Contemplation: Humility

Contemplation: Humility

Humility

Humility puts a hand out to nothing extra, but simply takes what's there. Whether that be food or clothing or understanding. Sometimes there is a lot available and sometimes only a little. It doesn't matter. Even when you understand nothing, there is no worry, for in humility there is the trust that if a person feels themselves to be a child of God, everything will come anyway at the right time

Time Management

We all know the value of delegating (sharing one’s work load with
others). It is a way of empowering others, of giving others the
opportunity to learn, grow and take responsibility. But why don't we
do it more? Why do some people hardly ever delegate at all? For some
it is the thought they do not trust others, or a particular person, to
do a particular task. But underlying that is often the feeling that "I
am the only one who knows how to do this". Underneath that thought is
another thought, "If I don't do this I may well lose my position as
the one who does this task, and therefore lose some of my power". And
the deepest reason why we don't delegate is that we identify with the
task. It is as if we are the task, and to lose the task, or for
someone else to do the task, is to experience losing a part of
ourselves and therefore experience sorrow and sadness.

Soul Sustenance

Resisting False Attractions In Actions

All that glitters (shines) is not gold. Life presents you with many illusionary scenes, scenes in which what may be visible may not be the truth. These scenes cause desires to be born inside you to achieve something unnecessary for your prosperity or other types of fulfillments. These can be illusions that make you believe that you will gain something from a situation or person, without the same being true. Thus, you waste time going down a path that not only leads you to disappointment; but you also waste the resource of your thoughts and energy and as a result you tire yourself out emotionally and mentally.

If the intellect is polluted, you make incorrect judgments and are easily deceived by situations or people. Thus, you will make incorrect choices, dishonest or illogical decisions. You will justify dishonesty and improper actions and you will be incapable of differentiating between the real and the imaginary.A person with a pure, clear, clean and powerful intellect will act with honesty and sincerity. When your intellect is polluted, you may act against your own conscience or against your better judgment; you also may be insensitive. A person with a doubtful intellect will always justify a dishonest act. Meditation is the process of purifying and cleaning the intellect, because in meditation we connect with the purest intellect, the intellect of the Supreme Soul or God. Meditation is also a process of inner awakening and strengthening of your conscience. Being awake means to realize, and being strong means to act according to what you have realized.

Message for the day

To recognize the uniqueness of one's own role is to be free from negativity.

Projection: When we find things going wrong with us, we sometimes wish for a change in our role. We begin to compare ourselves with others or wish for something better in our life, which makes us lose all our enthusiasm. We, then, make no effort to better our role.

Solution: We need to recognize the importance of our own role. Like an actor who doesn't make effort to change his role but brings perfection to his own role, we, too, need to concentrate on our own role. The recognition of the importance of our own role and the desire to bring excellence to it makes us free from negativity.

Contemplation: Get Deep

Contemplation:  Get Deep

Get Deep

Deep inside our consciousness is an oasis of peace. This is the molten core of the soul, but it is not hot, it is cool. Not passive, but a source of inner power to fuel our mind and intellect, so that we can create powerful thoughts and make accurate decisions. If you can learn to go to this centre, peace will be your companion, positivity your partner, and you will be able to chill out in one second, anywhere, anytime. Returning to the centre of your self is the journey of one second. It is the regular destination of clever souls. And it is the source of your power and peace

To bring equality in whatever I understand, desire and do is to be
truly successful.

Although my understanding of right and wrong is really good, I am not
usually able to be or feel successful. This is because I notice a
mismatch between what I know and what I want. So I am not able to
bring that knowledge into action. A conscious effort needs to be put
in from my side to compare and see which is better for me - what I
know is right or what I feel I want. When I compare in this way, I
will be able to change my desires in keeping with the right thing.
When these two match, I will be able to bring it into action too. So I
will be able to be successful.

Soul Sustenance

Going Beyond Others’ Perception Of Us

Watch how many things you do during the day are dependent on how you imagine the other sees you: your husband, your friend, your child, your cousin, your aunt, your boss, the secretary or whoever. You imagine how they are going to look at you and, as a result, you mould yourself accordingly. If you depend on the look of the other, inwardly you will always feel fear. You want to please the other so that they continue to see you as you want.

Because of the dependence that we have on the other to appreciate us, value us and not to reject us, we want to please them. If, in spite of doing everything possible, they do not appreciate us or are not happy, how do we feel? Cheated. After having done everything out of wanting to please them! Inside, you want to please them because you want them to keep on loving you, or you don't want them to sack you from your job, or you are afraid of being different or not being accepted. That kind of dependency takes us away from our true authenticity. If you look at yourself well, in the end, others will look at you well and the one who does not look at you well will perhaps teach you something, but your value and self-esteem do not depend on the look of the other. In this state, you are open because you trust yourself and you have personal security.

