Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 31-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 31-08-2014
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Becoming Aware Of What Is Ego

All of us are familiar, to different extents, with the emotion of ego. All of us don’t even define it in the same way. We are also aware to different extents, about the negative repercussions (effects) of the emotion of ego on us and on others. Depending on how aware we are about the effects, we work to eradicate the emotion from our daily lives, so that it neither disturbs us nor others. Some of us even consider it a positive emotion and feel it contributes positively to our personal and professional progress. To be aware completely of the negative effects of ego and to realize clearly whether it is a positive emotion or not in the first place, it is important to first become aware of what it is exactly. So, how can we define ego?

Ego is attachment, inside my consciousness, to an incorrect image of my ‘self’ which I then mistake for myself. When the attachment takes place, you lose your sense of identity in the image of the object of attachment which you create on the screen of your mind. That object can be something physical like your body, your physical personality, a relationship, a material possession, your status, money, a particular skill, respect from others, etc. or something non-physical like a belief; an opinion; a mindset, a memory, a particular virtue, specialty, power or a sanskara (positive or negative), etc. Therefore ego is the self attaching to and identifying with an image that is not the self. This process takes place entirely within our consciousness many times in the day, on the screen of the mind. E.g. When we say this is my salary package (something physical) or my opinion (something non-physical), we are (without being aware about it) creating an image of the salary package or the opinion inside our consciousness and becoming attached to it, so that we lose our self identity in the salary package or the opinion, believing that I am the salary package or the opinion. So at that time, the salary package or the opinion becomes an incorrect image of the self to which I am attached. This is ego. If while thinking, feeling or speaking about my salary package or my opinion, we do not become attached to or do not lose our self identity in either of the two, then that is not ego.

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Message for the day 31-08-2014
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Where there is faith there is victory

Projection: When someone has faith there are no doubts or questions about the self, others or situations. Faith also enables a person to see and understand simple things in life with a new understanding. It shows direction and courage to go on.

Solution: When I have faith, I experience myself to be lucky and thus receive cooperation from many others. I would also be able to experience success at every step. There is then no worry for me and am troubled less by aspects that keep changing around me. My thoughts then would always be positive and I experience victory.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 30-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 30-08-2014
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The Car-Driver Comparison To Aid Self Realization (Part 2)

If a good driver, while driving a car is distracted by the negative and disturbing scenes which he comes across and his attention is pulled in many different directions, he will make his journey unsafe increasing the probability of meeting with accidents. When the same principles are applied to the soul and the body, I also need to take care that, while traveling on the road of life, I am not distracted by scenes that are not useful to me e.g. when looking out through my eyes and I don’t have to take in all the images, scenes and information along the way, otherwise I may meet with an accident. When listening through my ears, I don’t have to take in all the words and everything that people say, otherwise I may meet with an accident. I can choose to take in what is useful for me, but I do not have to register distracting, negative and harmful images and words. Just like a driver, I see and understand situations, too I keep my eyes and ears open - it would be unsafe to ignore them completely, I need to be aware of them - but I look only for the positive in them, so that I remain focused and am not deflected from my goal of experiencing inner contentment and bliss, while making the journey.

I, as the driver in charge of this vehicle, the body, also need to take care that I do not drive rashly i.e. I learn to monitor the feelings and attitude that are transmitted outwards through my eyes, my words and my complete body language. Driving rashly i.e. transmitting negative energy in this way could harm any co-traveler on the road of life. When these feelings stay positive, filled with sweetness, purity and respect, that too helps to ensure that my journey passes smoothly and enjoyably. When I stay alert and aware in a driver conscious and drive carefully as explained in this and yesterday’s message, my actions bring me closer to my spiritual truth and I am able to share my positivity with others around me. When I lose awareness for even a moment, there's danger either from me to others or vice versa.

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Message for the day 30-08-2014
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The method to serve is to become an embodiment of power.

Projection: Service to others is usually understood as bringing benefit to others through what I do. I have love for such service and make an attempt to do it too. But sometimes busy in such service, I find that my own self-progress is left behind.

Solution: I need to pay attention for my own self-progress by learning from everything that happens. I thus find myself improving and filling myself with power. This power spreads around and shows the right path to others, just like a lighthouse and others continue to take benefit from me.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 29-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 29-08-2014
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The Car-Driver Comparison To Aid Self Realization (Part 1)

One of the comparisons which help in self realization i.e. in strengthening the awareness that I, the soul, a non-physical energy am different from this physical body is that of the driver and the car, where the driver represents the spiritual energy and the car represents the body which is controlled by the spiritual energy. The biggest reason why I do not have the desired control over my physical body, my vehicle, my sense organs today is that I lost the consciousness of being a driver which could control and rule the vehicle. Instead I developed the consciousness that I am this vehicle, this physical body. This consciousness disconnected me from the ability and the power I possessed inside me to control the vehicle. If I want to achieve the desired control, I need to be in a driver consciousness i.e. in the awareness that I am a soul and my body is a vehicle, through which I experience life. Being in this awareness, in this consciousness awakens me and empowers me to regain the much required control over my body.

The car controls are the gears, brakes, accelerator and steering wheel which can be compared to the sense organs of the soul which are the mind, intellect and sanskars and those of the body which are the eyes, ears, nose, hands and tongue. A good driver is one who remains extremely alert and is able to use the gears, brakes, accelerator and steering wheel effectively and efficiently, in order to be fully in control of the vehicle and avoid any accidents. In the same way, as I move on the road of life, I need to keep my mental and physical sense organs (mentioned above) in complete control. If I do that, they will keep my journey enjoyable and take me to my desired destination of mental peace and happiness safely and successfully. If I don’t do that and let them overpower me, accidents will definitely occur, making me peaceless and sorrowful.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 29-08-2014
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To be experienced means never to be deceived by anything.

