----------------------------------------------------------
Soul Sustenance 12-01-2013
----------------------------------------------------------
The Role Of Emotions In The Functioning Of The Soul
Inside the soul, there are four components – thoughts, feelings, emotions and ‘sanskaras’.
Thoughts and feelings are present more on the surface of the soul in the conscious.
Emotions and ‘sanskaras’ on the other hand are less easily perceived and lie below
thoughts and feelings.
‘Sanskaras’ can be defined as the traces left on the soul due to actions performed
by it and also due to its interactions with others in relationships.
Emotions, on the other hand, are impulses associated with the ‘sanskaras’ and are
very close to these traces.
The internal functioning of the soul is cyclic - ‘thoughts gives rise to actions,
actions give rise to ‘sanskaras’, and ‘sanskaras’ give rise to further thoughts’.
This description becomes complete, when we add an additional component – emotions.
The deepest component inside the soul is the ‘sanskaras’. Next up from ‘sanskaras’
are the emotions, above that are feelings and then finally the uppermost component
inside the soul is the thoughts.
Thoughts can be caught instantly. Feelings can be seen and perceived if I stop for
a moment and check. Emotions are deeper than both of them and are very close to
the ‘sanskaras’, and just as its difficult to see all the ‘sanskaras’ of an individual,
we can't always see their emotions. Feelings, being more towards the surface, can
be clearly identified, but you have to go deeper to see the quality of emotions
a person is creating and the quality of his/her ‘sanskaras’.
----------------------------------------------------------
Message for the day 12-01-2013
----------------------------------------------------------
The fire of anger can be cooled with the sprinkling of the cool water of virtues.
Expression: When someone is angry, we come under the influence of the situation
and we too get angry. It seems very difficult at that moment to remain cool. With
our own anger we find that the other person's anger also increases. But we find
that this is not the solution because it doesn't help either of us in anyway.
Experience: Instead of getting angry and aggravating the anger of the other
person, we need to instead emerge our qualities or virtues of coolness and peace.
We will then find that where anger doesn't work, only the cool water of virtues
will help us put off the fire of anger.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris