Daily Divine Thoughts are a source of Inspiration for Contemplation and Meditation for each day given by Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. If you would like to learn meditation please leave a message/comment. For our world wide meditation centres please visit www.bkwsu.org
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Thought of the day 30.05.2015
The Inner Awakening Wave
Our beliefs either put us to sleep or cause us to remain awake. Even if are awake on a physical level, when we are asleep internally, without even realizing most of the time; we don't see others, situations and the world as a whole in their true light. We see, perceive and interpret reality incorrectly, which causes us pain. We perceive any sort of pain on the mental or emotional level to be normal and think that others and circumstances are responsible for the pain. All this, because of the incorrect beliefs that we carry inside us, the most important one being that we are physical bodies and not spiritual energies or souls. Only when the subtle pain becomes intolerable, do we look for a remedy for the same, or think we have to do something about it. Most of us go through life asleep and hence in pain. An inner awakening is one in which we realize the incorrect beliefs and are not scared to challenge them. Once we do that, our pain starts receding. We then very naturally look to wake up others, so that they are relieved from their pain.
The present time in the history of humanity is such that while the sleep of some souls is getting more and more sound and pain increases in the world, on the other hand, an inner awakening wave is taking many souls in its tide as more and more souls are waking up from their deep slumber and waking up others. This is the time when late night and early morning exist side by side. It is the same time, but late night for most and early morning, a time of getting up, for a few. This is happening due to a consciousness shift or shifting of beliefs inside many through spiritual knowledge. Such souls, whose number keeps increasing everyday, are experiencing more and more happiness in their lives. Both these groups of souls have similar circumstances and people in their life but the shifting or correction of beliefs inside the second group is causing souls in the group to remain stable amidst these circumstances, free from spiritual pain, depending on how much the shift is.
Soul Sustenance
The Hurting Of The Ego (Part 1)
Almost everyday or every second day we come across a situation when someone says something to us which is not very pleasurable or we chose to perceive it to be so. In either case, we feel insulted and get upset as a result. In some cases we react and display our feelings. In some, we don't. In either case, the result is a depreciation (decrease) in our happiness index. Why does this happen? It's because you have created, attached to and identified with an image of yourself in your mind that does not match with how the other sees or perceives you, as a result of which you believe you have been insulted and you get upset.
As long as people's perception of you matches the image that you have created inside your mind of yourself, you are content with them, but as soon as the opposite happens, even if it is to a very small extent, you become disturbed, because you are attached to that image. The more the attachment, the greater the hurt, the disturbance or reaction. You could examine this phenomenon very closely, taking place inside yourself everyday. This kind of attachment mentioned above is called ego. That's why the phenomenon explained above is called in common language the hurting of the ego.
In tomorrow’s message, we shall explain this phenomenon further with an example.
Message of the day
To use the treasure of time well is to ensure success.
Thought to ponder: Everyone has the same amount of time in their hands. There are some who spend it waiting for something to happen, there are others who waste it thinking unnecessarily or talking unnecessarily. But those who invest time and perform beneficial and fruitful actions, find themselves successful at every step.
Point to practice: Today I will not waste my time in small little things that I normally would. I will save small drops of time and invest them well. I will be careful and pay attention to see if everything that I do is using the treasure of time well.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Thought of the day 29.05.2015
Going Beyond …
If the quality of my thoughts can influence my physical health, the atmosphere around me and my relationships, it will definitely affect my relationship with God. Unlike physics in which dissimilar forces (positive and negative) attract each other, the basic principle of spirituality is that similar forces attract each other.If my mind is caught up in cycles of negativity, the dissimilarity between me and God will create distance between me and Him. With the awareness of being a soul, a being of spiritual energy, spiritual light, I begin to have a certain amount of mastery over my own thoughts and their quality. Also, the process of finishing negativity is accelerated. Just stepping away from the limited consciousness of the body and bodily connections (not leaving them) stops negative thinking in the same way as by just putting a switch on, a light is turned on and darkness finishes.
If explorers had never ventured beyond their home countries, they would have remained firm in the belief that the rest of the world simply didn't exist. In the same way, if I allow myself to stay only within the physical and limited sphere of thinking, then I would declare that there is nothing beyond. It is when I make the effort to go outside the boundaries of my previous thinking, that I have the chance of discovering more. The quest for a source of love, truth and beauty – the Supreme eventually brings me to the necessity of looking beyond not only my own body, but also other human beings and matter itself. Through the practice of seeing the self as an eternal soul and disciplining my mind I create the possibility of discovering the existence and nature of God and having a deep relationship with that One.
Soul Sustenance
Different Shades Of Attachment To Opinions And Ideas (Part 2)
The attachment or detachment to one’s ideas not only comes into play while giving an idea or opinion, but even when accepting or receiving or listening to an idea from another person from the group. The more the attachment to one’s own ideas, the more will be the tendency to resist or reject the other’s idea. A particular person, with the objective or resisting or rejecting the idea:
- might try to do the same through different means like putting up a seemingly valid or even an invalid objection to the idea in front of the whole group which may seem very reasonable to the group and may be taken or accepted by the group or the person objecting may try to ensure that happens or
- he/she may quietly disassociate from the group if the group begins showing interest in the idea (sometimes the influence of the position of the person is such that this kind of disassociation very easily manages to reduce the energy of interest of the group in the new idea) or also
- might present a new idea to the group, which manages to divert the attention of the group, etc.
Sometimes the person rejecting the idea is aware of the fact that he/she is rejecting the idea because of the inner attachment to his ideas, but will not admit it in front of others and sometimes he/she might not even be slightly aware of the fact; the attachment is too subtle to realize. Others might realize their attachment, but they might not themselves. And if someone to point out their inner attachment, they might even react, because where there is attachment, there is fear that the other’s idea will be accepted and yours will not. Attachment to one’s ideas fills the energy of I am right in any situation. Overcoming all sorts of attachment to ones ideas is one of the foremost steps that we can take to bring about harmony in all types of relationships.
Message of the day
Not to expect respect is to get respect from all.
Thought to ponder: When I expect that people have to respect me, I will not be able to get their respect; as the feeling that they get is of weakness. To seek or wait for others is to never get it. Instead, when I have self-respect, I am able to create a positive impact on others, and automatically get respect from them.
Point to practice: Today I will appreciate myself. I will look into the mirror and say "I like you for what you are". Perfection is of course a journey, so right now I love myself for what I am today and am also moving towards becoming better and better. When I know to like myself, others will like me too.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Thought of the day 28.05.2015
Transforming The Other’s Anger
In meditation, when I connect with God, I absorb His spiritual love and peace, which causes my own original qualities, which are present in me, the soul, to come to the forefront or to the surface, to emerge in the conscious from the sub-conscious. As a result, where previously there would have been conflict, I have a greater capacity to remain peaceful when another person behaves in an unpleasant way with me. I have the power to stay mentally and emotionally stable when someone provokes or insults me. This power is enormously valuable in life, enabling me to cool heated situations, and even remove another person's anger altogether.
Instead of focusing on the anger on a person's face, I focus my attention to the non-physical, star-like being or soul within the person, which was peaceful and loveful in its original, pure state. This increases my tolerance and acceptance power. Also, through my meditation, I am actively aware of the spiritual bond all human beings share, as souls who have a common home of peace, the incorporeal (non-physical) home, from where all of souls come and a common connection with the One Supreme Father, the Supreme Soul. Through this knowledge, I connect with the goodness in the other soul and my love for the soul is maintained. I realize that this goodness is a deeper reality than the anger. The truth is that if I can hold this soul-conscious vision steady for long enough, I radiate positive energy to the other soul, which works like magic and awakens the goodness within the other person. Then, my tolerance bears fruit and peace really does prevail between the two of us.
Soul Sustenance
Different Shades Of Attachment To Opinions And Ideas (Part 1)
Very often in a group or team, whether social or official, while moving towards a common goal or objective or purpose, different people in the group or gathering give their opinion to make the objective of the team possible. While giving their opinion, one very commonly sees two different categories of people. The first category contains type of people who are attached to their ideas (to different extents) while presenting them to the group and the other contains type of people who are extremely active, positive and authoritative in giving their ideas, when they are required to do so, but are able to keep a relationship of detachment with their ideas. If someone is attached to his/her idea and it is not accepted, he/she might react emotionally (internally) or even physically (externally). He/she:
- might even start creating disharmony in the group by talking against or creating ill-feelings for the person who objected to his idea or
- might stop co-operating with the remaining members of the group or
- sometimes may just disassociate or distance himself/herself from the group, which is a quiet way of non co-operation and can cause ripples of negative thoughts and feelings in the others.
These and others are some of the common reactions of someone whose idea/ideas are not accepted.
So the right balance of authority (while giving the idea) and humility (while accepting the result of the idea, the result could be rejection or even acceptance of the idea) has to be maintained. Humility comes very naturally to someone who is detached to his/her idea.
(To be continued tomorrow…)
Message of the day
Positive thoughts heal even the disease of the body.
Thought to ponder: When I am ill, it is very easy for the mind to become ill too. I tend to have negative thoughts and suffer. These negative thoughts don't restrict themselves to that particular part of the body, but is carried forward to the entire body and the mind too. The mind which has to be the healer, becomes a victim and hence weak. At such times, it is important that my mind is strong creating a positive influence on the body.
Point to practice: Today I will not think about my illness. When the thought does come, I will make sure I give vibrations of power and peace to that part, so that I will help it to heal. I will do everything for it to heal rather than damaging it further by having negative thoughts about it.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Thought of the day 27.05.2015
In ancient times, the mind was understood to be extremely difficult to control. It was said to be like the wind: you could never catch it, or hold it - it went where it wished and no human being could become its master. In other instances, it was said that the mind was like an elephant: extremely powerful but equally gentle and patient, able to do a lot of work for its master. However, when an elephant turns wild, its gentleness and patience completely disappear and it destroys and damages everything in its path. When the mind is under stress, it resembles a wild elephant; it has no control and cannot be controlled.
Taming the mind is regarded as a great art requiring time, attention, practice and, above all, a sincerity of heart where individuals truly want to change their way of thinking. To relax, to be positive, to be peaceful and kind all require a change in our thought patterns and this can only happen when we look deeply within. However hard they try, other people cannot change us; we must have personal realization and the desire to make changes through our own effort. Permanent and positive change cannot be imposed from outside; it is something that we choose.
Soul Sustenance
If Tomorrow Didn’t Exist (Part 3)!
A world full of joy is an impossible thing to think about and a world where the clouds of sorrow are right on top of us looks more of a possibility for the complete world. Keep your hand on your heart and ask yourself for a moment if the tomorrow based on what you see happening in the world today, didn’t exist what would you do today to create a secure future for your lives and the world as a whole, a future as per what God thinks and plans.
God is often in story books shown as a white bearded figure sitting in the clouds and giving us joy as well as sorrow. But God is a Supreme Being of Consciousness, not visible to the physical eyes, who stays beyond the clouds and the world of the five elements of sky, air, fire, water and earth in the sixth element. He does not ever hurt His children but only thinks of the welfare of His children from every nation of the world. He is a being of energy or spiritual light and might with a most powerful mind and intellect in the Universe watching over the current rise in difficult situations in the lives of millions of people across the world.Don’t think He is merciless. He is on an incognito level awakening the consciousness of human souls and empowering their mind and intellect so that the effect of this subtle thought power flows into the world and even the five elements of nature and makes them peaceful and co-operative instead of as violent as they are today. This is the secret task of God. God is not indifferent or cold to the sorrows of the old world. In fact, He, being the most patient being in the Universe, is working tirelessly on an incognito level to bring back the world of the past, a world of joy. Don’t forget that even about 500 years ago, the world was filled with the energy of joy much more than the joy of the present world although scientific advancement was less at that time, but everyone in the world at that time lived together like one big happy family much more than how we live with each other today.
A world full of joy is an impossible thing to think about and a world where the clouds of sorrow are right on top of us looks more of a possibility for the complete world. Keep your hand on your heart and ask yourself for a moment if the tomorrow based on what you see happening in the world today, didn’t exist what would you do today to create a secure future for your lives and the world as a whole, a future as per what God thinks and plans.
God is often in story books shown as a white bearded figure sitting in the clouds and giving us joy as well as sorrow. But God is a Supreme Being of Consciousness, not visible to the physical eyes, who stays beyond the clouds and the world of the five elements of sky, air, fire, water and earth in the sixth element. He does not ever hurt His children but only thinks of the welfare of His children from every nation of the world. He is a being of energy or spiritual light and might with a most powerful mind and intellect in the Universe watching over the current rise in difficult situations in the lives of millions of people across the world.Don’t think He is merciless. He is on an incognito level awakening the consciousness of human souls and empowering their mind and intellect so that the effect of this subtle thought power flows into the world and even the five elements of nature and makes them peaceful and co-operative instead of as violent as they are today. This is the secret task of God. God is not indifferent or cold to the sorrows of the old world. In fact, He, being the most patient being in the Universe, is working tirelessly on an incognito level to bring back the world of the past, a world of joy. Don’t forget that even about 500 years ago, the world was filled with the energy of joy much more than the joy of the present world although scientific advancement was less at that time, but everyone in the world at that time lived together like one big happy family much more than how we live with each other today.
Message of the day
To do the internal dance of happiness at the time of tiredness is to bring an instant change in our mood.
Thought to ponder: When I am tired, it is easy to give in to the tiredness and feel low, irritable or vulnerable. At such a time, I need to do something that my mind can dance with happiness. When I have the aim of being happy and do this little exercise of being happy, I will be able to be free from tiredness of the body and mind.
Point to practice: Today I will do something nice to recharge myself. It could be something as simple as listening to a nice song or taking a peaceful walk or painting something. This little effort of mine would give me happiness and bring enthusiasm in all I do.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Thought to ponder: When I am tired, it is easy to give in to the tiredness and feel low, irritable or vulnerable. At such a time, I need to do something that my mind can dance with happiness. When I have the aim of being happy and do this little exercise of being happy, I will be able to be free from tiredness of the body and mind.
Point to practice: Today I will do something nice to recharge myself. It could be something as simple as listening to a nice song or taking a peaceful walk or painting something. This little effort of mine would give me happiness and bring enthusiasm in all I do.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Thought of the day 26.05.2015
The gap between what you say and what you do, between what you promise and what you deliver is like a drain in the road.
The drain is where water escapes, just as your power will seep away if there is a difference between your words and your actions.
Ask yourself every day, were your thoughts, words and actions aligned? Ask someone else what they saw in you too.
Feedback is the food of all positive change.
Soul Sustenance
If Tomorrow Didn’t Exist (Part 2)!
The Supreme source of spiritual light – God, as explained in yesterday’s message, is above whatever is happening in the world at the present moment of time but not at all unconcerned about it. In fact, as a loveful parent of the whole of humanity above us, He wants to give us a secure future for our lives, which means no sorrows and no problems – both problems in our personal lives as well as problems in the whole world. We have just seen an earthquake cause sorrow to thousands of people in Nepal and of course God does not want more of this in the future that He wants to give us and the complete world.
Sorrows in the world are not as old as the world as you might think. We all know from the earlier messages that we have shared with our readers in the past that time is cyclic, not a straight line. We all, in this world drama, move from joy to sorrow, until God saves us and brings the world of joy back into our hands. It is because time is cyclic and extreme sorrow is always followed by joy and a world of joy has existed in the past, that God is stable inspite of all the sorrows in the world on the rise. You would say that natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, droughts and road accidents as well as airplane crashes and of course other untimely deaths due to illnesses like cancer and heart failures apart from terrorism and war are a part of life and we have to accept them as a part of the current world situations. But remember, we are living in a world which is transforming or changing continuously. Illnesses like AIDS and severe psychiatric ailments like schizophrenia which are now commonly found in people of all age groups were either not there or found so rarely that they were almost unheard of amongst the world public in general, about 100 years ago. So, the world has in front of our eyes, changed negatively. Scientific progress has also taken place in this time which has connected people all across the globe; that cannot be denied, but it has had its negative effects as well in the form of work stress and extremely busy lifestyles and the rise of other physical illnesses due to that.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To be an example is to inspire people to change.
Thought to ponder: It is not always necessary to correct people through words. When my own actions don't reflect the words that I speak, it will not have any effect on people. They would want to see the change that I talk about in my own actions. Since actions speak louder than words, they are inspired to bring about a change in themselves too.
Point to practice: Today I will be an example for others in whatever I do. I will check myself when I find the need to correct someone. I will bring about a change in that particular aspect. Then, whether I see the desired change in the other person or not, at least I am richer for whatever effort I make.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Monday, May 25, 2015
Thought of the day 25.05.2015
Factors That Bring Us Closer To Success
Given below are some factors that bring us closer to success:
• High self-esteem.
• Constancy.
• Courage and determination.
• Integrity and honesty.
• Self-acceptance and acceptance of others.
• Believing in what you do, regardless of external factors.
• Responsibility.
• Dedication, determination and tranquility.
• Being positive in the face of adversities (negative circumstances).
• Being consistent with your values.
• Precision in decisions and choices.
• Focus.
• Performing all karmas with love and happiness.
• Giving the maximum of yourself in everything you do.
• Creativity.
• Thoughts and actions in tune with each other.
• Appreciation and blessings (good wishes) from others.
• Gratitude toward oneself and others.
Soul Sustenance
If Tomorrow Didn’t Exist (Part 1)!
Preparing for a tomorrow has become a part of our present day lives but we at the Brahma Kumaris are preparing the world for a tomorrow which is to be created by our pure thoughts, words and actions, that means a tomorrow which we cannot see with our physical eyes but a tomorrow based on our spiritual conviction and powerful belief and inner trust on who has promised us this tomorrow based on the knowledge of the repetitive world drama, which is there with Him - the seed of the human world tree – our and your Father – Shiva (or point) – the bodiless Supreme Father or Supreme Being of Light, not to be confused with the deity form of Shankar which is a physical form worshipped in temples of Shiva and is a remembrance of intense meditation. Shiva is just a name which means bindi or point. The form of Shiva shown in temples in the form of the jyotirlingam is a representation of this name. Shiva should not be seen as one of the Hindu Gods or even one of the Gods of the different religions of the world.
To have inner trust on who is promising us a positive future, we need to know his identity by going back into the history of the worship of God. Do you know that the path of devotion or bhakti, when it began, was the worship of only the one bodiless God in India? Later God started being worshipped in a physical form in India. In India, the worship of different devis and devtas like Shri - Lakshmi, Radhe and Sita; Shiv Shaktis like Durga and Kali and also Shri - Krishna, Vishnu, Rama, Hanuman and Ganesha began later than the worship of the one bodiless God Father. Even in world religions all across the world, God is often remembered as a light form. He is the Universal Light. In Christianity, the Bible states – I Have Come Into The World As Light. In Islamism, the Koran states that – Allah Is The Light Of The Heavens And The Earth. In Buddhism, the Dhammapada states that – The Radiance Of Buddha Shines Ceaselessly. In the religion of the Jews, the Psalms state that - The Lord Is My Light, Whom Shall I Fear? In Sikhism, the Adi Granth states that - God, Being Truth, Is The One Light Of All. So in almost all religions, God was remembered as a being of light, directly or indirectly. As time progressed, like in India, the Fathers of different religions, like Christ, Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahavir were worshipped like God and started being looked upto almost as equally highly as God, which was a mistake because they were pure souls and not God or the Supreme Soul or param-atma.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To be free from blame and excuses is to get others' help too.
Thought to ponder: When I blame others for whatever has happened to me, I lose the chance for improvement. On the other hand, when I make effort to bring about a change, using that situation as a learning point for myself, I find others helping too. There is no negativity involved, but only a move towards a positive change.
Point to practice: Today I will not blame anyone for whatever happened to me. I will find a way to deal with the situation, without blaming others or trying to escape by giving excuses. I would be able to courageously take on any situation that I would be faced with.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Thought of the day 24.05.2015
Given below are some definitions of success:
• Feeling yourself to be full of inner contentment and happiness, with an optimistic mental state, without fear, happy and in a good mood. Being fine, in balance and at peace with oneself.
• Finding meaning in what you do.
• Discovering what will bring you closer to your dream.
• Success is about more than just possessing; it is facing all situations, even the negative ones, transforming them into the positive and feeling yourself realized, personally and emotionally.
• Having courage to take forward what you want, in spite of what you find against it.
• Achieving in each moment the desired objectives at all levels of the inner being. Fulfilling set objectives and adopting a positive attitude.
• Being able to be beyond noise i.e. experience silence wherever and whenever you wish to – silence being the key to all spiritual treasures.
• Remaining humble in the wake of all achievements and glory that may come your way.
• Not being afraid of failure.
• Satisfaction at work.
• In harmony with one’s inner conscience (while performing all actions).
Soul Sustenance
Tapping Guidance From The Supreme Intellect (Part 2)
In yesterday’s message, we had discussed how no human entity can fulfill all the necessary requirements of someone who can guide us correctly in any difficult situation. Thus to proceed in such a situation, it’s good to take the guidance from the intellect of someone who fulfills all these criteria. That someone is no one except the Supreme Being or God, who is the entity possessing the most powerful intellect, and intellect with the most perfect judgment power. Sometimes my mind and intellect is absolutely clean and clear and I am 100% sure about my right course of action for the future, but even in those times its good to verify the course of action from a higher authority. So, in those times, it is very important to connect for a few minutes with the Supreme, who is an Energy of Unlimited Truth. Then, the question to ask myself at that time is not what do I want, or what do others want, but most importantly: What does the Supreme want, what is his wish, what is his perception of the situation? The deeper my connection with Him in meditation, the clearer the answer will come.
When it becomes a regular practice, it will be as simple as taking guidance from my physical parent or spouse or friend. I'll know without wasting time and energy, the right course of action. Sometimes it may happen that the answer may not come to me immediately, but by connecting my intellect with the Supreme’s intellect my intellect will become clear, which will help me take the right decision. Also, in some cases the Supreme may not respond immediately but may guide me through some other medium, whether living or non-living after some time or even after a day or two.
Message of the day
To finish the burden of the past is to move forward with lightness and speed.
Thought to ponder: Through out the day, I may not have that much attention on myself. I may not be able to sustain a thought that I had taken for myself. But before I go to sleep, I need to check myself how I was through out the day and hand clear out all my fears, feelings etc and go to sleep. This practice will make my sleep peaceful and the next day will be beautiful too, because there is no burden of the baggage of the previous day.
Point to practice: Today I will talk to myself and God before I go to sleep. I will write down all my doubts, fears and feelings to Him. I will become light in my mind and go to sleep peacefully. Because I will, then, look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Thought of the day 23.05.2015
Performing A Spiritual Audit At The End Of The Day - Part 2
Yesterday we had explained how self evaluation at the end of the day is extremely vital to one's progress and development. A useful exercise in this regard is keeping a daily chart for about 3 personality traits or points and filling it up every night (lesser than 3 is also fine, but not more , because then you might feel lazy in keeping the chart after a few days and also you might lose focus and the personality traits may not transform as much as you want). You could either evaluate yourself with a yes or no or perform a percentage wise evaluation like 50% or 90% for e.g. We have mentioned below, some of the common traits from which you could select the traits to keep a daily chart for. You could incorporate some other specific traits (not mentioned in this list), which you want to change or develop, depending on your personality:
In the entire day, today; not only in my words and actions, but also in my thoughts:
* Did I see everyone's specialties and keep good wishes for each one, in spite of obvious weaknesses being visible?
* Did I remain free from all forms of anger, like irritation, frustration, grudge, revenge, etc.?