Projection: It is normally understood that to be experienced means to gain expertise in something, or to become a master in a particular field. Such a person, who is an expert in one field might find himself totally impractical in daily situations.

Solution: Life has so many things to teach me through the various situations. I need to keep learning from all that happens. Then I'll never be surprised or cheated by any unexpected events, but will be prepared because of being experienced.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 28-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 28-08-2014
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Resisting False Attractions In Actions

All that glitters (shines) is not gold. Life presents you with many illusionary scenes, scenes in which what may be visible may not be the truth. These scenes cause desires to be born inside you to achieve something unnecessary for your prosperity or other types of fulfillments. These can be illusions that make you believe that you will gain something from a situation or person, without the same being true. Thus, you waste time going down a path that not only leads you to disappointment; but you also waste the resource of your thoughts and energy and as a result you tire yourself out emotionally and mentally.

If the intellect is polluted, you make incorrect judgments and are easily deceived by situations or people. Thus, you will make incorrect choices, dishonest or illogical decisions. You will justify dishonesty and improper actions and you will be incapable of differentiating between the real and the imaginary. A person with a pure, clear, clean and powerful intellect will act with honesty and sincerity. When your intellect is polluted, you may act against your own conscience or against your better judgment; you also may be insensitive. A person with a doubtful intellect will always justify a dishonest act. Meditation is the process of purifying and cleaning the intellect, because in meditation we connect with the purest intellect, the intellect of the Supreme Soul or God. Meditation is also a process of inner awakening and strengthening of your conscience. Being awake means to realize, and being strong means to act according to what you have realized.

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Message for the day 28-08-2014
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Determination is the best companion.

Projection: When things go wrong, the first reaction is of fear. Because of this, I can't put in any effort to better the situation. I start looking for a companion, a support who can provide me help. But I rarely get help from outside.

Solution: When I have to look for something to rely on, the only support I get is from my own determined thought. I need to make it my companion, not letting go of it till I succeed. This will help me overcome my fear and move towards success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 27-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 27-08-2014
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Factors that Bring Us Closer To Failure

Given below are some factors that bring us closer to failure:

• Dejection and Disillusion.
• Fear.
• Ignorance.
• Confusion.
• Influences.
• Mental weakness.
• Insecurity.
• Inexperience.
• Ego, arrogance.
• Mistrust.
• Attachment, dependencies.
• Excuses, laziness, putting off.
• Excess of acceptance with submission.
• Fear of being yourself.
• Making judgements without an objective vision.
• Nervousness.
• Not taking on limits.
• Low self-esteem.
• Blockages. Not going forward.
• Intolerance.
• Rigidity – inability to adapt to different situations.

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Message for the day 27-08-2014
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The one who is selfless is the one who is the best judge.

Projection: When I have to take a decision, either for others or myself, there is some kind of selfishness or greed involved in it. When I think only of my selfish desires, my judgement would not be accurate.

Solution: I need to be detached and see what benefit there is for each one with the choice that I am going to make. The more I think of the benefit of all, the more my judgement is accurate.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 26-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 26-08-2014
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Defining Failure

Given below are some definitions of failure:

• Depending on your perception: failure actually does not exist.
• Staying stuck in what you could have done and haven't done. Letting your though patterns to be influence by the same.
• Experiencing emotions of frustration, pain, suffering.
• Losing your notion (idea) of the dream, of the ideal life you want to lead.
• Not fulfilling set expectations.
• Not having enough courage and bravery to walk through life.
• Not being the ruler of your thoughts, feelings, actions and life in general.
• Allowing yourself to be led by something negative that a particular situation causes.
• Distancing yourself from your values.
• Not being in harmony with your inner conscience (while performing actions).
• When the self does not accept what life brings it.
• Putting your life in the hands of, and blaming, others and circumstances with feelings of emptiness and confusion.
• False expectations.
• Excessive attachment.
• Excessive materialism.

Tomorrow we shall discuss some factors that bring us closer to failure.

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Message for the day 26-08-2014
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A deep understanding and an attitude of pure feelings results in positive thinking.

Projection: When we talk about positive thinking, it is usually just 'think positive' and 'be positive'. But just saying this, either to others or to myself, doesn't help to change my thoughts permanently, in fact usually, not even temporarily.

Solution: Real positive thinking is much deeper than just to think positive. For this I need to understand and see things as they are, without colouring them with my own attitudes. Then I can deal with things in the most appropriate way, having understood everything accurately.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 25-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 25-08-2014
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The Evolution Of Anger

We become a little irritated when we are stuck in a traffic jam and we getting late to reach somewhere on time, or we are not going to complete a particular task, as per our expectations or if someone whom we very well know decides to ignore us today, for some reason or the other. If this seed of irritation is watered, or in other words it is given the concentrated energy of our attention i.e. we continue with the irritation for some time, it slowly grows or evolves into frustration. Unless we take some constructive inner action to stop the growth of the frustration and we keep energizing it, it will grow or evolve into anger. And if this happens regularly and we are not careful, it will become a habit, a part of our personality, which we will finally come to believe is a natural part of your nature. We will even think we were born with it. That it is ‘in our genes’. Every time we become angry we cause the production of certain chemicals in our body and we also become addicted to those chemicals – then we look for people and situations which will give us an excuse to get angry so that we can have our daily dose of chemicals. We not only become attached to material objects, people, ways of thinking, beliefs etc. - we also become attached to our emotions like the emotion of anger. The regular secretion of these chemicals will finally kill our body. We don’t need to kill our body. We need to accept that anger is never ever productive, know that it is just not necessary to be angry with anyone or about anything, know that it is entirely our own creation and know that we can choose a different response. If we know and accept that, we will experience freedom from it.

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Message for the day 25-08-2014
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To be constantly enthusiastic is to experience freedom.

Projection: When everything is going on well I find myself enthusiastic and have the interest to move forward. But when even a little thing goes wrong, I lose all enthusiasm to do anything else. This creates a bondage for me and I find it difficult to move forward.

Solution: I need to remind myself that to be enthusiastic in all situations is to be like a free bird reaching great heights. To lose enthusiasm according to difficult situations is to be like a caged bird.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 24-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 24-08-2014
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Exercise On Self Discovery (Part 2)

Think about which qualities you need to possess as a professional or as a homemaker e.g. qualities of a team leader in a corporate organization would be: efficiency, responsibility, focus, precision, determination, etc. Then, leaving aside the professional aspect, explore your basic, innate qualities. Reflect on your inner and spiritual values. Which values make you happy? Look deep into your inner self. Take some time in this and note down three of these essential values in your life. What conclusion have you come to? What are these values?

The more we really understand ourselves, with our defects, weaknesses, virtues and values, the better our relationships will be with others. We will understand when they have little understanding of themselves and others. Knowing oneself in-depth, taking into account everything described above as well as in yesterday’s message, requires time, effort, observation and the practice of silence. In silence one can begin a conversation with oneself. In this way we can gradually discover our inner beauty and strength, and be aware of the basis of our value and dignity as human beings. When we relearn to see ourselves with our original qualities and innate values, it is also easier to recognise these qualities in others.

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Message for the day 24-08-2014
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To do a task with love is to be constantly successful.

Projection: When I start with something new, I usually notice that I'm successful for sometime, but I do not experience long lasting success. This is because I did the task on being told or being forced by the situation. External force makes me use my resources with commitment for sometime.

Solution: Love brings constant success because once I've experienced the joy of doing the task itself, I'll never give it up. Because it is done with love, I'll put in all my resources and do my best. So I'll experience constant success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 23-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 23-08-2014
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Exercise On Self Discovery (Part 1)

Many people today do not have a clear sense of identity. In fact, when you ask people about the image they have of themselves, it is usually negative, and they see their weaknesses (negative sanskaras) and mistakes committed in the past more easily than their qualities (positive sanskaras) and achievements. This negative image of oneself leads us to an identity crisis. A negative image causes feelings of dissatisfaction to accumulate within oneself. Then our lifestyle is affected by the need for recognition and approval, by the need to justify ourselves, of obtaining material achievements and success.

Given below is an exercise to experience your true self:
Sit back and observe yourself. What is the image you have of yourself? How do you see yourself? Who are you really? What is there left when you have removed all the labels? Are you thoughts, feelings, free will, energy, ideas, being, conscience, intellect, life? What do the majority have in common? They are internal, incorporeal and invisible: they are non-physical aspects. The true self is incorporeal and invisible.

Now experience your ideal self: Make a list of which qualities you think your ideal self should have, the self you deeply long to be and experience in your life. The list may include qualities such as: joyful, tolerant, generous, fearless, free, loving, among others.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 23-08-2014
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To see specialities in all is to become special.

Projection: Most of the time, I'm caught up in looking at people's negativity. When I see some negative quality in someone, I immediately make his specialities a background and start focusing on his negative traits. The more I think of these negative qualities, the more they occupy my conscious mind, changing my reactions too.

Solution: It is natural to be coloured or influenced by what I see. If I see specialities, I'll take on a little of that and if I see weaknesses, I'll take on a little of that too. So I need to make an attempt to look at only specialities and encourage others too to use their specialities.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 22-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 22-08-2014
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Harmonizing The Mind And The Intellect

The intellect is the faculty of the soul that judges thought and determines its quality, its ethical purity, its truthfulness, its usefulness, its appropriateness, whether it is necessary, right or wrong. The intellect is backed by the conscience. In fact, the conscience expresses itself through the intellect. If you have a positive thought, the intellect should approve it and allow it to be put into practice. If a feeling of doubt accompanies the positive thought, the intellect should take it into account and remove that doubt, before the thought gets converted into action. When the faculties of the mind and intellect are pure and strong, and they cooperate in harmony; they support one another and there is no inner conflict. If the intellect is weak, the mind feels confused and it will generate many unproductive thoughts. There will be an inner conflict and in the end the intellect will lose, because the power of influence of the intellect is less. Then, the intellect will not have the power to prevent them from going into action. Actions will be performed that are negative or unproductive, in opposition to the conscience, and they will as a result create negative habits.

The intellect is the most important faculty of human consciousness to bring about personality change. If the quality of the intellect is good, the capacity and quality of the intellectual processes through which you perceive and live reality will be higher. If the intellect is clean and pure, you will differentiate what is real and authentic from what is unreal and false. You will be able to judge if a situation is beneficial or wasteful, useful or useless.

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Message for the day 22-08-2014
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To be free from the burden of responsibility is to fulfill the responsibility well.

Projection: When I am responsile for something or people expect me to be answerable for something, I tend to feel heavy because of these responsibilities. With the such a feeling of having a burden, I'm not able to fulfill my responsibilities to the best of my ability.

Solution: Whatever responsibilities are given to me are according to my capabilities. When I remind myself of this I'll be able to be light and give my best to fulfill all my responsibilities.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 21-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 21-08-2014
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Meditation On Experiencing My Original Loveful Nature

I sit in silence, letting my thoughts go away from the outer world... I allow my mind to relax... to calm down... I focus my attention on the heart of my being... My heart is like a sacred silent place where I can feel what I really am... I am peaceful and light... a loving soul... strong... secure... kind...

