Contemplation: April 18, 2020: Conflict Resolution

Contemplation: April 18, 2020: Conflict Resolution

Mikhail Gorbachev, President of USSR and Ronald Reagan, President of USA -1986

Conflict Resolution

Do you feel resentment towards another?
Are you willing to resolve this conflict?

What attitudes are preventing you from making peace?
Do you want to teach them a lesson?  Or do you think that they started it, so they should resolve the conflict?

Why not be the one who takes the first step towards peace and consider resolving a conflict.  Just remember, there is always a solution, if you really want to find one.

Enjoying My Stay Inside The Physical Body

An interesting comparison to understand clearly the relationship between the soul and the body is that the soul is the resident of a house or an apartment which is the physical body. It's the awareness of who is the resident living, which is separate from where he is living. I need to realize, that like a resident of a house cannot be the house; he does not and cannot identify with the place in which he resides; in much the same way, I am not my body, the place in which I reside, but I am a resident. A resident of a physical house may or may not stay in the house for 24 hours, depending on his/her role. But I, as a spiritual resident of this physical body spend all my time inside it, in fact a complete lifetime, then I move in to another house or apartment. Since I spend so much time inside it, I need to maintain the body, take care of its upkeep and the kind of physical and spiritual atmosphere that exists inside it. When I keep it clean, fresh and vibrant, only then can I live in it comfortably.

Do not forget, there's plenty of rubbish and dirt waiting to enter the apartment. My apartment's windows are my eyes and ears, through which rubbish can come in. This rubbish can be in the form of negative information, scenes, images and words. Rubbish dirties the resident, in this case my consciousness, taking me away from my true, positive, spiritual state. My nose, facing outwards, is like the front door of my apartment: it's the first part of me that faces the world. If harsh winds of difficult circumstances blow, and I don’t know how to protect myself, I will catch a cold or fall sick i.e. my front door will be harmed and I’ll become vulnerable. The living room of the apartment is my tongue which makes the first impression on anyone, whether it be positive or negative. There will be constant attacks on our windows, doors, living room, etc. But if I am aware and alert, I will keep my house in order. If any rubbish does get in, I need to soon clean it out again, so that the atmosphere inside the house remains positive and I, the resident can enjoy my stay in it.

To experience power I need to experience inner silence. 

During conflicts, there is a tendency to either get very vocal or to become silent. Both really don't work, because just to be silent and not speak anything is not sufficient, but it is more important for the mind to be silent. Otherwise, there would be no power in that. So, I need to work on making my mind silent. So, today let me sit for a minute in silence and practice feeling the stillness within. Let me repeat this practice 3 times at least. If there is chaos within, how can I expect calm and peace outside?

Message for the day

Greatness lies in revealing one's own speciality. 

Expression: Greatness means recognizing one's own speciality and being a donor with it. It also means being royal and great in what is given to the mind - that means giving the mind only the positive. When there is greatness in this way there is speciality and uniqueness seen in every act of mine. 

Experience: When I am able to perceive my inner greatness, I am able to be content because there are no expectations, but there's only a feeling of being a giver. I find myself to be light and easy and enjoying each moment of my life, slowly moving towards perfection. I am also able to attain the blessings and good wishes from others. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 17, 2020: Say Goodbye

Contemplation: April 17, 2020: Say Goodbye

Say Goodbye

The most powerful anchor on our potential to soar high in life is the past. The past contains the dead weight of experience, learned beliefs and all our mistakes. Life cannot truly begin until we are able to say goodbye to the legacies of yesterday at will. Like a filing cabinet, the past is a resource of information for learning, but it is not a place to live. When you go to work do you spend your day in the filing cabinet? How often will you/did you live in the past today? Say goodbye and make it final. Saying farewell to yesterday, last month and last year is the sign of a person who wants to live for today and is truly alive to all the possibilities of “the moment”, while fully aware that all they think, say and do right now, creates tomorrow.

Accept Change, Don’t Resist It (Part 3)

The third power shared by the Brahma Kumaris to Mr. Rai was the power to let go of all the memories of the negative events that he had been exposed to, since childhood, by taking out time to indulge in pure service in his corporate circle - share all that he had learnt at the Brahma Kumaris with one person everyday. He made a principle of his life called Each One Teach One Each Day. This became his hobby and all the negative incidents that were negating (reducing) his ability to perceive positively a negative situation and as a result accepting it were pushed in the backgrounds of his consciousness and he became a new person, from one with a cupboard full of files of a negative past to one with an unfilled cupboard eager to fill new positive experiences in itself, which would help him in crossing an uncertain present and constructing a positive future.

Also, another power to achieve success in the change of perception and then accept was the power to think correctly based on beliefs based on spiritual truths e.g. the belief - I will be unable to emerge victorious over this negative event in my life was replaced by – Every negative situation is a boon or blessing to achieve significant transformation in the self and to bring about progress on a spiritual level, which is not possible without the existence of the negative event. These spiritual truths were a part of the complete spiritual knowledge of the Brahma Kumaris which is in the form of a week-long, an hour per day, introductory study course, which Mr. Rai undertook.

The last power was the power of an everyday morning input of holistic and pure knowledge after the week-long introductory course was undertaken, at the nearest centre of the Brahma Kumaris, which as discussed earlier went a long way in creating an environment inside Mr. Rai’s spiritual self, where positive perceptions surface inside the conscious mind and also settle in the sub-conscious mind and getting over the sorrow connected with the worst of circumstances became easy.

The Five Senses

Sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch are the five senses.
Your senses are connected to your mind.

Anything negative they pick up or generate will disturb the mind's workings. Your senses can over-stimulate, over-load and over-tire your mind.

To maintain peace of mind, use your five senses more sensibly!

Message for the day

To receive respect from others comes more with responsibility than as a right. 

Expression: The one who gets respect is the one who becomes worthy of it rather than the one who just expects it. True respect comes from how well a task is done rather than what is done. The more one's speciality is expressed, the more one becomes worthy of respect. 

Experience: When I go on giving my best in whatever is expected of me, I will start receiving respect from those around me. I will then never expect from others but will naturally be able to give respect to all. This further makes me earn their love and regard. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 16, 2020 Traffic Control Your Mind

Contemplation: April 16, 2020 Traffic Control Your Mind

Traffic jams of Mumbai

Traffic Control Your Mind

The mind thinks many thoughts, leading us in different directions.  No wonder there is so much chaos in the mind, creating traffic jams and even a few accidents!

Now imagine the state of the roads if we didn't have any traffic controlling mechanisms!  So, what's needed is a traffic control system for our mind.

At regular intervals throughout the day, stop and control the traffic of your mind.  Change negative to positive.  Where there are waste thoughts, put a full stop and let it go.

Accept Change, Don’t Resist It (Part 2)

Taking the message further from yesterday’s example of Mr. Rai, who resisted change, accepting a difficult situation wasn’t easy in his case, which is a real case of a person who was impressed by the teachings of the Brahma Kumaris. He was given a five point spiritual power formula by one of the sisters of the Brahma Kumaris, who was playing a role of spiritual service at one of the Brahma Kumaris centres. Mr. Rai later shared his experience as to how the five powers had helped him reshape his perception into a positive one and as a result accept a life-strangling situation.

The first power was the power to transform one’s thoughts as per one’s own desires using the power of meditation, which at the Brahma Kumaris, is a connection between two minds – your own mind and the mind of a higher potent (powerful) force – the fountain of spiritual strength – God. This connection is commonly called manmanabhav in the Gita, which means connect your mind to me, where me refers to God, the Supreme Being of spiritual light and might, invisible to the physical eyes but visible to the eye of spiritual wisdom or what we call third eye. This connection causes spiritual energy in its purest form harnessed (taken) from God and flows into one’s sanskaras and works on the sanskara of thinking too much, when faced with a difficult situation. All the spiritual wisdom in the world, which can be found in thousands of books of the famous authors on self-management of our times, cannot change our way of thinking, what a few seconds of powerful manmanabhav can do.   

The second power was the power to discriminate between negative and positive information that one is exposed to throughout the day. Very often a negative piece of information received from the daily newspaper can flood the mental perception of a negative and tight situation with confusion and a lack of clarity and cause us to become emotionally disabled or weakened. So, Mr. Rai was given a simple advice – read the newspaper during mid-day or in the evening and not the first thing in the morning; when the mind is not so fresh and the absorption capability of the sub-conscious mind is lower than what it is during the morning.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Tackle your worries effectively, instead of pushing them to the back of your mind. 

Check in with your worries: What am I anticipating?
Can I do something about it?

If you can't do anything about it, then remind yourself that you'll find a way to handle things when they happen.

If there is something you can do, then do it! 

If you're worried it's going to rain today, then pack an umbrella. If you're worried about a meeting, then plan and prepare well. Do something and stop worrying.

Message for the day

Your humility enables people to realize their mistakes and correct themselves. 

Expression: Real humility results in so much power of truth that you don't need to say anything at all in words. The very power of your inner state of being will make the other person realize the error of their ways. 

Experience: When you are giving directions or corrections to someone, check your own attitude, remind yourself of the humility within and then say whatever you have to say. With humility your words will be for their benefit and this will enable them to learn. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 14, 2020:In the library of your mind

Contemplation: April 14, 2020:In the library of your mind

Library at St. Florian Monastery in the town of Sankt Florian, Austria

In the library of your mind

Have you ever wondered why libraries have special atmospheres? They are places where many congregate but where silence is the code. Quietness in an atmosphere means there is the presence of quiet minds, and quiet minds are not only relaxed, they can concentrate easily and create more freely.

Imagine you are in the library of your mind, browsing the accumulated wisdom on the shelves of your life - listen to the silence, be aware of the stillness. Now you can really listen. Now you can really hear. Now you can really think. Now you can create. And behold, you are an artist. Did you not know that silence and creativity are lovers?

Adopting A Wiser Perception

Depending on my choice of perception, I may see life as a battleground, where I face a constant battle from morning to night. The constant to and fro between family and work may tire me emotionally and mentally. If I let it and see it that way, life can also itself become the cause or source of my tensions. It may even seem as if the path of life is scattered with rocks blocking my way. Instead of stepping around or over them, I perceive them as being obstacles. The thoughts may come easily to my mind - If it was not for so-and-so or such-and-such, I would be able to.... I may mention the same to my loved ones. Instead of bringing me any benefit, these complaints take me away from the power that I, the soul, have within of changing anything. I simply pass on my capacity to change, to persons or objects over whom or which I obviously have no control.

If I am fortunate to have a wiser perception which spirituality can give me, life can become a great place to learn and grow. Behind seemingly difficult situations are my major lessons. Disguised in routine tasks are the sign boards that point me back towards truth. Relationships that bring with them repeated scenes of negativity with the same person and for the same reasons show me the weaknesses I have to work on. Indeed, until I work on the eradication of my weaknesses, I keep repeating them. Challenges do come, but they help to bring out the best in me. If I have the subtle eyes to see and the courage to go forward... life is a constant experience of reminders and benefits to progress along the road to my highest consciousness.

Do you find yourself apologizing, a little too often? 

Over-apologizing can reflect a lack of self-confidence and, as a result, lower your impact and influence.

Cut down on unnecessary apologies. Express yourself assertively and politely, without devaluing yourself.

Apologizing is important. Know when it's appropriate to apologize, and make your apology sincere by not repeating similar mistakes in the future.

Message for the day

The one who is responsible is the one who is always light.

Expression: To be responsible means to do everything with the best of one's ability. It comes with the recognition and the understanding of the importance of the task. No action is wasted, but everything meaningfully connects to the fulfillment of the task. So there are not even ordinary actions, but only those that are meaningful. 

Experience: When I take up every task that I need to do with full responsibility, I am able to give my best. Then I will be able to be light having done my task well and in time. There is never the pressure of work, but there is plenty of time for the self and for others. I also find my inner resources being used to the fullest extent. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 13, 2020: Can't Concentrate

Contemplation: April 13, 2020: Can't Concentrate

Can't Concentrate

How often do you hear yourself say, “I can't concentrate!"  Actually, concentration isn't a gift and it isn't about intelligence.  

Concentration is driven by interest, and interest is driven by attitude.  If your attitude swells with interest, concentration is astonishingly easy.

Increase your concentration by reducing multi-tasking and any of the many distractions at your fingertips.

Applying The Law Of Balance To Anger (Part 2)

Yesterday we had explained how the law of balance can be applied to anger on a smaller level. The same law can also be applied on a larger level. Each time a group of people transmit the negative energy of anger physically to another group of people - at that time, either:

a) one party is disturbing the balance temporarily, which will be restored sometime in the future, by the second party indulging in similar behavior, or

b) balance is being restored at the present moment (because negative energy had been transmitted from the opposite party to the first party sometime in the past). This balancing must take place, because it's an unbreakable law. This is the law of balance.

This law that does not need to be enforced by us, the police or even by God. It is a natural law like other laws of nature. It gets enforced itself and cannot be broken by anyone. Understanding that this law is embedded in the human state of affairs at all times makes us careful and detached so that we don’t hurt ourselves with violent, toxic thoughts, when someone acts negatively.  We create these kinds of thoughts because we believe this is revenge that is justified. Also, knowing that anger that is radiated comes back doesn't mean we don’t have any laws within society – they are required, but it helps us not to take the law into our own hands. We cannot force justice to take place before its fixed time. We cannot force the balancing of energies of anger. If we trying doing it, it is being egoistic and we only upset the balance of our energies as a result. Even to criticize those who try to take the law into their own hands is to take the law into our hands.

Generosity

Generosity can be defined in many ways but respect, kindness, benefit and accessibility are its key characteristics. Generosity is like a fruit tree in season. All its fruit is available to anyone for the picking. When I am full, complete, when I have conquered selfish needs then I can be naturally generous. My being is open to others to share the best without any obligation.

