Contemplation: September 18, 2019: Weaknesses

Contemplation: September 18, 2019: Weaknesses

Weaknesses

If I keep the weaknesses of others in my mind, they soon become a part of me.

Procrastination

Procrastination is an obvious form of avoidance.
Ask yourself what is the one thing that you are delaying? Why are you avoiding it? Is it the task itself or something else? Know the reason why you procrastinate doing a certain task & then "get over it". Motivate the procrastinator in you so you can accomplish the task.

Here are 2 possible ways to avoid procrastination:

1. Just Do It: Doing something takes less time than to procrastinate about it. And the longer you 'put it off', the harder it becomes to get it done. Make the decision to stop the procrastination & just do it.

2. Save the best (task) till last: Do the things you don't enjoy first. Get them out of the way so that you can move on to something better.

The Triangle Of Spiritual Energy

Harmony within the self and with others is based on the accuracy of three aspects of remembrance: the ability to disconnect, connect and reconnect.

When I disconnect my thoughts from outside influences, stepping back from actions and words, then I can go into silence and connect with the self. To plug into the self, l use the thought: * Om Shanti or * I am a peaceful soul. This thought is the current that activates my eternal resource of peace and the qualities that emanate from this peace. The first step in meditation is always to connect with the self: what we call the inward step.

The next step in meditation is vertical, where, within one second, my concentrated thought connects my mind with the Supreme Source of Peace.

Silence and love give the mind wings to break the pull of gravity and to fly and unite with the One, who is the purest point of energy in the universe. This vertical connection from the point of the self, the soul, to the point of the universe, the Supreme Soul, gives the mind fresh new energy. This fresh energy is divine spiritual power and cannot be found in, or taken from, a human being. Therefore, if I wish to recharge myself, to rediscover and restore the original balance and harmony within myself, the second movement made by my mind must be vertical.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance 

Resisting False Attractions In Actions

All that glitters (shines) is not gold. Life presents you with many illusionary scenes, scenes in which what may be visible may not be the truth. These scenes cause desires to be born inside you to achieve something unnecessary for your prosperity or other types of fulfillments. These can be illusions that make you believe that you will gain something from a situation or person, without the same being true. Thus, you waste time going down a path that not only leads you to disappointment; but you also waste the resource of your thoughts and energy and as a result you tire yourself out emotionally and mentally.

If the intellect is polluted, you make incorrect judgments and are easily deceived by situations or people. Thus, you will make incorrect choices, dishonest or illogical decisions. You will justify dishonesty and improper actions and you will be incapable of differentiating between the real and the imaginary. A person with a pure, clear, clean and powerful intellect will act with honesty and sincerity. When your intellect is polluted, you may act against your own conscience or against your better judgment; you also may be insensitive. A person with a doubtful intellect will always justify a dishonest act. Meditation is the process of purifying and cleaning the intellect, because in meditation we connect with the purest intellect, the intellect of the Supreme Soul or God. Meditation is also a process of inner awakening and strengthening of your conscience. Being awake means to realize, and being strong means to act according to what you have realized.

Message for the day

Determination is the best companion.

Projection: When things go wrong, the first reaction is of fear. Because of this, I can't put in any effort to better the situation. I start looking for a companion, a support who can provide me help. But I rarely get help from outside.

Solution: When I have to look for something to rely on, the only support I get is from my own determined thought. I need to make it my companion, not letting go of it till I succeed. This will help me overcome my fear and move towards success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 17, 2019: Wisdom

Contemplation: September 17, 2019: Wisdom

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the iron-man of India

Wisdom

To do the right thing: Think and then Act, rather than the other way around.  Wisdom is to know when to act and when not to.

To sow seeds of right effort is to reap results in plenty. 

When I go on putting in effort in the right direction, I will keep gaining qualities. I will keep drawing the best from everything around and I will keep receiving cooperation from people. If, in between anything or anyone hinders this, its effect will not be so much as I am continuing to put in my efforts. Today I will do something constructive for what I really aim for. Towards this, I will make small little contributions. I will also continue with this practice everyday and one day I will find the result coming. It could be either what I expected or something else that I haven't expected. 

Intellect Reawakening And Empowerment 

It has been estimated that for around 80% of our daily routine we are ruled by habits. This means that most of the time we go straight from thought (created by the mind) to action, without checking the quality of our thoughts. In this way, we bypass the intellect, and do not use our capacity to judge right from wrong and to make conscious decisions. What we need to do now is reawaken, use and empower the intellect, which is true spiritual empowerment.

Practical Exercise
Withdraw your attention from everything around you.  Create a simple thought in your mind.   Concentrate on the thought. Then use your intellect to judge to what extent the thought is right or wrong and what the quality of that thought is (is it a negative thought, a waste or unnecessary thought, a necessary thought, a positive one etc.?).   If you decide it is not a good thought, leave it and create a better thought. In this way, you consciously exercise control of your mind and intellect thereby strengthening your mental and intellectual capacities. This will also help you regain your feelings of rule over the self.

If thoughts or images come from your memories or from sources outside your own mind while you are busy in this inner exercise, don't give them any mental energy. Let them go and bring your attention back to your own conscious creation (mentioned above). 

Once, you have mastered this in this exercise; try the same process while you busy in your daily routine.

Soul Sustenance 

Factors that Bring Us Closer To Failure

Given below are some factors that bring us closer to failure:

• Dejection and Disillusion.
• Fear.
• Ignorance.
• Confusion.
• Influences.
• Mental weakness.
• Insecurity.
• Inexperience.
• Ego, arrogance.
• Mistrust.
• Attachment, dependencies.
• Excuses, laziness, putting off.
• Excess of acceptance with submission.
• Fear of being yourself.
• Making judgements without an objective vision.
• Nervousness.
• Not taking on limits.
• Low self-esteem.
• Blockages. Not going forward.
• Intolerance.
• Rigidity – inability to adapt to different situations.

Message for the day


The one who is selfless is the one who is the best judge.

Projection: When I have to take a decision, either for others or myself, there is some kind of selfishness or greed involved in it. When I think only of my selfish desires, my judgement would not be accurate.

Solution: I need to be detached and see what benefit there is for each one with the choice that I am going to make. The more I think of the benefit of all, the more my judgement is accurate. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 16, 2019: Third Eye

Contemplation: September 16, 2019: Third Eye

Third Eye

We all have a third eye.  Two physical eyes to look at the world around us and one eye for looking in.  Why would we want to look 'in' when everything is happening 'out there'?  Because the treasures we seek is inside, not outside.  What treasures?  Beauty, truth, peace, happiness....  Take a moment to stop, look in and see.  Don't rush.  Don't search.  Just look.  And be aware.

The one way to break an old habit is to create a new one. 

We take New Year’s resolutions and try hard to break habits. But the more we are thinking of it and worrying about it, we are investing time and energy in it. This will only strengthen the habit we want to break. Instead, let me create an alternate habit which is good and that will replace the old one. It is more important to think of what I want rather than what I don't want. Today I will invest more time and energy in a new habit than what I am investing in old habit. I will ensure that, through this I will create a new habit, which will replace the old one, as there would be no longer any space for it in my life.

The Inner Awakening Wave

Our beliefs either put us to sleep or cause us to remain awake. Even if are awake on a physical level, when we are asleep internally, without even realizing most of the time; we don't see others, situations and the world as a whole in their true light. We see, perceive and interpret reality incorrectly, which causes us pain. We perceive any sort of pain on the mental or emotional level to be normal and think that others and circumstances are responsible for the pain. All this, because of the incorrect beliefs that we carry inside us, the most important one being that we are physical bodies and not spiritual energies or souls. Only when the subtle pain becomes intolerable, do we look for a remedy for the same, or think we have to do something about it. Most of us go through life asleep and hence in pain. An inner awakening is one in which we realize the incorrect beliefs and are not scared to challenge them. Once we do that, our pain starts receding. We then very naturally look to wake up others, so that they are relieved from their pain. 

The present time in the history of humanity is such that while the sleep of some souls is getting more and more sound and pain increases in the world, on the other hand, an inner awakening wave is taking many souls in its tide as more and more souls are waking up from their deep slumber and waking up others. This is the time when late night and early morning exist side by side. It is the same time, but late night for most and early morning, a time of getting up, for a few. This is happening due to a consciousness shift or shifting of beliefs inside many through spiritual knowledge. Such souls, whose number keeps increasing everyday, are experiencing more and more happiness in their lives. Both these groups of souls have similar circumstances and people in their life but the shifting or correction of beliefs inside the second group is causing souls in the group to remain stable amidst these circumstances, free from spiritual pain, depending on how much the shift is.

Soul Sustenance 

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.

Message for the day

A deep understanding and an attitude of pure feelings results in positive thinking.

Projection: When we talk about positive thinking, it is usually just 'think positive' and 'be positive'. But just saying this, either to others or to myself, doesn't help to change my thoughts permanently, in fact usually, not even temporarily.

Solution: Real positive thinking is much deeper than just to think positive. For this I need to understand and see things as they are, without colouring them with my own attitudes. Then I can deal with things in the most appropriate way, having understood everything accurately.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 15, 2019: Accountability

Contemplation: September 15, 2019: Accountability

Japan's Volcano Eruption 2013

Accountability

I am never exempt from personal accountability.  I Hear, I Choose, I Decide, I Act.

To love God is to get attainments from Him. 

If I believe that God is only waiting to punish me for my sins, I can only be God fearing. Then, I will not be able to experience benefit from Him. On the other hand, when I understand that God is an Ocean of love, I will be able to experience so much attainment by experiencing Him as a constant companion. I can then feel His help at each step, inspite of the situations. Today I will keep God as my Companion at every step. When God is with me I will of course keep a watch on my words and actions. Also where something unwanted comes my way, I can take His support and easily overcome these negative situations.

The Subtle Forms Of Fear

One result of being afraid is doubt. When a person is lost in a sea of doubts, they cannot believe in the solutions and answers that come to mind, they are not even willing to try them and experiment with them to see if they work.

Doubts can go to the extreme of creating such uncertainty and insecurity that the person suffers mental paralysis or emotional seizure. Then, they can enter a state of panic and become paralyzed to the point of not finding the initiative to be positive. The mind is filled with questions related to How? What? Why?

These questions are not asked in order to find answers but to prolong the doubts, or to remain on the defensive, or in a state of lack of commitment, where the person really does not want to listen or know.

Asking with the objective of being informed is different from doubt.

When someone wants to be informed, they ask constructive questions with an openness to learn and willingness to experiment. When there is fear, expressed in the form of doubts, jealousy, secretiveness or a competitive attitude, there is no willingness to learn. At the heart of all this is the fear of loss, whether it be of a person, position, possession or one's own image. Fears cause dependence, expectations, and conflict with oneself or with others.

Soul Sustenance 

The Evolution Of Anger

We become a little irritated when we are stuck in a traffic jam and we getting late to reach somewhere on time, or we are not going to complete a particular task, as per our expectations or if someone whom we very well know decides to ignore us today, for some reason or the other. If this seed of irritation is watered, or in other words it is given the concentrated energy of our attention i.e. we continue with the irritation for some time, it slowly grows or evolves into frustration. Unless we take some constructive inner action to stop the growth of the frustration and we keep energizing it, it will grow or evolve into anger. And if this happens regularly and we are not careful, it will become a habit, a part of our personality, which we will finally come to believe is a natural part of your nature. We will even think we were born with it. That it is ‘in our genes’. Every time we become angry we cause the production of certain chemicals in our body and we also become addicted to those chemicals – then we look for people and situations which will give us an excuse to get angry so that we can have our daily dose of chemicals. We not only become attached to material objects, people, ways of thinking, beliefs etc. - we also become attached to our emotions like the emotion of anger. The regular secretion of these chemicals will finally kill our body. We don’t need to kill our body. We need to accept that anger is never ever productive, know that it is just not necessary to be angry with anyone or about anything, know that it is entirely our own creation and know that we can choose a different response. If we know and accept that, we will experience freedom from it. 

Message for the day

To be constantly enthusiastic is to experience freedom.

Projection: When everything is going on well I find myself enthusiastic and have the interest to move forward. But when even a little thing goes wrong, I lose all enthusiasm to do anything else. This creates a bondage for me and I find it difficult to move forward.

