Thought of the day 31/12/2014

Taking Charge Of Your Responses In Close Relationships 

In relationships, sometimes positive emotions are generated and sometimes negative. On the one hand, joy, love and happiness is generated on being with them; but then attachment, dependency and expectations are also generated. In such situations, you are more focused on others and are always looking at the other person's behavior, you stop seeing yourself and being aware of your reactions and taking the responsibility for the responses that you create. You get frustrated when the other person does not meet your expectations. As you depend on them, if they don't act as you would like, if they don't reach home or call you at the time you would like; all this frustrates you. You radiate this energy to the other: "they are not doing what they should be doing" and so you feel frustrated and discontented. 

All the while that you hold the other one responsible for your frustration, you are not in charge of your own reactions, because you have given power to the other to dominate your emotional world. It is there that you lose your freedom. You lose your freedom because you give to the other, in the name of love, power over your own moods. You allow the other's energy to enter your inner world and cause inside you frustration, bad moods, irritation, sorrow and a mental and emotional dependence where you are constantly thinking about where they are, what they have to do, what they have to say, where they have to go, and all this consumes a lot of your mental energy. Wanting to control the other and the frustration that it brings with it uses up a lot of emotional energy.

Soul Sustenance

Meditating With Open Eyes 

It is advised to practice meditation with eyes open. When we sit to meditate, if we close our eyes, what we do is that we send a signal to our mind, intellect and our physical body that sleep is close and that signal, in turn, induces sleep. That is the last thing we want to induce inside ourselves, while meditating. Meditation is a way to wake up and stay awake, not only physically, but in terms of being conscious and alert about what is happening internally and externally. It is therefore good to practice with eyes open, so that during your meditation, you can become used to going beyond the physical inputs of what you see, hear, feel and smell and at the same time, remain exposed to these inputs. 

By practicing with open or semi-open eyes, it becomes easier to create the accurate state of consciousness while still being faintly aware of our surroundings. This will be essential in day to day activities when we want to stay connected to our inner peace while others around us may not necessarily be very peaceful. It will also help us to move deeply into our peaceful consciousness during conversations which at the same time, require alertness to go into the depth of ideas and concepts. When we are established in our peaceful, spiritual state (as a result of meditating), it is as if we are keeping our third eye, the eye of our intellect, open, which gives us the ability to see, in actions and interactions, what is true and false, and to make the right decisions without being influenced by others or our own emotions. All the above abilities are required many times during the day. We obviously can’t keep closing our eyes to meditate each time any of these abilities are required. 

Message for the day

You can always be successful when there is a desire to serve others. 

Checking: At the end of each day, check if you have done anything for others. Also check if there is any consciousness of 'I' in all the things that you do for others. When there is even the slightest trace of a desire for benefit for yourself you cannot experience either contentment or success. 

Practice: Each day take up at least one thing that would bring benefit to others, irrespective of whether it will get you anything or not. When you serve with no selfishness you will find yourself succeeding in all you do. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 30/12/2014

Maintaining Positivity 

When we feel ourselves to be surrounded by violence, suffering and pain, we find it difficult to sustain hope. We need to understand the causes of that suffering, to go to the root that brings it into being, since only thus will we be able to keep the light of hope on. Understand that pain is a sign that indicates to us that something has to change. If your tooth didn't hurt, you wouldn't go to the dentist nor would you realize that something in your tooth isn't working. In the same way, emotional and mental pain suggests to us that something is not right. Understanding the signs that suffering brings us helps us to accept the causes of the pain and to generate the power to transform or change it. Out of understanding, acceptance and being willing to change, we relieve the pain and keep hope alive. 

In spite of all the international, national, local, family and personal conflicts that there may be, there are many positive things to be happy about. There are more and more people becoming aware of the importance of personal development, and of taking care of oneself on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level. There is a list of positive things and situations to be happy about. Be grateful for and discover the benefit that there is behind everything that happens. All of it helps you to strengthen hope in yourself, in others and in humanity.

