Turning Qualities Into Powers

An important aspect of God or the Supreme Being, remembered throughout history in all cultures and traditions, has been the concept of God being an Almighty Authority. The interpretation of this concept has been varied, however:

Some have conceived a God who is fearsome and revengeful and one who punishes. That is very different from the experience of God, in meditation, as a gentle, benevolent (generous), merciful parent; as a teacher of absolute spiritual wisdom or knowledge, but a wisdom that has total humility, and is free from the demands of ego.

Yet, it is also the experience of the soul that God is the Almighty Authority, the source of all power and strength. When I meditate and connect with the Supreme, I experience a state of truth in which the combination of all the original qualities of the soul -- peace, love, purity, wisdom and happiness -- fills me with a positive power -- a power that overcomes negativity in myself and others, so that those I am connected with become better able to experience their own truth. This power also extends to my physical surroundings, transforming the atmosphere around me.

There are interesting spiritual parallels to the way the physical sciences differentiate energy and power. In physical terms, energy is defined as the capacity of doing work. Power is defined as the rate of doing work.

Similarly, we can look upon spiritual energy as our capacity for experiencing the original qualities of the soul. We all have this capacity, but to different degrees. Spiritual power is then seen as the extent to which we put these qualities to work in difficult situations and in our relationships. Spiritual power helps us remain in a state of truth, in the face of the various tests that come. Also, our actions and relationships give us an opportunity to utilize the power we have accumulated.

The qualities of God experienced in meditation are also the original qualities of the soul, but the link with God is essential for us to enhance these qualities inside us. In fact God, too, needs the connection with us, despite having these qualities to the highest degree, in order to exercise his power to restore truth to the world.

There are eight key spiritual powers - power to tolerate, power to adjust, power to face, power to pack up, power to withdraw, power to co-operate, power to discriminate and power to judge and in terms of their application in everyday life - all of which we have discussed and shared with our readers in earlier messages.

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Warm Regards,
Awakening With Brahma Kumaris

- Watch Awakening With Brahma Kumaris daily on Headlines Today at 6:30 a.m., Aastha at 7:10 p.m. and Sanskar at 10:00 p.m. Also watch in English, every Sunday, on Aastha from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. 

Applying The Law Of Balance To Anger

We are all very much aware of the law of gravity. It keeps us grounded on the earth. Gravity ensures everything returns to a state of balance. This is the law of balance on a physical level.

The law of balance can also be applied on a mental and emotional level, to the emotion of anger e.g. Too many angry thoughts of revenge and animosity (hatred) inside our consciousness can emerge in two ways:

a) either externally as toxic, violent behavior, which will attract toxic, violent responses from others, or 

b) if these thoughts are kept bottled inside, they will eventually, after a period of time, emerge as some disease or the other in the physical body. This is because our consciousness then tries to find a way to get rid of the mental impurity, which enters our physical body and restores balance to the mental and physical system, which has been upset due to the creation of the toxic thoughts, in the first place.

The above e.g. is an application of this law on a micro level. We can apply this law of balance on a macro level, on the world at large, where we watch groups of people, even countries exchanging negative energy.

The same law can also be applied on a larger level. Each time a group of people transmit the negative energy of anger physically to another group of people - at that time, either:

a) one party is disturbing the balance temporarily, which will be restored sometime in the future, by the second party indulging in similar behavior, or 

b) balance is being restored at the present moment (because negative energy had been transmitted from the opposite party to the first party sometime in the past). This balancing must take place, because it's an unbreakable law. This is the law of balance.

This law that does not need to be enforced by us, the police or even by God. It is a natural law like other laws of nature. It gets enforced itself and cannot be broken by anyone. Understanding that this law is embedded in the human state of affairs at all times makes us careful and detached so that we don't hurt ourselves with violent, toxic thoughts, when someone acts negatively. We create these kinds of thoughts because we believe this is revenge that is justified. Also, knowing that anger that is radiated comes back doesn't mean we don't have any laws within society – they are required, but it helps us not to take the law into our own hands. We cannot force justice to take place before its fixed time. We cannot force the balancing of energies of anger. If we trying doing it, it is being egoistic and we only upset the balance of our energies as a result. Even to criticize those who try to take the law into their own hands is to take the law into our hands.

 

     [BKSHIVANI]

 

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Seven Techniques To Let Go Off The Past

Almost each one of us carries a heavy or subtle burden of negative events and happenings that have taken place in our life sometime in the past, either an immediate past or a far-off one; which reduce our present contentment levels immensely. The negative past could be of any form - you experienced the loss of a close loved one due to a break-up or sudden death; you went through a serious physical illness or a very lean phase of financial loss, you were abused on a mental or physical level; you were not treated properly by a colleague at office and undue advantage was taken of you; you performed an inappropriate action and you repent up till now, even after many years have passed, and many such similar and different types of  incidents. 

There are three different types of processes for removing negative past memories from our consciousness:

* Modifying - A negative past event is modified into a positive, beneficial form and then stored in the consciousness.
* Forgetting - Memories of a negative past event are forgotten and do not exist either in our conversations or in our conscious mind or thoughts, but traces of those memories exist in the sub-conscious mind. 
* Erasing - No traces of the negative past exist in the consciousness and memories of it are completely removed from the sub-conscious also.

We need to take the help of all the different aspects or techniques of spirituality and not depend on only one or two for these removal processes. In the next two days' messages, we will explain all these different techniques of spirituality, which if incorporated in our life, help us experience lightness and emotional freedom from the past. All of them have their own unique importance.  


Positive Information and Intoxication - The more we listen or read positive and constructive spiritual knowledge, even if it is for 10 minutes daily, and imbibe (absorb) it, the more our negative memories fade into the background. Also the regular input of knowledge lifts our consciousness to a higher level and gives us an experience of intoxication or spiritual bliss, in which the memory of our past sorrows and negative experiences gets dissolved. Even on a physical level, there are lots of people who indulge in some kind of addiction or intoxication only because it temporarily helps them to overcome and forget the negatives in their life.

Karma Realization - Another benefit of spiritual knowledge is that it makes us realize the various shades and details of the Law of Karma and its application in the World Drama, which helps us immensely in letting go of the past and concentrating on our present so that a bright future can be built, irrespective of the quality of the past.

Self and God Realization - One of the most important benefits of meditation, an important aspect of spirituality, is that it makes us realize and experience the spiritual self and the Father of the spiritual self, the Supreme Soul, accurately. This is an experience of liberation, in which there is no room for past repentances. Past repentances are more a reflection of excessive attachment to the physical or material or attachment to incorrect emotions related to body-consciousness, remembering the damage caused by it to the self and experiencing sorrow due to the same.

Connection and Relation - Also, meditation being a deep connection between me and the Supreme Father, it fills me with immense power and it is also an intense relationship, which fills me with love, happiness and peace. In the experience of these attainments, over a period of time, my past ceases to burden my consciousness.

Correction - Memories inside the soul are like imprints or impressions on the soul. Some impressions are deep, some are not. Negative past experiences leave very deep negative impressions or scars on the soul, which sometimes take a lot of time to heal and sometime an entire lifetime can be sent without them getting healed. Negative past experience imprints and negative emotions like anger, hatred, attachment etc. are closely linked. So, correcting the self or incorporating positive sanskars fills the spiritual self with positive impressions. This, over a period of time, nullifies the effect of these negative impressions and as a result, the related negative memories. 

Donation - Donation can be simply defined as the distribution of the invisible attainments one has experienced through spiritual self transformation, to others. It helps one receive blessings or positive energy of those whom we donate to and gives life a focused positive purpose, both of which help us immensely in forgetting our past. People who live only for themselves will find it more difficult to forget their past as compared to ones who spend a lot of time for others. Giving happiness to others helps us in forgetting our griefs. 

Interaction - The more we interact with and remain in the company of positive minded people and have positive conversations with them, we give and receive positive energy and the more our past gets erased from my consciousness. Spirituality teaches us to look inwards and experience introvertness, which we haven't experienced for a long time. At the same time, spirituality also teaches us to keep a balance between looking inwards and outwards. Composed and balanced extrovertness and healthy, happy relationships with virtuous people help us remain more in a present consciousness, not giving the mind to drift too much into the past.

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Warm Regards,
Awakening With Brahma Kumaris

- Watch Awakening With Brahma Kumaris daily on Headlines Today at 6:30 a.m., Aastha at 7:10 p.m. and Sanskar at 10:00 p.m. Also watch in English, every Sunday, on Aastha from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. 

What Are Thought Vibrations?

The word atmosphere has two meanings. One refers to the physical air around us and the other to the more subtle effect that thought vibrations create in a particular space. No one can deny that the atmosphere of a crowded restaurant is different from that of a temple. This is mainly because of the effect of different types of thoughts and feelings in that space. Even someone deaf and blind would have the ability to pick up the difference. Sound vibrations are invisible but their impact isn't. A pneumatic drill or a jet breaking the sound barrier jolt both our minds (non-physical effect) and the walls of our houses (physical effect). Thought vibrations can't be seen but their non-physical as well as physical impact is even more powerful and influential. The panic that people generate during a stampede or an earthquake and the euphoria (absolute joy) of victory in a World Cup final cricket game are examples of how thoughts create an atmosphere.

On a subtler level, many of us have the experience of basic telepathy - ' I was just thinking of you and you called'. Thoughts connect individuals over large distances. Doctors inform us that over 90% of the physical body's illnesses have a psychosomatic (mental) origin i.e. they are a direct or indirect result of our state of mind. That makes the human body the prime example of how thoughts affect matter.

Since the world is made up of the collective, personal worlds of all individuals, then it's easy to see how the international political, economic and social atmosphere is nothing more than the collective effects of all our thoughts.

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Warm Regards,
Awakening With Brahma Kumaris


- Watch Awakening With Brahma Kumaris daily on Headlines Today at 6:30 a.m., Aastha at 7:10 p.m. and Sanskar at 10:00 p.m. Also watch in English, every Sunday, on Aastha from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. 

 

The Creations Of The Mind

Scientists have learned a lot about our physical functioning, but most admit that what actually keeps a human being alive is a mystery not completely solved. Rising above being just a product of chemical and electrical activity in the brain, as believed by many of us, spirituality orients me and trains me to come close to my real self, my spiritual self. Before I was a stranger to my own self, unaware of what is going inside my consciousness and distant from my own self. The first step in coming close to myself is that I learn to use the energy of my mind in the most effective way possible. For this, I decide to find a place where, each day, I can sit for a few minutes without interruptions, in order to focus on the self and explore the inner world of the creations of the mind - my thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions.

There has been a lot of conflicting views in the world about what the mind is and how it works. In the teachings of meditation by the Brahma Kumaris, the mind, which gives rise to my thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions, is seen as a faculty of the soul, not the body. It is rather like the difference between a television set and the movies seen on that set. The movies originate in the minds of the directors, not in the television set itself. The television set is just a medium for displaying the movies. So it is with all these four creations (thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions). These originate in the non-physical consciousness and not in the physical brain. The brain is just a processor of them and the body is a medium via which all four are displayed or brought onto expressions, physical gestures, words and actions. When I realize this, and really understand this difference, it very empowering. I am then able to use the power of discrimination to make choices between thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions that are useful and empowering for myself and others, and those that bring me down.

To think less is to remain happy

Projection: Usually there is a tendency to think more than normal when there is a challenging situation. Although it is considered to be good to think more, we usually miss out on the fact that thinking more means having lots of waste thoughts along with those that are necessary.

Solution: When we find ourselves thinking a lot we need to ask ourselves if all these thoughts are really necessary. We need to recognise waste thoughts and replace them with something more positive. With this practice we'll find ourselves thinking less and at the same time having powerful thoughts which will keep us cheerful under all circumstances

 

 

[BKSHIVANI]

The Art Of Thought Training

There is a common impression that meditation means to empty the mind of all thoughts in order to experience the stillness or peacefulness of the mind. The mind is not to blame for our existing distress or confusion. It is really only a screen upon which thoughts are projected. The waywardness and naughtiness of the mind is due to the quality of thoughts that arise in it and not due to some problem inherent in the mind itself.

Though this emptying of the mind may bring temporary relief, it's not a natural part of living to have no thoughts. Instead, the mind has to be trained to create the types of thoughts that lead to harmony and peace. Thus, each session of Raja Yoga meditation (as taught by the Brahma Kumaris) can be seen as one of thought-training in a similar way to a tennis player who, seeking perfection, practices his serve, back-hand and volley in order to improve them.

Meditation is the journey towards soul-consciousness and god-consciousness guided by the use of the thoughts created in the mind and the deep and inner memory of the original and basic state and virtues of the soul. I first have to withdraw my attention from all outer circumstances and direct it within towards inner dialogue. 

To be an embodiment of power is to be free from effort

Projection: When we are faced with a difficult situation we usually try to make our mind positive at that time, but we find it very difficult to do so. We then give up making effort thinking that we don't have the power to change our nature. We continue to work with the weakness and strengthen it further.

Solution: In order to win over our weakness we need to become an embodiment of power. For this we need the practice of a long time of being powerful so that we experience the power within. Then the power that we want at that time will emerge naturally. Like a master we'll be able to order our inner powers and be free from the effort of changing negative to positive.   

[BKSHIVANI]

Projection: Detachment is usually mistaken as being away from things because usually while using the facilities available we tend to get dependent on them. Such dependency is troublesome and so we sometimes give up using these facilities thinking that this is detachment which helps us to be free from their control.
Solution: The solution lies in mentally detaching ourselves from the facilities we are using. That means we use them but we are not dependent on them. For this we need to remind ourselves that we are the creator and whatever facilities are available to us are the creation. This enables us to develop mastery and control over everything. 

 

       [BKSHIVANI]