Solution: I need to remind myself that to be enthusiastic in all situations is to be like a free bird reaching great heights. To lose enthusiasm according to difficult situations is to be like a caged bird.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 14, 2019: Making the Impossible Possible

Contemplation: September 14, 2019: Making the Impossible Possible

Making the Impossible Possible

The impossible is possible when we offer a finger of co-operation.  We know that each of our five fingers are different - each is special, yet it's when they work together we find that whatever we put our hand to becomes successful.

To be happy is to be living. 

The true blessing of life is happiness. To be happy is as simple and necessary as breathing. Just as I don't forget to breathe, I shouldn't forget to be happy. Just as breath is life, happiness too is the true life. My lifespan is counted based on the number of moments I live happily. Today I will be happy and I will accumulate precious moment of happiness in the piggy bank of my soul. The more number of happiness I collect, the richer I will be. So today I will collect as much as I can.

Varied (Different) Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (cont.)

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 sanskaras 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.

Soul Sustenance 

Exercise On Self Discovery (Part 2)

Think about which qualities you need to possess as a professional or as a homemaker e.g. qualities of a team leader in a corporate organization would be: efficiency, responsibility, focus, precision, determination, etc. Then, leaving aside the professional aspect, explore your basic, innate qualities. Reflect on your inner and spiritual values. Which values make you happy? Look deep into your inner self. Take some time in this and note down three of these essential values in your life. What conclusion have you come to? What are these values?

The more we really understand ourselves, with our defects, weaknesses, virtues and values, the better our relationships will be with others. We will understand when they have little understanding of themselves and others. Knowing oneself in-depth, taking into account everything described above as well as in yesterday’s message, requires time, effort, observation and the practice of silence. In silence one can begin a conversation with oneself. In this way we can gradually discover our inner beauty and strength, and be aware of the basis of our value and dignity as human beings. When we relearn to see ourselves with our original qualities and innate values, it is also easier to recognise these qualities in others.

Message for the day

To do a task with love is to be constantly successful.

Projection: When I start with something new, I usually notice that I'm successful for sometime, but I do not experience long lasting success. This is because I did the task on being told or being forced by the situation. External force makes me use my resources with commitment for sometime.

Solution: Love brings constant success because once I've experienced the joy of doing the task itself, I'll never give it up. Because it is done with love, I'll put in all my resources and do my best. So I'll experience constant success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 13, 2019: Inner Stability

Contemplation: September 13, 2019: Inner Stability

The Dalai Lama

Inner Stability

Inner stability rests on 4 practices:

1. Daily study - even a paragraph of spiritual wisdom you read will nourish the mind.
2. Regular meditation - the practice of insight, connection and realisation.
3. Cultivate positive qualities - consciously develop, apply and express these qualities.
4. Altruistic service to humanity - try small acts of kindness.

Walking Briskly

Walk quickly today, not because you are in a hurry, but because you value the exercise for legs and heart. As you walk, allow your thoughts to visit you, but not stay. Let them come to pass, and you will be surprised how quickly they become positive, and filled with creative ideas. And paradoxically, if you stay internally aware, you may notice that the quicker you walk, the more your thinking slows down and deepens. Walking briskly and positive thinking - that's the simplest way to take care of body and mind. And life was meant to be simple...wasn't it?
relax7

Varied (Different) Concepts About The Supreme Being or God

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 ...)

Soul Sustenance 

Exercise On Self Discovery (Part 1)

Many people today do not have a clear sense of identity. In fact, when you ask people about the image they have of themselves, it is usually negative, and they see their weaknesses (negative sanskaras) and mistakes committed in the past more easily than their qualities (positive sanskaras) and achievements. This negative image of oneself leads us to an identity crisis. A negative image causes feelings of dissatisfaction to accumulate within oneself. Then our lifestyle is affected by the need for recognition and approval, by the need to justify ourselves, of obtaining material achievements and success.

Given below is an exercise to experience your true self:
Sit back and observe yourself. What is the image you have of yourself? How do you see yourself? Who are you really? What is there left when you have removed all the labels? Are you thoughts, feelings, free will, energy, ideas, being, conscience, intellect, life? What do the majority have in common? They are internal, incorporeal and invisible: they are non-physical aspects. The true self is incorporeal and invisible.