Soul Sustenance

Making The Journey With The Right Realization 

It’s so easy to become caught up in my physical role - my name, physical personality and looks; the social setup or family I’ve been born into, my friend circle, the school I went to, the person I married, the organization in which I work, the various material objects I own or possess. I forget my true identity, the spiritual being, and that it is me, the spirit or soul, who is experiencing life through this physical body and surrounding circumstances. The physical, human side is essential, but it’s the spirit, the being, the energy, which makes the journey. The physical body is the vehicle through which the journey is made. The people who exist in my life are also energies making their journeys through their respective vehicles.Looking at myself and others, when I realize who is making the journey and I remember this and maintain this spiritual consciousness throughout the day, I'm able to access spiritual treasures of peace, of power, of love and joy and see the same in others. It is because of not remaining in this remembrance; I remember and identify with the vehicle and experience my false identity. That is why we find ourselves empty of these treasures today. As a result there is a tremendous increase in interest in meditation throughout the world. Unlike in the past when this interest was seen primarily in the East, today relaxation and meditation is a blooming industry in the Western countries. 

The more I become trapped by a materialistic consciousness, and the more I lose contact with my inner self, the less freedom I experience. The search of happiness through the physical senses brings temporary, short-lived gains. My life lacks depth when the only things I know, realize and feel are related to the loads of information I receive from the physical sense organs, and I become disconnected from the spiritual dimension. 

Message for the day

Where there is zeal and enthusiasm, success is guaranteed. 

Expression: If you are not able to experience success in all that you do, check if you are filled with enthusiasm or not. Also find out the reason for not being enthusiastic. This helps you to realize and overcome your weakness.

Experience: In order to increase your own enthusiasm throughout the day, create an aim for yourself and see that you work towards this aim each day. When you find yourself progressing towards the aim you will become enthusiastic.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 29/12/2014

The Art Of Stepping In And Stepping Out In Relationships (Part 2) 

We have the duty, or rather the honor, of planting positive seeds of good intentions, love, respect and tolerance, at the same time allowing others and the forces of the universe to be given the space to work and respond according to their time and inclination. Very often we plant those seeds but want an immediate result: * I have shown so much patience, but she doesn't change. or * How much longer do I have to tolerate? I feel suppressed. We become attached to what we do, so there is no space for things to happen at their own appropriate time. Sometimes we have the wrong type of mercy, or we want to take control, thinking we know better, so we step into people's lives too much. This interference and lack of free space provokes hatred, resentment and conflict with others. 

At other times, we get fed up with others; our tolerance and empathy is completely reduced and we say, * I've had enough or * I have got to do my own thing and so we step out, but in a selfish way, that is, we isolate ourselves from others, or situations. We justify, or disguise, this isolation and rejection and dislike towards others with such phrases as * I need my own space or * Let them stand on their own feet. In actual fact, we aren’t bothered anymore; we have stepped too far out of the picture because we have not cultivated the patience which allows the good and positive to germinate and grow in its own time. It is an art to know when to step back and when to step forward, but a very necessary one if well-being is to be achieved.

Soul Sustenance

The Lamp Of Hope 

You create the future basing yourself on what you think, feel and do in the present. If you act according to your values, it is easy for you to trust in your destiny. That strengthens your hope that all will go well, and, if it doesn’t, you know and trust your inner resources or treasures to be able to deal with things and change. That trust feeds the enthusiasm, the motor energy that, along with motivation and passion, helps us to advance. 

When you lose courage and you feel weak, when you feel insecure and do not see with clarity where to go towards, hope lights the way for you to carry on going forward. If you fall, get up again and carry on looking ahead. Don't look back. Don't let your past be a burden that is too heavy and prevents you from advancing. Focus your vision on your objective and on all your potential to achieve it. 

Whatever happens, keep the lamp of hope lit. You can. You will achieve it. Change will become reality. You will free yourself from the shadows of fears, blockages and the other limitations that weaken you. 

Live each situation as an opportunity. Learn from criticism and failures. On living life as a constant opportunity for personal growth and learning, you keep hope always alive. 

Give yourself moments of silence on beginning each day, during the day and on finishing the day, to connect with your inner self. That way your awareness stays awake, the lamp of your hope, your motivation and your values remains lit. 