I have many virtues and qualities that I can share with others... Now my attention is going towards the quality of love... I imagine love like a seed in my heart waiting to awaken... grow... and blossom... like a rose... For this, I only have to accept... believe... feel... that I am a soul full of love... child of the Ocean of Love… I am a spiritual rose flower... radiating the spiritual fragrance of love…

Letting go of the past... letting go of expectations... fears... negative feelings... forgiving... opening my heart... feeling that it is cleansed and this energy of love is as pure as the clean water flowing from a waterfall. Nothing and nobody have touched it... this is a love that asks for nothing in exchange... the love of a clean heart is unselfish... free of ego and expectations... It makes truth and sincerity grow... acceptance and understanding... I open my heart completely to love... I inhale deeply... I visualize my heart filling itself with this energy of pure love... I exhale slowly... and I visualize radiating this light of love from the deepest part of my heart towards the world... I am a beautiful soul of light radiating peace and love... I am love... I love myself and accept myself and others...

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Message for the day 21-08-2014
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The ability to find solutions comes when I know the art of listening.

Projection: I normally get to hear a lot of things and tend to get coloured by all that I hear. The more I hear about negative things, the more difficult it becomes to maintain my own positivity. Yet I can do nothing to ignore the things that make me feel negative.

Solution: I need to know to listen to people rather than just hearing them. To know to listen means the ability to transform negative into positive. Just as a doctor listens to all the negative aspects about the disease etc and still knows only to give the medicine, I too need to listen in order to give what is required.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 20-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 20-08-2014
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Instruments/Tools To Perceive God

Perhaps I have been avoiding coming close to God because of the extraordinary confusion surrounding the subject. Maybe I have just lacked the tools with which to be able to discover God. The whole universe of things going on within a tiny drop of blood can be instantly revealed by the use of a tool or an instrument like the microscope. In the same way, the secrets behind realities of the self, the non-physical, spiritual self and the reality of God remain hidden until undiscovered by the appropriate instruments or tools. With which tools or instruments then, can I perceive or experience God? Since God is non-physical, the tools would also definitely be non-physical in nature.

That I haven't been able to understand myself is amply demonstrated by the periods of confusion and inner turmoil I go through. Sometimes I don't understand those with whom I share the same room or house, let alone my neighbors next door! The word ‘misunderstanding’ occurs frequently even in the closest of my relationships. It indicates that the quality of my mind, consciousness or even conscience hasn't been sufficiently clear to establish real rapport between myself and others. The realization and experience of God remain even further out of reach.

There's a very specific methodology involved in firstly understanding and organizing myself, and from that, coming to terms with God. I already have the most powerful of all instruments, the energy of my own mind, to work with. The extent to which I am able to research into the subject of God-realization depends on the quality of my thoughts and feelings.

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Message for the day 20-08-2014
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To have learnt means to bring about a practical change.

Projection: From all that happens, I usually understand a lot of things and take important lessons. But sometimes I find myself making the same mistakes again and again. So I am not able to bring about real change.

Solution: Once I realise and learn from a mistake that has happened, I need to spend some time in understanding it even further. I need to ensure I don't ever repeat the same mistake. This will enable me to bring about real change.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 19-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 19-08-2014
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Simple Exercise To Identify Your Hidden Fears

If you want to overcome and overpower fears that exist inside you, you have to first take a look at your feelings and hidden emotions. After realizing your feelings and emotions, you have to know how to manage them and finally correct or overcome them. Given below is a simple exercise that will help you to achieve that. This exercise will help you identify the conscious and sometimes sub-conscious (very subtle) fears that lie inside you. Choose an area of your life that you feel is negative and needs some improvement. Now, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What do I really want, what is my aim and objective?
2. What obstacle/obstacles are stopping me from achieving my objectives?
3. What prevents me from dealing with or overcoming that obstacle?

For each fear that comes to you in response to the question no. 3, ask yourself the following questions:
A. What is the worst that can happen, if what I fear occurs?
B. What is the best possible result for me and for others, if I do it even though I feel afraid of doing it?
C. Keeping in front of you the answer to question B and comparing it with the answer to question A will inspire you to overcome the fears that lie inside you.

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Message for the day 19-08-2014
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To forgive the self is to have the ability to forgive others too.

Projection: I sometimes find it very difficult to forgive the mistakes committed by others. I do try to understand but am not able to understand the other person's behaviour and so find it difficult to forgive them.

Solution: When I have love for myself and am able to learn from all that happens, I am able to forgive myself. When I know to do this, I can understand the other person too from his perspective and can easily forgive him.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 18-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 18-08-2014
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Applying The Law Of Balance To Anger (Part 2)

Yesterday we had explained how the law of balance can be applied to anger on a smaller level. 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.

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Message for the day 18-08-2014
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To use the inner powers is to be a constant success.

Projection: While moving forward I sometimes have doubts about my own power to succeed. So sometimes my powers remain hidden and I am not able to have the confidence or the enthusiasm to work on the situation.

Solution: Whatever the situation I am faced with, I must not forget my own inner powers. I need to recognise and use those powers which will help me overcome the situation. When there is faith within me, my mind will be open to the recognition and the use of these inner powers.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 17-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 17-08-2014
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Applying The Law Of Balance To Anger (Part 1)

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. We shall explain that in tomorrow’s message.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

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Message for the day 17-08-2014
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The way to bring transformation in others is to have mercy for them.

Projection: Inspite of wanting to bring about a positive change in people and working towards it, I rarely find that kind of change that I expect. People continue to display their old patterns of behaviour and finally I end up only feeling disappointed or frustrated.

Solution: Real change can come in people only when I am able to have a vision of mercy for them. With mercy I am able to percieve and bring out the best in people without actually being caught up with expectations. Once I am able to see the positive qualities I am able to encourage them to use these qualities.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 16-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 16-08-2014
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Serving Though The Subtle Body Of Light

Apart from our physical form (body), each one of us also has a form of light - a subtle light body. It is referred to as the aura, and can be seen by some sensitive souls. All of us might not be able to see it, but we can become ‘aware’ of the aura of others’ through the vibrations they emit. The purity of our subtle, light form is dependent on the purity of our thoughts or mental vibrations. Given below are some thoughts for a meditation to help experience your subtle form and serve through it. Think and visualize each thought alongside:

I become detached from my physical surroundings... I consciously create only the purest thoughts... Now I visualize my true form… I am a subtle being of pure spiritual light, a sparkling star situated at the center of the forehead... Gradually, I become aware of my subtle body of pure, white light surrounding my physical form... In my body of light, I, the soul, the sparkling energy, consciously stand up and step away from my physical form, which remains seated... I, the soul, inside my subtle body, observe my physical body in a detached way… Now I slowly fly outside the room I am in… I visualize myself, in the subtle form, suspended in the sky… White rays of spiritual light radiate from me, the soul, and my body of light into the world... like that of an angel… In this pure awareness of myself in my form of light, I realize that the greatest gifts I can share with those around me are the light of love, peace and truth.

Sitting anywhere, this meditation exercise can be done to visualize oneself in a hospital, on the site of a natural calamity, accident, next to a friend or relative in pain etc., basically anywhere where vibrations of positivity, peace and happiness are required – the location of visualizing yourself can be hundreds of miles from where you may physically be. As you practice the art of being aware of your subtle body, you will begin to sense how you can have a positive effect on others simply radiating good wishes, pure thoughts and pure feelings.

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Message for the day 16-08-2014
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The method to stay in constant enthusiasm and to keep others enthusiastic is to see specialities in others.

Projection: Many times while I am sincerely working towards my task, I find myself losing my enthusiasm. I also might find people not very happy with me or my work. I do make an attempt to understand their feelings but fail to do so. Such negative responses further reduce my enthusiasm.

Solution: I need to develop the art of looking at specialities in people. The more I am able to see their positive qualities, the more I am able to relate to them with that speciality. This encourages the other person further to use that speciality. This will naturally keep me constantly enthusiastic.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 15-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 15-08-2014
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The Art Of Tolerance (Part 4)

Life teaches you that you can widen the limits of your tolerance. When certain situations arrive, they are like exams in order to see your capacity to tolerate. These exams can first be the unpleasant words and harassment by people towards you. Secondly, the different obstacles that place themselves in your path, making it difficult to carry out your aims. There are also people that you trust who will oppose you. Your work colleagues or your partners or your relatives or even children turn into your enemies and create opposition because they are not happy about small or big issues. With the feeling of satisfying those who are not happy, considering that they are influenced by something, holding on to benevolent (generous) feelings and with the power of silence and tolerance, you can make others advance, overcome and collaborate. You can teach the lesson of tolerance with sweetness, good desires and pure feelings. That way not only do you advance, but you are also a searchlight on the road, a medium, seeing whom, others can also advance.

Learn to tolerate with wellbeing. Stabilize yourself in your inner being and, from that calm, clarity and stability you can tolerate without losing your wellbeing. To tolerate is to accept, value, understand and appreciate. Not making a mountain out of a mustard seed (rai in Hindi) but rather the contrary, by taking expansion to the essence, turning a mountain into a mustard seed (light), a mustard seed into cotton – rui in Hindi (extremely light), as the saying goes.

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Message for the day 15-08-2014
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The method for easy progress is to claim the blessings of all.

Projection: Sometimes we find ourselves making a lot of effort and putting in a lot of energy for getting something done. Yet we find that the results are not according to the efforts that we have put in. We then begin to wonder it happens so.

Solution: To be able to give happiness to those around is to increase the speed of my progress. For this I need to pay special attention to keep giving happiness and not giving sorrow to those around me. This brings me their blessings and these subtle wishes bring me happiness and success easily.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 13-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 13-08-2014
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The Art Of Tolerance (Part 3)

Someone who has the power of tolerance will never be afraid or think: "Why is this happening to me too?" As they are constantly full, they will go deeper into the knowledge and the memory of what is essential in life. The one who is full of fear is not capable of going deeper. That's why there is depth in something that is full (wholeness). The one who has expansion is empty; for this reason, something that is empty resounds and that person devotes him or herself to muttering (talking excessively) away.

The one who has wholeness is silent; the one who is empty speaks a lot. Someone who lives in expansion will be constantly murmuring saying things like: "Why this? What is this? This should not be like that but rather in this way. It shouldn't be like that". This person will continue talking in this way in their thoughts and in their words, and also while interacting with others. What happens when you chatter away, beyond the limits? Your murmuring leaves you dry, out of breath and you tire. Those who are tolerant are saved from all these things and for this reason they always feel enjoyment and bliss, they do not chatter but rather fly in the wholeness of their inner silence.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 13-08-2014
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The method for easy progress is to claim the blessings of all.

Projection: Sometimes we find ourselves making a lot of effort and putting in a lot of energy for getting something done. Yet we find that the results are not according to the efforts that we have put in. We then begin to wonder it happens so.

Solution: To be able to give happiness to those around is to increase the speed of my progress. For this I need to pay special attention to keep giving happiness and not giving sorrow to those around me. This brings me their blessings and these subtle wishes bring me happiness and success easily.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 12-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 12-08-2014
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The Art Of Tolerance (Part 2)

In the Ramayana, Mahavir Hanuman has been portrayed as carrying a great mountain in his hand as if it were a ball. It does not matter if the problem, obstacle or storm seems like a great mountain: one need to turn something that appears as big as a mountain into a small toy, and overcome it as if it were a game. Making something big very light makes you also feel light. Don't turn a small stone into a mountain; turn the mountain into a ball. To take the expansion to its essence is tolerance.

Expanding obstacles and problems in your mind or speaking of them to others means to create mountains. Don't go into expansion: put a full stop and turn over the page of life and that way you will advance. A tolerant person is always capable of taking expansion, problems and obstacles to their essence with knowledge, meditation and silence. When you choose the longest road, doing so consumes more and ends up by exhausting your time and energy. Expansion is the longest road and the essence is to take a shortcut. Both work in order to get to the other side, but those who take a shortcut are able to save their time and energy, they do not get discouraged. They constantly enjoy themselves and overcome everything with a smile. That is being tolerant. When you have developed the power of tolerance, you do things with pleasure. We are not referring to the physical pleasures but rather to living a life with pleasure in your heart, and that way you will be able to transform any situation or task from confusion into pleasure.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 12-08-2014
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To be free from weaknesses is to move forward constantly.

