Contemplation: May 27, 2019: Are You Directing Your Inner Orchestra Well?

Contemplation: May 27, 2019: Are You Directing Your Inner Orchestra Well?

Conductor Zubin Mehta, right, leading the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York,

on Feb. 22, 2011

Are You Directing Your Inner Orchestra Well?

Our inner orchestra is made up of different musical instruments. These instruments are our memories, desires, tendencies, mind, beliefs, emotions, feelings, fears, intuition, judgement, creativity, our imagination...
Who is the director of this orchestra? You. Who are you? You – the consciousness, you - the soul, you – the being. When you direct your inner orchestra well, you can remain unaffected by external influences. If you, the director of the orchestra, close your eyes for a few moments and cover up your ears, what happens to the orchestra? The music is not very harmonious or sweet; it is noisy, and you suffer. To make the orchestra play according to the inner voice of your being, according to your purest intentions and values, you simply have to be awake, alert and attentive, and listen with your heart, not with your physical heart but with the heart of your being.

Create Cooperation

The one who works with self-respect is the one who wins the
cooperation of others. When we do things while in our natural state of
self-respect, it creates cooperation. On the other hand, if we have
ego because of which we expect others to recognize our work and
appreciate it, it creates competition and jealousy. If someone is not
cooperating with me, I need to check within myself why I am performing
that task. If there is the slightest feeling of trying to prove
myself, I need to remove it. In its place, there needs to be the
thought in the mind that I want only success in the task and nothing
else.

Checking Myself On The Stage Of Action

Once we become aware of the possible types of thoughts that the mind creates at different times in the span of a particular day, then we are in a position to keep a check on our thoughts and understand where our energy is being wasted.   Once we realize that there are patterns of waste and negative thinking at some times during the day, which are usually triggered by certain situations or people, we can apply a brake on the pattern of habitual negative thinking, thereby transforming this energy wastage into something more positive.   

It does happen, that when we are informed about the benefits of meditation for the first time, perhaps in a course or a presentation either in the office, in a center of a spiritual organization or elsewhere; we realize the need for the same but we also feel that, in order to get the house of our minds in order, we need to leave our busy city lifestyles behind and head for the hills.   There, we think, we will find the time and the physical and spiritual environment to practice meditation and get our mental state in order, but this is absolutely untrue. While going on an occasional spiritual retreat is certainly useful and recommended for the development of the spiritual self, the real workshop is life itself. Even if I am able to maintain a positive and powerful state of mind in a retreat, it is in our daily actions and relationships with others where the challenge lies, it is on the stage of action or karma kshetra that we have to check whether we can remain soul-conscious i.e. in the awareness of our spiritual identity. It is here where we have to see whether we can apply the brakes on patterns of negative thinking, establish and maintain patterns of positive thinking and test whether we have reached the stage where, no person or situation, however negative, can disturb our state of mind.

Soul Sustenance

Improving The Quality Of Different Areas Of My Karmas (Part 1)

Karma yoga (experiencing meditation in practical life situations) functions in two ways:

• By filling the self with power, the transformation of action is possible. This in turn brings about change in my sanskars.
• By absorbing the qualities of the Supreme Being my sanskars change.

It's necessary to experiment with this to discover its validity. On one level, whatever I have done, I have to receive the return for that but, on another level, just simply pure love for God is the factor that purifies, cleanses and forgives. Whatever my past Karma may have been, the fire of God's love, the fire of a powerful connection with Supreme is able to resolve it and remove its impact from within the soul itself, in terms of negative personality sanskars and also in terms of negative karmic effects in real life situations. Thus it can be seen why yoga or the union of love with God is so crucial.

If one looks at the whole pattern of human life, there are four areas of Karma which need to be improved:

• Karma that I perform for myself, for my own sustenance and upkeep.
• Karma that I perform with or for others in terms of relationships.
• Karma that I perform, not out of need or necessity, but for leisure or entertainment.
• Karma that I perform as service of others.

In the next three messages, we shall explain how we can improve these four areas of Karma.

Message for the day

To share virtues along with knowledge is to encourage transformation in others.

Expression: When we have to give a suggestion/advise to someone we tend to share a lot of points of knowledge in order to make them understand. We try to prove logically why they have to change. Although the reasoning is right most of the time, the others don't seem to change either because they don't understand or because they don't want to understand.

Experience: When we want to bring transformation in others we need to make sure to share our own virtues along with the points of knowledge. To share virtues means to give them an experience of our love, peace, good wishes etc. When they experience our virtues, they'll be willing to bring about change quickly.

Contemplation: May 26, 2019: Dance in Happiness

Contemplation: May 26, 2019: Dance in Happiness

Indian Classical Dance-Kathak

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. We only have to make sure that we continue to give happiness to others without any expectations. For this we have to increase our own treasure of happiness by continuing to be happy under all circumstances.

Faith in others

To have faith in others means to reinforce their faith in themselves
too. This naturally increases self-confidence in them and thus creates
enthusiasm. They are able to respond to positive feelings, thus using
their best potential. When I find that someone whom I am working with
is not cooperating with me, I need to check my own faith in that
person. When I find some special, unique quality that can make me
develop faith in that person, I am able to change his attitude too.
Slowly I find him cooperating with me.

The Five Spiritual And Five Physical Elements (cont.)

As we have explained earlier in this series, the Supreme Soul always remains an Ocean of the five spiritual virtues or elements peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy right through eternity.  The soul is made up of three faculties - the mind, intellect and personality. Meditation is a direct connection in which a human soul, using the two faculties - the mind and the intellect, connects with the most powerful Supreme Source or Soul and draws spiritual power from it. This absorbed spiritual power then transforms the third faculty - the personality, filling it with the five virtues mentioned above. The more the spiritual power absorbed the greater and faster is the filling up of virtues. These virtues then become a balm which heals the many different types of wounds of ego, anger, hatred, hurt, jealousy, possessiveness, greed, criticisms, desires, etc. which have left their mark on the soul in this and many past births of the soul. They gradually restore in the soul the confidence to emerge from the shadows of negativity and to live in the light of its original nature. It is amazing, and heart-warming, when one rediscovers these qualities beneath all the other impressions formed during this and previous lives that have probably been peaceless and sorrowful at times. The journey of meditation bypasses all the negative tendencies and allows the soul to touch these original qualities, experience their truth, and express them in its life.

The other three factors which help us in understanding as well as experiencing peace, purity, wisdom, love and lasting happiness or joy are:
1. The understanding and inculcation of the complete spiritual knowledge of the soul, Supreme Soul and the eternal world time cycle.
2. Attention on the self and checking and changing the self during the entire day and also keeping a daily chart of the main weaknesses or negative personality trait in the self, which is filled every night before going to sleep.
3. Sharing the five spiritual virtues along with spiritual knowledge with others through thoughts, words and actions. Treasures shared with others will bring about a direct increase in the treasures in the self. Also, blessings received from others, by serving them help in the same purpose.

Soul Sustenance

Open-Eyed Meditation

One of the special characteristics of Raja Yoga meditation (as taught by the Brahma Kumaris) is that I learn to meditate with my eyes open. The training of the mind, so that it creates thoughts, to give a positive experience, helps me in facing not only my daily routine, but specifically, in dealing with unexpected practical life situations that test my real power. Mastering the art of meditating with my eyes open can be of immense value to me in my practical life.

If I restrict myself to seated meditation with my eyes closed, then I am prevented from continuing the meditative experience in the course of my normal activities i.e. walking, eating, cooking, working in the office, moving around and so on.

Meditation is at the same time an incredibly relaxing experience as well as brings about an increase of perception (judgement) powers and sharper reaction response. In this way, I can be walking along the street in a meditative state and yet have a very quick perception (judgement) and reaction response to the surrounding pedestrians and traffic.

Message for the day

To be prepared for obstacles is to remain cheerful under all circumstances.

Expression: Generally, there is always a wish not to have to face any obstacles. When we begin something new, we usually have a thought to have things going perfectly well. So, when obstacles do come, we are not prepared and we experience dissatisfaction and sorrow.

Experience: Whenever we start something new we need to prepare our mind that we are sure to be faced with obstacles. Along with it we also need to understand that these obstacles actually teach us something new and it is only with such situations we can learn and progress. When we have such thoughts, we will be able to remain cheerful under all circumstances.

Contemplation: May 25, 2019: Peace, Love and Wisdom

Contemplation: May 25, 2019: Peace, Love and Wisdom

like mother, like daughter-- Hema Malini with her daughters Esha and Ahana

Peace, Love and Wisdom

There is an immaculate eternal and constant space within you hidden under different appearances. In that space there is only peace, love and wisdom. Let go and free yourself from the layers that cover that space and you will uncover the secret of a life of fullness.

Humility-6

The more one is humble, the more there will be success. Humility gives
wings to fly. It gives enthusiasm based on inner truth and we can
easily move forward. When there is no humility we find ourselves being
pulled back again and again by the difficult situations that we
ourselves have created. When I do something, I first have to ensure
that I am enjoying it and keep reminding myself of the joy that I am
deriving out of it. Then I am free from the desire for recognition or
praise. Then I will find myself succeeding in the task that I
undertake and I will be appreciated too.

The Five Spiritual And Five Physical Elements (cont.)

As explained in yesterday's message, in the hierarchy of the three entities around which the whole World Drama revolves - the Supreme Soul is right at the top, the human souls are in the middle and nature is at the bottom. So, the process of restoring the balance of the spiritual and physical elements has to be initiated from the top i.e. by the Supreme Soul. The human souls which are in the middle of the hierarchy benefit from this process directly. The human souls, by transforming themselves i.e. by filling themselves up with the five spiritual elements peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy from the Supreme Soul and restoring their balance in their personalities, then bring benefit to nature which is at the bottom of the hierarchy. This is because their doing this causes the positive energy of the five virtues to spread in nature, which results in the balance restoration of the five physical elements earth, air, water, fire and sky and the five spiritual elements or virtues in the personalities of animals, birds, insects (the same principle as explained yesterday). This entire process, explained above, takes place in the Confluence Age which is a small Age between the Iron Age and the Golden Age, which is again the present time. So, the Confluence Age is an Age in which positive transformation takes place. Thus, at the present moment of time, the two Ages - Iron Age and Confluence Age co-exist.

The Supreme Soul does not bring direct benefit to nature, He does that via human souls, who are intelligent enough to catch his directions and connect with Him and as a result transform themselves. So, the human souls when seen with respect to the Supreme Soul, who is the Creator; are the Creation, who benefit from Him. But the same human souls, when seen with respect to nature can be called the Master Creator and nature can be called as the Creation. Here the phrase Master Creator means children of the Supreme Soul, the Creator, but at the same time those children who possess the power to perform the task of balance restoration for the self as well as the Creation, similar to the Creator, under his guidance and by absorbing power from Him.

We shall explain the actual process of imbibing the five spiritual elements from the Supreme Soul in tomorrow's message, which is the last of this series.

Soul Sustenance

Letting Go of the Branches of the Life Tree

A very common habit that has become deeply embedded inside us is the habit of possessing, to which we succumb repeatedly. We come in contact with different people, material comforts, roles, positions, experiences, achievements and of course our own physical body etc. on an external level and our own thoughts, viewpoints, beliefs, memories, etc. on an internal level etc. throughout our life. All of these are like branches that make up our life tree. Possession is like clinging on to one or the other of these different branches from time to time, as we fly from one branch to another, while covering our life journey. The spiritual point of view on this habit is clear and very straight forward. It is not possible to possess anything. If we do try to do so, we lose our freedom. To experience the freedom, we need to dare to let go of the branches, which does not mean to lose or leave them because the branches are always going to be there. We can return to any of them to rest or pause whenever we want. But, it is about being aware and alert, because the moment a pause on a branch turns into a stop, the stop turns into a brake and, after that, the brake turns into a blockage. As a result, like the bird whose flying agility degrades on a physical level if it does the same; our intellectual and emotional agility starts to degrade.

When we learn to let go of one branch at a time, we are always welcoming new positive and empowering experiences in our life, one at a time. Like the birds, by letting go of one branch, we are then able to spend the rest of your lives trying and discovering many other branches, one branch at a time, and so we can enjoy the view from each new vantage point. We can choose between a life of flying and soaring or be stuck on one or the other branch, seeing others as they fly past and enjoy a life of freedom where they do visit their life tree from time to time and their life does revolve around the tree but they don't try and possess it or any of its branches.

Message for the day

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

Expression: 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.

Experience: 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: May 24, 2019: Look Inwards

Contemplation: May 24, 2019: Look Inwards

Look Inwards

We all have three eyes. Two for looking out and one for looking in. Why would we want to look in when everything is happening 'out there'? Because the treasure we seek is inside, not outside. What is treasure? Beauty, truth, peace, happiness. You already have what you seek. You already are stunningly beautiful. You are already peaceful and loving. How come you don't know this? Simple, you never look inwards, beyond superficial memories or recent experiences, so you never see your own riches. Take a moment to stop, look in and see. Don't rush. Don't search. Just look. And be aware.