Now experience your ideal self: Make a list of which qualities you think your ideal self should have, the self you deeply long to be and experience in your life. The list may include qualities such as: joyful, tolerant, generous, fearless, free, loving, among others.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To see specialities in all is to become special.

Projection: Most of the time, I'm caught up in looking at people's negativity. When I see some negative quality in someone, I immediately make his specialities a background and start focusing on his negative traits. The more I think of these negative qualities, the more they occupy my conscious mind, changing my reactions too.

Solution: It is natural to be coloured or influenced by what I see. If I see specialities, I'll take on a little of that and if I see weaknesses, I'll take on a little of that too. So I need to make an attempt to look at only specialities and encourage others too to use their specialities.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 12, 2019: 86,400 Seconds

Contemplation: September 12, 2019: 86,400 Seconds

Table Clock by John George, Augsburg, 1720, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

86,400 Seconds

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $ 86,400. Every evening whatever part of the balance you fail to use during the day is deleted. What would you do? Draw out every cent and use it well, of course!!! Each of us has such a bank - Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Invest the day's deposits well, or the loss is yours. How could you bring the most contentment, happiness and benefit to yourself and others? The clock is running.

Good Ideas 

Often we assume that good ideas just happen. Or we try to generate ideas in a formal environment.

Sometimes changing the setting can get our creative juices flowing. Instead of holding a meeting in a conference room or the office, go to a coffee shop.

Sometimes retreating to the visual world of art can open the mind and spark new ideas. Visit a gallery or a museum and immerse yourself in the colours, textures and impressions.

Being An Observer And An Actor - Maintaining The Balance 

In relation to the other, we have the possibility of observing and intervening (interfering) when we wish to; that is, maintaining the balance between being an observer and acting; playing between forming part of the audience and being the actor. On being actors, sometimes we can lose ourselves in the acting of the other in his or her or their dramas; we get in so deep with what is happening to the other that we lose distance. We get mentally and emotionally involved in the other's stories. When our awareness gets lost in those stories, we stop being the creators of our own life and of our own story. This habit exhausts us; we lose energy; we lose our concentration and control over our thoughts and our emotions. We lose our inner peace and we begin to look for it again.

We can choose to observe the dance of ideas, images and acts of others, and not get involved in their complications. Only thus will we be at peace with ourselves and with the world. Remember that you create your own story. If you want to live in peace and exercise a positive influence on the people around you, don't try to control or to change the stories of others. In order to enjoy a painting you do not poke your nose onto it; you remain at a certain distance so you see it with greater clarity. The same thing occurs with the painting of life. By learning the art of being a detached observer and then intervening, of keeping a healthy distance, we manage to be connected with what is essential without losing ourselves in the waste and superfluous (excessive). That way, our intervention does not arise out of a reaction which has shades of frustration, anger and negative judgements. We are then the creators of spaces of trust and love in relationships.

Soul Sustenance 

Harmonizing The Mind And The Intellect

The intellect is the faculty of the soul that judges thought and determines its quality, its ethical purity, its truthfulness, its usefulness, its appropriateness, whether it is necessary, right or wrong. The intellect is backed by the conscience. In fact, the conscience expresses itself through the intellect. If you have a positive thought, the intellect should approve it and allow it to be put into practice. If a feeling of doubt accompanies the positive thought, the intellect should take it into account and remove that doubt, before the thought gets converted into action. When the faculties of the mind and intellect are pure and strong, and they cooperate in harmony; they support one another and there is no inner conflict. If the intellect is weak, the mind feels confused and it will generate many unproductive thoughts. There will be an inner conflict and in the end the intellect will lose, because the power of influence of the intellect is less. Then, the intellect will not have the power to prevent them from going into action. Actions will be performed that are negative or unproductive, in opposition to the conscience, and they will as a result create negative habits.
The intellect is the most important faculty of human consciousness to bring about personality change. If the quality of the intellect is good, the capacity and quality of the intellectual processes through which you perceive and live reality will be higher. If the intellect is clean and pure, you will differentiate what is real and authentic from what is unreal and false. You will be able to judge if a situation is beneficial or wasteful, useful or useless. 

Message for the day

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

Projection: When I am responsile 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

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/