Projection: Most of the times I do win over my weaknesses and achieve progress but sometimes I find that I am defeated at the wrong moment by my own weakness and I experience failure. So instead of finding the progress that I should I find that I am moving back.

Solution: In order to bring benefit to others and to myself, I should recognize and remove even the last trace of weakness that is working within me. For that I need to have a constant checking about the real cause of the weakness and remove it. Such checking and changing helps me to overcome my weaknesses.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 11-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 11-08-2014
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The Art Of Tolerance (Part 1)

It is important to understand that to overcome problems you need, on the one hand, inner power, and, on the other, the capacity to tolerate. Tolerating does not mean to put up with. To tolerate is to accept, understand and know how to face things. That is, to tolerate is not to put up with and then explode at a later stage. In tolerance you dissolve that which, otherwise you would be putting up with. Tolerance is like the ocean, which is an example of tolerance, because we throw a lot of dirt into the ocean, the ocean absorbs it and, over time, transforms it. Tolerance is being like the ocean, that is, knowing how to absorb and dissolve, and finally to make it disappear.

Tolerance has to be balanced with the capacity to face things, which is based on bravery, courage and personal security. Having the power to tolerate gives you security and trust that you will be able to, you will achieve it, and you will advance. Tolerance is necessary for shared living, to be and allow to be. With the virtue of tolerance, you will continue to smile, you will never be discouraged. To smile when someone praises you is not to be tolerant. However, when someone turns into an angry enemy and insults you, but you do not have even the slightest sign of dejection on your face, not even in your thoughts, that is to be tolerant. To look, to speak and to enter in contact with feelings of compassion, patience, comprehension, love and respect, with a person that you do not have a good relationship with, is to have tolerance.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 11-08-2014
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To bring equality in whatever I understand, desire and do is to be truly successful.

Projection: Although my understanding of right and wrong is really good, I am not usually able to be or feel successful. This is because I notice a mismatch between what I know and what I want. So I am not able to bring that knowledge into action.

Solution: A conscious effort needs to be put in from my side to compare and see which is better for me - what I know is right or what I feel I want. When I compare in this way, I will be able to change my desires in keeping with the right thing. When these two match, I will be able to bring it into action too. So I will be able to be successful.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 10-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 10-08-2014
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 4)

Very often in a group or team, while moving towards a common goal or objective or purpose, the leader of the group or gathering is required to give his opinion to make the objective of the team possible. Servant leaders 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. They maintain a 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). Also servant leaders are detached when accepting or receiving or listening to ideas from team members. The more the attachment to one’s own ideas, the more will be the tendency to resist or reject the others’ ideas, which they do not do.

Also, when a leader starts misusing his leadership for his own good and greed, and becomes egoistic, his team members start staying away. Servant leaders, through their humility, become an inspiration for others. Experiencing power and autonomy is healthy, but when a false sense of ownership sets up in leadership and the leader starts taking his role for granted, it is the time when a leader will experience great downfall in his role as a leader.

Altogether, a good leader is one who uses his mind or law to handle himself and his heart or love to handle others which ultimately brings justice to his role. Such a leader who maintains this balance of love and law wears the crown of servant leadership gracefully through various stages of life, enjoying the respect and earning the good wishes of all whom he comes into contact with.

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Message for the day 10-08-2014
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To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment.

Projection: Whenever there is a negative situation I tend to react very negatively to it. I tend to have a lot of negative thoughts and experience a lot of difficulty at that time. I then begin to blame the situation and feel that I am facing punishment because of it.

Solution: I need to understand the fact that the biggest punishment I experience is through my own negative thoughts. The more I can free myself from these kind of negative thoughts I can free myself from experiencing any kind of punishment.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 09-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 09-08-2014
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 3)

Servant leaders are sacrificial leaders, ready to make the sacrifice when required. We explain with an example -

Jessica and Ruchika were close childhood and school friends. Jessica was the Head Girl of the school. One day there was a home assignment to be completed by the class. Jessica had forgotten to complete her assignment. She was afraid of the consequences and even more of the humiliation that she was not ready to face being in such a respectable post. She was also afraid of Ruchika’s assignment as being selected as the best one by the class teacher. Jessica’s mind was in a state of turmoil. On one hand was her self identity based on her role of the Head Girl and also the attachment to the same and on the other hand was her friendship and the voice of her conscience. If she chose the former and prevented Ruchika’s homework from being selected as the best, she would be seen in the same light as Ruchika and would save herself embarrassment. If she chose the latter and allowed Ruchika’s homework from being selected as the best, she would lose, but earn respect in the form of blessings and good wishes of her best friend Ruchika. Finally insecurity and the fear of loss of face in front of the class and the class teacher took grip over her. She chose the former, she harmed Ruchika’s homework and prevented Ruchika from submitting it on time and as a result prevented it from being adjudged as the best. She had won. Her ‘id’ – Head Girl had won. But the servant leader inside her had lost. Her relationship had lost. She did not pay heed to the voice of her conscience and her special relationship with Ruchika. As a result she brought about sorrow to her friend. Later on she repented and realized, that day she had not worn the crown of leadership well enough. She had not heard the voice of the servant leader inside her, a leader who could sacrifice the I and keep her friend ahead of her. She realized her mistake and decided to hear the voice henceforth.

Many times, while playing leadership roles, we are also faced with similar situations as Jessica found herself in, whether it’s in school, in the family, in our social circle or at the workplace, when we have to make a choice, when the I has to be sacrificed and the other has to be kept ahead – sometimes we do that easily, sometimes we find it difficult. There is a servant leader inside each one of us, which favours the sacrifice. We need to awaken that servant leader. Spiritual knowledge helps us in doing the same.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 09-08-2014
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Patience enables one to easily overcome obstacles.

Projection: Usually, when faced with obstacles there is an urgency to remove it without any proper planning. That means we want to overcome the obstacle without putting in any effort. And when it is not possible, it tends to create impatience and frustration in us.

Solution: It is important to do some internal work to overcome an obstacle. First, it is good to check to what extent there is faith in the self. With faith in ourselves, we need to plan out before we act to remove or overcome the obstacle and we will, then, find ourselves successful.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 08-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 08-08-2014
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 2)

A good leader, before orchestrating (controlling) his team members will learn to orchestrate (control) his inner orchestra of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, moods and perceptions to create the desired tune or team result. When leaders become dictators or start orchestrating (controlling) their team members first, the fall of the team gets certain. A good leader is characterized by the way he makes his fellow members work as a team with him being a part of it. Misuse of leader power has a negative effect on team members' perceptions of the leader's ability and desire to engage in open communication. Because open communication is vital to any project, these perceptions can hurt team performance. These negative effects of leader power can be virtually eliminated simply by clearly communicating the idea that every team member is individually instrumental for any given task at hand.

Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid”. By comparison, the servant leader shares power and puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Servant leaders spread an energy of trust in the group, which catalyzes higher levels of engagement of team members, greater involvement of their effort and ideas and greater speed in change and creation of the new, which is the objective of every team. As a result, an excellent team culture is developed.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 08-08-2014
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To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment.

Projection: Whenever there is a negative situation I tend to react very negatively to it. I tend to have a lot of negative thoughts and experience a lot of difficulty at that time. I then begin to blame the situation and feel that I am facing punishment because of it.

Solution: I need to understand the fact that the biggest punishment I experience is through my own negative thoughts. The more I can free myself from these kind of negative thoughts I can free myself from experiencing any kind of punishment.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 07-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 07-08-2014
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 1)

It is commonly stated that perhaps those who are best suited to leadership power are those who never seek it. On the other hand, those who have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, find to their own surprise that they wear it well. This process starts as early as our school life, when we become monitors and prefects and are granted significant responsibilities. We learn leadership at a young age. The type of leadership skills we inculcate at that age are important.

Importantly, a good leader, starting at an early age, should inspire and not aspire. Personal aspirations that are regardless (irrelevant) to others always convert a humble and successful leader into a failed one. A good leader should influence, not control - controlling i.e. passing orders, policies, rules, goals, targets, reports, visions and changes to force team members to work the way they believe it should be done; failing to listen or only perfunctorily listening (listening with little interest); exhibiting the “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality and providing inadequate support. Negative thoughts, words, actions or inactions expressing emotions like:

* Why aren’t they performing better?

* What’s wrong with that person?

* Why don’t they know their job?

* They should know their job!

lead team members to believe that leaders disrespect them and do not care for them at all. It results in failure of an organization or the task in hand.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 07-08-2014
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The one who has attention on the self is the one who constantly experiences progress.

Projection: Whenever I am faced with a situation, it is very easy to think and talk about others and their mistakes. I hardly have any time to look at and understand myself and my mistakes. I then continue to repeat the same mistakes again and again.

Solution: Whatever the kind of situations I am faced with, I need to remind myself that I am the one who is going to benefit by bringing about a change in myself. So with this thought I need to constantly continue to check myself and bring about a positive change in myself.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 06-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 06-08-2014
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The Five Powers of a Focused Mind

The power of perception (understanding) allows us to see into things and truly understand them, with neither complication nor confusion.

The power of mindfulness, by which we absorb ourselves into any action or thought without interference or complication, further energizes us by allowing the power of our mind to become concentrated, freeing us from frustration, stress and anger.

The power of injection can permit us to energize others with our own positivity. As we help them to feel positive, good energy bounces back towards us to maintain the positive cycle.

The power of choice requires us to differentiate right from wrong, good from bad. Having done so, we can select our choice, and at every moment choose to be positive.

The power of inner energy can guide us into new things, encourage us to change where we feel uncomfortable with ourselves and help us to enjoy life completely.

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Message for the day 06-08-2014
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The one who is free from expectations is the one who is constantly cheerful.

Projection: Usually I am quick to percieve my own desires and I do realise that desires give sorrow. So I make effort to overcome them. But most often I am not able to recognise my own expectations that I have from people which destroy my own cheer. My expectations from others prevent me from bringing about a positive change in myself.

Solution: I need to recognise that each and every individual is unique with his own unique specialities and values. When I recognise this uniqueness I will not expect people to behave according to what I feel is right but will respect them for what they are. Thus I'll be able to be constantly cheerful.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 05-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 05-08-2014
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How Often And Why Do I Need To Meditate (Part 2)?

As explained yesterday, we regularly and quite easily slip into four main negative habits. So meditation is not only sitting in a quiet corner, and connecting with the self and the Supreme, at a couple of fixed times during the day, but it is also the way to gently remember and remind ourselves, many times in a day, that we as well as others, are souls or spiritual beings not physical beings, by detaching ourselves from actions and also while being involved in actions. These reminders given to the self over a period of time become natural and prevent us from succumbing to these four habits. Given below is a basic meditation, which you could use to remind yourself regularly during the day:

I have a body but this body is not me…
I have thoughts but these thoughts are not me …
I have feelings but these feelings are not me …
I have attitudes but these attitudes are not me …
I have emotions but these emotions are not me …
I have beliefs but these beliefs are not me …
I perform many actions through my sense organs, but these sense organs are not me…
I play many roles but I am not my roles…
I experience joy or sorrow through my sense organs, but these experiences are not me …
I am a soul – a being of energy, which is neither created nor can be destroyed, and my original and true nature is one of peace, love, joy and power…

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Message for the day 05-08-2014
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True service is to serve equally through thoughts, words and actions.