The other entity can also be the Supreme Soul (God). We are afraid that God might judge us for being sinners or not. If I think God looks at me with that vision of whether I am a sinner, whether I am this or something else, I distance myself from Him. A judge like that does not help me to live with wholeness. In general, in society, there has been a distancing from the relationship and experience with God, because we have learned that He is a strict being and a judge. Actually, God is love; God looks at me well and sees my potential and my beauty (which reflects His), God embraces me and, in this embrace, He frees me: He does not allow me to depend on Him?  

Message for the day 

Where there is courage there is success.

Projection: When we are involved in a task, we sometimes experience setbacks. Such setbacks often make us lose our confidence and we no longer have faith that we will succeed in the task. We then lose all courage to go ahead with the task and lose every chance of achieving what we have to.

Solution: We need to remind ourselves that we achieve success to the extent that we have courage. We need to make effort to maintain our courage even during the most difficult circumstances. Only when we do this will we continue to put in effort, which will bring us success at the right time.

Contemplation: Respect

Contemplation:  Respect

Respect

When I learn to respect myself, other people will respect me. How can I develop respect for myself? By keeping my mind positive and encouraging myself to grow and change for the better. Demanding respect because of my position or background is simply arrogance. On the other hand, listening with humility and valuing other people's advice naturally earns me respect. I get back exactly what I give out.

Like a solid rock, your endurance allows you to stay true to yourself no matter what changes occur around you.

Though, over time a rock can be shaped by water. 

In the same way, you too are able to mould yourself to life because you are strong, not stubborn.

Other recipients:

Creating A Meditation Space Of Your Own

The first step in your journey towards experiencing your true state of inner peace is finding a place or space in your home where you will practice your meditation regularly, even if it's just an armchair. Always use this chair, this space when you can. In this space, place two or three objects, which represent peace to you. Soft music, soft red light and lighting an incense stick ('agarbatti') can make the atmosphere soothing and relaxing. The walls could be decorated with white curtains to create a peaceful and purifying effect. After using this space for your practice of meditation for a few days, you will experience that the atmosphere of this space has elevated itself to a higher positive level and this will help your practice further.

Soul Sustenance 

Transforming “Reaction” To “Response”

In its original form, anger was not anger, not a negative reaction; rather it was the energy of a positive response to people and situations, but the response gradually changed to reaction. When we return to our spiritual identity, we begin to rediscover that capacity to be still, stable or centred, and we are they able to respond positively even to negative situations, or people. With spiritual consciousness, the energy of this negative reaction is transformed into being able to accept, understand and deal wisely and peacefully with whoever, or whatever, is encountered.

In order to extinguish (overcome) anger, one has to use peace and silence, to understand that peace is the original state of one's being; to remember that 'I am a peaceful being' means to emerge the consciousness of non-violence.

Silence, that is learning to put a brake on the mind and tongue, helps us to think before speaking and, as a result, saves us from many confrontations with others.


Message for the day 


True royalty lies in humility.

Expression: The one who is humble never reacts but responds in the right way to situations or challenges. Thus there is royalty visible in all words, actions and behaviour. So there is newness visible in the way of responding to situations.

Experience: When I am humble I am able to be beyond the influence of praise and defamation. This is because I am stable in the state of my self-respect. Also because of this I am able to bring about newness and I am able to be creative in responding to situations too.

Contemplation: Staying Peaceful

Contemplation: Staying Peaceful

Staying Peaceful

Desires cause peace to disappear. You think that acquiring things will make you feel secure, but the reality is that the more you have the more fear there usually is of losing it, and the further you are from peace. Desires are the cause of all conflicts. When you want something and cannot get it you become frustrated. Learning to be free from desires is learning how to stay peaceful.

You become a little irritated

when you are not going to get where you

want to be on time, or you are not going to complete your task, as

you would want. If the seed of irritation is watered it grows into

frustration. Unless you take some positive inner action to stop the

growth of the frustration, it will grow into anger. And if you are not

careful it will become a habit, a part of your personality, which you

will finally come to believe is a natural part of your nature. You

will even convince yourself you were born with it. That it is ‘in the

genes’. Every time you become angry you cause the production of

certain chemicals in your body and you will become addicted to those

chemicals – then you look for people and situations which will give

you an excuse to generate the ‘anger emotion’ so that you can have

your daily dose of chemicals. Not only do we become attached to things

and people and ideas etc, we become attached to our emotions. Anger

will finally kill the body (not you, but your body). Don’t kill your

body. Accept that the anger is never ever productive, know that it is

just not necessary to be angry with anyone or about anything, know

that it is entirely your own creation and know that you can choose a

different response. Know and accept that, and you will be free!

Saying Yes Or Saying No 

In life many times we are presented with situations that ask something of us or offer us opportunities. They make us question what we are doing and suggest to us that perhaps we should change direction. To remain in flow with life is to remain bring about changes in the self that situations want from us, as long as it is in agreement with our conscience. But for that, we should be clear about what we say yes to, and what we say no to. When you put your heart into something and your mind is centered, the energy flows powerfully towards there. It is a question of listening to your heart, and daring to say yes or to say no. We have to say it keeping our conscience and action in line, in order to maintain honesty and integrity.

Personally, we all live through difficult and uncomfortable situations, but in your heart you need to know that you will definitely be there. The trust in yourself, and the confidence that everything will work out fine, knowing that there is some hidden lesson that you have to learn, helps you to say yes. It is what the situation asks of you, although you prefer to be in some other more comfortable situation - a less risky or seemingly negative one. It is important to hear the voice of time, of the moment, of the situation and trust that it would strengthen you, with which it would bring you closer to greater personal development and to your destiny as a person, and also brings about global benefit since you are a part of society, a part of humanity.

Soul Sustenance 

A New Journey With A New Personality (cont.) 

Famous personalities are constantly sought after, in demand and remembered by many due to their specialties, may they be actors, gurus, sportsmen, politicians, founders of religions etc. Even in our daily lives, we tend to remember people with more specialties much more than the rest. God is the most complete and perfect personality that exists, but not a physical personality, a spiritual one. There is no one who is more specialty and virtue-filled than him. That is the reason he is an entity or living energy or personality who is remembered the most by each and everyone all over the world.

The above types of personalities mentioned are physical personalities and are remembered by some or many but not remembered by the rest and along with their specialties, they definitely have shortcomings. Also, you might find it difficult getting to meet them even for a few minutes. God is one personality without any weaknesses and he is my constant friend, once I start my journey. He is one who, although being the highest personality, can be available to thousands making a similar journey at the same time, not because he is omnipresent (present everywhere) but because he is omnipotent (the most powerful) and the only being possessing this capability. So, a specialty of this journey is that the more I progress on it and the more time I spend with this new personality accompanying me in my new journey, I constantly see new facets of this new personality being revealed in my life, which keeps the journey constantly refreshing. This also keeps me wondering what is going to be revealed next. So, once this journey of exploration and discovery has started, there's no reason to stop even for a second and there is immense amount of motivation to continue and keep smiling! 

Message for the day 

Accuracy brings perfection and speciality in all that is done. 

Expression: To be accurate means to take up full responsibility for every task and do it to the best of one's ability. That means all resources that one has are used in the best possible way for the best result of the task. This naturally brings perfection in everything that is done. 

Experience: When I am accurate in everything I do I am able to be free from carelessness and negligence. I find myself bringing speciality and uniqueness in what I do. For having done things with accuracy, I also find myself becoming trust-worthy and I am also able to be satisfied with myself.

Contemplation: Appreciation

Contemplation: Appreciation

Pamukkale, Turkey.

Appreciation

Even if I don't mean to be critical, I often unconsciously home in on others' weaknesses and mistakes. The more I develop the habit of noticing goodness and only holding onto the good in others and in situations, the more my own sense of well-being will rise. When I continually think, "He/she is wrong", I create a barrier that prevents me from reaching my own goodness.

My words are effective when they are spoken with good wishes.

Although I speak with a lot of logic and make the other person understand what I mean to say, I sometimes find that they are not as effective as they

should be. Sometimes my words are also misunderstood and

misinterpreted. What I say is not important, but how and with what

feeling I say is more important. I need to keep myself free from any

kind of attitude, when I have to say something to someone. Thus I find

that my words are filled with good wishes and are effective too.

The Four Pillars Of A Spiritual Lifestyle - Achieving A Balance 

A balanced and fulfilling spiritual life is like a table. It stands on four legs and if one leg is shorter than the others then both balance and equilibrium will be difficult. The four legs or pillars of a spiritual life are given below in the form of four subjects. If any of the subjects is not a part of our lives or is a part of our life, but not to as great an extent as the others, then the overall balance of our spiritual life will be affected adversely (negatively).

1. Daily spiritual study (knowledge or gyan)
Daily spiritual study provides the right quality of nourishment for our mind and intellect, the two important energies of the soul.

2. Daily meditation (spiritual yoga)
Daily meditation provides the means to explore, discover and reconnect with oneself and with God.

3. The inculcation and development of virtues (dharna)
Giving some time each day to the conscious development of our character (virtue) helps to eliminate any negative sanskars or personality characteristics (vices) and improves our ability to build positive and harmonious relationships. The quality of our relationships is a mirror reflection of our dharna.

4. The service of others (seva)
A life purpose based on some kind of service is the foundation of personal growth through the practice of giving. Finding appropriate ways to use our increasing spiritual power and understanding (through the three subjects mentioned above) for the benefit of others is the most satisfying way to use our energy today. It also ensures happiness for the present as well as for the future through accumulation of positive energy in the form of blessings of those who are served.

Soul Sustenance 

A New Journey With A New Personality

Anyone who shows an inclination in getting to know the Supreme Being closely has a fascinating journey in front of them. Spiritual knowledge is the vehicle in which I make this extremely interesting journey full of exploration. Without sitting in the vehicle, I cannot make the journey. As I sit in this vehicle, I am introduced to this new, multi-faced, peaceful, loveful and blissful character in my life, a character who is spiritually rich with treasures of knowledge, virtues, powers, happiness and blessings, a character commonly called God, by everyone.

He is a character who introduces himself as being just a point of conscient light, a form very simple and plain. Yet, hidden beneath that simple light, incognito form is an immense volume of experience, wisdom and depth, such that even a lifetime spent in this journey, in his company, does not bring you to knowing him completely. The more you dive into the ocean of knowledge contained within the light, the more you discover and the more treasures of knowledge and experiences you receive. Every time you make contact with this new found companion called God, there is growth inside you and there is an increase of peace, love, happiness and power inside you. It's just as if after you've begun this journey, you're never quite the same again. However much time you spend in his company during the journey, whether it be in imbibing knowledge from him or remembering him during meditation or even sharing the benefits of this journey to other friends and relatives so that they can also start this journey themselves and experience what you are experiencing; whether you do either of these for a few minutes or an hour, there's always an experience of subtle growth and development inside you.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Message for the day

True honesty to the self brings the power to bring about change.

Expression: To be honest is not just to be truthful. It is more to be honest with the self. The one who is honest with the self constantly has the aim of bringing about a change for the better. Each situation is used as a chance for the betterment of the self. So there is always the aim not to repeat the mistakes that are committed once.

Experience: When I am honest with myself I am able to feel the constant progress and experience the happiness of moving forward under all circumstances. I have the power to understand the situation, not just from my point of view, but more in a detached way. So I am able to understand and accept whatever the situation holds for me and learn from it humbly.

Contemplation:Good Feelings

Contemplation:Good Feelings

Sunset in Norway

Good Feelings

Good feelings for others are like ointments that heal wounds and re-establish friendships and relationships. Good feelings are generated in the mind, are transmitted through your attitude and are reflected in your eyes and smile. Smiling opens the heart and a glance can make miracles happen.

The one who listens is the one who is listened to.

When I say something I usually expect people to follow my suggestions.

Yet I sometimes find that my words are not so effective. I either find

that I need to use lot more words than necessary or others don't

listen to me at all. I need to be able to listen to others as much as

or even more than what I tell them. When I listen I am able to take in

new ideas and learn. Also, only when I am able to have the openness to

learn will others learn from whatever I say.

The Art Of Forgetting In Relationships

Sometimes, someone says something in two minutes that makes you feel really bad - they said it in two minutes but it is still there inside the register of your mind two months or even two years later. How could they! Who do they think they are! Something happened in two minutes and you remember it, you repeat it again in your mind and in your words during interactions with others. You keep replaying the scene repeatedly in your mind. Just like an action replay of a cricket match, you see the replays from different angles and judge the scene in many different and negative ways and come to different conclusions, most of which are negative in nature. With this you strengthen that experience in your mental register. Memories and the experiences associated with the memories replayed continuously in the conscious mind enter your sub-conscious, so that even after a long period of time you remember what they said to you. The other person unburdened themselves and forgot it straightaway.

It's like your neighbour who takes out rubbish, throws it outside his house, into your compound and forgets about it and you allow that rubbish to remain there, without thinking of getting it cleaned. Someone throws a few words at you and they forget, but not only do you not forget but you repeat them in your mind to such a point that at times these action replays do not even let you sleep. We need to learn the art of forgetting memories that generate shadows of hurt or pain in our present. The past has already gone and what you have now is the present moment.

Soul Sustenance 


Self Realization (cont.)

People affected by anger lose their temper and become excited at the slightest provocation. Yet, when the event is over they find peace in going back to their normal nature. The same applies to all the other vices (greed, ego, lust and attachment), which are at the root of all emotional disturbances, strains, tensions and imbalances. This indicates that the vices are not the original nature of the soul.

If the soul thinks about its original nature and does everything with the realization "I am a soul, not a body," its original qualities reappear naturally. They are its basic values. It is worthless seeking them externally. It is like the musk deer running after the sweet smell of musk, unaware that it is coming from its own navel. Peace of mind is the soul’s property. It automatically flows from within it once it is soul-conscious.

The soul only has to let its original sanskaras become thoughts and keep them flowing. Whatever thoughts are in its mind that is the state it experiences. Soul-conscious thoughts bring peace of mind. Body-conscious thoughts disturb the soul. It is the soul who decides what state of mind to experience. It can either be peaceful, or in peacelessness. It is the soul who has the power of decision. The situation should not dictate to the soul.


Message for the day 


True service is to be free and make others free from obstacles. 
Projection: When we are involved in a task, we totally think about ourselves irrespective of what effect it has on others. Such an attitude sometimes takes on the form of selfishness to the extent that we become an obstacle for others.

Solution: We need to check ourselves whenever we are involved in a task if what we are doing is effecting others positively or negatively. Whatever we do, only if there is benefit for us as well as for others, can we call it truly successful.

Contemplation:Create Vision

Contemplation:Create Vision

Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan

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. We don’t ‘get a life’ as some would cynically tell us – we create our life.

The one who is constantly a giver experiences constant happiness.

Happiness is usually associated with acquiring. When I get something I
am happy and when I am deprived of something I lose my happiness. So
happiness is always short-lived depending totally on what I get. True
joy lies in recognising and giving what people want. I constantly need
to have one aim, let no one go away from me empty-handed. When I have
this aim I'll able to give something which will give me long lasting
happiness.

Understanding The Process Of Birth And Death

The leaving of one body and the taking of another is nearly always confusing and soon the details of the old life are erased by the new. Just in one day we forget so much. After having slept for a while, after some injury or shock, or even after a change in place, company or circumstances, many things are forgotten.

Death of the body is a great shock to the soul, especially if there was great attachment to that body, and the new set of circumstances in the new body is bewildering (confusing). Because the body and brain are not developed, the soul cannot express its memory, so it laughs and cries when it cannot recognize anyone, or when it wishes to express itself. By the time the body is developed, the soul has forgotten its past birth and has become accustomed to the new conditions and the new parents. The prominent sanskaras developed in past lives soon begin to manifest (show) themselves with new details (in the new birth).

Soul Sustenance 


Self Realization

The soul, originally a star-like living energy point of perfect peace and purity, twinkling in the soul world is fully charged with spiritual energy, which it naturally displays as love, joy, peace and purity in its actions when it first comes into this physical world. Gradually by taking many births, it becomes attached to the sense organs and the various physical objects and it forgets its original values. Then it becomes a slave to five basic negative forces; anger, greed, ego, lust and attachment. These forces have their roots in body-consciousness, or the false belief that existence is entirely physical. Any time it suffers disappointment, worry or anxiety, it is due to the effect of anyone of these negative influences.

The soul forgets the heights of spiritual attainment and the delights of super-sensuous joy (joy which is not experienced through the sense organs) thinking itself to be a body and it searches for peace and happiness through the sense organs. It mistakenly pursues worldly pleasures in an effort to regain its former state. It forgets its true identity, nature, home and Supreme Father.

While controlled by these negative forces, the soul cannot come back to its normal state of peace, happiness and bliss.

These vices are unwelcome intruders (entrants) into the soul’s original texture of purity. Until the vices have control over the soul, it will never restore its original qualities of peace, bliss, love, purity and knowledge.

(To be continued tomorrow ….)

Message for the day 

Where everything is done according to the right method there is success.

Projection: When we don't achieve success we sometimes do get tempted to opt for a short cut method, which might bring us temporary success, too. But in the long run we find that it isn't be so beneficial after all.

Solution: Whenever we are involved in a task specially if it is a difficult one we need to make sure that we are following the right method. Whatever is done according to the right system will surely be successful.