Message for the day

When you are content you can give the experience of contentment to others too. 

Expression: Each day check if you are content with what you are doing. Also check if others are content with what you are doing in your life. If there is an experience of contentment within yourself others will be content with you. 

Experience: At the end of each day, make a mental list of all that you have attained for the day, things that you are happy about. This will enable you to be content even during the phase when things are not going so smooth, because you are able to look at the positive aspect too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 28/12/2014

The Art Of Stepping In And Stepping Out In Relationships (Part 1) 

For any activity, or relationship to remain peaceful and successful, we must know how far to step in and how far to step out. 

It is like a gardener who sows seeds at the right time, steps in to plant and water them and then steps out of the picture to allow nature to carry on with her work. However, from time to time, he steps in again to see if there is enough water, if any insects are attacking the plants, if any food is needed. His role is to find the appropriate space for the potential beauty and uniqueness of the seeds to emerge; he does not create the flowers but facilitates their expression. The gardener does not step in too much; that would be called interference. After planting the seeds, he does not demand an immediate result; he does not dig them up next day to see if they have sprouted. He plays his role, fulfills his duty, but lets go because he understands the blooming of the flowers is not dependent on him. Nor does he let go too much. If he did, then the plants would die from lack of care, or the insects and weeds would destroy them. He does not let go so much that he isolates himself from the process. Instead, by knowing when to step in and when to step out, he creates a respectful partnership or relationship with nature. 

(continued tomorrow..)

Soul Sustenance

Positive Consciousness 

The habitual way in which you use the house you live in and its contents are all affected if you use them in a positive consciousness (mental state). The result is purification while interacting with the physical object, so that when the object is in use, it fulfills its function accurately, and it has also undergone a permanent change. This can happen when you are cleaning the house, cleaning any object in the house or preparing objects for a particular purpose. If such actions are done in a positive consciousness then the physical object will have such a vibration of peace and purity that no harm can be done with it and whatever action it is used to perform will be successful. Any other soul who comes into interaction with those objects will also feel the affect of their pure vibrations. 

If we perform each action with the physical body in a positive consciousness, then the physical body gets purified and we can become free of illnesses. 

In our relationships it is the same principle. First there needs to be that detachment in relations. Secondly, when there is a positive consciousness, I will find that my interactions have a purifying affect on all that I relate to and I can bring benefit to everyone I meet. 

In this way a positive mental state enables all actions to be successful, whether at work or at home. 

Message for the day

Instead of thinking of the situation, think of your own stage. 

Expression: When you find yourself questioning the things that are happening in your life, ask yourself if your own stage is good. The situation might be bad, but check if your own stage is good and if you have the power to face the situation. 

Experience: Remind yourself that you are learning from the things that are happening so that you can improve your own stage. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 27/12/2014

Love provides the environment for everyone's growth. 

When I experience true love I can provide the right environment for people so that they can progress in their lives. 

Today I will not hold onto those I love nor expect them to do everything according to my needs, but instead will give them real support.

Soul Sustenance

Becoming Responsible For My Destiny (Part 2) 

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

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

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

Message for the day

Set your mind on the seat of stability and you will never become upset. 

Expression: In all that you do throughout the day, check if you are able to stabilise your mind wherever and in whatever thought you want at the right moment. If you are not able to you will find yourself getting upset. 

Experience: Each morning create a positive thought for yourself. For example, tell yourself "I am the one who is in control of my mind and I can set it the way I want to." Now practice focusing on this one thought. Stabilise in this thought for sometime. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 26/12/2014

The Three Mirrors For Inner Beauty (Part 4) 

The third mirror is the mirror of your own thoughts, words and actions – What you think and feel about yourself and others is invisible to others and only you know what it is. But you radiate your thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes through your facial expressions, your eyes, your words, your body language and your actions when you interact with others. That way your words and your actions act as a mirror in which to see yourself. You achieve this when you are a detached observer and you become aware of your responses, your reactions and how you express what arises from within you. This awareness of being an observer needs to be maintained sub-consciously throughout the day and consciously in the night by filling a daily chart before sleeping, on any three personality traits of your choice. Your main weaknesses or strengths you want to enhance should be included in the chart. We have explained the different types of traits that can be covered in a daily chart in our older messages. You could either evaluate these personality traits with a yes or no or perform a percentage wise evaluation like 50% or 80% for e.g. So it is a good practice to look into this mirror once in the night, before sleeping. This mirror will give you a review of the day that has gone by and make you careful for the next day. The daily chart is useful for this purpose. Filling a daily chart does not take more than a few seconds. 

Finally and most importantly, always do remember that those who use these three mirrors actively and use them well to ensure that their internal self looks good and beautiful all the time become living mirrors for others. People who come in contact with them are able to see accurately what their internal self looks like. On seeing how beautiful and perfect they are, other people quickly realize their shortcomings or weaknesses and also take inspiration to become as beautiful, clean and virtuous beings as them.

Soul Sustenance

Becoming Responsible For My Destiny (Part 1) 

These are examples of some of the inner questions that emerge in our minds from time to time: 

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

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

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

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

You can always be successful when there is a desire to serve others. 

Expression: At the end of each day, check if you have done anything for others. Also check if there is any consciousness of 'I' in all the things that you do for others. When there is even the slightest trace of a desire for benefit for yourself you cannot experience either contentment or success. 

Experience: Each day take up at least one thing that would bring benefit to others, irrespective of whether it will get you anything or not. When you serve with no selfishness you will find yourself succeeding in all you do. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 25/12/2014

The Three Mirrors For Inner Beauty (Part 3) 

In the last two days’ messages, we have explained the first mirror for inner beauty. 

The second mirror is the mirror of meditation – In the silence of meditation which is a connection or the experience of a relationship with the inner self and the Supreme Soul, each day you come close to and dive deep into both of them. When you create powerful, positive thoughts about the self and you also visualize your true spiritual self, you feel and experience your true virtuous being, what you are - radiant and free of all influences. That experience helps you to see yourself as you really are and in contrast to how you are now. Perhaps you feel peaceless, disturbed and dejected today, but by creating thoughts of peace and contentment in meditation you quickly realize that in reality that is your true nature. In that way, it serves as a mirror for self realization and checking and changing. When you visualize the Supreme Soul during meditation and experience His virtues, it helps you to see and quickly realize yourself in contrast to Him and make the required changes in yourself because the child should reflect the qualities of the Father. 

So a good practice then is to look into this mirror and check yourself once in the morning before the day’s activities and once before sleeping for 10 minutes each time. Also, since this is the most powerful mirror, it is extremely vital to carry this mirror with you throughout the day and check yourself in it for one minute after every hour. This may sound too much time given to the inner self to many, but all of us are aware that like an untidy, unkempt external self is not pleasing to the self and does not create a favorable impression on those who come in contact with us, in the same way that applies to the inner self also. So one minute spent in looking into this mirror and doing some self-introspection and checking and changing will keep us looking good for the next fifty nine minutes and if we do mess up internally during those fifty nine minutes, then corrections can be made quickly in the next one minute break – it’s as simple as that. 

(To be continued tomorrow ….) 

Soul Sustenance

A Message On Christmas 

Its Christmas once again, the time to celebrate. 
As we decorate the Christmas Tree, let us remind ourselves. 
The tree is a symbol of humanity. 
The trunk is when we were all united in one religion of peace, love and truth. 
We then divided into branches of different religions and then each religion divided into twigs. 
The leaves of the tree represents each soul of humanity. 
The Shining Star on top, is God who is now giving us the message to unite once again. 
As we decorate the tree, let us decorate the soul with virtues of compassion, forgiveness and trust. 
Santa Claus, symbolises The Supreme God Father, who comes in these times of darkness, into the dirty old world (chimney), to give us gifts of Purity, Power and Peace. 

Christmas is the time of Angels. 
We have always looked for our guarding angel, one who would always be there for us, guide us and love us. 
Today let us start becoming an angel instead of looking for angels. 
When we remember our original nature of love and purity, we accept each one as they are. 
We love them and our love and acceptance protects them and empowers them. 
We then become an angel to them, 
An angel who is a parent, a spouse, a boss, a friend. 
When we live by our virtues, we are angels to each one around us. 

