Contemplation: December 29, 2019: Forming an Opinion

Contemplation: December 29, 2019: Forming an Opinion

Forming an Opinion

Pause before you let your assumptions spin out of control, try being less fast to jump to conclusions and judge people or situations. Why not challenge your assumptions by checking out the full story first and then forming an opinion!

As is our attitude towards others, so is the quality of interactions. 

Our attitude towards others influences our interaction with them. A negative attitude towards another person not only makes me behave negatively. It also makes the other person use that quality again and again when in interaction with us. We actually become a reminder to the other person about his own negativity. For example, if I continue to believe that someone is lazy and we keep expressing that, that person will only remember their laziness when they see us, and use it too. Today I will remind one person of some quality that I see in him. I will praise or use this quality of the person at least 3 times. Thus, I will be able to become a reminder for them, of their own specialty. This will encourage them to use this quality at least when they are interacting with us.

Meditation And Health

Each original quality of the self or soul is specially required for nourishing and empowering one human body system. The quality of peace is responsible for taking care of the respiratory system, joy for the gastrointestinal system, love for the circulatory system, bliss for the endocrine system, knowledge for the brain and nervous system, purity for the immune system and the five senses and power for the muscular and skeletal systems.

Each one of us has at least one body system, which is most prone to disease. When our mind is under the influence of stressful emotions, there is a decrease in the flow, from the soul to this body system, of that quality which is required by it for its nourishment, which leads to the development of disease in this system over a period of time e.g. when an individual with a weak respiratory system is in a negative state of mind, there is a decrease in the flow of the quality of peace to the respiratory system which in turn can lead to a disorder like asthma.

Soul Sustenance 

Becoming Responsible For My Destiny (Part 1)

These are examples of some of the inner questions that emerge in our minds from time to time:

* Why is she rich and successful and I am not? * Why did he behave in that way with me; I've always behaved well with him. * Why does that one have easy success in life and the other, however hard he tries, fails at every step? * Why is he nice natured but is born blind and the other ill natured but has no health problems at all? * Why does she suffer so much? * She is so sweet, but yet everyone disrespects her. * Why did that child die at such a young age? She was so innocent. * Why did I get married to such a person? * Why am I here? * How is that student in my class so intelligent?

There are lot more questions like these that trouble us. In the case of sorrows, it is seen more than the sorrow, it is the question - why this sorrow exists in my life that troubles us. Why? What? How? When? Even so, they all have only one answer: karma.

I don't need to go into minute details of each situation. If I see that nothing can happen without having had a justified cause in my past or in that of others, life becomes much easier to face, with responsibility and the power of courage.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day 

You can always be successful when there is a desire to serve others. 

Expression: At the end of each day, check if you have done anything for others. Also check if there is any consciousness of 'I' in all the things that you do for others. When there is even the slightest trace of a desire for benefit for yourself you cannot experience either contentment or success. 

Experience: Each day take up at least one thing that would bring benefit to others, irrespective of whether it will get you anything or not. When you serve with no selfishness you will find yourself succeeding in all you do. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 28, 2019: Letting Go of Sorrow

Contemplation: December 28, 2019: Letting Go of Sorrow

Letting Go of Sorrow

If I allow bitterness and resentment to fester inside, it will make my relationships guarded and unsatisfying. The more I close down to others, the more I become a stranger to myself. By letting go of sorrow and negativity, I can keep my nature open and loving. Remaining open to life, with its constant adventures and opportunities to grow, is the only way to reach my full potential.

Life's challenges

Life's challenges are like house guests - they come and they leave. So, the next time a challenge comes your way, remember: they will also go away.

And when house guests leave your home, you wouldn't let them take everything from your home, would you? 

In the same way, when challenges leave, don't let life's challenges take away your happiness. Why? 

Happiness is your property. It always remains with you. 

No matter what happens, don't let anything take your happiness away from you.

Analyzing Success And Failure (Part 2)

For many, society has conditioned us to look for success through the path of our career, achievements, profits, praise, financial wealth etc. That way, we have learned a narrow view of success. Running in search of this kind of success and pursuing it, we come to exhaust ourselves, get burnt out and depressed. In order to achieve these successes we have stopped caring for the inner being (the soul) and relationships. That has meant and means stress, pain, anxiety, family break ups, personal and relational disintegrations, the destruction of the environment and planetary and climatic imbalances. As a consequence, we feel empty. Although we achieve the applause, the income and other successes, the soul is malnourished and has the sensation that it is lacking something. Reaching fame, financial wealth, the power of a visible position, and reaching it with a broken soul, broken up family and a sick body, causes depression which explains why, in our recent history, famous people have ended up committing suicide.

If we want to redirect our personal and collective lives toward true well-being and wholeness, we have to re-evaluate and redefine our beliefs and factors that lead to success and failure. Before asking yourself what success and failure mean for you, it is important to be clear what context you want success in. Depending on the context, the dimension and the meaning of success and failure will be different. For example, in the work context, a failure will be different to that in the family context. In the personal context or in life in general, the way of perceiving success or failure varies.

Soul Sustenance 

Positive Consciousness

The habitual way in which you use the house you live in and its contents are all affected if you use them in a positive consciousness (mental state). The result is purification while interacting with the physical object, so that when the object is in use, it fulfills its function accurately, and it has also undergone a permanent change. This can happen when you are cleaning the house, cleaning any object in the house or preparing objects for a particular purpose. If such actions are done in a positive consciousness then the physical object will have such a vibration of peace and purity that no harm can be done with it and whatever action it is used to perform will be successful. Any other soul who comes into interaction with those objects will also feel the affect of their pure vibrations.

If we perform each action with the physical body in a positive consciousness, then the physical body gets purified and we can become free of illnesses.

In our relationships it is the same principle. First there needs to be that detachment in relations. Secondly, when there is a positive consciousness, I will find that my interactions have a purifying affect on all that I relate to and I can bring benefit to everyone I meet.

In this way a positive mental state enables all actions to be successful, whether at work or at home. 

Message for the day 

Instead of thinking of the situation, think of your own stage. 

Expression: When you find yourself questioning the things that are happening in your life, ask yourself if your own stage is good. The situation might be bad, but check if your own stage is good and if you have the power to face the situation.

Experience: Remind yourself that you are learning from the things that are happening so that you can improve your own stage.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 27, 2019: Inner Peace

Contemplation: December 27, 2019: Inner Peace

Inner Peace

Where attention goes, energy flows; and where energy flows, things grow.  This is the blueprint behind all meditations. 

For example, if we focus on inner peace and 'give' mental attention to the idea of peace, we water it with the energy of our consciousness. 

It then grows from a thought into a deep feeling, 

resulting in an experience of inner peace.

Intrinsic qualities 

Turn your mind away from distractions and have it face inwards to the inner being. 

Like a perfectly calm lake when all whispers of wind have stopped, the inner being shimmers, quietly reflecting the intrinsic qualities of the soul.

Analyzing Success And Failure (Part 1)

You feel positive and joyful when you realize that you are successful. However, when failure comes to you, you feel defeated. The definition of success and failure varies from one person to another and according to the stage of life that you are in. It is important to have success and failure well defined for yourself, because, based on your definition, you feel greater or lesser inner well-being, happiness and wholeness. There are also different levels of success and of failure. For example, for some the greatest success is to be happy and radiant, whatever happens inside or outside. If one manages to keep happy in the face of failure, for them it is a success. Because to be happy means that I am connected with my essential worth or inner self, my being is awake and alive. Failure does not reduce my vitality, my contentment levels. The greater or fewer external achievements do not reduce the quality of the inner being or of being happy. The important thing is that you believe your own definition of success and failure. Some ideas can be shared that can act as guidelines, but, in the end, each person has to create their own guidelines, definitions and factors leading to success and failure. Basing ourselves on these guidelines and beliefs, we evaluate our successes and failures.  You can reflect on what true success and failure mean for you and, according to those meanings, centre your attention on the values and efforts that lead you to achieve your objectives.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance 

Taking The Path Of Spirituality (Part 3)

The religious mind-set is sometimes threatened by the approach of spirituality (discussed over the last couple of days) and sometimes calls it a self-absorbed approach. Spirituality calls it the awakening of the self or the soul so that it can realize its true form and nature. It also reminds us that everything and everyone are interconnected. While we are all unique and have individual characteristics, we are also members of one spiritual family. If each one of us wake up spiritually and restore our personal link with the Source, with God, then that in itself will benefit all others around us. Seen in this way the enlightenment of the self becomes a spiritual service to others.

This does not mean that the religious person is not spiritual. Many are naturally spiritual and carry a healthy and positive criticism about organized belief systems and the institutions which are built around them. They are often attracted to the universal truths found at an intellectual level in all religious philosophies. But an intellectual understanding is not enough, as the saints have reminded us through the ages. Having had direct experiences of a Supreme Being, they remind us that God can never easily be put under scientific investigation, but rather will be found in the personal experience of spiritual communication/connection. For this reason, in spirituality, there is always an emphasis on the practice of meditation/contemplation and the purification of the soul.



Message for the day 

When you are content you can give the experience of contentment to others too. 

Expression: Each day check if you are content with what you are doing. Also check if others are content with what you are doing in your life. If there is an experience of contentment within yourself others will be content with you. 

Experience: At the end of each day, make a mental list of all that you have attained for the day, things that you are happy about. This will enable you to be content even during the phase when things are not going so smooth, because you are able to look at the positive aspect too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 26, 2019: CONTROL YOUR ANGER

Contemplation: December 26, 2019: CONTROL YOUR ANGER  

Mount  Pinatubo - Eruption in the PHILIPPINES, 1991

CONTROL YOUR ANGER

Then you will be able to: 

  - respond rather than react

  - be assertive rather than aggressive

  - know when to stand up for yourself and when to step back. 

The art of giving happiness lies in being happy. 

If I am not happy with something or someone and I am not able to resolve it, I will not be able to give happiness to others too. If I am bringing about a change in myself for someone and am not happy about it, I will not be able to make a difference. Whatever I do for others, I need to do it with happiness. Today I will make a small change in myself or my life style for giving happiness to someone important in my life. This could be something that they have always been expecting, but it need not be anything big. But, while I am making this change, I need to first ensure I am not bothered or am not feeling heavy about it. When I do it with love, it will give me power and positivity.

Improving The Quality Of My Actions (Part 4)

Karma as spiritual service of others
Service of others can be seen on a very basic level as physical charity but the real service is to uplift the souls of others by inspiring them to re-claim their state of self-respect. There is the old saying that if I give others chapattis, I feed them for a day. If I teach them how to cook chapattis, I feed them for life. In a spiritual way, this refers to the fact that instead of merely performing a positive karma like the donation of money, food, clothes, etc. if one can show others the understanding of karma and how it works and also teach them the ultimate, pure karma of coming closer to the Supreme on a spiritual level, they can make efforts to change their negative karmic situation and bring happiness, peace and positivity back in their lives. When there is a change at the mental and emotional level, then changes will begin to show at the physical level too. Over a period of time, due to understanding spiritual knowledge (as a result of which the soul starts performing positive actions) and a deep connection with the Supreme (due to which negative actions or sins performed in the past are burned up), the karmic situation of the soul, which has been served, starts improving.

Soul Sustenance 

Taking The Path of Spirituality (Part 2)

Religion also tends to encourage us to have faith, to pray and perhaps beg to an entity to whom we are not worthy enough or high enough to look face-to-face with. On the other hand, spirituality would have us believe nothing blindly and never reduces our own basic but now suppressed value or divinity. Spirituality is a path of high self esteem. The spiritual approach to God is one of remaining in that self esteem and cultivating a relationship that is as real, direct and as dynamic as we might have with a member of our family, a friend or a companion. Even worldly relationships work best when the people involved in the relationships maintain their self esteem. It means that personal experience is the only real proof of God's presence in our life.

While religion would tend to encourage the strict following of a set of recorded beliefs, which have been declared by religions or religious organizations, spirituality would say, "You must not believe me when I say it is raining outside — go and see for yourself. Here, I'll show you the way, but you must go and see and touch the rain for yourself." Spirituality would not encourage blind faith in an historical set of other people's beliefs, but would encourage the cultivation of an enlightened faith based on one’s own personal experience. God, as the Supreme Father, does not want to be worshiped; He only wants to see His loved ones, His children awakened from their self-imposed spiritual sleep – that is what spirituality does – wake us up!

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day 

Instead of thinking of the situation, think of your own stage. 

Expression: When you find yourself questioning the things that are happening in your life, ask yourself if your own stage is good. The situation might be bad, but check if your own stage is good and if you have the power to face the situation. 
Experience: The reason for losing the stage in a negative situation is because of negative thoughts. In order to finish such negative thoughts, remind yourself that you are learning from the things that are happening so that you can improve your own stage. 
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 25, 2019: Balance

Contemplation: December 25, 2019: Balance

Balance

Most of us find it hard to keep a balance whilst trying to juggle all the different things in our life.
Whilst we may not be in "perfect balance", the key is to continually reflect and make small adjustments.
Make time for what matters most. Enhance your well-being and quality of life by creating a lifestyle that works for you.

Value time 

Punctuality matters.  It's a sign of respect for yourself and others.  So if you have the habit of running late, it's time to be punctual.  

Value time and manage it properly.  Prepare beforehand and avoid leaving things to the last minute.  Aim to arrive early and then if there are delays or any unexpected problems, you'll still arrive on time.

Improving The Quality Of My Actions (Part 3)

Karma performed for leisure or entertainment
When someone says they don't have time for meditation or for their spiritual development, it generally reflects an unwillingness to face the self rather than an actual lack of time. The fact that average T.V. viewing time in many countries runs to more than 15 hours a week tells its own story. To the extent that I value my time, I value my life and make myself valuable. Valuing my time, energy and money is very much a part of the whole karmic story of give and take: what they are used for, how well they are used, whether they are wasted and so on. Difficulties with time, one's own bodily energy and finances are the fruits of past indifference or wastage of these resources (either in this birth or previous births). The world financial crisis is the karmic sum total of all such individual difficulties. Am I using all that I have in a worthwhile way? Am I just wasting it or am I using it for benefit for myself and for others? These questions, answered correctly, often spell the difference between success and failure.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance 

Taking The Path Of Spirituality (Part 1)

To rediscover, become aware of and finally experience our relationship with God, beliefs in God are initially, not a necessity; in fact, on the contrary, they can be an obstacle! Sounds strange, but before being introduced into spirituality, if we have already developed or learnt certain concepts or beliefs about God, these concepts or beliefs may themselves be a barrier in our spiritual progress. To start your personal journey on the path of spirituality, the only requirement is openness to a basic idea that there may be a greater or higher source of spiritual energy than ourselves. Only if our minds are open, can we be ready to communicate personally and directly with this source.

What tends to keep our minds closed to God are either the beliefs we have learnt or inherited from our family, our education, our culture or the trust that we have in those who themselves, whether it be our parents or grandparents or our spouse or our friends, have a closed mind and are unaware of it. It is at this point that we find that religion and spirituality part ways.
Religion would have us 'believe' there is a God, and often a belief that it is not possible to know God, directly or indirectly, or to even approach God i.e. there are fears and inhibitions related to God. Religion sometimes teaches us to be in awe of God. Spirituality, on the other hand, encourages us to leave all limited beliefs behind and be both humble and open to the possibility of the presence of God in our life. Hence, in spirituality, personal experience is given more importance than a learned or inherited belief.Hence the essential need for a method such as meditation to make the bridge from belief to direct experience. In meditation the soul/self releases any false attachments, including learned beliefs, and opens to receive and directly experience the spiritual light of the Source.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day 

You will experience all attainments when there is faith. 

