Daily Positive Thoughts: April 24, 2014: Dance In Happiness

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 24, 2014: Dance In Happiness

Dance in Happiness
The easy way to remain happy is to remain constantly light. Pure thoughts are light and waste thoughts are heavy. Therefore, keep your intellect busy with pure thoughts and you will become light and continue to dance in happiness.

Look at Specialties

When you look at the specialties in each one you can easily cooperate with others and receive their cooperation. Each and every individual has something special. If you make the habit of seeing these specialties, you will find that others are able to relate to you with these specialties and you can easily get their cooperation. You will also be able to cooperate with them easily. Think of one person you are not able to cooperate with. Now think of one specialty of that person. Make sure you relate to this specialty whenever you come into contact with this person. As you continue this practice you will find your negativity vanishing away and cooperation becomes easy.

Meditation To Experience Being An Impartial Observer

Experience the following thoughts one after the other:

I sit in a relaxed position, letting all tensions dissolve... I relax my shoulders and neck and breathe deeply several times... Now I focus all my attention inside and observe what is happening in mind... I observe, and look carefully...

I see myself in different situations; I can identify the things that affect me most, the dependencies on things and people, the various circumstances in which I see myself involved... I observe how these external factors influence me and change my state of mind. I lack trust in some people, but with others I can express myself freely. There are many influences in my life... There are the influences of these external factors... I separate myself from them and observe my inner qualities; I begin to feel that peace, strength and love are part of my original self... They are so strong that they cannot be influenced by the changing external factors...

I create positive thoughts about myself... I am a being independent of external influences, and in my inner self there are many qualities. I feel them... I enjoy being myself in my original peaceful state...

Soul Sustenance

The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (cont.)
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

Self-respect increases when one learns to converse positively to the self.
Projection: The usual way to talk to the self is to talk to the most superficial aspects of the personality, those which are related to fears (including those of the future), complaints and mindless repetition of things in the past. Such talk to the self only lowers the self-respect to a great extent.

Solution: Not only when our mind is going towards waste and negative, but at all times, it is important that we talk to the mind with love, as we would talk to a child. Like a mother would lovingly explain to the child, we need to teach our mind with love. This creates true happiness within and our self-respect increases.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

 

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 23, 2014: Resent Not

 

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 23, 2014:Resent Not

Resent Not

There are no justified resentments. To resent someone is to fall under the illusion that they are the cause of our suffering. No one can die from a snake bite. It's the poison that kills them. You may receive the poison of another’s words, or even just in a glance, but you don’t have to absorb it or allow it free passage through the veins of your consciousness. The consequence of not absorbing the poison of others is you never experience enmity towards others. And people notice when you have absolutely no enmity. It draws them close, it empowers them, it builds trust, it enables harmony to break out! It is only because the lion has no thought of killing the lamb that the lamb feels able to come so close.relax7

An Observer

When difficult situations come your way, instead of becoming disturbed or confused, observe all the situations just as you would observe a game or watch a play.
Then instead of feeling stuck you'll be able to enjoy the different turns that the situation takes.

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (cont.)

Continuing from yesterday's message:

The Zoroastrians worship God as fire (Indian Zoroastrians are called Parsis).

The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun as God.

A Buddhist sect in Japan focuses the mind on a small oval shape. They call it Karni, the Peace-giver.

The Jews have the Menorah (a candlestick or holder for many candles together) which when lit is a memory of the form of God as light.

It seems therefore that human beings, without realizing, have all been worshipping and trying to discover the same God. There is only one God and His form is light. If union between the soul and the Supreme Soul is to take place, it can only be possible if there is knowledge and experience of that form.

On the basis of our (soul and the Supreme Soul) similarities of form and place of residence, I learn from God of my own original sanskars of peace, purity, love, knowledge, power and bliss. As I tune my thoughts to Him, His influence fills these original qualities in me. He is the perfect and infinite fountain, indeed the ocean, of these qualities. His superiority lies in the depth, clarity and continuity of His divine sanskars. Whilst human souls fluctuate between peace and peacelessness; love and hatred; knowledge and ignorance; sorrow and joy, God is ever constant and above and beyond these fluctuations.

Soul Sustenance

The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee
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

Faith enables one to bring solutions to problems.

Projection: When problems come, we tend to overreact to it or exaggerate it to such an extent that it becomes a trap for us. Instead of working on the problem we fall prey to it making all our thoughts negative. Once we are caught up in negativity we will neither look for, nor find solutions.

Solution: Each thought of ours is important when working on a problem. Instead of making our thoughts negative, we need to remind ourselves that what we are going through is a test which we must pass with honour. When we have this thought, all our energy will be focussed on working to bring a solution.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

 

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 22, 2014: Give & Take

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 22, 2014: Give & Take

                                                              

Give & Take

Whatever you give comes back to you. Whatever you take will not stay with you.

Co-operation

When each one is working towards a common task, cooperation becomes easy.

To get others' cooperation you need to share the task and the information regarding the task with others. When you communicate your motives using easy and simple language, everyone can understand and feel a part of the whole and they would naturally contribute their best. Any new task that you take up make sure you inform all the details to everyone related to the task. Even the minutest details when communicated to others, helps in creating a priority in them to give their best to the task.

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (cont.)

Just as a candle flame emerges from a point source and assumes an oval form, mystics and saints throughout the passage of time have had visions of God as a point of self-luminous light with an oval aura.

Most religions have images, idols or memorials, having one name or the other to represent God as light or as an oval shape.

Throughout India there are statues of an oval-shaped image. They are called Shivalingas, and are thought to represent the Creator Himself. The names of the temples of Shiva confirm this: Somnath, the Lord of Nectar; Vishwanath, The Lord of the Universe; Mukteshwara, the Lord of Liberation, etc..

In the Old Testament of the Bible, it is mentioned that Moses had a vision of light as a "burning" bush in the desert. Jesus also referred to God as light. In some Christian ceremonies, during the ceremonies, an ostensorio is held up. The ostensorio is a golden ball with many rays radiating from it. Perhaps this is a symbolic representation of God.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism called Him Ek Omkar, Nirakar, the one non-physical (bodiless) being or soul.

According to Islamic legend, when Adam left paradise he came to a low hill upon which he saw a shining white oval stone. Around this stone he circled seven times praising God. He then built the Kaaba. By the time of Abraham it needed to be rebuilt as a temple to honour the one God. The town of Mecca grew around this spot. This oval stone, later called Sang-e-aswad and now blackened by the kisses of millions of sinners, so they say, is the only object of worship in the whole of Islam.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

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.

Message for the day

To have hope means to have a chance for success.

Projection: When we encounter failures, we sometimes get so disheartened that we lose hope in both the situations and in ourselves. Instead of seeing the obstacle that comes our way as a turn, we see it as an end and give up trying. So we lose out on our chance for success.

Solution: Even when things don't seem to be working out right, we must never leave hope. To leave hope means to rule out our chance for success. When we have hope we will keep thinking of new ways for success. We will then surely get cooperation from somewhere or the other and we will be successful.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 21, 2014: Respect

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 21, 2014: Respect

 

Respect
Respect is received when it is given

 

Creativity

 

There are times when our crowded lives and minds don't allow space for creativity to emerge.
For creativity to flow naturally, regularly make quiet time for yourself, to clear and refresh your mind.
Do nothing other than sit back, relax and let your mind: float freely on a hot-air balloon, swim through a deep blue ocean or soar into the sunset.

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God

There are some universally accepted characteristics of God:

* He is the creator and the one who sustains and takes care of the entire world population.
* He is the Highest of Highest.   
* He is the Supreme Father.
* He is non-physical.
* He is omnipotent (one with unlimited power).
* He is a living being.
* He is all-loving and possesses complete knowledge.
* He is unchangeable.
* He is one and He is light.
* He is perfect in values and morals.
* He is absolutely just.
* He is the Supreme Benefactor (the one who brings benefit to everyone).
* He is the savior of souls.
* He is the purifier.
* He is mysterious in His ways.

Even in those religions that believe in and worship many Gods, there is one God who stands above the others. Then there are other faiths who believe God to be one single Supreme Being. Traditions, sacred texts, monuments, sayings and rituals all over the world, point to the existence of and belief in one knowledgeful, all-powerful and merciful being or soul. That being is universally called out to and recognized as the remover of sorrow, the giver of happiness and the savior of the 'sinful'.

(To be continued tomorrow ..)

 Soul Sustenance 

Connecting To The Qualities Of Others

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

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

Message for the day

Determination enables elevated thoughts to become practical.

Projection: When we have an aim in our life and are working for it, we sometimes are not able to bring into practice all that we plan to do. We then tend to become disheartened and give up after trying for some time. Thus we lose out on the benefit that our thoughts can bring in our life.

Solution: In order to put into practice the good thoughts that we get i.e., in order to make our thoughts practical we need to stamp it with determination. Our words should never be 'I'll try', but must always be 'I will do it'. Where there is determination there is victory.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 20, 2014: Excellence

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 20, 2014:Excellence

Excellence
With the aim of excellence, I bring beauty and quality into each word and action.

 Change

Never believe anyone who says you cannot change, or that you should not tamper with your personality. The truth is, you are already changing numerous times every day. And it is never too late to contemplate a change in personality, which simply means changing the way you see and respond to people and the world around you. It is up to you. You can either live with the pain that is known as stress - it's what most people do because it seems the easiest way to live - or you set off on the adventure of self-discovery. This is not some New Age fashion. Every time you change one of your old habits, of creating pain as a response to life, it will be one more step towards enjoying a riper old age. If you want to live a long and healthy life, kill your stress and your pain with truth, before it kills you!

The Concept Of Letting Go (cont.)

An example of how the pleasure turns into desire, the desire into need, the need into habit, habit into dependence and finally the dependence into an addiction - process (explained yesterday) takes place can be seen in some smokers. The smoker, little by little, liked smoking, then desired to smoke, then needed to smoke; he/she created the habit of smoking, it turned into a dependence and finally into an addiction. It began because he liked it but it ended up generating that addiction.

We live disconnected from ourselves, with a lot of unnecessary dependencies and needs. When you think that you need to smoke, you believe something that is not true. What does it mean that you need to smoke? Negative effects of smoking on the body are well known; we already breathe in enough pollution from cars and we do not need to breath in more unnecessary smoke. However, the person who smokes believes that it is a need and, while they believe it, they don't realize, or if they do realize, they don't want to accept that it is an unnecessary dependence.

This process can happen in many other cases: emotional, mental and physical dependencies and addictions towards people, objects and ideas. When we are hooked we lose emotional, mental and intellectual control over our inner selves and in our awareness. The solution is in knowing how to let go.

Soul Sustenance

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

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

Real positivity is being positive even in negative situations.

Projection: It seems very difficult, if not impossible, to maintain positive thoughts when we are faced with a negative situation. Even with a strong intention to be positive, challenges come in the form of relationships, physical illness, difficult circumstances etc and we find ourselves weakening.

Solution: A long time of practice of maintaining inner self-respect is what will help us in a difficult situation. To maintain self-respect means to understand and appreciate our own uniqueness. With this practice of self-respect we will not be dependent on the external situation but will find the strength within.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

 

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 19, 2014: Create Silence

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 19, 2014:Create Silence

Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Create Silence
Learn to create silence in your mind and peace will flourish in your soul. You will see life with other eyes. You will discover God's language. To be internally silent, do not think too much. Trust yourself. Trust others. Trust life. You will find it is easier than it seems.

Efficiency

Plan ways to save money, time and energy.
Look at your priorities and see if you can drop the least important items to free up your resources. The stronger your reasons for saving, the more ways you will find to save.
Go on, make yourself more efficient. You can afford it.

The Concept Of Letting Go

We have to dare to be free. Why? Because fear prevents us from taking the decisions that lead us to live and feel our full freedom. We should dare to let go because dependencies trap us. Let us look at a story that shows us what happens.

It is the story of a bird that, after having flown for a long time, leans on the branch of a tree to rest. While resting, it finds the wellbeing of staying there until, little by little, it gets the idea that its life is on the branch. When a day arrives on which it asks itself why it doesn't carry on flying, it says "Oh, this branch is stuck to me and I can't fly!" The bird blames the branch. In reality, the bird has got stuck to the branch. It has the capacity and the wings to fly but its perception is clouded. It no longer sees its purpose with clarity or its potential to reach it. The freedom of the bird is in its wings but it has got stuck onto the branch. That is the reality that it has created for itself.

The freedom of a human being is in his or her awareness. But when their awareness has got stuck onto the branch (the object of their attachment) and they begin to blame the branch for their impossibility to free themselves, then they are trapped. When our awareness is clouded and we are clinging on, we do not see with clarity and neither do we exercise our freedom and let go.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Becoming Responsible For My Destiny (cont.)
Factors like any particular person, a group of people, the government, nature, even God, etc. cannot be held responsible for what has happened t0 me in my life, up to this moment. It is my and my responsibility alone. Equally, what my future holds depends on me to a very large extent. Rather,whatever I choose to do at this moment is already creating my destiny for tomorrow. I shouldn't forget that the only real time I have for creating my future is the present, now.

Karma teaches me that at every step, I am the creator of my own little world, the creator of my future circumstances. I also am the creator of the environment immediately around me. On a bigger level I am a co-creator or partner, together with God, of a positive future of the world, of the world of tomorrow, of the world of peace, love and happiness. So my responsibility and my ability to influence the future is not restricted to my life alone.

That I can create the future of my choice - of love, peace and happiness, for myself and others, can appear as unreasonable optimism. It's just being realistic. What I create is what is going to happen. If I choose to transmit love and peace in my interactions with others today, I create relationships, in the present and for the future, based on those qualities. Message for the day

The one who is free from desire is the one who is able to maintain positivity.

Projection: When we put forth our ideas to others we expect them to listen to us. Our idea changes to desire and when it is not accepted we then tend to become irritated. And along with it comes jealousy or dislike for the others and we find ourselves caught up in negativity.

Solution: We need to make sure that we share our ideas with others but at the same time we need to keep ourselves free from any selfish motive. When we put forth our idea in a detached way, we too will be open to learning and we will be able to accept any criticism or rejection that comes our way. Thus we will be free from negativity.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 18, 2014: Believe Nothing

Daily Positive Thoughts: April 18, 2014: Believe Nothing

Believe Nothing

It is much easier to believe that it's snowing, than to experience the snow. If you just believe, you can stay inside, stay warm and avoid the cold. That's why people are led up the garden path by others beliefs. It's easier and warmer. In the context of your spiritual or personal growth, believe nothing, experiment and test everything in the laboratory of your own experience. Only then will you be able to separate truth from falsehood, reality from illusion, and lead others with integrity.

A Wise Charioteer

The charioteer has been shown on the chariot, holding the reins of the 5 horses. The horses are mischievous and adventurous they will lead the chariot and the charioteer astray if left to their own devices.

They are the greatest companions for the charioteer and allow him to move forward at great speed. However, if these same companions are distracted and influenced by enemy tactics, then the charioteer is at risk of also being deluded into making the wrong move and becoming trapped.

I the soul am the charioteer sitting in this body. The five horses represent the 5 senses: to hear, to see, to taste, to smell and to touch. These are my great companions. They are a part of the body, the chariot; they are separate from the charioteer, the soul.
However the senses can be pulled and influenced in all directions. The job of the charioteer is to direct them and not be influenced himself. To use them but not to become enslaved to them and the information they supply.

With these under full control the charioteer is able to withstand all challenges that come in his path and move with great wisdom.

Be a wise charioteer.

The Mental Kaleidoscope (cont.)

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

Becoming Responsible For My Destiny
These are examples of some of the inner questions that emerge in our minds from time to time:

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

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

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

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

Real progress can be experienced when we are faced with obstacles.

Projection: When faced with obstacles in our path, we usually tend to have negative feelings. We either experience fear or irritation and we don't enjoy the work anymore, our total focus being on the result. We only wait for the outcome not really bothered about enjoying the effort that we need to put in.

Solution: When we are encountered with a difficult situation, instead of seeing it as an obstacle, we need to see it as an opportunity to evaluate ourselves and see where we stand. We can then use this understanding to bring improvement in ourselves. When we constantly work on ourselves in this way, we will never stop when faced with obstacles, but will experience constant progress in our life.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris