Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Thought for Today 31-07-2013

To be free from past is to take the gifts of the present. 

When my mind is continuously dwelling on the past, I miss out on the opportunities and gifts of the present. I need to remember that if my past has helped in shaping up the present, then this moment would be the past of tomorrow. So, I need to use the present moment well, so that I can make both my present and future beautiful. Today I will do something that will make me happy. It could be a simple thing like resuming with a hobby or saying hi to an old friend or even spending time with nature. This will enable me to spend time fruitfully with the present moment. By making it a practice to use of all these moments in the right way, I will be enriching myself each day.

Soul Sustenance

The Consciousness Switchover While we have explained in many of our past messages what body consciousness or attachment to physicality is and how it leads to a creation of lot many different types and shades of vices or weaknesses which tend to creep into our sanskaras, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, words, actions, etc. as a result of which we lose access to our pure, positive inherent nature; another process of subtle attachment to physicality that we get drawn into regularly, which leads to the same result, but on a more subtle level, is karma or action consciousness where there is no over consciousness of the physical body but one gets so engrossed in the role one is playing that one becomes role conscious and experiences bondage and burden and mental freedom is lost. As a result our inner comfort and contentment levels drop, others tend to become discontent with us and we become discontent with them, our relationships suffer, the efficiency in our actions drop, even our physical body is affected and we don’t know the reason for the same. 

Most of us will experience body consciousness once in a while but we experience karma consciousness every day, something which we don’t perceive as negative but it gives a negative result because it is a subtle form of body consciousness, which can accumulate inside us over a period of time and cross the boundaries of subtlety and take a gross form. What is a simple solution for the same? A consciousness switchover from role or karma consciousness to soul consciousness at different points in the day and then returning to playing the part of karma with a revised consciousness. The role remains the same and is to be played, the soul cannot exist without it, but the consciousness is changed. 

In tomorrow’s message, we will mention a few very simple methods which help us in doing that. 

Message for the day

The one who sacrifices name and fame is the one who gets recognition. 

Projection: When we make a positive contribution we usually want to get recognition for it. We might not always say it in words but there is always an expectation that others should recognise our contribution. 

Solution: We need to make sure that we enjoy whatever we do. Since the task itself becomes enjoyable for us, we don't anymore expect recognition. The more we become free from expectations we get the love from others and recognition too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Thought for Today 30-07-2013

Every change is a means to take one forward for those who are positive. 

For the one who is positive, change brings progress. Otherwise, most changes are seen as threats to our well-being. So, for everything that happens in my life, I need to see what positive outcome is inherent in it. This will help me be open to change in the right way. Today I will make a list of major changes in my life in the past 15 years or so. I will see what I have learnt from it. This will help me appreciate the fact that there is some beautiful outcome for everything that has happened.

Soul Sustenance

The Significance Of Spiritual Energy (cont.) 

Humans live and express themselves by means of four energy forms. We had explained two (physical and mental) yesterday. The other two are: 

Emotional: 
This is related with how you feel, moody or happy, anxious or nervous. If your feelings are negative, it will end up affecting your body. Feelings of irritability, anxiety or tension can cause stomach ulcers. Along the same lines, with positive feelings you will be able to overcome any illness much more easily. 

Spiritual: 
This is related to our original qualities and values. It is the energy of the soul. Our perspective of the world will depend on the state of our conscience. Spiritual energy guides and provides quality to our thoughts, and that is why it is the highest in the hierarchy. 

These energies (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) form a hierarchy, in which physical energy is the lowest and spiritual energy the highest. If we are able to correctly channel the spiritual energy it will influence all the others in a positive way, beginning with our conscience, our feelings, and ending with our body. 

Message for the day

The ones with pure thoughts experience safety in all situations. 

Projection: When there are negative situations, we usually get negative thoughts very easily. Such negative thoughts take us further into negativity. We get caught in this circle of negativity and we then can't make our thoughts positive. 

Solution: We need to take care that we don't blame anyone when we are going through any negative situation. We need to maintain whatever positivity we can in the situation, and we will find our mind changing towards positive too. It is this positivity that acts as a means of safety for us. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Monday, July 29, 2013

Thought for Today 29-07-2013

Sometimes life can be like an obstacle course. 

Instead of getting daunted by the challenges and hurdles set up before you, see the obstacles as an opportunity to strengthen and expand your creative capacity, and in doing so find ways around, through, under, over....

To overcome the obstacle, identify 1) the obstruction and 
2) the instructions as to what you need to do. 

Then construct a plan on how you will reach your goal and overcome that which is in the way.

Soul Sustenance

The Significance Of Spiritual Energy 

Humans live and express themselves by means of four energy forms: 

Physical : You breathe, eat and drink, and through this process you exchange atoms and molecules with the external environment and the inner environment of your body. A part of this energy will be used for growth and another part for physical movement. 

Mental :The energy and power of thought. This energy has a big influence over the origin of many illnesses, so much so that it has been estimated that as many as 85% of them are psychosomatic (directly or indirectly influenced by our state of the mind) in nature. Your thoughts are also the seeds of your feelings, your mood and your attitudes. 

(To be continued tommorow …..) 

Message for the day

The one who serves with the balance of the head and the heart is the one who is successful. 

Projection: We usually give directions to people when they go wrong. We also use a lot of logic when we give such directions, but it doesn't always have the desired effect. We then begin to consider the other person to be wrong. 

Solution: What we need to do is to have a balance of both the head and the heart while giving our suggestions to others. That means we need to have a lot of love while giving our suggestions to them. Then whatever we say will have its effect on them. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Thought for Today 28-07-2013

Cooperation is to give people what they need. 

We tend to give people what we feel they need. In the process, we tend to advice or force our ideas on them. But, what really works is trying to understand what people need. If someone, is angry, they lack peace at that time. So, I need to give peace. And of course, I need to be peaceful and patient, in order to give the peace that they need. Today I will really help one person, by giving what he needs. I will try and understand what people around me really need and start giving those qualities. This will help me create a habit of providing the right thing at the right time.

Soul Sustenance



Being An Observer And An Actor – Maintaining The Balance 

In relation to the other, we have the possibility of observing and intervening (interfering) when we wish to; that is, maintaining the balance between being an observer and acting; playing between forming part of the audience and being the actor. On being actors, sometimes we can lose ourselves in the acting of the other in his or her or their dramas; we get in so deep with what is happening to the other that we lose distance. We get mentally and emotionally involved in the other's stories. When our awareness gets lost in those stories, we stop being the creators of our own life and of our own story. This habit exhausts us; we lose energy; we lose our concentration and control over our thoughts and our emotions. We lose our inner peace and we begin to look for it again. 

We can choose to observe the dance of ideas, images and acts of others, and not get involved in their complications. Only thus will we be at peace with ourselves and with the world. Remember that you create your own story. If you want to live in peace and exercise a positive influence on the people around you, don't try to control or to change the stories of others. In order to enjoy a painting you do not poke your nose onto it; you remain at a certain distance so you see it with greater clarity. The same thing occurs with the painting of life. By learning the art of being a detached observer and then intervening, of keeping a healthy distance, we manage to be connected with what is essential without losing ourselves in the waste and superfluous (excessive). That way, our intervention does not arise out of a reaction which has shades of frustration, anger and negative judgements. We are then the creators of spaces of trust and love in relationships. 

Message for the day

The one who is truly fortunate is constantly enthusiastic. 

Projection: When we find things going wrong with us, we immediately find ourselves losing all enthusiasm. We then do nothing to change our situation but just begin to curse our fate. With such an attitude we can do nothing to change our fortune. 

Solution: When things go wrong, we have to recognise the fact that it is the present that is in our hands. We don't need to think of what happened in the past and curse our fate. Instead we need to fill ourselves with enthusiasm to make the best use of the present to make our future the best. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Thought for Today 27-07-2013

It's natural to want to help others. But sometimes by giving people too much help, we actually make them dependent on us. Dependency limits people from their own potential and becoming more responsible.

Is the help you give to others', empowering or disempowering? Are you dependent on the dependency of others' on you?

Be independent. Empower others to become independent. We've all heard the saying: don't give them fish to eat, teach them how to fish.

Soul Sustenance

Experiencing The Light, Power And Love Of The Spiritual Sun 

Experience of the Supreme Soul (God) – the Spiritual Sun as an energy that heals and cleans the self with his light, power and love : 

I relax. I calm my mind and breathing… I imagine a beautiful beam of white light coming out from the centre of my forehead... It leaves me and goes beyond this room towards space... I feel that I am a sparkling star floating... detached from my body and surroundings...My consciousness is transported in that beam of light towards a space without limits... beyond the sun, the moon and the stars... It is a dimension of infinite light, beyond time... where there is silence and absolute quietness… I see myself, a star like energy floating in that ocean of light... In that ocean there are many different kinds of waves... waves that are not of water, but rather waves of light... Some waves carry peace... others love... others happiness... I bathe in these waves... I allow myself to be carried by these waves... I feel how my mind is filling up with so much light and strength... On the screen of my mind, I can visualize where those luminous waves come from… 

In front of me there appears a Being of Light that is silent and strong like the sun in a clear sky... It is a generous light... sweet... and loving... There is nothing to be afraid of... It sends me rays of light that melt my fears and weaken my resistances... It is like a magnet that takes me towards the depth of that ocean of Light... I feel that my nature is light... All the thoughts of the physical world disappear. Only this world is real... I feel a healing energy of love that penetrates my thoughts... It penetrates my feelings... I feel bathed by that love... revitalized by that love... Love... Power... Light... All these beautiful waves... intense... come to me from this Spiritual Sun, the Supreme Soul who resides in that infinite space of silence... 

Message for the day

To keep the aim in front of us is to move forward with contentment. 

Projection: Several times there are situations that are negative where we have to face things that are not really what we are expecting or wanting. At such times we tend to get disheartened and experience discontentment. Our state of mind becomes such that we can no longer experience peace. 

Solution: The solution at such times is to keep our vision clear on our aim. When all our thoughts and energy are concentrated on our aim, we will be able to consider any negative scene that comes our way as only a side-scene. We can easily ignore all such situations and so our mind is at rest or peace. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Friday, July 26, 2013

Thought for Today 26-07-2013

How can we free ourselves from subtle aspects of anger? 

Keep the aim of making your each and every day – your every moment – victorious. Think: this day, these hours and minutes, will not come again. 
We can’t lose another second on this; our immediate attention is needed! If we are still thinking about something we don’t need to be thinking about, it means we are still wasting time and energy.

Soul Sustenance



Self Responsibility (cont.) 

Because we have forgotten the principle of karmic returns (discussed yesterday), we have learned to avoid taking responsibility for many of our actions. We fail to see the impact of our actions upon others and we fail to see that the real meaning of responsibility is 'responding correctly'. Life can be seen as a series of responses which we each create in our interactions with other people and events. As is the quality of our ability to respond (energy given), so will be the quality of the return (energy received). The Laws of Karmaalso serve to remind us that the situations in our life, the quality of our body, wealth, relationships etc. and the type of person we are today are the result of what we thought and did yesterday, last month, last year, perhaps in our last birth. Many people do not like this idea or find it difficult to accept because most of us have been taught that our destiny lies in someone else's hands or in the hands of fate or luck, about which we can do nothing. The Law of Karma or the Law of Reciprocity teaches us that there is no such thing as luck and that whatever happens to us today is the result of our positive or negative actions in the past. If you spend a few moments reflecting on events in your life, without being judgmental, you will begin to see connections between actions and results, causes and effects. When you see how all effects have their causes, you will then be convinced that this universal law is at work in your life at all times. 

Message for the day

To be a donor means to give at each step and increase one's own stock. 

Projection: Usually it seems very difficult to be a donor - to give from whatever resources we have. The thought often arises in the mind that we cannot give because we are ourselves not complete or full. We find ourselves constantly trying to fill ourselves and we then have no time or thought for giving to those around us. 

Solution: We have a lot of treasures within us which we can give to those around us, our virtues, our specialities etc. Even if we have just a little and give to the others, we will find ourselves benefitting. For having given from whatever we have, we find that these treasures begin to increase within ourselves too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Thought for Today 25-07-2013

Is your life filled with good intentions? 
But do you get around to acting on your intentions? 
Or do they just fade away?

Good intentions need to be brought into action quickly. 
So, stop being irresponsible towards your intentions and start taking action!

To turn your intentions into action: 
don't over think, create an action plan and get going.

Soul Sustenance



Self Responsibility 

There are certain laws which are involved in our actions and interactions. They are not human laws requiring lawyers to interpret or the police to put into action. They are natural laws which are constantly operating in every relationship. They are often called the Laws of Karma (action): briefly described by the saying - As you sow, so you shall reap, described by Isaac Newton as the Third Law of Motion i.e. for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Laws of Karma remind us that whatever quality of energy we give out, we get back. This might not be exactly tit for tat, but if we give happiness to someone, it will come back to us; if we give pain or sorrow, it will come back, perhaps not today or tomorrow, but at some time in the future. 

Most of us are conditioned by the idea that we are responsible for some of our actions, but not all of them. For example, we would consider ourselves responsible for the actions which improved our company’s business but would not consider ourselves responsible for not being on good terms with our spouse. If, as parents, we worked hard in educating our children and they grew up to become well placed and successful individuals in their lives, we would consider ourselves responsible. If on the other hand they don’t make it to the top and are not so successful, we will blame our children for not putting enough effort or maybe the education system for the same. So we are selective in taking responsibility for our actions. 

Through spirituality, we are reminded of the unchangeable laws of cause and effect, which awakens our awareness of our true responsibility for each and every action that we perform. 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

True progress brings progress in others as much as for the self. 

Projection: It is usually believed that self-progress and progress of others are totally separate. It is believed that where there is thought for the progress of the self, there is selfishness and there is no benefit for those around. In fact, selfishness in an extreme form can also have a negative influence on those around. 

Solution: In whatever we do we have to check and see if there is any benefit for others along with whatever benefit we are getting. If there isn't we can check to see if there is a better way of doing what we are doing which could have a positive influence on at least one person. Then we will find ourselves benefitting doubly. We will get the blessings from others along with the personal benefit we get. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Thought for Today 24-07-2013

To have self-respect is to move ahead with confidence.

Normally, we are very caught up with the opinion of others. This leads to fear of making mistakes. Also, it makes us weak, when we don't get appreciation. But, I need to ask myself if I am leading my life in a way that I am proud of myself. Then, I am able to appreciate myself first and others are also able to appreciate me. Today I will appreciate the qualities in me, pat myself on my back for what I am and move on. Only when I appreciate myself, others will also be able to appreciate me. So today I will appreciate myself, even by learning from mistakes. I will do things, not just to please others, but to please myself first.

Soul Sustenance

Consciousness 

There are two different basic levels of consciousness; * I am a body (which is illusory (false)) or * I am a soul, (which is real). When the feeling is * I am a body, the thought process is trapped in the limitations, problems and vision of the physical identity. Its reaction to others is on the same level. 

Given below is an awareness-thought-decision-action-result cycle in the case of a typical father-son relationship. You will notice the difference consciousness can make to the cycle. 

Awareness
Body Consciousness: I am the father. I know the most.
Soul Consciousness: I am a soul. My natural state is love and peace.

Thought
Body Consciousness: My son should listen to me as he is my own flesh and blood. 
Soul Consciousness: My son is a soul too. As a soul he is my brother.

Decision
Body Consciousness: I will teach him a lesson.
Soul Consciousness: I will respect his idea also.

Action
Body Consciousness: Father argues with son.
Soul Consciousness: Father and son discuss with respect.

Result
Body Consciousness: Ill feeling between father and son.
Soul Consciousness: Respect maintained. 

Message for the day

Patience brings harmony in relationships. 

Projection: When there is a misunderstanding in a relationship we hardly put in any effort in order to understand the other person. We tend to become impatient and we don't listen to the other person to understand them. Because of which we start inventing things about them. This only further increases the misunderstanding. 

Solution: When we have a difference of opinion with someone, we need to give some time to understand and listen to the other person. Only then will we be able to understand the other person's point of view. This practice will enable us to finish any misunderstanding we have with others and brings harmony in relationships. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Thought for Today 23-07-2013

They say 'only fools live to the full'. Because only fools go where most of us fear to go, only fools do what many of us spend our lives avoiding. You don't have to climb Mount Everest, or cross the world in a hot air balloon to live to the full. Simply enter each day with a commitment not to avoid anything or anybody who comes your way. Then your Everests will come to you, in the form of difficult people and challenging situations, and the only thing you will need to conquer is our own fear and evasions. And when you do conquer, you will know that you have lived fully, for there is nothing more exhilarating than overcoming our own obstacles which, if the truth were known, are always only in our own minds. When you turn to face these inner obstacles and challenges some people call this real courage and you certainly are no fool.

Soul Sustenance

Increasing The Power Of Discrimination To Improve Karmas 

Many people feel internally and complain that their intellect is not as clear as they would like. One of the aims of meditation and spiritual knowledge is to make the intellect strong, clear and clean, as a result of which there is an increase in the power of discrimination. An increase in this power helps us maintain a sense of what is right and wrong while performing actions and implement that awareness. 

Meditation brings about self-realizations whereby you realize what is happening inside you. Sometimes, while observing someone, we use the phrase: "He/she doesn't know what he/she is doing", referring to someone who is acting in an incorrect way. If we are to act in an appropriate way, we need to be aware and be awake to the consequences (results) of our actions. The voice of the conscience brings with it that state of awareness, awakening, realizing and discrimination. This is because, in meditation you feel quiet and you focus your thoughts inwards. In that state, the sound of the voice of the conscience is perceived and heard. It is a voice that is not affected by material worries or a preoccupation about one's image and public appearance. During meditation, you are completely focused on the present moment of spiritual empowerment and not distracted bykarmas which are necessary but unnecessary to be thought of that time, noise, unrelated ideas of the past and the future, mental chatter, etc., basically everything that separates you from your true spiritual self. In this way you can listen to yourself within and as a result ensure to the maximum extent that your karmas are appropriate and accurate. 

Message for the day

Where there is humility there is the give and take of love. 

Projection: Usually we don't even know when we are working with our ego because it is deeply concealed. Even when someone points out our ego, we don't want to accept it and we continue to work with it. Ego finishes the ability to learn and negatively effects our relationships because there is no give and take of love. 

Solution: The method to overcome ego is to develop humility. Humility means to be strong within yet to be gentle and flexible. This enables us to bend i.e., to bow. When we bow it doesn't mean we are defeated, but it reveals our own victory. It is only when we bend and forgive will we be able to allow the flow of love in relationships. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Monday, July 22, 2013

Thought for Today 22-07-2013

Loving yourself is the best gift you can give yourself.
Be your own best friend. Be attentive to the little details that make you unique. 

Treat yourself as you would treat anyone who is special to you. Pamper yourself to a treat of your choice. 

Give up negative self-talk. Speak to yourself, respectfully.

Soul Sustenance

The Interplay Between Souls, Matter And The Supreme Soul (God) 

The forces, which interact to produce the phenomena of world history and geography: souls, matter and the Supreme Soul (God), are threaded by the law of karma. When there is mental communion (connection) with the Supreme, the soul's relationship with matter changes. This means that the internal love-link that the soul has with the Supreme is reflected in the performance of the soul in the material world and in the degree to which the soul has mastery over matter; firstly over the sense organs of the body and through that, over the colors, shapes and sounds of the material world. 

We have continually sought to understand which way to act, but have lost our sense of direction for various reasons: 

• We forgot that we were soul-actors. 
• We became lost on the world stage. 
• We became over-identified with our costumes the physical body. 
• We lost sight of the story of the drama. 
• We forgot that we were residents of the soul world. 
• Due to body-consciousness the soul severed (broke) its subtle connection with the Supreme Soul. 

Message for the day

The power of positive thoughts enables others to be free from their worries. 

Projection: When someone is going through difficult times there would be naturally worry and tension. At such times it becomes very natural for us too to come into tension. However, we don't seem to be able to help the other person in anyway when we have such thoughts. Instead we only add to the negative thoughts of that person. 

Solution: When we find someone who is having negative thoughts in a difficult situation, we need to remind ourselves that we are the only ones who can help them come back to his positivity. It is possible for us to do this only when our own thoughts are positive. When we train our mind in this way we will be able to maintain our own positivity which will enable the other person also to be rid of his worries. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris