Contemplation: January 19, 2020: Art of Spiritual Intelligence

Contemplation: January 19, 2020: Art of Spiritual Intelligence 

Art of Spiritual Intelligence 

Think before you think. Each thought is the energy of my being. As I have thoughts, I am spending myself. To ensure that I spend myself well, I can think carefully about what I will think. To notice what I am thinking and to choose the thoughts I will invest in, is the art of spiritual intelligence. Today let me choose only high quality thoughts.

Perfection

Perfection comes when there is positivity in thoughts. When we are
faced with any weakness of ours, we usually think about it so much
that it is totally blown out of proportion and it seems bigger than it
actually is. This leads to negative thinking, which in turn doesn't
let us work on improving ourselves. We will then just remain the way
we are, not being able to bring about progress. What we need to do in
order to win over our weakness is to change our focus. Instead of
thinking about the weakness, we only need to think, "I am not perfect
yet, but I am working towards it and I am slowly improving." With such
positive thoughts, our negativity will finish.

Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace (Part 2)

Yesterday we have explained how the virtue of peace works in human souls through the cycle of life. In today's message we explain (with reference to yesterday's message) how we can experience our original state of peace experienced during the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle. Tomorrow we shall explain how we can experience the eternal peace of the soul world. To have both these experiences, the basic principle that I need to remember is that to experience peace, I need to concentrate on it - concentration means creating thoughts about it and visualizing it at the same time. Secondly to access peace, I need to separate myself from my body and surroundings. So how do I bring these two principles in practice?

The first chapter of the Rajyoga meditation course as taught by the Brahma Kumaris in each of its centers states a simple fact and makes me realize it that I am not this body but I am an eternal soul, a non-physical star like spiritual energy, situated at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, the original nature of which is peace. The body is my vehicle. Now, to experience the peace experienced during the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle, my mind picks the above fact or wisdom from my intellect, which is a reservoir of spiritual knowledge and where the above fact is stored. Then, my intellect, which possesses the decision making ability judges the thought as to whether it is a right or wrong one. If my intellect is convinced about the fact, it judges the thought as right. Next, I take this process further. Along with creating this thought I visualize this thought on the screen of my mind i.e. see my star-like white/golden light form just above the eyebrows radiating white/golden rays of peace  in all directions. I do this exercise for a few minutes. This exercise then leads me to an experience of peace, as a result of which a sanskara of peace is created. This is the peace experienced whilst visualizing the spiritual self inside the body - it is the peace experienced in the initial phases of the birth-rebirth cycle. 

Soul Sustenance

Rising Above Limits

From the moment the soul has occupied the physical body, it has been living a life completely surrounded and absolutely controlled by limits. The domination of these limits has been increasing as it has taken body after body. Not just physical limits such as of gender or power, money or material possessions, but of time – the time I spend with my children, the time it takes me to finish a particular task, the time my friendship lasts, the time it takes me to drive to the office, etc.

The beauty of meditation is that it detaches me from the consciousness of the body and as a result I rise above these physical limits and limits of time. I experience the pure and very importantly, free and independent consciousness of the soul. I step out of the boundaries of both space and time. I begin to feel my own eternity, in which I simply am, without a beginning or an end. I existed before the formation of the body and I shall exist after it has returned to dust. This awareness of my eternal (with no beginning or end) identity is powerful, because it removes the fear of death. With that goes away a lot of the ego-driven, pressure filled behavior, the desperate need to make a mark through my profession or material objects which I own or in my relationships. This is the behavior in which I indulge when there isn't the realization of my eternal identity.

I, the soul, become aware of a continuity to my existence. Very importantly, I am also able to have the feeling of a place that is my eternal home, a place of rest, of peace, of complete stillness and silence. It is my place from where I began my journey. I exist in that home, and I come from that home to play my role on Earth, and I return there when my role is completed. This realization makes me internally full, fearless and content.

Message for the day 

Become free from obstacles by finishing wasteful questions.

Expression: When something negative happens, check what your thoughts are. Are you searching for the reason for the negative situation to occur in order to learn from it or are you just asking questions and complaining about your situation?

Experience: Each day think of anything that has not happened right and make the practice of seeing what good could have come out of such a situation. In this way you'll not waste your own time or that of others since you don't ask why. You'll thereby free from obstacles.


Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 18, 2020: Weathering Storms

Contemplation: January 18, 2020: Weathering Storms

Weathering Storms

Storms don’t leave a mark on the ocean. Although situations may
arise, when I hold a consciousness as vast as the ocean they leave no mark on me. When I immerse myself in the ocean of peace and love everyday through meditation I grow my inner capacity to weather storms. They come but they no longer drown me. Today let me sit in silence and experience an inner ocean of peace.

Forgive and Forget 

The method to bring about change is forgiveness. Forgiveness means to have good wishes, cooperation, love, respect and faith. This becomes like a blessing for the one who needs to bring about change.  Words spoken will then be powerful and easy.  This will naturally bring faith in the other person in order to bring about natural transformation. When we give only correction we forget to forgive. But when we first forgive we are able to remain cool and easy. We are also able to forget the intensity of the mistake.  So when we forgive and forget in this way, our forgiveness itself becomes a correction for the other person.

Understanding The Mechanism Of The Virtue Of Peace (Part 1)

Each and every human soul's original trait or characteristic is peace. Before each soul comes down on the earth to take its first physical body, the soul is in a state of complete peace, residing in the soul world. In the soul world, the two faculties of the soul - the mind and intellect are complete inactive or dormant and the third faculty, the sanskara or spiritual personality is only that of eternal peace and purity and no other virtue like happiness, love or knowledge. The mind is completely silent, not creating a single thought or emotion or feeling nor possessing an attitude. The intellect which possesses the power to discriminate right thoughts, words or actions from the wrong ones does not exercise its power because there are no thoughts, words or actions in the soul world, so there is nothing there to discriminate. The sanskaras (as mentioned above) are also inactive to a certain extent - there are no thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, words or actions to be created or processed, which would be based on the sanskaras or personality.

When the soul first takes a physical body on the world stage, it creates thoughts and feelings which are few in number and they are only positive and its words and actions are also limited and completely positive. Its discrimination power is active and completely accurate and its sanskaras or personality come into an active mode (sanskaras other than peace also become active) but only for a positive purpose to create positive thoughts, words or actions. As a result of this, the soul experiences immense peace, but the extent of the peace is lesser than that of in the soul world, where it is completely still and experiences dead silence or peace. It is never peaceless though at this stage. As the soul starts coming into the process of birth and rebirth, it starts losing its energy slowly; its mind, intellect and sanskaras start functioning negatively or incorrectly, it begins to succumb to the vices, leading to the creation of thoughts, words and actions, which are not only large in number but they are mostly waste or negative in nature. As a result, the soul gradually begins to lose its peace, which it experienced in the soul world (eternal peace) and at the start of its journey on the physical world and starts becoming peaceless.

Tomorrow we shall explain how we can return to our original state of peace.

Soul Sustenance

Is It Possible To Manipulate The Law Of Karma?

Human laws can be adjusted, manipulated and even ignored by some, but no one can do the same with the Law of Karma. On the physical level, there is no time interval between an action and its reaction. If I throw an object in the air, it falls back immediately with the same force. With the Law of Karma, however, there can be a delay between the action and its result or fruit. The seeds of certain actions (negative or positive) bring immediate fruit. Others can take years or even many births to bear fruit. If I eat too much ice-cream, I will see the result or karmic effect of the negative karma of greed within a space of ten-fifteen minutes in the form of a headache or after two days in the form of a cold and flu. This is an e.g. in which we realize the working of the Law of Karma, we realize clearly the cause and its effect, but on a subtle level, when we see the effects of actions, we do not realize that the cause may have actually been in a previous life. There is a total connection between the cause and the effect.

When we analyze a natural calamity such as a major earthquake that uproots buildings and trees, overturns vehicles and kills thousands of people. The physical cause may be tectonic activity associated with faults inside the earth’s surface but at the same time, we realize that such a calamity could have its roots in a process initiated by human beings a few hours, days or months ago – an e.g. being testing of nuclear weapons. On a personal level, I can say that there is nothing which happens to me for which I am not responsible. Whether I remember what I did to make it happen or not, whether I realize it or choose to ignore it, I am ultimately responsible.
 

Message for the day 

When there is love for others, they automatically become cooperative.

Expression: When you are involved in any task with others, ask yourself if you are able to give and get the cooperation from them. If you are not able to, check the reason for not getting their cooperation.

Experience: In any task that involve others, see that you begin the task with good feelings for each and everyone involved in the task. Have the faith that the task is for common benefit and everyone is going to learn something from it and is going to contribute to it. Then you'll find others cooperating with you.


 In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 17, 2020: Want Not

Contemplation: January 17, 2020: Want Not

Want Not

Next time you are waiting for anything, notice what you are wanting! This will be a source of your tension or impatience. All desire has fear built in - fear of not getting or losing, even before your desire is fulfilled. If you want to be free of fear in life, which is another way of saying if you want to be free of stress, the secret is to want nothing, and then magic happens, for lo and behold, all that you need and more, arrives in your life, at the right time, in the right way. Not what they told us in kindergarten was it?

relax7

Maintain Inner Positivity 

The more we experience peace within the more there will be positivity
in our life. We usually try to change ourselves and our negativities
by working on each of them separately. We might be able to overcome
them also but being connected to the other weaknesses we find that
they re-emerge again. Then we find that the negativity remains in our
life influencing all our thoughts, words and actions. We first need to
make a promise to ourselves to maintain our own inner positivity. Once
we do that we also need to make an attempt to practice relaxing our
mind and remaining calm before we do any important thing. When we
practice in this way we will be able to keep our mind calm and this
calmness will bring contentment through which there will be positivity
in all we do.

Directing Your Inner Orchestra (Part 2)

You can direct your orchestra well, which means that you can:

Achieve what you want.
Reach where you want.
Be who you are.
Stop being who you are not.
Feel what you want to feel.
Stop feeling what you do not want to feel.
Be. You can be in your space.
Do. You can do what gives meaning to your life.
You can stop doing what lowers you, is ordinary and you do not want to do.
You can reach excellence by crossing inner mental barriers.
Let go of that which you have clung on to.
Free yourself and fly.

If you believe that you can, you can. You have to harmonize your inner voices. Listen to those that allow you power, strengthen you and accompany you. Silence the voices that suppress you, judge you badly and limit you.

Soul Sustenance

When To Say Yes And When No

When you are faced with different situations or opportunities, which do you say yes to and which do you say no to?

In order to decide, it is important to keep the vision of your dream and what you the soul really wants, in front of you. Be aware of what is essential for you. From this space of inner focus, we should see which of these situations/opportunities are going in the direction of your dream, what is essential and what takes you away from your dream; also be aware that sometimes situations are like mirages (illusions) that seem to offer something easy and attractive, but which distance you from the essential or the truth. They are opportunities that seem easier and, out of laziness, it would be easier to say yes. But within you, if you listen, you know that, in the long term, you will not be happy, content and peaceful given that you have avoided or are running away from the challenge, you haven't listened to your heart. We need to refuse to allow ourselves to be carried by the current.

When you say yes to the proposal, situation or action that is close to your essence of your spirit, it is a yes in which there is not submission, where you do not lose your freedom or your self-esteem. It is a yes with the certainty that, learning from what life offers you; you and others will move forward in a positive sense.


Message for the day 

Fill the mind with the fortune of your happiness and you'll never be lazy.

Expression: Throughout the day, check to what extent you are able to remain happy. Check if you are able to remain happy in spite of the negative situations. Also check if you are able to give happiness to others.

Experience: Each day think of all those things that have made you happy and you'll find yourself increasing your treasure of happiness. This will enable you to share with others the fortune of this happiness and you'll find that you are always enthusiastic and never lazy.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 16, 2020: Self-Mastery

Contemplation: January 16, 2020: Self-Mastery

Self-Mastery

Within each one of us there is a master of the universe. Not the universe out there but the inner universe of our thoughts and feelings, attitudes and actions. Most people realise too late what awaits within and how valuable it is. For too long we allow ourselves to be distracted and bewitched by all that is happening outside. To be the master of your inner world is to be the master of your own destiny. Are you going to be the master or a slave?'

True progress

True progress brings progress in others as much as for the self. It is
usually believed that self-progress and progress of others is totally
separate. It is believed that where there is thought for the progress
of the self, there is selfishness and there is no benefit for those
around. In fact, selfishness in an extreme form can also have a
negative influence on those around. In whatever we do we have to check
and see if there is any benefit for others along with whatever benefit
we are getting. If there isn't we can check to see if there is a
better way of doing what we are doing which could have a positive
influence on at least one person. Then we will find ourselves
benefiting doubly. We will get the blessings from others along with
the personal benefit we get.

Directing Your Inner Orchestra (Part 1)

Our inner orchestra is made up of different music instruments - the different instruments are: our memories, desires, tendencies, mind, beliefs, emotions, feelings, fears, intuition, judgements, creativity, our imagination...

When you direct your inner orchestra well, you can remain unaffected by external influences without succumbing to them. When the orchestra directs you, you dance from one side to another without a clear direction and with a music that is not very harmonious or sweet; it is noisy and you suffer. Who is the director of this orchestra? You. Who are you? You - the consciousness, you - the soul, you - the being. When your consciousness is in charge, you make the orchestra play according to the inner voice of your being, according to your purest intentions and values. You can. You simply have to be awake, alert and attentive. If the director of the orchestra closes his eyes for a few moments and covers up his ears, what happens to the orchestra? You have to keep the eyes of your inner spiritual vision open; what is called the third eye. And listen with your heart, not with your physical heart but with the heart of your being. If your orchestra rules over you, and you - the director - are stiff, without flexibility, asleep, un-sympathetic, you will not be able to achieve your dreams or arrive at the destiny that you would like to reach. And, to make things worse, when your orchestra dominates you, you are more vulnerable to being dominated by the orchestra of others. Or you will allow someone else to direct your inner orchestra. This is the ideal road on which to get trapped and suffer. Is this what you want?

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

The Gender Of  God

In a large number of religious traditions, all over the world, God is always referred to as a male entity. But, just as the soul does not have a gender and is neither masculine nor feminine, God’s i.e. the Supreme Soul’s gender is neither male nor female specifically. Therefore, as a soul, a spiritual child of God, I can come close to God without any inhibitions or difficulty, which I may experience in any relationship in the physical world, due to the gender of the body I am occupying.

We need to take a look at the Supreme Being or God closely. The Supreme Being is the Supreme Mother who provides spiritual sustenance and whose love is full of unconditional acceptance. No matter what has happened, how my nature or personality may be, I experience unconditional acceptance from God. It's a love that strengthens me, as well as it purifies me. At the same time, God is also the Supreme Father, a very powerful entity, who provides protection and fills the soul with the inheritance of divine qualities and powers. It's a question of just being an innocent child and claiming that inheritance. These are the first two relationships that have to be experienced with God. The Supreme is a balance of being feminine, having the qualities of caring, giving and full of good wishes and masculine at the same time, having the qualities of power, authority and fearlessness. He is She and She is He. These two relationships with God, whereby God plays both the roles of both parents are the basis of my spiritual development. Spirituality introduces to us the concept of taking a new spiritual birth to the Supreme Father and Mother. This birth is based on a change of consciousness. One needs to let go of the negative, impure and sorrowful past and develop a new consciousness, based on the present introduction to spirituality, which is positive, pure and blissful. The awareness of the self as a soul changes my way of looking at things immensely, but the consciousness of being a child of God, who is the Mother as well as the Father and seeing others with that vision brings respect and love for myself. Then all these qualities start showing in my actions and interactions as well. 

Message for the day 

Fulfill your promise instead of just keeping it in a file and you'll find progress.

Expression: In all that you do throughout the day, check to what extent you are able to fulfill the promises that you make to yourself. Also check the reason for not being able to fulfill some promise that you have made recently.

Experience: Think of that promise that you had made to yourself recently that you had not been able to fulfill and think of the reason why you had made that promise and how important it is for you to fulfill that promise. When you practice in this way you'll find yourself getting enthusiastic to fulfill that promise.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 15, 2020: PRESS ON!

Contemplation: January 15, 2020: PRESS ON!

The Triple Crown of horse racing consists of winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.  The first Triple Crown Winner was in 1919, and American Pharaoh, in 2015,   became the 12th.

PRESS ON!

If you feel you just want to quit,
Try again and again.
Never give up... Press On! 

If you feel you don't have the patience,
Try again and again.
Never give up... Press On!

If you feel you just can't win,
Try again and again.
Never give up... Press On!

If you feel life is too hard,
Try again and again.
Never give up... Press On!

If you feel "I Can't Do That",
Try again and again.
Never give up... Press On!

If you feel you'll never reach your goal,
Try again and again.
Never give up... Press On!

Never give up on something you want,
You will build patience,
 You will win and reach your goals,
Things will become easier,
You can do anything you want.
If you try again and again, never give up and... 

PRESS ON!

Self-respect 

To be seated on the seat of self-respect is to use virtues in life. It
usually seems very difficult to use the virtues within us when the
people around are not doing so. At such times using negativity seems
much easier. In spite of not having that particular weakness
predominantly, say of anger, when there is provocation from the
outside we tend to react with that weakness. In order to free
ourselves from weaknesses and work with the virtues within us we need
to make sure we are seated on the seat of self-respect. For this we
need to recognize and appreciate some speciality within us. When we
are in the awareness of this speciality of ours, we will be able to
stabilize ourselves in the state of our self-respect.

Churning Spiritual Knowledge (Part 2)

We had discussed a few benefits of churning spiritual knowledge yesterday. Some more are as follows:

3. The knowledge that we have becomes more real: and so can give more effectively to others. We can use the jewels of knowledge in serving others. This knowledge will have much greater power and be of much greater help to others than any form of scholarly or bookish knowledge.
4. Our personality changes: Limited views and thought patterns which give birth to various obstacles can be finished by churning. Our outlook towards life becomes very broad and we become completely content internally so that name, fame, respect, insult, etc. don't affect us, they seem totally insignificant.
5. Natural bliss: By churning, spiritual knowledge becomes a source of bliss. Because of the spiritual happiness and intoxication that comes from churning, our faces will become radiant and we become instruments to attract other people towards spirituality.
6. Our concentration power increases: By acknowledging and not suppressing impure thoughts we will easily clear negative thoughts within a short period of time. Our concentration power will increase. We will be able to clear and burn impure or waste thoughts, and easily become an embodiment of positivity.

Soul Sustenance

How Does The Mind Work?

We can compare the mind with a screen, where thoughts, images, feelings and associations are constantly appearing. Thoughts manifest themselves in the mind in the same way as images on a film are projected onto the cinema screen.

The mind often interprets negation as affirmation. Therefore, when we tell you not to think about something, it is as if we were saying, "Think about this" and these thoughts are produced with even more force in the mind. Therefore transforming negative habits and personality traits becomes a struggle. The most effective way of fighting is to ignore these unwanted thoughts, but we should then immediately focus our mind in another direction, thinking about something positive. Thus useless or negative thoughts have no space to grow in our mind. Thinking positively is not a battle against negativity but by imbibing spiritual knowledge, we transform the negative into positive.

We can compare the mind with a naughty child who is playing with a dangerous object: if you take it away from them they will cry until they get it back again. Perhaps a more effective method would be to offer them something that would be of more interest to them and in this way, by having a new inoffensive toy in their hands, they will leave the dangerous object alone. 

Message for the day 

Become free from the illness of the body by filling your mind with positive thoughts.

Expression: When you have any kind of trouble with your body, check whether you are able to have positive thoughts or if your mind is filled with the difficulty you are facing with the illness. When you are caught up in the bondage of the illness you will not be able to be free from it.

Experience: At the end of each day, practice filling your mind with positive thoughts, those that make you happy and you will find that you are free from the tiredness of the body. The more you practice in this way you will be free from the bondage of the body.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 14, 2020: Maturity

Contemplation: January 14, 2020: Maturity

Maturity

As we mature spiritually there is less need to have our self-respect bolstered by praise and special attention. As our thought processes become more compassionate and less self-obsessed, we feel increasingly satisfied with ourselves and with our lives. We relate to people more easily and feel no need to draw attention to our successes or complain about our problems.

Progress

True progress brings progress in others as much as for the self. It is
usually believed that self-progress and progress of others is totally
separate. It is believed that where there is thought for the progress
of the self, there is selfishness and there is no benefit for those
around. In fact, selfishness in an extreme form can also have a
negative influence on those around. In whatever we do we have to check
and see if there is any benefit for others along with whatever benefit
we are getting. If there isn't we can check to see if there is a
better way of doing what we are doing which could have a positive
influence on at least one person. Then we will find ourselves
benefiting doubly. We will get the blessings from others along with
the personal benefit we get.

Churning Spiritual Knowledge (Part 1)

Churning spiritual knowledge or thinking deeply about it makes us a complete authority of that knowledge. What are some practical ways of implementing churning in our lives?

Take 15 minutes out of your daily routine every day to think deeply on any topic related to spiritual self progress (like e.g. each day's Positive Reflection or something else). You do not need to disconnect yourself from action to do this. You could do this while taking a walk, while driving to office, while cooking food, etc. By churning this way in isolation, the mind is able to concentrate immediately. Secondly if you read some spiritual knowledge and afterwards write down the essence (summary) of it for 5-10 minutes as it has influenced the mind, then you will find that essence will remain with you and deepen during the day.

The benefits of churning spiritual knowledge are as follows:

1. Churning makes the soul feel powerful: it makes you aware of your powers and increases your self-respect. Any inferiority complex ends and one experiences oneself as a great and powerful soul. Self-confidence awakens as weak thoughts diminish: I won't be able to do this. Will I succeed or not? Strong thoughts emerge instead: The Supreme Being himself is with me. I will definitely be successful. Such confidence and bravery is experienced which strengthens the soul to undertake any impossible task.
2. Natural and unruffled peace in my outlook: Churning takes us to the depths of the ocean of knowledge. The depth of knowledge finishes all our attractions. In the depths there are no storms, but only the peace and bliss of unlimited treasures.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Connecting To The Qualities Of Others

Meditation adds immense value and depth to my relationships. It also brings closeness in them. Many obstacles and barriers, both on a physical as well as a subtle level, come between me and others when my consciousness and as a result, my perception are struck primarily in the physical dimension. If I hardly know five to ten per cent of myself, and that too mostly on the surface, my relationships are going to be similarly superficial. With my self-respect built on very weak foundations, it will tend to be delicate and I'll be prone to trying to maintain it by thinking about and focusing my energies on others' weaknesses, sometimes real and sometimes even imagined. I'll also find it hard to realize and appreciate their qualities. Such is the state of so many human relationships today.

In meditation, I go into the depths of myself, and deep within my inner being, I find the beauty of peace, love and happiness that is there inside me. I also realize that this same beauty lies inside each soul. Then naturally and very easily, without any effort, I get connected to the same qualities in others. I also find the strength to do the same. I am no longer judgmental seeing others’ temporary sanskaras of negativity. I find qualities that are basically there inside every soul: the original qualities or sanskaras of each spiritual being. It’s like a basic prototype for the whole of humanity, which I deeply see and realize. 

Message for the day 

You can have good wishes for everyone when you consider the ones who put obstacles in your way as your teachers.

Expression: When someone puts any obstacle in your way, check what feelings you are having towards that person. Check if you are able to have good wishes for them or if your attitude is becoming negative towards them.

Experience: Even when someone does something wrong towards you, have the awareness that they are the ones who enabled you to learn something new and contributed for your progress. When you do this, your negative feelings will also change to positive and you will begin to have good wishes for them.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 13, 2020: Happiness

Contemplation: January 13, 2020: Happiness

Happiness

It is the art of living, the purpose of our existence. Happiness is the true index of quality of life. Without happiness, life is dry and meaningless. With happiness, life immediately becomes fulfilling and wonderful. Happiness is an infectious feeling that immediately lifts the sagging spirits of people. Happy people keep themselves happy because they know the little ways to appreciate themselves and to see the humour and magic in each moment.

Aim & Object

To keep the aim in front of us is to move forward with contentment.
Several times there are situations that are negative where we have to
face things that are not really what we are expecting or wanting. At
such times we tend to get disheartened and experience discontentment.
Our state of mind becomes such that we can no longer experience peace.
The solution at such times is to keep our vision clear on our aim.
When all our thoughts and energy are concentrated on our aim, we will
be able to consider any negative scene that comes our way as only a
side-scene. We can easily ignore all such situations and so our mind
is at rest or peace.

Performing A Spiritual Audit At The End Of The Day (Part 2)

Yesterday we had explained how self-evaluation at the end of the day is extremely vital to one's progress and development. A useful exercise in this regard is keeping a daily chart for about 3 personality traits or points and filling it up every night (lesser than 3 is also fine, but not more , because then you might feel lazy in keeping the chart after a few days and also you might lose focus and the personality traits may not transform as much as you want). You could either evaluate yourself with a yes or no or perform a percentage wise evaluation like 50% or 90% for e.g. We have mentioned below, some of the common traits from which you could select the traits to keep a daily chart for. You could incorporate some other specific traits (not mentioned in this list), which you want to change or develop, depending on your personality:

In the entire day, today; not only in my words and actions, but also in my thoughts:
Did I see everyone's specialties and keep good wishes for each one, in spite of obvious weaknesses being visible?
Did I remain free from all forms of anger, like irritation, frustration, grudge, revenge, etc.?
Did I ensure that I neither give nor take sorrow, hurt, pain from anyone?
Did I remain free from waste and negative?
Did I remain ego less?
Did I remain untouched by name, fame, praise, insult?
Did I remain stable?
Did I remain free from judgments, criticism, jealousy, comparison, hatred, etc.?
Did I keep a conscious of serving each one whom I met?
Did I bring the 8 main powers into practice and experience being powerful?
Did I remain in self-respect and give respect to everyone?
Did I practice being soul-conscious in actions and interactions?
Did I take a one minute break every hour to reflect, meditate and control the traffic of thoughts in the mind?

Soul Sustenance

The Filtration Process In The Soul

The mind and its creation i.e. thoughts, in these times, in most people, are controlled by three main factors:

i. their habits or sanskaras
ii. their past experiences, and
iii. information which they are exposed to and which they imbibe.

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

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

Message for the day 

By removing the curtain of negative thoughts from your mind you can see the best that is hidden behind in every scene.

Expression: Throughout the day when thing s go wrong, check if you are able to remain unaffected. Also check how far you are able to see beyond each situation and see the positive aspect that is hidden within.

Experience: Each day take the thought that whatever happens is for the best. Even when things go wrong make the practice of seeing the good aspect in the situation and if you are unable to do so, remain with the faith that everything happens for the best.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

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