Contemplation: February 22, 2019: Am I Happy?

Contemplation: February 22, 2019: Am I Happy?

 

Am I Happy?

If there is any sadness I make a strong effort to be free of it quickly, otherwise it grows like a vine in the rainy season: by midday I will be confused; by evening a whole jungle of weak, wasteful and negative attitudes will have taken deep roots in my mind. The result equals chaos. Sometimes I reach a stage where the attitude is: "So what if I feel the blues today? It is my life; no one else will be affected". Firstly, the more I allow myself to experience sorrow, the less time I have available to be happy and contented. It sounds ridiculously obvious, but am I aware of the value of happiness? It is an extremely rare commodity, and the cost goes sky high. Secondly, is it my life? Yes, I am living it, but am I not a member of a family or a co-worker with others, and am I not part of society? If so, then every movement affects and is affected by those around me.

Let’s keep it Simple

Live simply so that others may simply live. It's a nice idea, but our
lives are more complicated and complex than ever. What can you simplify
today - your desk, perhaps your thoughts, a meeting? Simple means easy.
Simple means asking, "Is this really necessary?" Simple means keeping
it short but sweet. Simple means keeping the focus of your attention on
what you need to do now. Today's mantra is, "let’s keep it simple."
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The Law of Belief

Beliefs are concepts that you consider real and true, and you do not question them, even though they have no logical explanation. If we believe in something strongly, if we think that we can achieve something, then we will. What we believe will come true.

We can classify beliefs into five groups:

Beliefs about defects and weaknesses: These beliefs produce thoughts in our consciousness like: * I am no good, * I cannot do this, * I am useless, * I won't manage to complete it.

Beliefs of survival: These beliefs produce thoughts such as: * Life is short. Get whatever you can at any cost whenever you can. Life's decisions are taken based on these beliefs without taking into the account the repercussions (effects) they may have on our health, our relationships and our future.

Beliefs that create blocks: When we label someone, we are no longer open to try and understand them. For example: * My boss is really egoistic. This type of belief blocks the flow of our positive energy and stops us from connecting openly with these people.

Beliefs that strengthen the self: For example: * I am capable, * I can do it, * There is nothing I cannot be or do if I really want to, * I will overcome the difficulties and meet the challenge.

True beliefs about ourselves: They are connected to eternal certain truths, such as: * I am a spiritual being, I am eternal. God is my spiritual father.

To assure us that a belief is true, we must first believe in it. Then we check it in our consciousness and if a belief is true it will become an experience. If this does not happen, we are doing something wrong or this belief is not correct.

Soul Sustenance

A Powerful Consciousness Of Faith In Critical Situations (Part 1)

Almost every single day in our present lives brings with it various ups and downs in mind or sanskaras (when our thoughts or sanskaras are not the way we would like them to be, in spite of us wanting them to be so), body, wealth (or profession or role) and relationships. There is not a single human soul existing in the entire world today that is experiencing a constant state of positivity in the four parameters mentioned above. All parameters are extremely changeable and every now and then seem to bring with them negative surprises. A very simple reason for this is today we stand at the fag end of the eternal world cycle, when every human soul is in its last phase of its journey of birth and rebirth in this respective cycle, a journey in which it has committed many mistakes, especially in the latter part of the journey, as it has continued to lose its power and succumbed to negativity or the consciousness of the physical body.

So the problems from time to time in the four parameters mind, body, wealth and relationships are nothing but a reflection or mirror image of incorrect actions performed by each soul, especially in the latter part of this cycle. If we are expecting a time to come in the present time, when all these will be absolutely fine and they will always be positive, that will not be possible, not until this cycle reaches an end and we return back home to the soul world. Until we return, we will need to settle all our accounts of our past karmas or incorrect actions, by being faced with problems in these four parameters (not necessarily in all of them at the same time, but in one or more from time to time) and overcoming them with ease, positivity and power. Instead of running away from this reality we need to accept it completely and instead of looking at ways of keeping these parameters positive on a physical or superficial level only, which we will be able to do but only to some extent because there will be times when it will not be possible for us to change the negativity in these parameters, in spite of our deep efforts on a physical level. We should do it and we will be able to do it at times, but it will not be possible each time that these parameters will change for the better as much as we want and at the speed we desire.

(To be continued tomorrow…)


Message for the day

To recognize one's own fortune is to be constantly happy.

Expression: When there is an awareness of one's own fortune, there are no expectations from people and situations. Due to this I am able to recognize and use my own resources for my own benefit and also for the benefit of others. One's happiness also spreads out to the others and they too become happy.

Experience: When I recognize constantly my own fortune, I am able to make the best use of it. I constantly remain content and am able to move forward with happiness. I never become upset with the various unexpected situations that come my way, but am able to see them as test papers that will help me move on to the next step. So I never get tired of continuing to put in effort.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 21, 2019: Perfect and Pure

Contemplation: February 21, 2019: Perfect and Pure

Perfect and Pure

There is part of you that is perfect and pure. It is untouched by the less than perfect characteristics you've acquired by living in a less than perfect world. It is filled with divine qualities, so is a constant state of resourcefulness and well-being. It’s total absence of conflict and negativity of any sort makes this part of you a Still-Point; a deep, enriching experience of Silence. Make time to practice reaching this inner place of Silence. It will bring you untold benefit.

Quietness

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?
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Understanding What Is An Angel (cont.)

In Christian mythology, angels are commonly shown as small children with wings - this is symbolic of the fact that angels are very innocent and pure, untouched by vices like anger, greed, lust, ego, hatred, jealousy, etc. (so are children). The purity of an angel is depicted in mythology in the form of an aura of subtle light or a halo around the head.

An angel's love for humanity is unlimited, yet it is completely detached as the Supreme. An angel experiences that whatever comes through it in the form of thoughts, words or actions has the effect of blessing other souls, as if it is able to perceive or judge immediately or instinctively what each soul needs and cater to their needs. This act of blessing others is depicted in the form of a magic wand. Angels are commonly shown with magic wands in their hands, with which they shower blessings on others.

An angel's thoughts, words and actions are all serving others. An angel is a lighthouse, might house, connected with the Supreme; it radiates the spiritual rays of light and might, the love, peace, happiness and power of the Supreme Soul, to others.

Soul Sustenance

The Location And The Form Of The Soul (Part 3)

All of the characteristics present in the soul are subtle or non-dimensional (without size) in nature - thoughts, feelings, emotions, decision-making power, personality traits (sanskars) and so on. If they are all without size, then it is reasonable to conclude that the living, conscious energy, the soul, from which they emerge is also sizeless. For this simple reason it is eternal (beyond life and death). Something which has no physical size cannot be destroyed. As a soul I am neither spread throughout the whole body nor am I an invisible duplicate of the physical body. Even though the body of subtle energy exists inside the physical body, it is the effect of the soul being in the physical form and not the soul itself. Just as the sun is in one place and yet its light radiates throughout the solar system, the soul is in one place and its energy is spread throughout the whole body. To express something that exists but has no physical dimensions we can use the word point. The soul therefore, is an extremely small point of conscient (living) light. For the sake of having an image to fix our minds on we can say its star like in appearance. In deep meditation we can experience the soul as an extremely small point of non-physical light surrounded by an oval-shaped aura.

Message for the day

Every reaction to situations is a reflection of one's own self-respect.

Expression: To the extent that there is a high degree of self-respect, to that extent there is a positive response to even the most negative situations. If there is low self-respect, even the smallest situation brings forth a strong negative reaction. This reaction only makes matters worse.

Experience: When I am able to maintain my own self-respect even in the worst situation, I am able to have a hold, control over these situations. But if I have a low self-respect I continue to blame situations and use them as excuses to feel helpless. So I am not able to do anything about these situations and just continue to have negative feelings.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 20, 2019: Like an Incense Stick

Contemplation: February 20, 2019: Like an Incense Stick

Like an Incense Stick

Although your thoughts, attitudes, intentions and feelings are not visible, they do have an effect. They permeate the atmosphere and influence the mood in a room, like the aroma from an incense stick, curling through the air ...

Negative thoughts and intentions or a less than generous attitude release a heavy pungent odour.

Kind thoughts, beneficial intentions, or an understanding attitude create a fragrant aroma, uplifting the atmosphere.

What atmosphere are you creating?

Bring Benefit

Everyone naturally works for the benefit of the self and others. But
sometimes we find that others are not able to appreciate our
contribution. This is because we are not able to recognize the needs of
the other person. So there is a tendency to ignore the needs of the
other person. The one who discriminates well is able to understand the
other person's need and give accordingly. So whatever is done naturally
brings benefit for others. When we are able to bring benefit for the
right person at the right time with the right thing, we are able to win
the trust of the other person. We expect nothing in return, but have
the satisfaction of helping at the right time.

Understanding What Is An Angel

When I have the consciousness that I am a soul, a non-physical being of light, acting through the physical body, even others begin to notice. This is what the angelic stage is. By remaining in this angelic, soul-conscious stage, others will also feel a sense of lightness and upliftment in my company. Angels are thought to be mythical creatures who have a human form with wings, who are always in the company of God and help Him in guarding and protecting other souls. Actually, angels are human beings with divine qualities.

Angels are always shown with wings. One of the wings of the angel is symbolic of spiritual knowledge, which it has received from God; the other is symbolic of spiritual qualities and powers, which it has inculcated, through the power of meditation or a spiritual connection with God. The wings of an angel also symbolize the lightness and freedom of such souls. With such wings the angel flies constantly in the company of God. Its lightness and freedom is because it has no bondages or attachments in the physical world; all the chains have been broken. Because angels has the absolute and constant support of the Supreme Being they can be the support and protectors of many others, by sharing with them, spiritual knowledge, qualities and powers, which they possesses.

An angel is the 'right hand' of God in the task of world transformation (change). The language which it uses to bring about this transformation is spiritual silence; positive, powerful and pure thoughts along with sweet words full of spiritual knowledge, all of which have the effect of uplifting others.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance

The Location And The Form Of The Soul (Part 2)

Whenever I say: I feel something within me, pointing to the heart, obviously it's not something within the chest. The physical heart is just an incredibly sophisticated pump for blood. It can even be transplanted – it does not create feelings! Within the real me, the living and thinking being, the soul (situated inside the brain), there is a centre of emotions, moods and feelings. The sensations that I very obviously feel around the body are due to the total connection that exists between the soul and the body in which it resides. For example, when I am afraid of, say, a dog attacking me, the whole system is activated. From the control centre in the middle of the brain, the soul sends messages out all around the body. Adrenalin is secreted to give extra strength to the muscles (so that one can run). The heart starts to pump faster, the breathing becomes shallower and the palms begin to sweat. While it may seem that all the different organs have their own sensing and feeling systems, the whole operation is so split-second fast that the coordination of sensations and responses by the soul from its own special cockpit in the centre of the brain passes unnoticed – it so seems that the body is creating the sensations and responses, but they are actually coordinated and controlled by the soul. In this way, if I feel something in my heart for or from something or someone, it's really being processed by me, the thinking being, the soul and then reflected in my heart.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To find reasons to be happy is to increase happiness.

Expression: When the mind searches for reasons to be sad and sorrowful, even situations with no great significance are seen with a vision of negativity. So there is constantly an expression of words and actions that reflect the need for sympathy and reassurance. On the other hand, when there is the search for happiness, then everything is positive giving happiness..

Experience: When I am happy, I start perceiving everything with that vision. It is like wearing coloured glasses. Whatever colour my glasses are, the whole world is coloured with it. Then, I am no longer able to perceive and recognize negativity and I am able to remain happy with everything.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 19, 2019: Antidote to Stormy Emotions

Contemplation: February 19, 2019: Antidote to Stormy Emotions

Ark Hotel – a futuristic see-through bubble Ark Hotel that can be adapted to suit both land and water is being billed as a “self-contained oasis”.  It is built to stay afloat in the event of floods or rising seas.

Antidote to Stormy Emotions

Are your emotions easily affected by people and events? If so, then like the sea, when the weather is calm your waves roll gently. But when stormy winds blow, you become wild and out of control.

If you make time to dive deep into the sea, beneath your emotions, you will experience a world of stillness and great strength. Then, you'll stay unaffected - resilient to the winds of change.

Patience

Patience is a virtue and a power too. Patience tells us that the
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and that we get
over there one step at a time. Patience teaches us not to rush. Knowing
that there is a reason and a season for everything it enables us to
smile at the challenges, realizing that there is an answer to every
problem. And, even though we cannot see it, yet there is awareness that
within every crisis is an opportunity.

Cleaning Up The Cupboards Of Your Mind (cont.)

The first thing that meditation teaches us is to cleanse (clean up) the mind of the useless thoughts that it creates in the present moment. While your mind identifies with these kinds of thoughts and sees them as absolutely normal, it will not be able to concentrate. And if it cannot concentrate, it will not be able to cleanse in depth. Meditation helps you to live through that inner process without pain.

From a space of love, experienced in meditation, you feel secure in order to open up the cupboards of your subconscious mind. Do not open them before commencing (beginning) the practice of meditation, because the accumulated pain can be overwhelming and the loneliness experienced, when you see what you find inside, can terrify you. Because you are alone, with yourself, with your past and with your present and you are alone here, with your inner cupboards and your files. In the silence of contemplative meditation you feel a divine energy accompanying you which helps you overcome this fear of loneliness. You feel embraced by the energy and the presence of unconditional love, which it showers on you - it accepts you as you are, which makes the cleaning up process easier.

Soul Sustenance

The Location And The Form Of The Soul (Part 1)

When I look in a mirror I don't see my reflection but that of my body. The soul is actually looking through the windows of the eyes from some point inside the head. When viewed from the front, this region appears to be between and slightly above the line of the eyebrows. As the brain is the control centre for all of the various processes of the body - metabolism, the nervous, endocrine, immunological, and lymphatic systems - it makes sense that the soul be located somewhere in the brain. Just as the driver in a car sits behind the wheel with the steering wheel in his hands, the soul sits in a specific point in the centre of the brain. This is important to know for meditation purposes because it is the place to which attention is first directed in the effort to concentrate the thoughts: I am the soul, a tiny point of conscious light energy centered in the spot between the eyebrows.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To listen to others fully is to be able to be free from repeating mistakes.

Expression: When there is criticism that comes one's way, it should be carefully analysed to see if there is any truth in it. If there is correction can be made accordingly. On the other hand, if others' criticism is ignored or there is a tendency to defend oneself, there cannot be any correction and mistakes are repeated.

Experience: When I listen to others with honesty, I am able to discover even the most negligible aspect in my behaviour which I can change. So I find myself constantly improving and progressing and moving on towards success. So having brought about a change, even the criticism that comes my way stops.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 18, 2019: Plant the Seed of Peace

Contemplation: February 18, 2019: Plant the Seed of Peace

Plant the Seed of Peace

As our thought so is our consciousness, and as is our consciousness so is our life. Let your first thought of the day simply be peaceful. Plant this seed. Water it with attention and you will gather the calm.

  

Fly High

Just as the bird has to find the courage to let go of the branch in
order to fly, so we also must let go of our branches if we are to know
the exhilaration of soaring to the highest potential of our life. The
branches we hold to are our inner attachments - our beliefs, ideas and
memories. And then there are the outer attachments - people,
possessions, positions and privileges are a few. But as long as we hold
on to them we will live in fear (of letting go and loss) and we will
never be free. And just watch those birds, by letting go of one branch
they are able to spend the rest of their life alighting on a million
other branches, and they enjoy the view from each. Are you flying and
soaring in your life, or are you stuck on one branch, cursing others as
they fly past. Go on, try it ...let go!

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Cleaning Up The Cupboards Of Your Mind

When you are capable of relaxing, controlling your thought patterns and concentrating, you can reach deeper and more subtle states of meditation from which you connect with your inner potential for peace and purest love (the positive) and on the other hand, you clean out unnecessary memories (the negative). You reach the spiritual power that allows you to transform habits that are not very healthy and the beliefs that sustain them. Out of love and peace you can purify and clear the turbulent (rough) waters that there are at times in the subconscious.

When you meditate, you review whether there is something that has influenced you and you clean it out, so that only the highest, the most positive, the most beautiful, remains inside you and comes out of you. Meditation and reflection help you to clean out the register that, from the subconscious, brings about inadequate thoughts and uncontrolled emotions. Cleansing (cleaning up) in depth requires a clear purpose, being prepared to let go of the past; cleansing the wounds and pain accumulated in the store of your inner being; facing the present with dignity, with wisdom and visualizing, with confidence and trust, a future full of positivity.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Do Love And Suffering Go Hand-In-Hand (Part 3)?

When there is too much pain we cannot lean back into our true power and experience our energy of love. Only the power of pure love, unconditional love or love of God, can help us to get rid of the suppressed pain inside the subconscious. When you live through a situation that causes pain in you, you have to love yourself, stabilize yourself and enter into silence. Observe that pain without being afraid of it. Observe it to let go of it and understand what it is that it brings about in you.

The answer, generally, is connected with others: * He/she doesn't love me anymore and that's why I feel pain, * Things are not like they were before, * The company of this loved one doesn't give me the benefits it was giving me before.

If a person loved you and now has stopped loving you, does that make you feel pain? Or is it your own expectation and your desire for that person to keep on valuing you or loving you like before that trap you in pain? Is it that you don't accept change? The truth is, we bring on suffering ourselves. If you don't want to make yourself suffer, starting from now you do not have to bear any more suffering. Nobody can wound you or can cause you pain, except if you allow it. So how do you allow it? By being a vacuum that sucks in everything of the other, the good and the bad, and you suffer. It is expectations from our loved one that make us vulnerable to the experience of suffering. 

Message for the day

To have the spirit of sharing is to be constantly happy.

Expression: There are lots of resources in each one's life that can be shared with others. The more there is the consciousness of giving there is the ability to give and share these inner resources with others. New treasures are discovered and used for the benefit of all and also for the self.

Experience: There is constant satisfaction in my life when there is the spirit of giving. There are no expectations from others, but only an awareness of what I have. Life becomes more and more satisfactory and I feel richer for having given unconditionally. There are also constant good wishes that I receive from others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 17, 2019: Create Vision

Contemplation: February 17, 2019: Create Vision

Create Vision

Never believe anyone who says we cannot change. Vision is one of the secrets of personal transformation. We are all artists, our mind is the arena of creation and vision is what we are constantly creating. What is your vision of yourself today - patient, relaxed, positive or tense, tight and negative? What do you prefer? So be creative - what does patience look like, feel like, what are you doing that is different when you are patient and you are expressing your power to ...wait? Always start with vision not action. See it and you will be it. Be it and you will do it. This is how we create our own life.

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Recharge!

Each day we all need to recharge our spiritual battery, otherwise the
light of our consciousness becomes dim, thoughts become fuzzy, and
decisions are impregnated with doubt. Power is available inside and
outside. Inside us we have a spiritual centre, at the core of our
consciousness, pure radiant spiritual light. This is what we are.
However it is now blocked by our attachments, the record of all our
life experiences and many learned beliefs and perceptions. Outside us
we have the sun of spirit, the source, invisible to our physical eyes
but only one second away when we are able to quieten and focus our
mind. Meditation connects us to both sources of power - that's why
meditation is the way to access the real vitamins and the minerals that
spirit craves. The vitamin of pure love and the minerals of truth and
wisdom. Take time to empower yourself today. Sit quietly and connect
your mind to each source and allow yourself to recharge and renew.
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The Significance Of The Power Of Thought In Meditation

Meditation is not a process of emptying the mind of thought. In meditation I use the natural power of the soul - the power to create thoughts, as a take-off point (or as a spring-board) to finally experience the consciousness of the true self. In meditation, I climb a ladder of well-prepared, positive and spiritual thoughts and eventually climb beyond the ladder into the pure experience of what I really am. Pondering over these pure and real thoughts can occupy the soul for long periods of time.

In the most basic stage of Rajyoga meditation, first comes the realization: I am a soul, the energy of consciousness made up of a mind, an intellect and a collection of sanskars. My eyes, ears, nose, mouth are just the organs, which when used correctly, help me, the soul, enjoy life. I now possess the knowledge that will free me from my cage. I have the key, spiritual knowledge is the key - I am a soul, a being of light, 'a bird' which has the power to fly freely. Knowing this, I am not bound by physical laws. I can detach and fly at the speed of a thought, to the soul world, where I can easily experience my original state. I must realize that it is impossible to have peace of mind if I cannot detach from the body. I must look upon all my family members, friends, colleagues, also as souls which have come from the soul world. We are all fellow souls.

Soul Sustenance

Do Love And Suffering Go Hand-In-Hand (Part 2)?

We have the inner belief that love, worry, fear and suffering go together. It is difficult to transform (change) fear until we eliminate that belief. You are love and you need to share that love. Life is a sharing of love, it is loving the body, loving oneself, loving others, loving God, loving nature, loving work. That energy of love in the end purifies us and helps us to go forward. But while the belief exists that love has to be linked to fear and suffering, we will be blocked and will put a brake to the flow of pure love. In the name of love, we worry, we suffer and we are afraid. Instead of helping from a place of freedom in love, we help out of worry and fear, and in doing so we stifle, control, depend, and the other person feels their inner freedom restricted. We do not let them be.

If we review our personal life and see the moments when we have experienced most pain in our lives, we realize that it is with the people we have most loved, and that have most loved us that we have suffered most. We experience pain in a relationship of love, where there is possession, control, submission and dependence. Other times the pain is caused by a loss that generates an inner emptiness. That person filled me, they gave me wholeness, they were the reason for my existence and now they have either left me or they have gone. In the second case, we wouldn't say that they "have died", but rather that they have gone to another level of existence i.e. the soul has taken a new physical costume.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

The one who follows the right method gets easy success.

Expression: When there is a clear aim of what has to be done and how one has to go about doing it, then there is accuracy in all words and actions. Whatever effort is put in is according to the system and is naturally accurate. So when there is accuracy in all that is done, the fruit of that is also right.

Experience: When I have been following the right method for whatever I have to do, I am able to remain happy for the effort that I have put in. I am also able to be patient and wait for the fruit of my effort to come at its own time. I am never in a hurry, so I always experience success whatever the outcome of the task may be.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 16, 2019: Going Deep

Contemplation: February 16, 2019: Going Deep

Walters Group Towers, a wonderful engineering

Going Deep

Just as the highest tower needs a deep foundation, so too our higher thinking is based on going deep within.

Happiness

Happiness 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.

Fulfilling The Criteria Of Positivity (cont.)

In yesterday's message we defined positivity and negativity from a spiritual perspective. Further elaborating, negativity hides my truth, and causes me to take incorrect steps during the day, without realizing, hurting myself and others yet not knowing how or why. At the level of non-physical spiritual vibrations, we are all connected with each other, as a result of which if I help others to come close to the experience of truth, a state in which the other is an embodiment of the virtues of peace, love, joy, purity and power (as defined yesterday), I will also help myself: whereas if I bring others down into a state of falsehood, the opposite, that will also bring me down. Whenever I give another soul an experience of any of these virtues, the virtue first flows through me and then touches the other. As a result there is an increase in the virtue inside me first and then the other is benefited.

In the entire day, my words and actions may be numbered, but my thoughts are in thousands. My mind works, even when I sleep, even though I am not active physically at that time. The quality of my thoughts at that time is largely influenced by the quality of my thoughts, words and actions during the day. So I need to be aware throughout the day as to how much is each thought, word and action of mine fulfilling the criteria of positivity i.e. bringing me and others closer to a state of truth. The more my thoughts, words and actions do so; the result is an increase in an experience of inner and outer lightness in the self and a similar experience from me to those who come into my contact or whom I interact with.

Soul Sustenance

Do Love And Suffering Go Hand-In-Hand (Part 1)?

There are two things that touch or move us in life: pain and pleasure. Both create addiction. We feel pain in the body, and sometimes it is even emotional. But suffering arises in the mind. The suffering in the mind arises from thinking negatively towards the self, towards others, looking at them with a vision or attitude that causes grief, sorrow and suffering. Both extremes, pain and pleasure, can create addiction. On creating addiction it can start to form part of someone's identity. Later if one tries to stop the addiction of pain or suffering, it can almost feel like a threat towards the self, and towards one's own identity as one perceives it, because suffering is identified with. It is too hard to see oneself as no longer suffering.

An e.g. in this regard is that of a mother, with three children, who was undergoing a meditation course at one of the Brahma Kumaris centers. Her daughter had learned to meditate and became very happy and joyful. Seeing her happiness the mother came to learn to meditate. With a few sessions she felt much more at peace and had very good experiences, but all of a sudden she decided to stop the meditation practice and leave the course because she was starting experiencing a positive detachment, which she perceived as negative. Now, she was no longer feeling afraid of what might happen to her children. The meditation was awakening in her a love free from fears, but it brought on in her an inner clash of beliefs between the old and new beliefs. Her old belief was that to love someone is to suffer about them or create pain related to them.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To switch on the power of awareness is to be free from being mood off.

Expression: To be mood off means to find excuses and reasons to feel negative - to have negative thoughts for the self or for the others. But if there is a strong powerful awareness in the mind, a positive thought about the self, there will not be a chance for a negative thought to enter the mind. So there will never be any reason to be mood off.

Experience: When I am able to maintain a single powerful thought, I am able to remain happy and content. I am not dependent on the external situations for the internal state of mind. Nor do I make external situations as an excuse to further weaken my own thoughts. So there is constantly a feeling of positivity under all circumstances.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/