Raksha Bandhan Celebration - 2014

Today's Step To Become REAL Human Being - 'No Task Too Difficult'

If you do everything with the feeling of happiness, there will be no task too difficult to perform.

Stability

When we are faced with difficult situations, we usually tend to have a feeling that we have no resources or are not able to make the best use of the resources within for best results. Thus we are not able to experience real progress. On the other hand we only tend to experience a lot of negative feelings. When we learn the art of being stable in the most negative situations, we will know how to use the treasures that are hidden within ourselves. Our mind is no longer disturbed with waste or negative thoughts and we find it easy to face and learn from each and every situation.

A Spiritual Perspective Of True Love

Emotional love can flower into true love when the fire of emotions cools down and is substituted by a wiser and more mature relationship. True love needs a fresh and renewing atmosphere, without fears. When you feel spiritually full, you feel flowing over with pleasure, happiness, wellbeing, and that state helps you to accept the one whom you love as they are, because from your fullness you give and share and you don't need or expect anything from the other. While you need something that you want the other to satisfy, you will have expectations and the fear that those needs might not be satisfied, and you will get frustrated more easily. When you feel like a being of peace, a being of love, a tranquil being, a being that is spiritually full and satisfied, your relationship with others is a relationship of sharing on a level on which fear is not generated. You are not asking for or taking anything from the other. An elevated sharing of love, of happiness, of knowledge, of wisdom takes place, in which you do not generate a dependency on the other.

Attachments and dependencies, fears and insecurity, block our experience of love, of peace, serenity, freedom, happiness. When you have a feeling of love that takes you to a state of joy, to wholeness, but then you attach yourself to the object of your love, be it a person, or a property, automatically the feeling changes into fear: you fear to lose the object of your love and, instead of feeling wholeness and enjoyment, you feel fear.

Over time that attachment turns into a dependency and you start to become inwardly empty: that is, your energy level goes down. Love in its purest form is a like a spring that pours forth for the benefit of others. Learn the art of loving, being free and allowing to be. Pure, true, love is an unconditional love that flows freely. Do not cling (hold on to). Love does not cling.

Soul Sustenance

Creative Visualization

The incorporeal (non-physical) soul, situated in the centre of the forehead consists of three energies. Although each energy can be given a different name, it is actually the same energy, the soul, functioning on three different levels at the same time. These are the mind, which is the thinking faculty (energy) of the soul; the intellect, which is the decision-making and visualizing faculty (energy) of the soul and the personality characteristics, commonly called sanskaras.

In the practice of meditation, on one hand, the mind is used to create pure, positive and powerful thoughts or affirmations based on the basic qualities of the soul like peace, contentment, happiness, love, joy, power, etc. Along with that, the intellect is used to create visual images of the same thoughts, which is called creative visualization. This process brings about a positive change in our sanskaras. This is the basic principle used in the Rajyoga meditation taught by the Brahma Kumaris. Creative visualization may be used in various ways to experience true relaxation of the mind.

Message for the day

With benevolent feelings and good wishes we can free people from worrying.

Projection: When we come across someone who is faced with a difficult situation because of which he is worrying, we too usually tend to think about it. Instead of helping the other person to be free from worrying, we too begin to worry. This doesn't help either of us in anyway but only adds to the negativity of the situation.

Solution: We need to develop such benevolent feelings for the one who is going through the situation that the power of our positive feelings will spread to them too. It will act like the light of the lamp, which helps to dispel the darkness around. Only when there is positivity in the mind will they be able to think of some solution.

Talk By Brother Charlie: A Future without Fear

The Anatomy of Change

Change happens on three levels. First - within our self, over which we have total control. Second - in the thoughts and behaviors of others, over which we have no control, but perhaps some influence. And third - in the big wide world out there, over which we have no control and almost no influence.

Obvious Truth: An obvious truth is that we can never control any event in the world more than three feet away from us. We certainly cannot change other people. And yet, almost all of our feelings of stress arise from our perception of others’ behaviors and our attempt to control other people’s behaviors and the world.

The Enlightened Soul: An enlightened soul realizes that the ‘emotional reaction’ to others’ behaviors is a sign of weakness and as such he does not respond to a ‘remote control’ (others behavior or change thereof) out there. Our belief shapes our perception. If we change our belief, we will keep our remote control in our hand instead of in others’ hands. So, in a world of rampant changes, you need to ask yourself 3 question. Are you READY? Are you WILLING? Are you ABLE?

Are you READY? The first principle of ‘change readiness’ lies in an easy to understand but hard to practice insight which reminds us that, “I cannot control anything or anyone in the world, all I can do is control my response to others and the world”. When fully inculcated, this basic truth begins to restore our self control and sets us free from the energy draining futility of constant failure. It’s this failure that creates the stress, not realizing that we are trying to do impossible task – change others!

Are you WILLING? Most of us want others to change first and when that does not happen, it creates stress in us. But if we can put a metaphorical arm around them, walk with them, listen to them, understand them, gain their trust and respect, we will remain stress free and the opportunity to influence them will inevitably arise.

Are You ABLE? There are many skills and capabilities that we can develop to ‘enable’ us to deal with a changing world. Being resilient when that changing world serves up ‘the unexpected’ means being able learn from adversity, apply the new-knowledge quickly and bounce back strongly. The capacity to stay light and optimistic, to forgive easily, turn any apparent problems into opportunities, help others and inspire others, are all recognized competencies of the change agent. But it still leaves us with one particular question.

Question: What are the key changes that you see are likely to impinge on your life in the near future?

Reflection: What skills, qualities, abilities etc. do you think you will need in order to navigate your way forward?

Action: Take five minutes three times every day this week and practice slowing your mind and just being still. Notice the effect it has on the quality of energy that you give to others.

Adapted from Mike George’s article “The Anatomy of Change” © 2012