Thought for Today 30-11-2012

Some of us have a talent for melodrama. 

We blow things out of proportion - creating 'dramas' out of little things.
All this can get a little too exhausting, for us and others.

Try steering your Inner Drama Queen
away from over-exaggerated emotions and over-reactions.

Being a drama queen doesn't have to be negative,
we all need a little bit of flamboyance. Use your dramatic tendencies to share funny stories, entertain others, to relieve stress and promote stronger interpersonal relationships.

Soul Sustenance

Improving The Quality Of Different Areas Of My Karmas (Part 2) 

Karmas performed for the self
If I, the soul, am the master of my body, then I have to look after its upkeep. The consciousness with which I feed and take care of the body has to be such that my actions don't bring me into further attachment to it. They have to be of such quality that they bring me closer to God and help to reduce my bodily ego or the pull towards physical desires. I have to work, cook, feed and wash the body but these activities can be done in such a way that they bring me closer to my destination of perfection, of freedom and of liberation. 

Karmas in our relationships
There is specific energy that drives all relationships - that of credit and debit, give and take. These are the so called karmic accounts that have been created in the past (either in this birth or previous births) and which now determine the quality and quantity of all our interactions and their results, in terms of joy or sorrow, in all our relationships. It's not necessary to find out exactly what the karmic root cause of a problem in a relationship may have been. A very simple guideline to improve the quality of our interactions is: 

Rather than take, let me give, so there won't be any further debts. Whether it is colleagues at work, family relationships or friends, let me see if there is a way in which I can fulfill my responsibility with integrity and honesty. If I am not doing that, if I am moving away from my responsibilities, I am adding to my karmic burden. In what way can I give or serve, so that there is no longer conflict, tension and struggle but just sweetness and respect in my relationships? 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

Real positivity is being positive even in negative situations. 

Expression: 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. 

Experience: 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

Thought for Today 29-11-2012

To pick up jewels instead of pebbles is to ensure that I only speak sweet words. 

Like a swan which picks up only jewels and leaves the pebbles aside, it is up to me to pick out only good things from all interactions. There are both (positive and negative) available and probably the negative (pebbles) are more in number. But I need to have the power to discern and pick out only that which is good and positive. Today I will only talk what is positive. I will make special effort not to think, talk or see negative. This will help my mind be free from that which is not necessary or harmful. Thus what I speak will be positive, powerful and beneficial too.

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

The one with the vision of perfection constantly experiences progress. 

Expression: Many times, as we are moving ahead in the path of our life, we find ourselves stagnating. There seems to be no progress at all in any aspect of our life. We try to bring about a few changes that work for sometime. But after sometime we find ourselves dissatisfied and we stop trying. 

Experience: We need to have the vision of perfection constantly in front of our eyes. We need to ask ourselves what is it that we expect out of ourselves, to be a source of joy to others, to keep learning.... it could be anything that inspires us to constantly move ahead while appreciating all that life brings. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for Today 28-11-2012

Positive actions sow seeds for a positive future. 

When I sow the seeds of positive actions, I reap a positive future for myself. It means to say that when I perform positive actions, I reinforce positive personality traits. This gives me access to my inner strengths in all situations. Even when something goes wrong, or someone behaves negatively towards me, it's my choice how I want to react. The more positive I am the more I find my inner strengths getting nurtured. Today I will pay special attention to only perform positive actions. That means in all I do, I will ensure that I do it with the right feeling and the right intention. I will also check if my action is going to bring benefit to others or myself, and do only that which is beneficial. At least, I will have attention not to
do anything that is negative.

Soul Sustenance

The Pledge Of Responsibility 

A very important aspect of progress in the self and my relationships, which we all desire is restoring a sense of responsibility in my inner world, so that by doing that, I and others around me are benefitted. Even on a physical or non-spiritual level, someone who is responsible while playing his/her role or performing his/her duties either in the family, at the workplace or in some other setting e.g. a club group or a team in a particular sport or a social service group, not only feels content with his/her actions himself/herself but spreads ripples of contentment to others and receives similar energy from each one he/she is involved with. In the same way on an emotional or spiritual level, when I start my day I need to remind myself of my responsibility towards myself. I need to remind myself that I am responsible for the choices I make in my life which influence and color everyone around me. So do my thoughts, feelings, the way my personality functions internally and externally the whole day and my responses to people and situations, for all of which I am responsible. 

It is like taking a pledge of responsibility with the self in the morning that today I will not create a single thought, word or action which is against the texture of my innate, positive nature i.e. irresponsible. And what will provide my pledge the much required strength of determination? An injection of positive thoughts, emotions and sanskaras within me in the morning, using a suitable technique of self empowerment like meditation or spiritual study or some other. By taking such a pledge of responsibility and by watering it with the energy of my attention from time to time during the day, I am able to implement it and can make a difference to not only the people around me, but to a lot more than that. In this way, as I change, the world around me changes, because the energy I create in my inner world starts flowing into my circumstances, my interactions, my sphere of karmas, etc. to make them positive, which benefits me in return in the form of a cyclic process. As I take this pledge and abide by it for a few days, I start realizing the immense potential that it possesses. 

Message for the day

Determination enables elevated thoughts to become practical. 

Expression: 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. 

Experience: 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

Thought for Today 27-11-2012

A powerful stage is like a switch which finishes darkness of negativity in a second. 

Darkness is dispelled when a light is switched on. Similarly, a powerful stage is also a light switch. When this switch is on, one can put an end to all wasteful darkness and no longer have to labour to stop any wasteful thoughts. By becoming powerful, one can naturally become a donor, as there is nothing waste within. When I am aware of my positive qualities and what I can contribute to others, I am able to be powerful. This naturally enables me to be light and spread the inner light to others. I am never influenced negatively with any kind of waste or negative, but am always able to maintain my own positivity and that of others too.

Soul Sustenance

Concentration 

The understanding of the self as a soul is the foundation of all spiritual experience. If you have practiced some form of meditation before, it is likely that you were asked to concentrate on a flower, a dot on the wall, the picture of some great saint, a candle flame or maybe even to endlessly repeat some words, which sometimes, are little understood. To concentrate, I must have a focus that is certain and easy to visualize. In Rajyoga meditation, as taught by the Brahma Kumaris, very simply and naturally, I, the soul, on the wings of my thoughts fly to my eternal and highest home – paramdham, shantidham and experience my original virtues. 

As I begin to practice soul-consciousness, I learn to detach myself from the diverse and difficult situations around me and turn naturally to my home and concentrate on the Father of all souls who resides there. The mind becomes automatically controlled by this flow of peace. With the fundamental understanding of the differences between soul and body, the spiritual and the physical, I begin to meditate. 

Message for the day

To have hope means to have a chance for success. 

Expression: 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. 

Experience: 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

Thought for Today 26-11-2012

Introspection enables one to be free from the influence of negativity. 

Introspection means the desire to be good. Introspection brings the ability to look within and see the true self in the mirror of the heart, thus enabling one to activate the inner spirituality. Then all effort made will be towards activating this inherent goodness. And slowly one finds that the behaviour associated with negative traits are no more expressed, as they begin to lose their hold. When I am able to introspect and look within, I can find the goodness that is there within me. Because of this, I naturally am free from expectations from others that they should recognise my goodness or consider me good. Instead I find myself content with what I am and continue to bring out the best from within me. I also continue to learn from all situations and experience progress.

Soul Sustenance

Understanding What Is An Angel (Part 2) 

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, mighthouse, 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. 

Message for the day

Perfection comes when there is positivity in thoughts. 

Expression: When we are faced with any weakness of ours, we usually think about it so much that it is totally blown out of proportion and it seems bigger than it actually is. This leads to negative thinking, which in turn doesn't let us work on improving ourselves. We will then just remain the way we are, not being able to bring about progress. 

Experience: What we need to do in order to win over our weakness is to change our focus. Instead of thinking about the weakness, we only need to think, "I am not perfect yet, but I am working towards it and I am slowly improving." With such positive thoughts, our negativity will finish. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for Today 25-11-2012

There are so many people who have influenced you, shaped your thinking & inspired you. 

Authors, role models, friends & family members. Give recognition & credit all the people who have contributed to your achievements & ideas. 

And if the influence has been negative, then think about how to minimise this negative influence on yourself. Only you can decide if you want to be influenced or not

Soul Sustenance

Understanding What Is An Angel (Part 1) 

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…) 

Message for the day

Faith enables one to bring solutions to problems. 

Expression: 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 a prey to it making all our thoughts negative. Once we are caught up in negativity we will neither look for, nor find solutions. 

Experience: 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

Thought for Today 24-11-2012

We all have the capacity to be strong and gentle, 
confident and humble, adventurous and cautious. 
We have a wide spectrum of qualities within ourselves.

When we dig deep and discover our inner capacity, 
we're able to access the right quality at the right time.

Soul Sustenance

Soul Power Over Role Power (Part 3) 

Continuing from yesterday’s message, the remaining components of soul power are: 

The power of good wishes, desires and feelings full of love for others, while coming in contact with them. These type of feelings will bring good wishes in return from the other to you, which will not only empower you, but will also assist your physical role on a subtle level. 

The power of complete purity and cleanliness in thoughts, words and actions - A state where one is not under the influence of vices like anger, ego, attachment, greed, hatred, jealousy etc. 

The 8 main powers - the power to tolerate, accommodate, face, pack up, discriminate (or discern), judge (or decide), withdraw and co-operate – their implementation on an internal and external level i.e. not only in words and actions, but also on a thought level. Where there is lack of any of the above powers inside me, there will definitely be waste and you will be weakened, which reduces the probability of success of your role. 

The power of truth or spiritual wisdom - A state where the self has deeply realized and understood eternal truths of the soul, the Supreme and the Law of Karma and has drawn immense amount of power and experience from that knowledge. The power of physical knowledge would fall under role power, which has been explained earlier. 

By focusing on each of the above components of soul power and those explained in yesterday’s message, by giving them more weightage and using them along with the components of the role, which were mentioned in the message before that, one can experience the desired success in any role in any sphere of life very easily without much effort. 

Message for the day

Self-respect increases when one learns to converse positively to the self. 

Expression: 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. 

Experience: 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

Thought for Today 23-11-2012

Attention finishes tension. 

When there is attention on small little things, I do everything well. I don't postpone, nor am I careless. I take care of the small little details and do things well. I am also far sighted and am able to plan and act accordingly. So I am free from tension. Today I will finish all those little things that would create a problem for me later. I will surely make a list of things I need to do. I will then pick out two tasks from that list and finish them today.

Soul Sustenance

Soul Power Over Role Power (Part 2) 

Continuing from yesterday’s message, the various components of soul power are: 

The power of inner silence or the silence of my mind - Silence is a power. The fewer the thoughts in my mind and the more powerful, positive, peaceful and focused they are, the more my mind will contribute to the success of the role on a subtle level. My silence is regularly tested when faced with negative situations or obstacles. The more successful I am in maintaining this stage in such situations, the more is my treasure of silence collected over a period of time and the more positive the influence of this silence will be on my physical role and the success of various tasks connected with the role. 

The power of inner and outer carefreeness, happiness and contentment - Happiness not only inside but also giving others an experience of the same through my face, my eyes, my words and actions full of lightness and enthusiasm, etc. while coming in contact with them. Ensuring I am content with myself and others and also others are content with me. Regular periods of discontentment or unhappiness either within me or in my relationships affect the success of my role adversely. 

In tomorrow’s message, we shall explain the remaining components that make up soul power. 

Message for the day

True respect comes not from what one does but how well it is done. 

Expression: Respect is usually associated with what one does, i.e., it is usually associated with position, status etc which is associated with the job. When there is such an attitude, there is a tendency to look at the people around in a superficial way, missing out on recognising their true worth. 

Experience: We need to recognise the fact that true respect comes from doing well whatever is being done. We need to recognise each one's virtues and qualities revealed through the behaviour. This enables us to have true respect for others. We then no longer look at what one is doing as important, but will be able to appreciate each and every one's contribution. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for Today 22-11-2012

Someone who has tolerance won't even say "I have to tolerate," because that implies they are feeling sorrow. 

Instead, they will say, "It's not a problem. There is something for me to learn in this." 

Whatever the situation, tolerance enables me to learn. Perhaps I need patience, or humility, or understanding. 

Tolerance allows me peace, and my love to stay constant. That way I stay connected with the Source of all that is good, so that I can help both myself and others.

Soul Sustenance

Soul Power Over Role Power (Part 1) 

Every act that we are involved in throughout the day is made possible or real by two entities - role and soul working in conjunction with each other. Although, it is a spiritual fact that the soul is the master and makes the role function, without the soul the role cannot function; while playing any role in our day-to-day life we tend to forget this fact and our entire focus falls on the role that is to be played, forgetting that by doing that, we bring down the probability of success of that role in our personal or professional life. Focusing positively on the soul and its components while playing the role fills the role with soul power and focusing on the role and its components while playing the role fills the role with something you could call role power. We need to create a balance between the role and the soul and a balance in using both role and soul power to bring about the success of the role, the role could be of any type. Even a project that you have to work on in the office which is going to last for a month is an example of a temporary role you have to play. There are many other examples of roles - getting your child’s homework done, preparing food for the entire family, doing charity work at the club together, taking part in an extracurricular activity in school or college, etc. 

Any such or other role will consist of some or all of these components - various tasks, interaction with people or relationships, mediums like wealth and other objects, time, knowledge of everything connected with the role including the components that make up the role, etc. All these components are physical in nature and make up the role. The power that these components possess makes up what we call role power. Now, what happens is that as soon as we step into the role each day or on a particular day, obviously our aim is to bring about success of the role, but to achieve that, our entire focus falls on using the power of the role, neglecting the immense potential that soul power possesses. We spend our day and night in streamlining the role components for the well being of the role, not realizing that this purpose could be more easily achieved, if the focus is more on using soul power, obviously without neglecting role power (without which the purpose cannot be achieved). 

In tomorrow’s message, we shall explain the various components that make up soul power. 

Message for the day

To spread the light of happiness is to become a spiritual lighthouse. 

Expression: When we are in situations where there is negativity around or there seems to be no source of happiness, we too naturally tend to feel low and negative. We are totally under the influence of the situation and we can't seem to overcome the feeling at that time. Nothing actually inspires us to make effort to come out of such a feeling. 

Experience: We need to remind ourselves that we are a lighthouse, a source of light to all those around us. This thought will give us the inspiration to remain stable and strong even when we are amidst chaos or difficult situations. We will be able to spread our light across and show everyone the right direction by becoming an inspiration to those around us. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for Today 21-11-2012

When you finish a task, do you respond with "what next?"

If you throw yourself into the next task on your list, you'll most likely drive yourself to exhaustion and reduce the quality of productivity because to-do lists are unlimited. There's always more to do and more that can be done.

"What's next" can be a quick (5 min) rejuvenating break. Breaking up your tasks with the occasional short break will prevent exhaustion from taking hold.

Soul Sustenance

Self Empowerment 

We do not realize that we are more than the limits we repeatedly place on ourselves. 

What is it that limits and overshadows us? The prayers and the requests of the human race for many centuries - with I need, I want and I own, people place value on the self by relating to the material, external aspects of their lives. However, this does not work and when people insist on behaving in this way (that is, relating to the outside), then addictive attachments are created. They try to fill themselves, but exactly the opposite happens: the self becomes more and more empty. Unfortunately, the mechanism of need and greed functions in this way: first, there is the illusion of gain and secondly, when this is not realised, depletion (emptiness), instead of enrichment (filling up), occurs. Whatever the addiction is, no matter how camouflaged (hidden) it may be, it quietly but surely, ruins the person. It is a silent illness that only meditation can cure. 

Message for the day

When we are in the elevated company of the One God, no bad company will influence us. 

Expression: Sometimes when we are working for our self-development we sometimes wish for support or understanding from others which we don't always get. We actually look for a role model, whom we could follow or who could be an inspiration for us. When we don't find anyone like that we tend to get disheartened and continue to justify ourselves for not bringing any change in ourselves. 

Experience: The solution lies in becoming a role model and a source of support for others instead of expecting others to do so. For this, we need to pay extra attention to the kind of company we keep. Under all circumstances, if we keep God as our companion we will not be influenced by any other company, however strong they might be. We will then be able to bring about change in ourselves. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris