Contemplation: January 30, 2020: Excuses, Excuses

Contemplation: January 30, 2020: Excuses, Excuses

Excuses, Excuses 

If you want to do anything you find a way. 

If you don't want to do anything you find an excuse.

Generosity

Generosity gives without expectations and gets everything. So avoid attaching strings to any generosity you extend.

Give without wanting anything in return and  simply accept whatever comes back, or doesn't come back!

Actually, what is right and what you need comes to you naturally, at the right time.

The Consciousness Switchover (Part 1)

While we have explained in many of our past messages what body consciousness or attachment to physicality is and how it leads to a creation of lot many different types and shades of vices or weaknesses which tend to creep into our sanskaras, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, words, actions, etc. as a result of which we lose access to our pure, positive inherent nature; another process of subtle attachment to physicality that we get drawn into regularly, which leads to the same result, but on a more subtle level, is karma or action consciousness where there is no over consciousness of the physical body but one gets so engrossed in the role one is playing that one becomes role conscious and experiences bondage and burden and mental freedom is lost. As a result our inner comfort and contentment levels drop, others tend to become discontent with us and we become discontent with them, our relationships suffer, the efficiency in our actions drop, even our physical body is affected and we don't know the reason for the same.

Most of us will experience body consciousness once in a while but we experience karma consciousness every day, something which we don't perceive as negative but it gives a negative result because it is a subtle form of body consciousness, which can accumulate inside us over a period of time and cross the boundaries of subtlety and take a gross form. What is a simple solution for the same? A consciousness switchover from role or karma consciousness to soul consciousness at different points in the day and then returning to playing the part of karma with a revised consciousness. The role remains the same and is to be played, the soul cannot exist without it, but the consciousness is changed.

In tomorrow's message, we will mention a few very simple methods which help us in doing that.

Soul Sustenance

Reversing The Flow Of Love In Relationships

If we ask someone who do they think has caused them the most sorrow in life, most will point out to someone they love or had loved a lot. Why is it so? It happens like that because we believe that the energy of love will come from the outside and will fill us inside. The energy of love from the other will fulfill our inner desire for the experience of love. Due to our own need, we attach ourselves and hold on to a particular person whom we love a lot, believing that they will fill us with the love that they possess inside them, which will make us stronger, fuller and more content. So we start depending on the other person for this need. When he/she is not able to fill us, which happens many times, we experience sorrow. Love is an energy, which exists inside us. It always goes from the inside out and reaches out to the other and brings benefit to the other. It does not come from the outside in.

If we try and reverse the flow of love i.e. we make the energy of love come from outside in, we start depending on the outside for love, which results in the vacuuming effect. When you vacuum to clean your living room, you absorb the good and the bad. If you have dropped something very small, but valuable and of utmost importance to you, on your carpet, the vacuum cleaner absorbs it or takes it away, together with the dust, which is negative and of no value to you and which you do not want inside your home. When you live with the vacuuming effect on an emotional level, you absorb the love, care, concern, virtues, powers, specialties, energy, etc. of the person you love but you also end up absorbing their weaknesses, their worries, their fears, etc. That way, a dependency is generated that is counter-productive and causes emotional pain. That does not mean we become cold and stop accepting love from others, but we are no longer dependent on it for our inner well-being and happiness. Also, on the other hand, we keep radiating or giving love. When we give love, we experience it ourselves first and that's what we want - an experience of love, isn't it? 

Message for the day

When you are truthful, you are loved and trusted by all.

Expression: When you are truthful your words and actions will become equal. You will do what you say and say what you do. Because of this you will continue to receive love and regard from everyone.

Experience: Just take up one thing that you have not been able to fulfill and today take up this thought that you will do it. Tell yourself that you have the power of truth within which makes your words and actions equal.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris 

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 29, 2020: The 3 Cs

Contemplation: January 29, 2020: The 3 Cs

           

The 3 Cs

Let go of the habits of 

criticizing, comparing and complaining 

about others.  (Even if it's only in your mind!) 

Become free from the stress and distress these 3 Cs create.

Patience brings contentment. 

When I am patient with life's situations and people, I am able to appreciate the beauty of everything that is happening in my life. I am not caught up with the future, but am able to enjoy this moment and use it well. This automatically brings contentment in my life, without making me lazy. Today I will make patience my companion. When anything happens that I don't like, I just have to remind myself that I need to enjoy this moment and work to make my future better. I need not worry about what will happen or have fear of it.

Understanding The Identity Of The Supreme

It's not too difficult to understand that out of all the billions of souls, there is One who could be designated as the Supreme (God), because of His perfect love, total truth and absolute beauty. It is reasonable to accept that such an unlimited being is never born from a mother's womb nor undergoes the experience of death. He never passes through the stages of growing up nor gets involved in specific relationships with individuals. Just as every human soul has a mind, intellect and a specific set of sanskars that determine each one's individuality, the Supreme would also be made up of these three energies - each functioning at their most perfect levels. Because He remains beyond the play of things in the physical world, the power and sharpness of these basic capabilities never decrease. His original qualities are neither lost nor reduced. Before coming here from the soul world, we also had qualities similar to those of the Supreme but not to the same unlimited extent.

If we identify ourselves totally with the physical body, the idea that God created human beings in His image may have led us to believe that the human form is God's image. Perhaps that is how we created the figure of an old white-bearded man (as God) sitting up in the heavens, controlling, rewarding and punishing humans as well as nature as He found fit. The contradiction is that such a God appears to have been created in our image, with both our best virtues and our worst defects.

Soul Sustenance

The Faculties (Energies) Of  The Soul

When the soul is in the body it functions through three faculties (non-physical entities). Although each faculty (entity) can be given a different name, it is actually the same energy, the soul, functioning on three different levels simultaneously. These are the mind, the intellect and the sanskaras.

Mind is the thinking energy of the soul. It is the mind that imagines, thinks and forms ideas. The thought process is the basis of all emotions, desires and sensations. It is through this faculty that, in an instant, thoughts can be projected to a far off place (one can travel to a far off place on the thought level); past experiences and emotions can be relived or even the future anticipated in less than a second. It is the mind that experiences the variations of moods. The mind is an energy of the non-physical soul, not to be confused with the heart or even the brain.

The intellect is used to assess thoughts. This is the faculty (energy) of the soul used for understanding and decision-making which stands out as the most crucial faculty of the three. With the deepening and broadening of the intellect, clear understanding and realization of knowledge becomes natural, and the power to decide and reason becomes clear. It is the intellect which remembers, discriminates, judges and exercises its power in the form of will-power.

Sanskaras is a Hindi word which best describes what we could call impressions. They are the record of all the soul's past experiences and actions. Sanskaras can take the forms of habits, talents, nature, personality traits, beliefs, values or instincts. Every action performed by a soul either creates a sanskar (this is how a habit begins) or reinforces an old one. Whatever impression is etched in the soul remains within the soul, forming a complete collection of all the experiences that the soul has had. When we speak of defects, specialties or virtues we are referring to the sanskaras. The sanskaras are the basis of the soul's individuality.

Message for the day

The one who is full of love is the one who is always happy.

Expression: When you are constantly having love for everyone, you'll have no negativity. Your unselfish love will make you have only positive thoughts and you'll find yourself in constant happiness.

Experience: Start your day with thinking of all the people you come into contact with. Then take a thought in your mind that you have love for all of them. This thought will help you throughout the day. You'll find yourself accepting others as they are and having good wishes for them.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 28, 2020: Fresh Start

Contemplation: January 28, 2020: Fresh Start

Fresh Start

If through some error yesterday was lost in grief, don't lose today by keeping it in your memory.

Create Time

We've all been guilty of thinking, "I just don't have the time."
You might not have the time to do everything but
you DO have time. It's just that you're choosing to spend your time elsewhere.
Make time for things that matter by spending less time on things that don't. Try to: chat less; watch less TV; browse the web less; check your email, Facebook, Twitter less.

The Mental Kaleidoscope

A kaleidoscope creates beautiful patterns from chaotic bits and pieces, which are scattered everywhere. When the kaleidoscope is turned, disorder becomes order, chaos becomes beauty and symmetry. The Drama of Life is constantly turning and we are part of its cyclic movement; sometimes this cyclic movement of life is supportive, comprehensible (understandable) and enjoyable and, at other times, it is tense, fearful, stressful and incomprehensible (not understandable). There is confusion and fear because we do not understand what is happening, why it is happening and how it will get better. Things not only appear chaotic but also hopeless. If the intellect is able to go beyond the questions of - Why? What? and How? and just be still, without judgements, or pressure, for some period of time, then things do work out. To do this requires faith.
The power of faith means that we know that somehow and somewhere right solutions and answers will come in their own time. We are so used to controlling people and situations to obtain a particular result that we have forgotten how to use the power of faith. The Law of Faith says - Plant the right seeds, make the right effort, but also let things be. Faith does not mean to be passive (inactive) but rather to have acted and thought about something and then have the patience and trust that the Drama of Life is also taking care of it; the outcome of any action is not just up to me. In Raja Yoga meditation taught by the Brahma Kumaris, we often hear the term - a consciousness full of faith is victorious. As the Drama of Life turns, such an intellect works like a kaleidoscope and can perceive and see the often hidden, beautiful patterns in life's situations that, in time, become visible and benevolent.
Success, or victory, depends as much on doing the task with the right intention, as it does on allowing things to take their own course. Wisdom is an awareness of this balance.

Soul Sustenance

The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (Part 3)

In the physical world, one common example of a trustee is when a multi-millionaire does not have any heirs, he or she will leave his or wealth in the hands of a trustee or a group of trustees, to ensure the right use of his/her wealth as per his/her last wish. Another common example is of trustees associated with temples and welfare organizations. All the wealth and ornaments that devotees offer in temples out of faith, love and devotion for God or all the wealth and property that people give in charity to welfare organizations is taken care of by a group of trustees. In all these cases and more, while taking care of the wealth, honest trustees always keep the consciousness that this is not their wealth or property and will always use it in the right way, as they have been directed. This is called keeping the trust of the owner/owners of the wealth, hence the word trustee.

In this way, now as a trustee, throughout the day I keep a consciousness that the treasures of my mind, my thoughts, words, actions, virtues, powers, time, my physical wealth, physical body etc. are the Supreme Being’s property and I have been appointed as a trustee to take care of them. In this way, I will use these treasures in a positive way, for a positive purpose (as mentioned earlier for a purpose of bringing myself and other close to a state of truth) only; in a way the Supreme Being wants me to and has instructed me to do so. This establishes a relationship of detachment with the treasures I possess and also brings about my spiritual self-growth.

Message for the day

Your love for God will make you feel victorious in all situations. 

Expression: Your love for God will make you experience His companionship in everything you do. Where there is love there is never a moment of loneliness. Thus you will be able to move forward with courage in all the challenges that life brings.

Experience: Think of one situation where you have found yourself failing. Now think that God is with you to help you in this situation. When you believe this, you will find that you'll get the courage to accept and face the situation. Then you can also work and bring about a change in the situation.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 27, 2020: Point of Entry

Contemplation: January 27, 2020: Point of Entry

Point of Entry

Each of us has a special path into quiet space.  One of us might pick up a musical instrument; another will go out for a walk in the woods or along the beach.  Become aware of your personal entry into silence.

Cooking With Love            (..continued)

When the subtle, spiritual aspect of cooking is taken into consideration, the role of the cook extends from simply creating tasty, nourishing meals with fresh ingredients, to including a spiritual connection with those who will be eating that food. The aim will be to touch and fill the heart as well as the palate and stomach. The love of the cook, and his or her motivation to offer sustenance, will nourish as much as the chemical components of each dish. Food cooked by a person who is angry, depressed or full of arrogance or hatred will have a different effect from food cooked with feelings of love, peace and the pure desire to serve. In other words, we are what we eat but also the thoughts and attitudes that go into what we are eating. Even in today's demanding society, when there seems to be hardly enough time to cook, let alone do so peacefully and caringly, it is therefore definitely beneficial to develop a positive attitude towards cooking. Before undertaking any food preparation, remind yourself that the project at hand can and should be an enjoyable, creative activity, rather than an unpleasant, time-consuming activity. A good practice, then, is to meditate before cooking and then to let preparing the meal itself be a creative, meditative experience which yields a balanced, health-promoting diet for the body as a temple for the soul. Food always tastes better when it has been flavoured with love and happiness.

Having prepared food with attention, the Brahma Kumaris' practice is then to offer the freshly-prepared meal to the Supreme Soul (we call it offering bhog to the Supreme Father). Expressing gratitude in this way serves to increase the spiritual quality of the food and deepen the individual's personal relationship with the Divine, while also creating a powerful, shared spiritual experience. On a very practical level, it will also help the body to prepare itself to receive and digest food. Of course, the last step is to eat, and this, too, is best done in a peaceful, unhurried and harmonious state of mind and environment: we are what we eat and also how we eat.

The information which we have shared in this and the last two days messages does not pretend to be a complete guide to cooking with a spiritual touch. However, whether you are a new, aspiring or trained cook, we hope that the information, with its emphasis on the soul as well as the body, will bring an added dimension to your kitchen and dining table. Cooking, and eating, should be a joyful and significant experience. So cook and enjoy!

The Two Close Companions Of Peace
(Meditation)

Sit comfortably and relax... Remind yourself of your spiritual form as a soul - a point of subtle light (non-physical light), a sparkling star, situated between the two eyebrows... Now visualize your star-like form and emerge the feelings of peace looking at this form with your mind's eye... experience stability and contentment in this inner value of peace, peace is your own treasure... Fully let go off all your concerns, tensions and worries and allow all of yourself to become deeply peaceful... Now, feel the vibrations (energy waves) of your peaceful light form radiating outwards into the world... Be aware that the vibration of your peaceful form is like a gift... Consciously transmit this gift of peace with the pure desire of calming and relieving the stress and peacelessness of others...

As you radiate the power of your peace into the world, you do so with great love... As you give the gift of peace, with love, you are aware that you are able to serve others, reach out to others, in this invisible but extremely significant way... This awareness brings about a new sense of meaning in your life and you experience deep feelings of happiness within your heart... It is a happiness which takes the form of bliss, a bliss or satisfaction experienced as an invisible fruit received in return of unconditional serving... You realize that your peace does not live alone... True peace is that which is shared with others... it always has with it its closest companions... an experience of love and a feeling of pure happiness...

Our basic spiritual characteristics of peace, love and happiness are values that can be compared to the primary colors of the soul.   While the soul can experience these values, it is only when they are mixed together (to give different shades) that they emerge though our attitudes and behaviors as virtue.  Virtuous thoughts, words and actions restore balance and harmony to our inner life and to our external relationships.

Soul Sustenance

The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (Part 2)

While it’s important to realize that the treasures mentioned in yesterday’s message are my treasures and they possess immense potential since they help me grow spiritually by their right use, it is also important to maintain a relationship of detachment with them, because we live with these treasures all the time and it is very easy to get caught up with them and become attached to them. Where there is attachment, there develops ego and the treasures start getting misused. An important concept in this regard is that of trusteeship. The Supreme Being while sharing the knowledge of these treasures and the method of using them, also shares, that for our benefit, once we realize what these treasures are, we should surrender these treasures to Him. This is an invisible or non-physical surrender, not a physical or visible one.

Once these treasures are surrendered to Him, unlike worldly surrenders, the treasures don’t remain with Him, because being an Unlimited Donor and being Incorporeal (bodiless), the Supreme doesn’t keep them with Himself and returns them back to us. Anyways, the surrender is deep but is on a mental level and not on a physical one. But, while returning the treasures back, the Supreme Being presents a condition in front of us. He says that since these treasures now no longer belong to us, we need to remove any sense of ownership over them and become a trustee while taking care of and using these treasures only for the purpose instructed by Him, the purpose of bringing the self and others closer to a state of truth (as explained in yesterday’s message). The word trustee comes from the word trust. In this case the Supreme Being says that He wishes and hopes that we keep His trust and don’t breach it at any cost, at any point of time, in taking care of and using His treasures, because don’t forget, although the treasures are with us, there are no longer ours.

(To be continued tomorrow…) 

Message for the day 

The one way to change others is to deal with them with love.

Expression: When you have love for others, you will have good wishes for them. Your desire to change them will then be for their good and not for your own selfishness. Others will quickly respond to your unselfish love and you'll find them changing.

Experience: Think of one person you want to bring about a change in. Before you think of changing that person let there be a lot of love for that person in your mind. Also make sure the change you want in the other person is for his own good and not for your own selfish reason.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 26, 2020: The Gift

Contemplation: January 26, 2020: The Gift

The Gift

Give everyone a gift.  Through your mind give the gift of powerful thoughts, through your words give the gift of wisdom and through your actions give the gift of virtues.  For this, pay attention that at every moment you can access your personal stock of powerful thoughts, wisdom and virtues.

Cooking With Love 

In today’s information age, we are continuously bombarded with details about the physical aspects of what we eat and the effects that different ingredients may or may not have on us, and naturally this is important. But in this heap of information, we tend to overlook one crucial factor: the consciousness (state of mind) of the person cooking and the effect that this will have upon the food, and thus also on those who eat it. A cook prepares food in a physical place, but also in a spiritual or inner space. And just as the physical surroundings are best kept clean and in order, so should be the state of mind of those in the kitchen. A simple and familiar example of this concept at work can be seen in the way that home cooking, especially that of one’s mother, holds a special place in our hearts. The love and care with which it is prepared sometimes gives us more joy than perhaps food eaten in a restaurant setting where food may be prepared with greater technical skills but where stress, arrogance and greed may flavour the dish of the day.

(Continued tomorrow...)

Restoring The Mind-Body Balance

Many people are under the impression that the focus of spirituality is only on the mind and the soul, and the physical body is neglected. But that's not true. Our physical body is essential to our life and the art of living. It is our vehicle and our home. An appropriate balance of diet, sleep, relaxation and exercise is important for the body. However, when we enter the world of spirituality, the main emphasis is on the mind and the soul. This does not mean that we do not value or take care of our body. Without a healthy body, we would not be able to express ourselves mentally or spiritually. Spiritual progress, which includes the listening/studying and imbibing of spiritual knowledge, the practice of meditation, the inculcation of divine virtues and the spiritual service of others through different means is much easier and better with a healthy body.

Unfortunately, though, we have lost the art or wisdom of balance and for very long we have placed too much emphasis on our physical form, the body; and less emphasis on our spiritual form, the soul, as a result, reducing our spiritual awareness. One of the aims of spirituality is to restore this balance between mind and body so that we can experience well-being and happiness at every level. So while our body and our physical energy are essential, the focus of spirituality is on the mind and the soul, to help regain the balance.

Soul Sustenance

The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (Part 1)

Spirituality introduces to us a very beautiful concept of trusteeship. At first, I realize that as a spiritual being or soul, I possess the treasures of my mind, my thoughts, words, actions, virtues, powers, time, physical wealth, etc. Even my physical body is a treasure. While I may have many a times misused these treasures earlier, now I learn how to use them correctly for my spiritual upliftment or the long term benefit of me, the soul. As per the Supreme Being’s instructions, I use these treasures for a positive purpose of bringing not only myself but others also, closer to a state of truth, a state in which the soul experiences its original virtues of peace, love, joy, purity, power, wisdom, etc. By doing that I, in return, experience spiritual self-growth.

Each time I deviate from this purpose, I come down spiritually, or I do not grow spiritually. This is a different type of existence as compared to before when I did not even realize that these were treasures in the first place. A treasure can be defined as something of immense value. So, these physical and spiritual energies or resources (mentioned above) which I own or possess, become treasures because by the right use of them towards myself and others, I can increase my value. Here we refer primarily to the spiritual self’s value. Once that is increased, the physical self’s value also increases as a result.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Message for the day

It is only when you have love for yourself that you can forgive yourself. 

Expression: Love gives you the power to forgive. Just as you find it easy to forgive a person you love, when you have love for yourself you can forgive yourself too. It is only then can you find yourself learning and progressing without making yourself heavy.

Experience: When you find yourself making a mistake, remind yourself that if you have to progress you have to forgive yourself. Learn from your mistake in such a way that you never repeat it and forgive yourself. Then you'll be able to move forward with lightness.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: January 25, 2020: The Secret of Happiness

Contemplation: January 25, 2020: The Secret of Happiness

The Secret of Happiness

The secret of happiness is to be free of fear. Fear is like a toxin that runs through much of our thinking. It feeds on insecurity, feeling of loss, loneliness, inadequacy and attachment.

You are lovable and loving. Accept this as Truth. Appreciate and care for yourself - truly, deeply, intensely, in a way that reflects your real value. Then you will automatically have the same regards for all other living beings and things.

To remove waste is to ensure there is power to transform. 

We do want to bring about a change in our lives, but most times we are not able to do so. This is because; a lot of thought energy is getting wasted in unnecessary things. Any thought which is not brought into action in the right way is waste. So, we need to check and change such thoughts, so that there is power to change. Today I will check the quality of my thoughts from time to time (at least 5 times today). If I find myself thinking something that is not useful (it may not necessarily be a negative thought), I will change it with a nice positive thought. This practice will help me recognize what is waste, and then work to change it too.

 Overcoming Sorrow By Regaining My Original Texture Of Purity

Unless the soul regains its original sanskars of purity, it cannot escape suffering and grief. Purity is the foundation of peace and bliss. And for purity the soul requires the removal of every trace of negativity. Souls are burdened with the accumulated negative sanskars of their previous births, the extent of which varies from soul to soul. According to the law of karma, the soul has to experience suffering as a result of its wrongful acts. A pure soul does not suffer. The evidence that most human beings are bearing sorrow in some form or the other shows that nowadays souls are carrying a load of negative sanskars resulting from wrong actions committed in this and their past lives.

A question can be asked - Can a soul be relieved of all its past negative actions through suffering for the same in its present life? Not really, because due to the cyclic nature of the thought process there is a cumulative effect of negative sanskars which forces the soul to perform more negative actions than it can clear through suffering. That is why the degrees of purity of the soul decrease continuously. The downfall becomes steeper due to the cumulative effect of vices. Negative sanskars give rise to negative thoughts which lead to negative actions, resulting in the formation of still more negative sanskars. Thus, souls are caught in a downward spiral from which they are unable to release themselves. Meditation, however, opens the door to God, and through rising above all physical laws, one can set oneself free from the effects of all wrong actions. Through connection with the purest Supreme Soul, the sanskars of the soul are automatically purified and it moves further towards its original state of purity, peace and bliss.

Soul Sustenance

Experiencing Spiritual Growth Through Group Interactions (Part 2)

As explained in yesterday's message, if you are living in isolation you don't become aware of the dimensions of your ego and, therefore, you cannot overcome it.

Also, the beauty of group interactions or being a part of a spiritual community or any other group, is that in groups, various powers like the power to:

* adapt and mould oneself with people of different personality traits and as different situations in the group demand;
* tolerate;
* face negative situations in interactions;
* forgive and forget;
* become a detached observer of situations and people's actions, not to get over involved, in order to maintain one's stability and calmness;
* co-operate;
* communicate;
* see and absorb only specialties of each one (inspite of obvious weaknesses being visible) and spreading the specialties (not weaknesses) to the others in the group, by way of praising and not criticizing them;
* listen, understand and empathize;
* discriminate and judge different situations and people;
* go into inner silence, whenever required, amidst the actions and interactions of group activity;
* show respect to each one and remain in self-respect;
* remain content or satisfied and make the others content; etc.

are absolutely necessary to experience success in the groups, either within the relationships with others or even with the self. There is a difference between experiencing success with the self while staying alone and within a group. By bringing the above powers into practice in a group, they increase further inside us. This does not happen in isolation, or if it does, then the extent is quite limited. So basically, being a part of a group, brings about greater spiritual growth and empowerment.

Message for the day

Where there is love, the hardest task becomes easy to perform.

Expression: If something is difficult, it means there is no love. Where there is love, even a task as difficult and big as a mountain becomes as easy and light as cotton. Love makes work easier and lighter.

Experience: Today is the day to love your work. Whatever you are doing, remember that you love your work. Experiment with one thing that you have been finding it difficult to do with a reminder to yourself that you love it.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/