As we celebrate Christmas let us remember what Christ lived for - Love and Forgiveness. 
Why is it so difficult for us to forgive others? Sometimes, even years after a certain incident; sometimes, even after they have apologized; Why? 
When we forgive someone, we actually do ourselves a huge favor because through forgiveness, we release all the negative thoughts, emotions and energies that we are holding onto in our anger. 
Replaying the moment again and again in our mind, we torture ourselves in so many ways. It hurts us more than them, when we don't forgive. 
So even if you do it for the most selfish of reasons, go ahead and forgive. 
First, forgive yourself for holding onto the grudge for as long as you did. 
Then, forgive the other person. 

Message for the day

Where there is zeal and enthusiasm, success is guaranteed. 

Expression: If you are not able to experience success in all that you do, check if you are filled with enthusiasm or not. Also find out the reason for not being enthusiastic. This helps you to realize and overcome your weakness. 

Experience: In order to increase your own enthusiasm throughout the day, create an aim for yourself and see that you work towards this aim each day. When you find yourself progressing towards the aim you will become enthusiastic. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 24/12/2014

The Three Mirrors For Inner Beauty (Part 2) 

In yesterday's message, we had discussed the first mirror, the mirror of spiritual knowledge. Elaborating further, this mirror will also show you the Supreme Soul and it will remind you about His virtues and actions which will help you check where you stand in comparison to Him in terms of virtues and actions and will influence you to follow him by imbibing those virtues and performing actions in the similar way. Lastly this mirror will remind you of your relationship with the Supreme and forging a deep and personal connection with Him in different ways which will benefit you and others. 

The knowledge read every morning will help you see and realize what mistakes you have committed in the last 24 hours while performing actions and also in maintaining a connection with the Supreme and also see what you have done positively in the same regard during the same time, which will encourage you further to do the same in the future. The mirror of knowledge will also help you remain careful for the day ahead and perform actions and experience a relationship with the Supreme based on what you have read. It is a common experience of a lot of people that the spiritual knowledge read in the morning is always what the need of the moment for them is. The spiritual knowledge read is very commonly an exact reflection of the activities and mental state of your last 24 hours and/or something which you require for the coming day for the self, for your relationships, for facing different types of obstacles in your personal and professional life. This is the Law of Spiritual Attraction that works in each one's life, but to different extents. Our consciousness and inner requirements attract towards us the spiritual knowledge of a similar nature. 

(To be continued tomorrow ….) 

Soul Sustenance

Taking The Path Of Spirituality (Part 3) 

The religious mind-set is sometimes threatened by the approach of spirituality (discussed over the last couple of days) and sometimes calls it a self-absorbed approach. Spirituality calls it the awakening of the self or the soul so that it can realize its true form and nature. It also reminds us that everything and everyone are interconnected. While we are all unique and have individual characteristics, we are also members of one spiritual family. If each one of us wake up spiritually and restore our personal link with the Source, with God, then that in itself will benefit all others around us. Seen in this way the enlightenment of the self becomes a spiritual service to others. 

This does not mean that the religious person is not spiritual. Many are naturally spiritual and carry a healthy and positive criticism about organized belief systems and the institutions which are built around them. They are often attracted to the universal truths found at an intellectual level in all religious philosophies. But an intellectual understanding is not enough, as the saints have reminded us through the ages. Having had direct experiences of a Supreme Being, they remind us that God can never easily be put under scientific investigation, but rather will be found in the personal experience of spiritual communication/connection. For this reason, in spirituality, there is always an emphasis on the practice of meditation/contemplation and the purification of the soul. 

Message for the day

When you are content you can give the experience of contentment to others too. 

Expression: Each day check if you are content with what you are doing. Also check if others are content with what you are doing in your life. If there is an experience of contentment within yourself others will be content with you. 

Experience: At the end of each day, make a mental list of all that you have attained for the day, things that you are happy about. This will enable you to be content even during the phase when things are not going so smooth, because you are able to look at the positive aspect too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Message for the day

When you are content you can give the experience of contentment to others too. 

Expression: Each day check if you are content with what you are doing. Also check if others are content with what you are doing in your life. If there is an experience of contentment within yourself others will be content with you. 

Experience: At the end of each day, make a mental list of all that you have attained for the day, things that you are happy about. This will enable you to be content even during the phase when things are not going so smooth, because you are able to look at the positive aspect too. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 23/12/2014

The Three Mirrors For Inner Beauty (Part 1) 

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” are famous words. To check our external beauty or tidiness, we look into the mirror on the wall each day. But on a mental, emotional and spiritual level, what is the mirror that helps you to see if there is anything wrong with your inner face or self or to realize what is happening to you and what you have to do to maintain your inner fairness or beauty? 

There are three types of mirrors, which one can use to see or check the internal self: 

The first mirror is the mirror of spiritual knowledge – Spiritual knowledge is the knowledge related to spiritual self-development i.e. of the soul and also of the Supreme Soul. Each day, in the morning, you can look into this mirror for 5 minutes at least. Looking into this mirror means listening to or reading a piece of spiritual knowledge for at least 5 minutes that connects you to your inner essence, increases your emotional and spiritual intelligence as well as reminds you of your true purpose. 

You will see yourself very clearly in this mirror as this mirror will show you: 

* the knowledge of the original and ideal virtues of the soul like peace, love, bliss, purity, power, joy etc.; 

* how these virtues can be imbibed in the self to benefit the self and others; 

* the knowledge of the different types of weaknesses that can arise in the soul like anger, greed, ego, hatred, fear, attachment, jealousy, sorrow, etc., the roots of all which lie in mis-identification with the physical self and forgetting the spiritual self and how these weaknesses can harm the self and others; 

* the knowledge of overcoming these weaknesses. 

All of these things which you see in the mirror will help you to check where you stand in comparison to the right code of conduct for thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, words and actions, where you are going wrong and how you can make the required corrections in the same. On looking into this mirror you will be reminded of the Law of Karma (the Law of Action and Reaction), which will motivate you to make these corrections. 

(To be continued tomorrow ….) 

Soul Sustenance

Taking The Path Of Spirituality (Part 2) 

Religion also tends to encourage us to have faith, to pray and perhaps beg to an entity to whom we are not worthy enough or high enough to look face-to-face with. On the other hand, spirituality would have us believe nothing blindly and never reduces our own basic but now suppressed value or divinity. Spirituality is a path of high self esteem. The spiritual approach to God is one of remaining in that self esteem and cultivating a relationship that is as real, direct and as dynamic as we might have with a member of our family, a friend or a companion. Even worldly relationships work best when the people involved in the relationships maintain their self esteem. It means that personal experience is the only real proof of God's presence in our life. 

While religion would tend to encourage the strict following of a set of recorded beliefs, which have been declared by religions or religious organizations, spirituality would say, "You must not believe me when I say it is raining outside — go and see for yourself. Here, I'll show you the way, but you must go and see and touch the rain for yourself." Spirituality would not encourage blind faith in an historical set of other people's beliefs, but would encourage the cultivation of an enlightened faith based on one’s own personal experience. God, as the Supreme Father, does not want to be worshiped; He only wants to see His loved ones, His children awakened from their self-imposed spiritual sleep – that is what spirituality does – wake us up! 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

Instead of thinking of the situation, think of your own stage. 

Expression: When you find yourself questioning the things that are happening in your life, ask yourself if your own stage is good. The situation might be bad, but check if your own stage is good and if you have the power to face the situation. 

Experience: The reason for losing the stage in a negative situation is because of negative thoughts. In order to finish such negative thoughts, remind yourself that you are learning from the things that are happening so that you can improve your own stage. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 22/12/2014

The Flight Of Harmony 

There are two faces to one coin; a person who wishes to live fully as a human being needs to understand that the existence of one's unique individuality has to be acknowledged, as well as the existence of the group or collective. One cannot exist without the other. Individuals who are developing spiritually feel a personal sense of value. They clearly recognize their uniqueness and have the feeling that there is the freedom to be whatever they choose to be. At the same time, their sense of personal independence allows them to come close to others and work with them. They do not have selfish independence. They get close to others because they have found fulfillment in their own self. Someone who has truly found the value of the self above and beyond labels, name, fame and approval can effectively cooperate within the collective or group and interact appropriately. Such people not only feel themselves to be a part of the whole but, even more importantly, the group or collective feels them to be a part of the whole. 

In nature, when birds have to fly to a warmer climate in winter, they flock together and start their journey as a group. The success of the journey depends on the group: if an individual bird does not join the group, it cannot reach the destination on its own. Birds fly in a particular formation, with an appropriate space between them as they fly. If they fly too close to each other, their wings get entangled; they lose their balance and fall. If they remain too far from each other, the formation cannot be created properly, and they are not able to ride the currents of air, which help to propel them in their flight. The leader of the formation does not remain the leader throughout the whole flight, but moves back and allows another to take its place. This repositioning continues throughout the flight until the destination is reached, allowing individual birds to contribute to the success of the journey. 

The reality of life is that we are individuals within a collective whole. Just like the birds, we are all a part of an unlimited Flight of Harmony. 

Soul Sustenance

Taking The Path Of Spirituality (Part 1) 

To rediscover, become aware of and finally experience our relationship with God, beliefs in God are initially, not a necessity; in fact, on the contrary, they can be an obstacle! Sounds strange, but before being introduced into spirituality, if we have already developed or learnt certain concepts or beliefs about God, these concepts or beliefs may themselves be a barrier in our spiritual progress. To start your personal journey on the path of spirituality, the only requirement is openness to a basic idea that there may be a greater or higher source of spiritual energy than ourselves. Only if our minds are open, can we be ready to communicate personally and directly with this source. 

What tends to keep our minds closed to God are either the beliefs we have learnt or inherited from our family, our education, our culture or the trust that we have in those who themselves, whether it be our parents or grandparents or our spouse or our friends, have a closed mind and are unaware of it. It is at this point that we find that religion and spirituality part ways. 
Religion would have us 'believe' there is a God, and often a belief that it is not possible to know God, directly or indirectly, or to even approach God i.e. there are fears and inhibitions related to God. Religion sometimes teaches us to be in awe of God. Spirituality, on the other hand, encourages us to leave all limited beliefs behind and be both humble and open to the possibility of the presence of God in our life. Hence, in spirituality, personal experience is given more importance than a learned or inherited belief. Hence the essential need for a method such as meditation to make the bridge from belief to direct experience. In meditation the soul/self releases any false attachments, including learned beliefs, and opens to receive and directly experience the spiritual light of the Source. 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

You will experience all attainments when there is faith. 

Expression: At the end of each day, check if you are aware of and experiencing the things that you have attained for the day. If you are not able to experience the attainments, it means you do not have sufficient faith in yourself or in the things that are happening. 

Experience: Tell yourself each day that you have the faith in yourself and in things that they will ultimately turn out to be the best. When you practice in this way you can begin to experience your attainments. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 21/12/2014

The Search For Success Through Desire Fulfillment 

The false intention and assumption behind greed, in the form of a thought and feeling, is 'the more I have, the more I am'. It is a combination of trying to add to the value of the self through material possessions, position, role, talent or achievements and then becoming attached to these as a form of identity, finally leading to personal collapse. To try to add to the sense of self in this way has the effect of diverting oneself from the real self, which is why, in many cases, a person who has everything material is left with the feeling of being empty, disorientated and even fearful. 

We cannot accumulate, or rely on the external, to create a sense of personal value. 

People often try to fill the void of personal inadequacy or emptiness through greed, but this method goes against natural, universal laws. All that I am, all that I can be, all that will make me truly happy must begin from inside the self. We have to start from the inside out, not the other way round, otherwise we create desires that have no end, like the ten-headed Ravana - every time Ram cut off one of his heads, another grew in its place. Ravana did not die until Ram aimed for his heart. Desires are created from wanting one thing or another, believing that we will find achievement when those desires are fulfilled. This pattern of behavior keeps deceiving us and the proof of this is seen in the state of discontentment and emptiness a lot of people find themselves in today.

Soul Sustenance

What Is Clean Communication? 

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

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