Expression: At the end of each day, check if you are aware of and experiencing the things that you have attained for the day. If you are not able to experience the attainments, it means you do not have sufficient faith in yourself or in the things that are happening.

Experience: Tell yourself each day that you have the faith in yourself and in things that they will ultimately turn out to be the best. When you practice in this way you can begin to experience your attainments.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 24, 2019: Peaceful Mind

Contemplation: December 24, 2019: Peaceful Mind

Peaceful Mind

Learn how to keep your mind peaceful by feeding good thoughts to your mind. Let your mind rest.. let it be restful… not restless. Remember: my mind is my own. I mustn’t let my mind cause me distress. I cannot slap my mind (suppress the mind) – I have to give it love. By giving your own mind love you will make it peaceful.

Lightness

We can only feel comfortable adapting to new situations and different ways of doing things if we are light and easy. We often resist new ideas from others or changing circumstances because we harbour jealousy, mistrust or resentment. Letting go of such negativity, we begin to see with a positive vision and can embrace new scenes in life with a sense of openness and adventure.

Improving The Quality Of My Actions (Part 2)

Karma performed for the self
If I, the soul, am the master of my body, then I have to look after its upkeep. The consciousness with which I feed and take care of the body has to be such that my actions don't bring me into further attachment to it.They have to be of such quality that they bring me closer to God and help to reduce my bodily ego or the pull towards physical desires. I have to work, cook, feed and wash the body but these activities can be done in such a way that they bring me closer to my destination of perfection, of freedom and of liberation.

Karma in our relationships
There is specific energy that drives all relationships - that of credit and debit, give and take. These are the so called karmic accounts that have been created in the past (either in this birth or previous births) and which now determine the quality and quantity of all our interactions and their results, in terms of joy or sorrow, in all our relationships. It's not necessary to find out exactly what the karmic root cause of a problem in a relationship may have been. A very simple guideline to improve the quality of our interactions is:

Rather than take, let me give, so there won't be any further debts. Whether it is colleagues at work, family relationships or friends, let me see if there is a way in which I can fulfill my responsibility with integrity and honesty. If I am not doing that, if I am moving away from my responsibilities, I am adding to my karmic burden. In what way can I give or serve, so that there is no longer conflict, tension and struggle but just sweetness and respect in my relationships?

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance 

A Message On Christmas

Its Christmas once again, the time to celebrate.
As we decorate the Christmas Tree, let us remind ourselves.
The tree is a symbol of humanity.
The trunk is when we were all united in one religion of peace, love and truth.
We then divided into branches of different religions and then each religion divided into twigs.
The leaves of the tree represents each soul of humanity.
The Shining Star on top, is God who is now giving us the message to unite once again.
As we decorate the tree, let us decorate the soul with virtues of compassion, forgiveness and trust.
Santa Claus, symbolises The Supreme God Father, who comes in these times of darkness, into the dirty old world (chimney), to give us gifts of Purity, Power and Peace.

Christmas is the time of Angels.
We have always looked for our guarding angel, one who would always be there for us, guide us and love us.
Today let us start becoming an angel instead of looking for angels.
When we remember our original nature of love and purity, we accept each one as they are.
We love them and our love and acceptance protects them and empowers them.
We then become an angel to them,
An angel who is a parent, a spouse, a boss, a friend.
When we live by our virtues, we are angels to each one around us.

As we celebrate Christmas let us remember what Christ lived for - Love and Forgiveness.
Why is it so difficult for us to forgive others? Sometimes, even years after a certain incident; sometimes, even after they have apologized; Why?
When we forgive someone, we actually do ourselves a huge favor because through forgiveness, we release all the negative thoughts, emotions and energies that we are holding onto in our anger.
Replaying the moment again and again in our mind, we torture ourselves in so many ways. It hurts us more than them, when we don't forgive.
So even if you do it for the most selfish of reasons, go ahead and forgive.
First, forgive yourself for holding onto the grudge for as long as you did. 

Then, forgive the other person. 

Message for the day 

Where there is zeal and enthusiasm, success is guaranteed. 

Expression: If you are not able to experience success in all that you do, check if you are filled with enthusiasm or not. Also find out the reason for not being enthusiastic. This helps you to realize and overcome your weakness. 

Experience: In order to increase your own enthusiasm throughout the day, create an aim for yourself and see that you work towards this aim each day. When you find yourself progressing towards the aim you will become enthusiastic. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: December 23, 2019: Exploring Silence

Contemplation: December 23, 2019: Exploring Silence

Exploring Silence

Human beings often think about things that don’t concern them and about other people. When you think a lot you will use the word 'why'. To become silent means to emerge wisdom from within. To move into dead silence means to go beyond the consciousness of the physical body. This is a very wonderful experience for the soul, it empowers and refreshes the soul.

To be full of all powers is to be giving according to need. 

If I do not have all powers or if I am not able to recognize the need, I cannot provide what is needed. If I give even variety food to someone who is thirsty, he will not be satisfied. In the same way, I need to understand what power or virtue the other person needs and give accordingly. It is not what I think he needs but I need to understand and recognize what he really needs. Today I will give one person a quality, virtue or power that he needs. I will pay attention not to judge or have negative thoughts. Instead, I will give. This practice will help me give instead of just expecting.

Improving The Quality Of My Actions (Part 1)

Karma yoga (experiencing meditation in practical life situations) functions in two ways:

* By filling the self with power, the transformation of action is possible. This in turn brings about change in mysanskars.
* By absorbing the qualities of the Supreme Being my sanskars change.

It's necessary to experiment with this to discover its validity. On one level, whatever I have done, I have to receive the return for that but, on another level, just simply pure love for God is the factor that purifies, cleanses and forgives. Whatever my past karma may have been, the fire of God's love, the fire of a powerful connection with Supreme is able to resolve it and remove its impact from within the soul itself, in terms of negative personality sanskars and also in terms of negative karmic effects in real life situations. Thus it can be seen why yoga or the union of love with God is so crucial.

If one looks at the whole pattern of human life, there are four areas of karma which need to be improved:

* Karma that I perform for myself, for my own sustenance and upkeep.
* Karma that I perform with or for others in terms of relationships.
* Karma that I perform, not out of need or necessity, but for leisure or entertainment.
* Karma that I perform as service of others.

In the next three messages, we shall explain how we can improve these four areas of karma.

Soul Sustenance 

What Is Clean Communication?

With the self-covered by the clouds of so many external influences and many of its own negative beliefs and past experiences, the self is normally unclear about its own self. The light of spiritual knowledge brings clarity to the self, about the self. This helps me to communicate with others much more clearly than when I am not sure or clear about what is going on inside me. There is a direct connection between the quality of subtle activities in the form of thoughts and feelings going on inside me and the quality of my interaction and communication with others.

Very importantly, relationships are also connected with attitude and vision. Sometimes, I may feel I have said and done the right things to someone, yet still someone is not behaving towards me as I would wish. At such times I need to check my attitude towards that person and the vision with which I am seeing them. I may find inside a slight feeling of disapproval towards that person, a feeling of discomfort, a resistance to something in their personality. Neither of us may be conscious of it, but my negative feeling casts a shadow on the other person. They are not receiving the acceptance or respect from me, that they should (on a subtle level), although externally I may be showing them a lot of respect. This subtle lack of acceptance and respect from my end influences their ability to hear me clearly (on a subtle level), and the way they behave towards me. The practice of meditation enables me to clean out my thoughts, feelings, attitudes and vision, ensuring that what I share with others on a physical and on a subtle level is positive. Then it is much easier for me to connect with others and for others to connect with me in a positive way. This is called Clean Communication. 

Message for the day 

Become the one who is special by seeing only specialties. 

Expression: Throughout the day, among all the people you meet check if you are seeing any negative quality in them. Also check if you are seeing specialties in others or not. 

Experience: Each day tell yourself, "I am special and I only see the specialties in myself and others." Then practice seeing only the good qualities in others and you will become good too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/