness and success easily.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation: July 01, 2019: Dignity


Contemplation: July 01, 2019: Dignity

Image may contain: sky, outdoor and water








Mykonos, Greece





Dignity



In order to maintain dignity, I stay in the sunlight of contentment and keep out of the shadow of desires







True Inner power

True power isn't power you have over anyone else, it is a full stock of energy accumulated in your being.

With such power, nothing can bring you down or de-stabilize you. Your inner power becomes a natural protection, not just from the ups and downs of life but also from your own Achilles' heel.

So, tap into your inner power and experience it. Use this power to contribute meaningfully and to protect yourself from your own weaknesses and from negative influences.



Different Thought Types (cont.)


We had explained Necessary Thoughts yesterday. Today we explain:

Unnecessary (Waste) Thoughts
Unnecessary thoughts are thoughts that are produced at untimely moments that fill us with worry and anxiety when they appear in our minds. They have no constructive use. Unnecessary and useless thoughts are quick and repetitive which lead you nowhere. Often they refer to things from the past: * If this hadn't happened? * Why did she have to say that to me? Too many thoughts are about things that we cannot change, or worries about the future: * What will happen tomorrow? * How will it happen? * What will I do if I find myself on my own? * If I had been there at the time, this disaster would not have happened. * If I had had this information at the time, I would have won the case. * When I get the qualification, I will be more respected by my superiors.

Your ability to concentrate is weakened by these useless thoughts. If you have a lot of these thoughts you use more energy and time to undertake each task. The origins of negativity also reside in them.

From the time that the past has already passed and the future is yet to come, these kinds of thoughts are not useful and they also weaken your inner strength and exhaust you. It is vital that we learn to avoid this pattern of thinking. In this way you will be more focused and your decision making capacity will improve.

(To be continued tomorrow .....)



Soul Sustenance


Freedom from the Dependency on the New (Part 1)

One of the dependencies that the consumer society promotes is dependency on the new. You have a car but today a new, better one is coming out. You have a mobile but the new one on the market today has more features and yours is now obsolete. The same thing happens to the television, MP3 players, DVD players, etc. Today you have some clothes but tomorrow the fashion will be different. We find the need to fill ourselves with more and more. This way an addiction to the new is generated. We get bored quickly and we need something apparently new and different all the time.

Some people need to buy new clothes all the time because it makes them feel better; they ‘feel’ the newness, is this normal or is it actually an addiction to the new out of boredom, is it discomfort with oneself and the inner need to impress and please others that sometimes some people seem to possess. It is actually living in the superficiality of the pair of jeans or the saree, not in the inner essence of being or soul. It is to use time to distract oneself and not to construct creatively. It’s not as if buying new stuff or going shopping is wrong but when it becomes a dependency, when it becomes a source of boosting your self esteem, that’s a sign that you are going wrong.

(To be continued tomorrow …)



Message for the day


To consider oneself to be a server means to be humble.

Expression: Each one is endowed with certain specialities and gifts. The one who is able to use these specialties for the benefit of others as a server, is able to make a contribution to better the lives of those around. But the one who only thinks of his specialities and a chance for expressing the specialities is not able to remain humble.

Experience: All the specialties that I have are there for a purpose. The more I use it to benefit others, the more I am able to use them with humility. I am also able to gather the good wishes of those around me and further increase my specialities. I have no expectations from others but am able to give unconditionally, recognizing their need.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Contemplation: June 30, 2019: Eye of the Storm


Contemplation: June 30, 2019: Eye of the Storm


Image may contain: ocean, outdoor and water





Artist: Julius von Klever (31 January 1850 – 24 December 1924) Walking on Water



Eye of the Storm


A wise sea captain caught in a tropical storm knows that if he holds his vessel on the periphery it will get hurled from one side to the other. If he can reach the eye of the storm, he will enter a place of stillness. The storm will then subside and the ship can continue its journey. Similarly, when everything around me is changing in a very intense way, the best place for me to seek shelter and refuge is not on the outside, but deep within the self, where I can get in touch with my own inner being, find strength and stability, then come out and do whatever it is I need to.





Detachment



What do we do when friends and loved ones come to us for, and expect emotional support from us? Spirituality teaches us the right technique of providing emotional support – the technique of detached involvement, a technique of not being overawed, of not being affected ourselves by the emotions of others. If a friend, colleague or any loved one is upset and we also get upset (because we love them – that’s what we normally say), we cannot provide them the necessary support or the assistance to see why they are reacting emotionally and how they might change the nature of their emotions by themselves. True love for someone would mean that I am able to provide them that. While being concerned is fine, but by becoming upset, seeing them upset simply aggravates the situation and adds fuel to their fire.

By remaining detached, we can be more effective in our ability to care, listen and help them think clearly about the situation, they find themselves in. Only if we are stable, and that can happen only when we are detached, will we be able to provide them stability. We can encourage and empower them to change their negative reaction to a more positive response, and thereby generate a healthier energy. If we become over-involved in someone else's problems, there is a risk that our own judgment will be affected negatively. This is why making decisions and choices under the influence of your own and others' emotions is normally ineffective.




Different Thought Types


By understanding each one of the thoughts that the mind creates we can keep the beneficial thoughts and discard those which are useless or harmful. Today we explain:

Necessary Thoughts
Necessary thoughts are those relating to your daily routine, such as, * What am I going to have for dinner? * What time am I picking up the children from school? * What is the number of my bank account? * What have I got to do today? They are also thoughts connected with your profession or job. These necessary thoughts related to your daily life come into your mind according to your responsibilities and needs at a more physical, material and professional level.

When these thoughts are repeated over and over again, they become unnecessary or waste thoughts.

(To be continued tomorrow .....)



Soul Sustenance


Reaching the Destination of Peace on Time (Part 2)

In yesterday’s message, we had mentioned the main type of distractions that you might face in your journey to the destination of peace. The secret of not getting affected by each of these distractions is very simple –do not interact with any of them on a subtle level by giving them your mental energy of attention, but avoid them, detach yourself from them, just observe them and let them go, remaining completely focused on reaching your destination.

Imagine you are driving to your office on the highway and you are very late. There are a large number of different vehicles which you pass, either travelling in the same direction as you are or coming at you from the opposite side. You are even familiar with a lot of these people sitting inside these vehicles, because you see them every day, but you don’t even spare a second to glance at them because if you did you would lose your focus and be delayed, you would fail to reach your destination, your office in this case, on time. Meditation is exactly like this. Just as you cannot empty the highway full of vehicles, because you are in a hurry to reach office, you cannot empty the highway of your consciousness of all thoughts, emotions, beliefs, worries, opinions, desires, memories etc. some of which are even very familiar to you, just because you want to get to the destination of your inner peace. Let all of these, like the vehicles, come and go, but all you have to do is avoid them and focus on reaching your destination on time. It's as if, by the way you are driving, your body language, in this case the subtle energy of your determined thought, word has spread through the highway of your consciousness that you will not be sparing a second to even glance at any one of these on your way. If with a momentary loss of self-awareness, you do start giving attention to them, and you get lost in one of them, remind yourself subconsciously, "I am on my way back to the destination of peace, peace that I am." This will help you regain your focus and before you know it, you will realize you have arrived; you will experience your destination i.e. the peace within, and will completely believe that you are that. And it will be the most blissful experience that you have felt in a very long time.

Message for the day


To be free from weaknesses is to move forward constantly.

Expression: Most of the times I do win over my weaknesses and achieve progress but sometimes I find that I am defeated at the wrong moment by my own weakness and I experience failure. So instead of finding the progress that I should I find that I am moving back.

Experience: In order to bring benefit to others and to myself, I should recognise and remove even the last trace of weakness that is working within me. For that I need to have a constant checking about the real cause of the weakness and remove it. Such checking and changing helps me to overcome my weaknesses.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris





Contemplation: June 29, 2019: Solace


Contemplation: June 29, 2019: Solace

Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor


Solace


Learning to turn my thoughts away from all my responsibilities at the day's end and take my mind into a state of peace and benevolence enables me to carry greater and greater loads without feeling the burden. When my inner landscape is full of beautiful thoughts, everything I do is a pleasure. Gently, I calm down chaotic situations and offer solace to troubled minds.


Role Play


As we juggle all the various roles we play in life, many of us struggle to keep a balance.

To NOT feel 'role overload' or 'role strain', you need to maintain balance so that you don't keel over.

Play all the roles, but without making constant sacrifices.

Don't try and do everything perfectly. Instead, do your best.

And remember, life is richer and more rewarding because of all the different roles you play.



The Return Journey


In meditation you can return to (or experience) the dimension or home from which you, the soul proceeds or starts, which can be called the return, back home, to your original essence, to your sweet home. This journey home is not a flight from reality but rather the return to a superior reality.

The unreality (or the false reality) for the soul is the belief that the physical world is all that exists and that happiness always requires some physically stimulated experience.

In your home of light and silence, of peace and liberation, live your Father and Mother, God, the Supreme Being, the Supreme Soul. It is the home where all souls reside before they come into the physical world, to take physical bodies. This home has been called by many names, such as: the land of Nirvana (beyond sound), the Brahmlok (the world of the energy of subtle and spiritual light, the Brahm), Muktidham (the dwelling place of liberation)... it is the home, the place of rest, where all souls shall return and that is why it is said that at the present moment, we are on a return journey. 



Soul Sustenance


Reaching the Destination Of Peace On Time (Part 1)

The objective of meditation has always been reaching the destination of inner peace. The process of meditation is like a journey to that destination, which many human souls have undertaken since thousands of years. After a life and in fact many lifetimes of indulging in habits of anger, fear, ego, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, greed etc. all of which blocked our access to this inner pure emotion and made us believe that these are normal emotions, believing completely that our true nature is peaceful, which is an experience opposite to all these; might seem difficult at first. Only our own experience can lead to a change in our deeply held beliefs, which then makes it easy for us to incorporate peace as an integral part of our personality.

As you dive into you own consciousness, with the objective of searching for and reaching your subtle destination of inner peace, you will encounter some distractions in your journey. Some of the most important of such distractions include:

* thoughts in the form of negative memories of the past; over-thinking about the present scenes and day-to-day actions in your life; desires, worries and unnecessary thinking related to the future, waste thinking about the natures and actions of people whom we come into contact with the most, etc.

* the inner, subtle voices of the many incorrect beliefs, which we have picked up from people by whom we have been surrounded since we were small;

* thoughts and emotions related to deep habits of identifying with and getting attached to things we are not, like the physical body, material possessions, people, our role in society, money, places, opinions or viewpoints, hobbies or interests etc.

(To be continued tomorrow …)


Message for the day


To serve with the heart, with love is to guarantee success.

Expression: When we have to be of help to others, we sometimes find ourselves doing it with force. We don't seem to be really interested in doing it but situations or people seem to be forcing us to do it. We, then, don't enjoy what we do and also don't find the benefit of it either to others or to ourselves.

Experience: We need to consciously make an effort to see what people are benefiting when we are helping them. With this conscious effort we are able to help others with love without feeling the heaviness of what we have to do. Thus, we find our actions to be much more fruitful.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

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