Humility-5

Where there is humility, there is benefit to many. Just as the tree
laden with fruit bows down, the one who is full is the one who is
humble. Such a person can bring benefit to all those around. Humility
makes us a giver in all situations, also making it easy for others to
take what we have to offer. In all my interactions with others, It is
more important to see what I can give them, instead of just expecting
from them. Then, even when I have to follow others' directions there
would be no difficulty. Humility helps me to bow very easily.

The Five Spiritual And Five Physical Elements (cont.)

There are three entities around which the whole World Drama revolves - the Supreme Soul, the human souls and nature. Nature includes everything non-living like mountains, rivers, seas etc. and living things like plants, trees etc. It also includes living beings like animals, birds, insects etc. which are souls with a lesser evolved intellect than human ones. The human body also comes under the category of nature. These three entities are in the form of a hierarchy, the Supreme Soul is the most powerful at the top of the hierarchy, in the middle are the human souls and at the bottom of the hierarchy is nature. The Supreme Soul always remains an Ocean of the five virtues peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy and is the only entity in which the balance of these virtues is always maintained right through eternity.

In human souls, as explained yesterday, in the beginning of the world cycle, in the Golden Age, these virtues are in balance. As human souls come down in the birth-rebirth cycle and start becoming influenced by body-consciousness or the five vices - anger, ego, greed, attachment and lust, all spiritual building blocks or virtues - peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy start getting depleted. In each soul, some virtues get depleted more, some less. In each and every soul the depletion is different depending on its actions e.g. in some soul the depletion of peace is immense compared to the other because of picking up sanskaras of anger on its journey and bringing them into actions or in some soul the depletion of joy is immense because of picking up a lot of attachment on the way etc. This depletion of the five spiritual elements or virtues upsets the balance between them. This depletion and imbalance causes negative spiritual energy waves or vibrations of sorrow, anger, impurity, hatred, fear etc. from human souls to spread in nature and starts having a negative influence on the five physical elements earth, air, water, fire and sky and even the five spiritual elements peace, purity, wisdom, love and joy in the souls of animals, birds, insects, etc. upsetting the balance of both. This is because nature (as defined in the above paragraph) is lowest in the hierarchy, lesser powerful and easily influenced by the energy that human souls transmit or radiate. This double imbalance of spiritual and physical elements results in peacelessness, sorrow, illness, poverty, natural calamities, accidents, ecological imbalances etc.  When all of these reach their maximum extent, that Age is called the Iron Age. This is an interesting principle which needs to be understood clearly.

How do we restore the balance of the spiritual and physical elements? We shall explain that in tomorrow's message.

Soul Sustenance

Meditation – Experiencing My Original Home (Part 2)

Along with reading over the following words slowly and silently, make a sincere effort to create images of them in the eye of your mind:

I focus myself on the self, the soul, a golden point of light........
I stay between the eyebrows in the middle of the forehead........
I radiate golden rays of peace, purity and love in all directions........
In this awareness of I the soul, with the power of my mind I can travel beyond the limits of my physical organs........
I visualize myself gradually going out from this physical body........
I, the sparkling star like energy, fly into the night sky........
I see myself floating above thousands of buildings and lights........
Slowly I rise higher and higher to enter space........
I am surrounded by millions of stars and planets........
Slowly I see myself flying beyond the world of five elements........
I, the golden star, enter another world, a soft golden-red light world........
A world of sweet silence and peace........
full of peaceful light stretching very very far away........
I feel pure warmth here, surrounded by light........
I the point of light shine in this sixth element........
I am free of all tensions, extremely light.........
This is where I belong,
This is my home........
I recognize this place........
I had forgotten it, but now I have rediscovered it........
Spend a few minutes in this positive experience and then gradually come downwards to take your seat back in the physical body.

Message for the day

The one who is constantly flying with zeal and enthusiasm brings progress in others too.

Expression: Whenever problems come my way, I tend to feel heavy with waste and negative thoughts. At that time I am not able to feel free and light. When there is heaviness in my mind, I can't move forward with enthusiasm and thereby find it difficult to contribute for others' progress too.

Experience: Whatever the circumstances I am faced with, I need to make special effort not to reduce my enthusiasm in any way. The more I am able to be enthusiastic, the more I am able to contribute to the progress of others too along with my own progress.