* Did I ensure that I neither give nor take sorrow, hurt, pain from anyone?
* Did I remain free from waste and negative?
* Did I remain ego less?
* Did I remain untouched by name, fame, praise, insult?
* Did I remain stable?
* Did I remain free from judgments, criticism, jealousy, comparison, hatred, etc.?
* Did I keep a conscious of serving each one whom I met?
* Did I bring the 8 main powers into practice and experience being powerful?
* Did I remain in self-respect and give respect to everyone?
* Did I practice being soul-conscious in actions and interactions?
* Did I take a one minute break every hour to reflect, meditate and control the traffic of thoughts in the mind?
Soul Sustenance
Tapping Guidance From The Supreme Intellect (Part 1)
There are many occasions in my day-to-day life when I am not sure as to what my next course of action should be in that particular situation. The intellect is the faculty inside the soul which normally takes all decisions for the soul. But sometimes the intellect is clouded by my own or others’ sanskaras, beliefs, opinions, inclinations, assumptions, thoughts, actions, past experiences, etc.
In such a situation, I require the guidance of an entity who:
- is above the whole situation and is seeing it as a spectator or observer and is not a player in the situation,
- is the knower of the three aspects of time (the past, present and the future),
- can see the situation from all dimensions or perspectives,
- is beyond all influences and is impartial,
- is extremely pure and clear,
- knows me more than I know myself,
- knows my benefit and harm more than I know it myself,
- someone who is selfless and is concerned for my well being the most, etc.
No human entity can fulfill all these requirements.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
There are many occasions in my day-to-day life when I am not sure as to what my next course of action should be in that particular situation. The intellect is the faculty inside the soul which normally takes all decisions for the soul. But sometimes the intellect is clouded by my own or others’ sanskaras, beliefs, opinions, inclinations, assumptions, thoughts, actions, past experiences, etc.
In such a situation, I require the guidance of an entity who:
- is above the whole situation and is seeing it as a spectator or observer and is not a player in the situation,
- is the knower of the three aspects of time (the past, present and the future),
- can see the situation from all dimensions or perspectives,
- is beyond all influences and is impartial,
- is extremely pure and clear,
- knows me more than I know myself,
- knows my benefit and harm more than I know it myself,
- someone who is selfless and is concerned for my well being the most, etc.
No human entity can fulfill all these requirements.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To start the day with positivity is to ensure success throughout the day.
Expression: When I am on a journey, I choose and decide my way - where I have to go. My choice leads me on further in that way. In the same way, the first thought that I have as soon as I wake up decides the quality of my day. If I start the day with a positive thought, I will be able to pick out the best from all that the day has to offer and move ahead towards success.
Experience: Today I will check what the first thought was that I had when I woke up from bed. I will then take an aim to start the day with a positive thought. Instead of thinking "Oh God, I am late", let me think "I am going to have a great day". I will also create a positive thought before starting any new task.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Expression: When I am on a journey, I choose and decide my way - where I have to go. My choice leads me on further in that way. In the same way, the first thought that I have as soon as I wake up decides the quality of my day. If I start the day with a positive thought, I will be able to pick out the best from all that the day has to offer and move ahead towards success.
Experience: Today I will check what the first thought was that I had when I woke up from bed. I will then take an aim to start the day with a positive thought. Instead of thinking "Oh God, I am late", let me think "I am going to have a great day". I will also create a positive thought before starting any new task.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Friday, May 22, 2015
Thought of the day 22.05.2015
Performing A Spiritual Audit At The End Of The Day - Part 1
Our normal day at the office or/and at home is filled with lots of actions and interactions. On a normal day, without realizing consciously, we create almost 30,000-40,000 thoughts. So, not only are we active physically but extremely active on a subtle or non-physical level also. Imagine sleeping with all this burden of thoughts, words and actions which have been created throughout the day, many of which have been waste and negative in nature. What would be the resulting quality of my sleep? So it is extremely important to perform a spiritual/emotional audit or evaluation at the end of each day.
In a lot of professional sectors of life today, people recognize the need for reflection and audit, not only of financial records but also a general evaluation of the respective sector, to maintain and improve both the service to customers and the job satisfaction of people working in the sector. Checking my own behavior, as a daily exercise; not just checking, but also bringing about respective changes for the next day, enables me to continue to develop and grow, as a human being and in the quality of my work and personal and professional relationships. Have gone through the self-evaluation, it is also advised to become completely light by submitting the mistakes made and heaviness accumulated in the day to the Supreme Being. Doing this helps me put a full-stop to the same and settle all my spiritual accounts at the end of the day. I need to put an end to all commas (when looking at scenes that caused me to slow down and reduced the speed of my progress), question marks (when looking at scenes which caused a why, what, how, when, etc.... in my consciousness) and exclamation marks (when looking at negative or waste scenes, which were unexpected and surprising) which were created in the day's activities. Along with remembering what all good happened during the day, what did I achieve and what good actions did I perform, there is lots to forget at the end of the day, which should not be carried into my sleep at any cost. Disturbed, thought-filled, unsound sleep, will result in a not so fresh body and mind the next morning, which will cause my mood to be disturbed, adversely affecting the following day.
(To be continued tomorrow...)
Soul Sustenance
Negative Control And Domination In Relationships
In a lot many of the different types of relationships we find ourselves in, may they be our personal relationships or at the workplace, we sometimes feel ourselves to be in a position where we feel we are being dominated and controlled negatively by the opposite person. A very common example of the above negative energy, in personal and non-personal relationships, is when someone gets angry with you and manages to make you react and get upset, they mange to dominate you. Over a period of time they start realizing that they possess an invisible and powerful remote control, using which, whenever they want to control you, what they should do is to get angry with you and that way they will achieve the desired control. Their anger becomes a remote control. When you react you are allowing this control or allowing the other's remote control to work. It is you that chooses to allow yourself to be influenced and dominated. It is important for us to realize that we can choose and take the decision to allow ourselves to be controlled and dominated, or we can choose to express what we feel without being affected by the reaction of the other and still maintaining our love, respect and good wishes for the other.
Let us not allow ourselves to be dominated and influenced by entities external to us which includes objects and people or we will lose energy. Each moment we allow another person's remote control to work successfully or we allow an object to control and dominate our emotional state, we weaken internally. We become like a puppet in the other person's hands. A puppet is never powerful because it does not act on its own but is controlled by someone else. We need to prevent that, if we want to conserve our energy and remain spiritually strong. Meditation and spiritual knowledge both increase our spiritual strength and also increase our self esteem or self respect over a period of time. Both these increases help us remain in self control and not only disallow the other's remote control to work but also become assertive (not aggressive) and take a stand when required.
Message of the day
To be focused on the goal is to use our potential well.
Expression: When I am focused on my goal, I will not be caught up with the side scenes that come my way. Distractions need not necessarily be positive; it can also be in the form of my own weaknesses or challenges from others. When I understand that I am on a journey and I have to move forward to my goal, I will not be distracted by any good or bad scene that comes my way.
Experience: Today I will clarify my goal and focus my energies towards it. I will do at least one thing that will make me move towards that goal. And if anything happens that disturbs me, I will remind myself that getting stuck there would not help me move forward in my journey.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Thought of the day 21.05.2015
The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (cont.)
In the physical world, one common example of a trustee is when a multi-millionaire does not have any heirs, he or she will leave his or wealth in the hands of a trustee or a group of trustees, to ensure the right use of his/her wealth as per his/her last wish. Another common example is of trustees associated with temples and welfare organizations. All the wealth and ornaments that devotees offer in temples out of faith, love and devotion for God or all the wealth and property that people give in charity to welfare organizations is taken care of by a group of trustees. In all these cases and more, while taking care of the wealth, honest trustees always keep the consciousness that this is not their wealth or property and will always use it in the right way, as they have been directed. This is called ‘keeping the trust’ of the owner/owners of the wealth, hence the word trustee.
In this way, now as a trustee, throughout the day I keep a consciousness that the treasures of my mind, my thoughts, words, actions, virtues, powers, time, my physical wealth, physical body etc. are the Supreme Being’s property and I have been appointed as a trustee to take care of them. In this way, I will use these treasures in a positive way, for a positive purpose (as mentioned earlier for a purpose of bringing myself and other close to a state of truth) only; in a way the Supreme Being wants me to and has instructed me to do so. This establishes a relationship of detachment with the treasures I possess and also brings about my spiritual self-growth.
Soul Sustenance
Love Will Heal The World (Part 3)
The fall in the value system of the world is largely due to love no longer present in the minds of the people of the world in its pure form. There are very few people in the world who are living by God’s definition of love and that is why we see sorrow increasing in the world because both lust and attachment, which are impure forms of love and being lived by almost everyone, bringing with them negative emotions like lack of freedom, expectations, feelings of superiority and inferiority, domination, possessiveness, lack of control over emotions, feelings of jealousy, even depression due to separation or loss of someone with whom either of these two emotions existed. You might question that do we stop loving our friends and family and detach ourselves from them? Do you know that the world in its originality was a world where the love that existed, its magnitude and depth and also its cleanliness remains un-comparable to the love of today’s world? Also, the original inhabitants of the world who are none other than we, but in different physical costumes (bodies), loved their children, their husbands and wives, their parents extremely but what did not exist in that love was physical attraction to the opposite gender and sorrow based attachment. The love of today’s world has brought with it so much insecurity and pain. Relationships today are like two sides of the same coin. As long as everything is okay in the relationship its heads for happiness and relationships like any other coin don’t always fall on heads. The same relationship does fall on tails repeatedly i.e. it brings with it sorrow and dis-heartedness.
Love without lust and attachment is the original love of the world, so we cannot say that it is an impossible love. It is the love that souls, who have recognized God’s i.e. the Supreme Ocean of Love’s present presence in the world, are filling themselves with, from Him. God is actually pouring that pure love, which He is full of, presently into humanity which is healing humanity on an incognito level and giving rise to a new tree of humanity full of the different flowers of closeness, belongingness, concern, respect and good wishes amongst everyone and without the thorns of physical lustful attraction and attachment which hurts negatively.
Message of the day
To understand the significance of the role that I have to play is to make it special.
Expression: When I compare myself with others, I either feel superior or inferior to them. There is also a chance that I feel jealous. This negativity doesn't help me do the best in what I have to do. In fact, it is true that each and every actor has a special part to play and so do I. When I remember the special role that I have to play in my life and understand its significance, I will be able to give my best to it.
Experience: Today I will remember that I am the hero actor in this drama of life. Each and everything that happens to me has a meaning and is making me better in this role. I have to excel in this role that I am playing at present. I will then be able to be free from wasteful comparisons.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Thought of the day 20.05.2015
The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (cont.)
While it’s important to realize that the treasures mentioned in yesterday’s message are my treasures and they possess immense potential since they help me grow spiritually by their right use, it is also important to maintain a relationship of detachment with them, because we live with these treasures all the time and it is very easy to get caught up with them and become attached to them. Where there is attachment, there develops ego and the treasures start getting misused. An important concept in this regard is that of trusteeship. The Supreme Being while sharing the knowledge of these treasures and the method of using them, also shares, that for our benefit, once we realize what these treasures are, we should surrender these treasures to Him. This is an invisible or non-physical surrender, not a physical or visible one.
Once these treasures are surrendered to Him, unlike worldly surrenders, the treasures don’t remain with Him, because being an Unlimited Donor and being Incorporeal (bodiless), the Supreme doesn’t keep them with Himself and returns them back to us. Anyways, the surrender is deep but is on a mental level and not on a physical one. But, while returning the treasures back, the Supreme Being presents a condition in front of us. He says that since these treasures now no longer belong to us, we need to remove any sense of ownership over them and become a trustee while taking care of and using these treasures only for the purpose instructed by Him, the purpose of bringing the self and others closer to a state of truth (as explained in yesterday’s message). The word trustee comes from the word trust. In this case the Supreme Being says that He wishes and hopes that we keep His trust and don’t breach it at any cost, at any point of time, in taking care of and using ‘His’ treasures, because don’t forget, although the treasures are with us, there are no longer ours.
(To be continued tomorrow…)
Soul Sustenance
Love Will Heal The World (Part 2)
Love, as an emotion, was given a physical manifestation or form by most people, which included the ones who had lived by the essence of true love in their earlier births i.e. at the time when love was one based on soul consciousness and it was free from lust and attachment, at the beginning of the world drama, which repeats itself. Later, the same souls lost their inner conscience i.e. their beliefs started undergoing change because of the soul becoming discharged due to constantly coming in the process of life and death and not because of any negative or impure actions performed by them. It is a wonder of the world drama that souls after a period of few thousand years of a pure world existence gradually started getting attracted to the physical costume (body) of the opposite gender as impure desires took birth inside the soul. This happened in husband-wife relationships in which love took the form of the impure emotion of lust and in other relationships like parent-child relationships or between siblings (brothers and sisters) or other such close relationships, these desires, as we all know, took the form of the negative emotion of attachment.
So, unknown to the eye of wisdom which was closed at that time, we were swept by the wave of bodily desires and also unknowingly, we became sorrowful. God, who is a source of pure love, the seed of love of the universe, as per the rules of the world drama and as per His role in the world drama, was a silent observer to this happening, for a long time. The quality of love that is found in Him was a part of His creation i.e. us humans at the beginning and suddenly the same creation was abusing that quality which was given to them by God. This is the story of the world creator and creation and how the love virtue works inside them. God, because He does not come in the process of birth and rebirth, does not lose His spiritual energy and that is why He is the only being in whom the positive colour of love does not get transformed into the negative shade of lust and attachment.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To have the aim for self-transformation is to be easy and light.
Expression: It is up to me whether I want to ask questions and get stuck in them or pick out a point of learning and move on. When I have an aim of bringing self-transformation, I will be able to use all circumstances for my own progress, without blaming or giving excuses.
Experience: Today I will pick up one point from all that happens to me, that can be a point of learning. I will bring about a change in that aspect, without thinking about why it happened or who is to blame. I will be free from questions and simply implement what I learnt for self-progress.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Thought of the day 19.05.2015
The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee
Spirituality introduces to us a very beautiful concept of trusteeship. At first, I realize that as a spiritual being or soul, I possess the treasures of my mind, my thoughts, words, actions, virtues, powers, time, physical wealth, etc. Even my physical body is a treasure. While I may have many a times misused these treasures earlier, now I learn how to use them correctly for my spiritual upliftment or the long term benefit of me, the soul. As per the Supreme Being’s instructions, I use these treasures for a positive purpose of bringing not only myself but others also, closer to a state of truth, a state in which the soul experiences its original virtues of peace, love, joy, purity, power, wisdom, etc. By doing that I, in return, experience spiritual self-growth.
Each time I deviate from this purpose, I come down spiritually, or I do not grow spiritually. This is a different type of existence as compared to before when I did not even realize that these were treasures in the first place. A treasure can be defined as something of immense value. So, these physical and spiritual energies or resources (mentioned above) which I own or possess, become treasures because by the right use of them towards myself and others, I can increase my value. Here we refer primarily to the spiritual self’s value. Once that is increased, the physical self’s value also increases as a result.
(To be continued tomorrow…)
Soul Sustenance
Love Will Heal The World (Part 1)
Have you ever believed love, the most powerful emotion in the world, can transform the whole universe in a second? That’s the potential it holds in itself but the right type of love and a united love channelized correctly. Not the love that we see on television and in movies. The strength of the media is such that it defines love in an improper way and it influences negatively, millions of people all over the world in just no time. People follow the definition of love that their eyes and ears are exposed to and instead of erasing the negatives that the world is full of, it is taking the world into a phase where an uncontrollable collapse of the value system is taking place with no world monitor except God present to stop the same. People talk about a future apocalypse or a physical mass world destruction, as predicted by some famous world astrologers, prophets, preachers and theologians (those who make a rational study and analysis of religious truths, spirituality and God).
While none of the predictions of the world coming to an end have come true up till now; as per the principles of the world drama and its various scenes and phases that God has shared at the present moment, who is above the predictions made by humans and does possess the knowledge of the immediate future of the world, the world will undergo a transformation and not a complete reduction to a zero existence. The world wide mass birth of unsolvable problems in the ecological, social, political, religious and financial spheres will pave the way for the future world of peace, love and happiness established by the power of love for God and His remembrance based on that, complete purity of the mind and spiritual knowledge. The world will not come to an end. This complete transformation is expected to happen in the near future and is already happening slowly and is something people from many sectors of society are sure about. It is not an immediate event, but we are seeing signs of the same. But before that happens, we are already staring at a spiritual apocalypse or destruction of the value system of the world in the near future; in fact it has already begun.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To speak about others' negativity is to increase the burden of negativity.
Expression: Every negative experience leaves a negative mark on my mind. When I talk about that to someone, they too would be influenced. In the same way, when someone talks about others, it creates negativity in our minds too. Although we did not have that negative experience, we tend to carry the unnecessary burden of negativity.
Experience: Today I will neither gossip nor listen to anyone gossip. I will pay attention to myself that if I have to talk about anyone, it will only be about any positive aspect of them, if not I will not say anything. For today, I will pay attention to this.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Monday, May 18, 2015
Thought of the day 18.05.2015
There are no justified resentments. To resent someone is to fall under the illusion that they are the cause of our suffering.
No one can die from a snake bite. It's the poison that kills them. You may receive the poison of another’s words, or even just in a glance, but you don’t have to absorb it or allow it free passage through the veins of your consciousness.
The consequence of not absorbing the poison of others is you never experience enmity towards others. And people notice when you have absolutely no enmity. It draws them close, it empowers them, it builds trust, it enables harmony to break out! It is only because the lion has no thought of killing the lamb that the lamb feels able to come so close.
Soul Sustenance
Experiencing Perfection And Success In Role Playing (Part 3)
While playing my different roles, another important ability (a few abilities were mentioned in yesterday’s message) that I need to possess is to become victorious over the different scenes that I play. What does that mean? I need to remember that every scene, every act, whether positive or negative, in every role, shall pass. No scene or act is permanent. What happens is that, in a bodily consciousness, each time I am part of a positive scene in my life; I tend to become attached to it and want to hold on it and keep it with me permanently, which is not possible. And each time I am part of a negative scene, I tend to become impatient and want it to get over as soon as possible, which again is not possible all the time. As if a few minutes or few days of the scene or act are difficult for me to pass or bear. Positive scenes bring me into a strong, temporary wave of happiness or excitement and negative scenes into a wave of deep sorrow, both of which are incorrect emotions. To make sure that I don’t get taken in by both these waves, which is becoming victorious over scenes, I need to remain detached while playing different roles in different scenes. I will be able to become a master at this detachment, again when I am established completely as my spiritual self.
Separating role and actor increases opportunities for seeing what my role actually demands, and reduces the chances of being unduly influenced by others. Stepping away from the stage, even for a moment, I'll see more clearly how the other actors in that particular scene are behaving, and what is required of me. So, in this regard, it’s a good practice that at different times of the day, I step back for a few seconds and detach myself from the role that I am playing and remind myself that I am a pure being of consciousness, a sparkling star like energy full of peace, love and happiness and nothing else. This is my spiritual identity.
Message of the day
The biggest service is to reform that which is spoilt.
Expression: When we see something that is spoilt or negative, it is easy to get negative. Such negative thoughts create hopelessness and we are not able to do anything about it. We also tend to talk to others about it, describing it. Instead, if we concentrate on what we can contribute to make it better, it is more fruitful, for us too.
Experience: Today I will pick out one thing in my life that is not right. I will do something to make it right, to make it better. I will contribute in some way to make it better and also appreciate myself for the positive contribution I am making.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Thought of the day 17/5/2015
Your Identity is Your Destiny
There is a direct connection between identity and destiny. It's a simple process to see and understand, even on a daily basis. If you wake up irritated (in a bad mood) it means you are seeing yourself as an irritated being (soul). Perhaps you even think and sometimes say to your self, “I’m irritated today.”
It means your self-identity is negative. So you filter the world through your negative filter and the world actually looks like an irritable place. As a result, you think negative thoughts, generate a negative attitude and give negative energy to others. They in turn will likely return the same negative energy, which you are sending to them and perhaps avoid you altogether. So your destiny of the day becomes …. Not so positive! Now see the same principle and process in life on larger scale. Look around outside you now, and you will see a reflection of how you see your self inside. Your circumstances, your relationships and even the events of the day reflect back to you how you see yourself.
Soul Sustenance
Experiencing Perfection And Success In Role Playing (Part 2)
Continuing from yesterday’s message, if I'm able to protect and maintain my inner spiritual identity in each role that I play in the day, it’s much easier for me to switch roles. I switch roles so many times even in one particular day. If I lose myself in a particular role, my mind and intellect tends to become limited and restricted to that role and I'm not able to see beyond the immediate needs of the role and I find it difficult to adapt to another role. As a father, for example, I may also be called upon to play the different roles of husband or a Managing Director or a friend or a brother or a son or a son-in-law etc. Also many a times, for e.g. in the absence of the mother, I may have to play the role of the mother or in the absence of the Plant Manager in my company on a particular day, I may have to play his role, etc., both being roles that I do not normally play. I'll have a better chance of being able to fulfill all these roles if I don’t get too caught up in any of the roles while playing them and remain in my spiritual consciousness while playing them. A spiritual consciousness will keep me detached.
Every role demands different positive personality traits or sanskaras to be put into practice. I need to be flexible and possess the ability to pick those personality traits from my complete spiritual store house of personality traits that I the soul possess inside me, that are best suited to the role and are required for that role at that particular moment, so that the role and the act is played accurately and perfectly to my satisfaction as well as the other’s satisfaction. In a bodily, limited consciousness, I will not be able to that.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Continuing from yesterday’s message, if I'm able to protect and maintain my inner spiritual identity in each role that I play in the day, it’s much easier for me to switch roles. I switch roles so many times even in one particular day. If I lose myself in a particular role, my mind and intellect tends to become limited and restricted to that role and I'm not able to see beyond the immediate needs of the role and I find it difficult to adapt to another role. As a father, for example, I may also be called upon to play the different roles of husband or a Managing Director or a friend or a brother or a son or a son-in-law etc. Also many a times, for e.g. in the absence of the mother, I may have to play the role of the mother or in the absence of the Plant Manager in my company on a particular day, I may have to play his role, etc., both being roles that I do not normally play. I'll have a better chance of being able to fulfill all these roles if I don’t get too caught up in any of the roles while playing them and remain in my spiritual consciousness while playing them. A spiritual consciousness will keep me detached.
Every role demands different positive personality traits or sanskaras to be put into practice. I need to be flexible and possess the ability to pick those personality traits from my complete spiritual store house of personality traits that I the soul possess inside me, that are best suited to the role and are required for that role at that particular moment, so that the role and the act is played accurately and perfectly to my satisfaction as well as the other’s satisfaction. In a bodily, limited consciousness, I will not be able to that.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To have control on the self is to be a winner in situations.
Expression: Situations influence me and I get carried away. This means that the reins are not in my hands and I have given them to the people outside. I, then, have no control of my feelings, thoughts, emotions, words or actions. Everything becomes a reaction to what is outside. On the other hand, if I am able to keep things in control, I am able to respond in the right way to situations, making me a winner.
Experience: Today I will remember that no one can control me, but myself. I am the master, and seated on this seat of self-sovereignty, I can give orders to myself and keep myself in control. I will not let anyone or any situation influence me or take me away from what I have to do.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Expression: Situations influence me and I get carried away. This means that the reins are not in my hands and I have given them to the people outside. I, then, have no control of my feelings, thoughts, emotions, words or actions. Everything becomes a reaction to what is outside. On the other hand, if I am able to keep things in control, I am able to respond in the right way to situations, making me a winner.
Experience: Today I will remember that no one can control me, but myself. I am the master, and seated on this seat of self-sovereignty, I can give orders to myself and keep myself in control. I will not let anyone or any situation influence me or take me away from what I have to do.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Thought of the day 16/5/2015
When each one is working towards a common task, cooperation becomes easy.
To get others' cooperation you need to share the task and the information regarding the task with others. When you communicate your motives using easy and simple language, everyone can understand and feel a part of the whole and they would naturally contribute their best. Any new task that you take up make sure you inform all the details to everyone related to the task. Even the minutest details when communicated to others, helps in creating a priority in them to give their best to the task.
Soul Sustenance
Experiencing Perfection And Success In Role Playing (Part 1)
Spirituality gives me the detached realization of being pure consciousness. This realization not only detaches me from my physical body, but also detaches me from the different roles I play through my physical body (male or female) and the different acts or scenes in each role, in one particular day or one particular lifetime. The roles may be many, the acts and the scenes may be many, but I am the actor playing the different roles and participating in the different acts.
There is great strength in experiencing myself as an actor as compared to the previous existence in which I used to lose myself and forget my spiritual identity completely while playing the different roles, identifying more with the roles and thinking myself to be the role instead of being a spiritual actor. An actor, even while in the midst of the most dramatic scenes, even whilst getting excited or emotional or angry, knows he is not the part itself, the part is just temporary. He knows he is something more than that, and that when the play is over, the role will not exist anymore. So, even though I play my role, I don’t cut off myself from the role and don’t leave my responsibilities, I need to adopt the observer or spectator or detached consciousness instead of the player consciousness. A player tends to get over-involved. So, the balance has to be maintained – I play as well as remain detached. Only then the roles will be played to complete perfection and I will experience success in each role.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message of the day
To contribute for construction is to make life beautiful.
Expression: Everyone is talking about destruction and all the negative things that are happening in the world. Just thinking or talking about it is helping in contributing to destruction. On the other hand, if we are able to create a thought of good wish for even one person or the world at large, we are making a difference to the world, or at least to our own little world. That is, we are able to help in construction.
Experience: Today I will give good wishes to the world. At least 5 times today, I will take this thought of giving good wishes to the world to help heal it. I will not think or worry about what state the world is in, but contribute in whatever way I can.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thought of the day 15/5/2015
Connecting To The Qualities Of Others
Meditation adds immense value and depth to my relationships. It also brings closeness in them. Many obstacles and barriers, both on a physical as well as a subtle level, come between me and others when my consciousness and as a result, my perception are struck primarily in the physical dimension. If I hardly know five to ten per cent of myself, and that too mostly on the surface, my relationships are going to be similarly superficial. With my self-respect built on very weak foundations, it will tend to be delicate and I'll be prone to trying to maintain it by thinking about and focusing my energies on others' weaknesses, sometimes real and sometimes even imagined. I'll also find it hard to realize and appreciate their qualities. Such is the state of so many human relationships today.
In meditation, I go into the depths of myself, and deep within my inner being, I find the beauty of peace, love and happiness that is there inside me. I also realize that this same beauty lies inside each soul. Then naturally and very easily, without any effort, I get connected to the same qualities in others. I also find the strength to do the same. I am no longer judgmental seeing others’ temporary sanskaras of negativity. I find qualities that are basically there inside every soul: the original qualities or sanskaras of each spiritual being. It’s like a basic prototype for the whole of humanity, which I deeply see and realize.
Soul Sustenance
Choosing Peace Over Anger
Making the choice of peace is a simple choice, which lies in the hands of each one of us, at every moment right through the day, every day. A lot of people would choose a world, the world out there, made of peace but spend most of their time remaining peaceless in their own inner world, and then in their next door world, i.e. in their personal interactions. A lot of us would prefer a life of peace and we try to shape up such a life, only to be influenced by the old belief about how it’s absolutely fine to get angry once in a while, without which it’s difficult to get things done. We also get influenced by those people around us who continue to get angry for the shallowest of reasons. These people could be either at home, at the workplace, in the friend circle, the world at large or people who do not matter too much to us but whom we encounter every day - at the vegetable market, on the highway, or even in the movies for that matter! Unaware of the root causes of their anger, all these people around us will find a thousand ways to justify it, and will keep continuing with the habit in their lives. Their emotional un-clarity is so deep and addiction to the emotion of anger is so powerful that they will probably laugh at the idea that anger is a negative emotion and is form of weakness or suffering. They will, on the other hand, say that peace is timidity and a form of weakness or suffering. So, if you do choose peace over anger in your life then you are also choosing to be in a state of power and becoming free from suffering as a result. However, after having made that choice, to experience it in every moment of your life, it is necessary to rediscover where your peace is located inside you, it’s true nature or essence, how to access it through meditation and finally how to use it or apply it in your daily life.
Message of the day
Positive thoughts bring positive results.
Expression: Every thought, when left unchecked, comes into action. Just as a good seed in a good land brings quick and quality fruit, so also when we pay attention to our thoughts, they become a ground for the fortune that we want to create with our actions. Continuous positive thoughts create a ground for positive actions and so positive results.
Experience: Today I will pay attention to my thoughts. I will not think anything that will harm, but only those thoughts that construct. Today I will create a positive thought like "I am happy" or "I have everything that I want" or "God is my companion" and sustain this thought throughout the day, remembering it at least 10 times a day.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Thought of the day 14/5/2015
Understanding And Expressing Your Potential - Part 2
A person with a free mind can use all of their creative capacity in order to live out their dreams.
To use one's creative capacity fully means:
• Being aware of the power of the imagination and channelling it in a constructive way.
• Being able and to be open to discovering and to learning.
• Becoming aware and dissolving self-limiting beliefs.
• Being attracted by excellence, embracing the experiences of superior quality and letting go of the desires and experiences of lesser quality.
• Having good discrimination power thanks to which one has a good power of decision.
• Having the will power and discipline to apply decision.
• Having the courage to be different and to overcome obstacles.
Soul Sustenance
Overcoming The Fear Of Communication
When the fear of communicating effectively exists inside you e.g. when appearing for a work interview, it may be due to personal insecurity. You have to work on it in order to have more security, confidence and authoritativeness. Being secure and full of authority in the moment of communicating and expressing yourself requires practice and effort. Most importantly, to feel secure in such situations, when the person whom you are faced with is in a position of power, you have to value yourself. Self-value brings self-security and a feeling of fearlessness. When someone is normally asked to talk about what his/her personality is like or what is his/her basic character traits are, they normally speak about their weaknesses. Very rarely does one speak of his/her strengths or positive personality traits. Realizing your strengths requires introspection. Meditation, based on the complete spiritual knowledge about the self, is one of the simplest methods to do this. Once you realize your own strengths, you are able to value yourself immensely. If you value yourself, it does not matter so much to you whether another values you or not. However, if you aren't able to value yourself, then doubts exist: Let's see if this person values or respects me; perhaps this job is not for me; perhaps my communication skills are not very good. Then you need recognition and appreciation. Since you cannot give it to yourself (because you have not realized your strengths), you depend on others giving it to you.
You need to know that you are unique and that you are worth a great deal. If the other person does not value you it is their loss; they are losing something precious. If you are established in that self esteem of Who am I, a very elevated consciousness and that awareness – here comes a treasure whom you will be interviewing;your words and your body language will be sharp, secure and stable. Within you, you value yourself; and if you value yourself, it will be easier for people to value you. On the other hand, if you do not like and respect yourself, you will cause the same energy, which you radiate, to come back to you from others.
When the fear of communicating effectively exists inside you e.g. when appearing for a work interview, it may be due to personal insecurity. You have to work on it in order to have more security, confidence and authoritativeness. Being secure and full of authority in the moment of communicating and expressing yourself requires practice and effort. Most importantly, to feel secure in such situations, when the person whom you are faced with is in a position of power, you have to value yourself. Self-value brings self-security and a feeling of fearlessness. When someone is normally asked to talk about what his/her personality is like or what is his/her basic character traits are, they normally speak about their weaknesses. Very rarely does one speak of his/her strengths or positive personality traits. Realizing your strengths requires introspection. Meditation, based on the complete spiritual knowledge about the self, is one of the simplest methods to do this. Once you realize your own strengths, you are able to value yourself immensely. If you value yourself, it does not matter so much to you whether another values you or not. However, if you aren't able to value yourself, then doubts exist: Let's see if this person values or respects me; perhaps this job is not for me; perhaps my communication skills are not very good. Then you need recognition and appreciation. Since you cannot give it to yourself (because you have not realized your strengths), you depend on others giving it to you.
You need to know that you are unique and that you are worth a great deal. If the other person does not value you it is their loss; they are losing something precious. If you are established in that self esteem of Who am I, a very elevated consciousness and that awareness – here comes a treasure whom you will be interviewing;your words and your body language will be sharp, secure and stable. Within you, you value yourself; and if you value yourself, it will be easier for people to value you. On the other hand, if you do not like and respect yourself, you will cause the same energy, which you radiate, to come back to you from others.
Message for the day
Fortune is in one's own hands.
Expression: It is said that fortune is in the lines of our hands. It is true that it is in our hands, but not just in the lines. We create a fortune for ourselves with every action that we do. When we go on paying attention to doing actions which are positive, they become like strong seeds that help quick fruition.
Experience: Today I will be aware of the lines of fortune that I am creating with my hands. I will do at least one action that will consciously create a positive fortune and for today I will not do anything that erases these lines of fortune.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Expression: It is said that fortune is in the lines of our hands. It is true that it is in our hands, but not just in the lines. We create a fortune for ourselves with every action that we do. When we go on paying attention to doing actions which are positive, they become like strong seeds that help quick fruition.
Experience: Today I will be aware of the lines of fortune that I am creating with my hands. I will do at least one action that will consciously create a positive fortune and for today I will not do anything that erases these lines of fortune.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Thought of the day 13/5/2015
Understanding And Expressing Your Potential - Part 1
A free being is the one who recognizes their potential; they care for it, nourish it, use it and express it. It is an awakened being. It has stopped blaming, complaining and making excuses. It has taken on its full responsibility and has an attitude of gratitude at each moment. It is a relaxed being, but it does not get too comfortable in comfort zones or laziness. Out of peacefulness and spiritual strength, it rises above beliefs that limit their potential to grow and shine.
Its energy is full of love, courage and determination. It is a concentrated energy that governs their mind and emotions; it is not distracted by the unimportant, it does not lose sight of the important and does not allow itself to be trapped by anything or anybody. Therefore, their energy is fully centred and has great power. Not the false power that comes from stress, adrenaline, pride and ego, but rather the power that arises from a being whose conscience, decisions and actions are aligned. From a being that knows that nothing or nobody can prevent it from being free and express their full potential. A free mind is a mind without limits, open to everything and closed to nothing. It is a mind that clings on to nothing and, because of this, is relaxed with everything. A mind is closed because it gets stuck on something; it is blocked by fears or disturbed by worries. A person with a busy, closed and clinging mind will get disturbed, they will fluctuate, they will lose their emotional stability and they will be easily offended. This doesn't happen to a person with a free, open and relaxed mind because they never lose sight of the true meaning of who they are.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
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 by: karmas 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.
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 by: karmas 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
To give is to get multi-fold returns.
Expression: If you have something; give. If you don't have, still give; because you will start experiencing getting what you give. Whatever you lack today, continue being aware of what little you have and start giving. By giving you are able to experience these treasures yourself and start getting enriched. It is easy to give, when you have the awareness of having something.
Experience: Today I will make a list of all those attainments I am aware of. I will give at least 5 people from any of these attainments (it could be love, happiness, or any other attainments). If there is nothing else to give, let me at least give good wishes. This is the biggest help that I could give. And this further enhances my own treasures.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Expression: If you have something; give. If you don't have, still give; because you will start experiencing getting what you give. Whatever you lack today, continue being aware of what little you have and start giving. By giving you are able to experience these treasures yourself and start getting enriched. It is easy to give, when you have the awareness of having something.
Experience: Today I will make a list of all those attainments I am aware of. I will give at least 5 people from any of these attainments (it could be love, happiness, or any other attainments). If there is nothing else to give, let me at least give good wishes. This is the biggest help that I could give. And this further enhances my own treasures.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris
Thought of the day 12/5/2015
Learn to create silence in your mind and peace will flourish in your soul.
You will see life with other eyes. You will discover God's language.
To be internally silent, do not think too much. Trust yourself. Trust others. Trust life. You will find it is easier than it seems.
Soul Sustenance
The Spiritual Director And The Actor
Spirituality adds great depth and value to Shakespeare's famous words - All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Through spirituality, I realize and experience myself as a soul, separate from the body, playing a part on the stage of the world through my physical body costume. The difference between the actor and the role is clearly understood. An added dimension then, to this consciousness is that God or the Supreme Being is the Spiritual Director of the play we are enacting.
The Director - God looks at the entire drama and every actor's part from a broader perspective. His vision is not just limited to the present but stretches from the past (past not limited to this birth) to the future (future not limited to this birth) of each one's part. I learn from the Director how to play my own part with accuracy, now as well as his training helps me for the future. Like any good actor, I need to have a lot of respect, appreciation, loyalty and love for the Director and immense faith in him. The Director is like a mentor or guide for an actor, to whom he surrenders completely. He knows that by doing that, his act will be of the highest quality. If he doesn't do that and he performs his act his own way, his act will suffer and he will experience pain. As a result he will not be as successful as one who is willing to listen and learn from the Director. If I keep a little distance between me and my role, so I don't lose sight of the Spiritual Director's instructions and the way the play is moving, my part will be much easier to perform, better appreciated by all, and I will be extremely successful. Positive appreciation for a performance for an actor's performance by the spectators is of great value to any actor, sometimes even more important than commercial success. So surrendering to the soul's Director and having a strong relationship of mutual trust with him is particularly helpful at this time, when there is a lot of confusion on the stage of the Earth with billions of actors crowded here and our acts not exactly of the highest quality. So I, the spiritual actor need someone at this time who can tell me about mistakes committed by my in my past acts and improve my act of the present which will result in a positive present as well as future. Spirituality introduces me to that someone.
Spirituality adds great depth and value to Shakespeare's famous words - All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Through spirituality, I realize and experience myself as a soul, separate from the body, playing a part on the stage of the world through my physical body costume. The difference between the actor and the role is clearly understood. An added dimension then, to this consciousness is that God or the Supreme Being is the Spiritual Director of the play we are enacting.
The Director - God looks at the entire drama and every actor's part from a broader perspective. His vision is not just limited to the present but stretches from the past (past not limited to this birth) to the future (future not limited to this birth) of each one's part. I learn from the Director how to play my own part with accuracy, now as well as his training helps me for the future. Like any good actor, I need to have a lot of respect, appreciation, loyalty and love for the Director and immense faith in him. The Director is like a mentor or guide for an actor, to whom he surrenders completely. He knows that by doing that, his act will be of the highest quality. If he doesn't do that and he performs his act his own way, his act will suffer and he will experience pain. As a result he will not be as successful as one who is willing to listen and learn from the Director. If I keep a little distance between me and my role, so I don't lose sight of the Spiritual Director's instructions and the way the play is moving, my part will be much easier to perform, better appreciated by all, and I will be extremely successful. Positive appreciation for a performance for an actor's performance by the spectators is of great value to any actor, sometimes even more important than commercial success. So surrendering to the soul's Director and having a strong relationship of mutual trust with him is particularly helpful at this time, when there is a lot of confusion on the stage of the Earth with billions of actors crowded here and our acts not exactly of the highest quality. So I, the spiritual actor need someone at this time who can tell me about mistakes committed by my in my past acts and improve my act of the present which will result in a positive present as well as future. Spirituality introduces me to that someone.
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