Message for the day

The one who is open to learning always finds an opportunity to learn and change. 

Expression: Life has plenty of opportunities for the one who wants to learn. Each situation and person that comes one's way is an instrument for a new learning. Constant learning brings about a deep internal change and progress in one's life. 

Experience: When I am able to learn from all that happens, I am able to be content for both what I have learnt and the change that I have been able to bring about. This contentment also keeps me enthusiastic and my mind open for further learning. I naturally become an embodiment of what I have learnt. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 12, 2020: Patience

Contemplation: April 12, 2020: Patience

Patience

Patience is a reflection of the peaceful mind. My peaceful mind is able to cope with all situations without becoming disturbed and agitated. It calmly accepts the resolution of circumstances and, with this patience acquires the power to deal with all situations.

Applying The Law Of Balance To Anger (Part 1)

We are all very much aware of the law of gravity. It keeps us grounded on the earth. Gravity ensures everything returns to a state of balance. This is the law of balance on a physical level.

The law of balance can also be applied on a mental and emotional level, to the emotion of anger e.g.  Too many angry thoughts of revenge and animosity (hatred) inside our consciousness can emerge in two ways:

a) either externally as toxic, violent behavior, which will attract toxic, violent responses from others, or

b) if these thoughts are kept bottled inside, they will eventually, after a period of time, emerge as some disease or the other in the physical body. This is because our consciousness then tries to find a way to get rid of the mental impurity, which enters our physical body and restores balance to the mental and physical system, which has been upset due to the creation of the toxic thoughts, in the first place.

The above e.g. is an application of this law on a micro level. We can apply this law of balance on a macro level, on the world at large, where we watch groups of people, even countries exchanging negative energy. We shall explain that in tomorrow’s message.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Being Perfect

Perfectionism at its best leads to excellence and great results. But too much perfectionism is not so perfect! It often leads to stress and lower productivity.

So know when good enough, really is good enough and when to use perfectionism in a good way.

Have high standards without setting extremely high standards. Strive to do your best without expecting to do everything perfectly.

Message for the day

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

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

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

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 11, 2020: Hard To Forgive

Contemplation: April 11, 2020: Hard To Forgive

Hard To Forgive

Why is it hard to forgive others? Usually because we believe that they are 90% to blame for the problem, that I am not as bad as they are. So I start to carry the load of other people's actions. If my ego is too hurt, I will have the sense of correction, of justice: 'I know I am right', 'That is not fair'. But if I start to forgive from the heart, sincerely, I remain humble and this forgiveness will bring me closer to others. Then I do not carry regrets or anger, I just let go and remain light.

The Relationship Between Virtues And Vices

When we are internally strong, our nature characteristics and skills are reflected, from inside us to the outside, to everyone we interact in, in the form of virtues. If we are internally weak, those same traits emerge and radiate as vices. Vices are just qualities or virtues that have lost their focus and strength. For e.g. if we take the quality of love - when a strong soul radiates love, it is unlimited and without any conditions. Such a soul respects and has good wishes for everything and everyone and under all circumstances, irrespective of whether love and respect is coming from the other side or not. When a weak soul radiates love, he/she tends to restrict the love to limits e.g. the love would vary from person to person and from situation to situation. In a sense, if spiritual might (strength) and spiritual light (understanding or knowledge) are taken away from the virtues, they get transformed into the six vices, which make us spiritually unhealthy or weak:

Ego - developing an image of the self that is false, temporary or imaginary.
Greed - finding short term fulfillment by acquiring material goods, a role in society or money or through the physical senses – eyes, tongue, ears, etc.
Attachment - finding security by developing a feeling of possessiveness over loved ones and material objects.
Lust - using excessive satisfaction through the senses as a means of fulfillment.
Anger - the feeling of hatred and revenge when any of the other vices are threatened or being taken away from us.
Laziness - becoming inactive on a spiritual, physical or mental level.

Calm and Cool

When listening to other people's stories, it's so easy to be drawn into their emotions, especially if they're someone close.

We join them in their emotional state and feel the same emotions, because we care - but is this helpful?

Instead, if we were to stay calm and cool when others' bring their emotions to us, we might just be more receptive to help and support them.

Message for the day

You will be truly successful when you are loving and detached with the ones you come into contact with.

Checking: With all the people that you come into contact with throughout the day, check if you are able to have a balance between being loving and detached. Detachment doesn't mean to stay away from people, but to be with them and yet be detached. 

Practice: Make the practice of seeing only specialities, your own and that of others. This will enable you to maintain your self-respect and you will be able to find yourself both loving and detached. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/