Projection: Whenever I think of serving others, I think of only serving through actions or maybe even through words. I never think of serving through my thoughts too. So sometimes I do find that my service is not complete and doesn't have a true impact.

Solution: Before I can think of helping someone through words or through actions, I need to make sure I have good wishes for them. Only when my feelings for them are full of positive and powerful wishes can my service create its impact on others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 04-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 04-08-2014
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How Often And Why Do I Need To Meditate (Part 1)?

As with anything else, the more we practice meditation, the more we feel the benefit of what we are doing. We do need to practice meditation regularly because the habits of:

i. identifying with our physical form,

ii. succumbing to mental and emotional negativity (in the form of waste and negative thoughts) along with negativity in words and actions,

iii. becoming attached to the physical as well as the non-physical, and

iv. being dependent upon the experience of physical stimulation of any sort (from e.g. food, movies, people, sports etc.) for happiness are extremely deep.

These habits have deepened over a period of many many births, because of repeating them regularly, due to a lack of spiritual awareness. As a result, in the present moment also we regularly and quite easily slip into these four habits.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

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Message for the day 04-08-2014
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Truth is effective when it is combined with tact.

Projection: I usually react when something goes wrong. In the heat of the moment I give corrections and others don't seem to understand. Then I tend to become confused, as it is difficult to make a choice whether to leave the situation as it is or to prove my point to the others.

Solution: Unless truth is combined with tact I cannot make people realise their mistakes. When I find something going wrong, I need to wait for the right time for saying what I have to. I also need to tell it in a way that the other person can understand. Only then will my words have their impact on others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 03-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 03-08-2014
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Practical Exercise On Intellect Reawakening And Empowerment

It has been estimated that for around 80% of our daily routine we are ruled by habits. This means that most of the time we go straight from thought (created by the mind) to action, without checking the quality of our thoughts. In this way, we bypass the intellect, and do not use our capacity to judge right from wrong and to make conscious decisions. What we need to do now is reawaken, use and empower the intellect, which is true spiritual empowerment.

Practical Exercise
Withdraw your attention from everything around you. Create a simple thought in your mind. Concentrate on the thought. Then use your intellect to judge to what extent the thought is right or wrong and what the quality of that thought is (is it a negative thought, a waste or unnecessary thought, a necessary thought, a positive one etc.?). If you decide it is not a good thought, leave it and create a better thought. In this way, you consciously exercise control of your mind and intellect thereby strengthening your mental and intellectual capacities. This will also help you regain your feelings of rule over the self.

If thoughts or images come from your memories or from sources outside your own mind while you are busy in this inner exercise, don't give them any mental energy. Let them go and bring your attention back to your own ‘conscious’ creation (mentioned above).

Once, you have mastered this in this exercise; try the same process while you busy in your daily routine.

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Message for the day 03-08-2014
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The one with contentment is neither upset nor upsets others.

Projection: Many times I find that my words, actions or behaviour tends to upset others inspite of my not wanting to hurt them. I seem to be very happy with the situation, but others don't seem to be. At that time I am not really able to understand the reason for this and I consider the others to be unreasonable.

Solution: I need to check myself when others are getting upset with me. I need to make effort to check and change myself constantly so that I am able to move along with the demands of time. This is what will bring about true contentment - such contentment that neither will I be upset nor will I upset others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 02-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 02-08-2014
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Virtues / Values / Qualities

Take one of the following virtues or values (qualities) per day and spend five minutes thinking about its meaning and its application during the day.

Harmony (Unity)
Forgiveness
Trust
Flexibility
Courage
Gentleness
Freedom
Understanding
Benevolence (Kindness)
Patience
Enthusiasm
Tolerance
Serenity (Peacefulness)
Co-operation
Generosity
Humility (Egolessness)

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Message for the day 02-08-2014
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The one who is constantly flying with zeal and enthusiasm brings progress in others too.

Projection: Whenever problems come my way, I tend to feel heavy with waste and negative thoughts. At that time I am not able to feel free and light. When there is heaviness in my mind, I can't move forward with enthusiasm and thereby find it difficult to contribute for others' progress too.

Solution: Whatever the circumstances I am faced with, I need to make special effort not to reduce my enthusiasm in any way. The more I am able to be enthusiastic, the more I am able to contribute to the progress of others too along with my own progress.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 01-08-2014

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Soul Sustenance 01-08-2014
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A Gauge To Check How Spiritually Powerful Am I

The territory of spiritual understanding is both infinite and unlimited. Simply put, spirituality can be defined as the rediscovery of the deepest values, virtues, positive sanskars or characteristics of the human soul. The innate attributes or characteristics of the soul (peace, love, truth, purity and happiness) give the soul its power. The power of the soul cannot be quantified either on a physical or a non-physical level. The power can only be experienced and revealed to the self and others through the 'quality' of the above characteristics and the different forms they are given by the soul itself.

For a practitioner of meditation, whether a beginner or an experienced once, patience and a gentle persistence guarantee two aspects of self-progress (in varying degrees in different souls):

1. rediscovery and revelation or expression of one's spiritual attributes and secondly, but very importantly

2. the ability to give them an appropriate form internally or externally, depending on the requirement of the situation.

A particular soul might be good at both aspects, another one very good at the first aspect and not so good at the second one. When we choose to be peaceful, we reconnect with our inner peace and create the spiritual form of peace within our self. This form created is different for different souls, depending on how powerful the soul is. So what is the quality of that form, what is the quality of our peace? Is it a superficial quality that is easily disturbed with unexpected changes in our external circumstances, or is it a deep peace which is stable even in the face of fierce criticism from others? Only we know the quality of our spiritual forms.

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Message for the day 01-08-2014
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The one who recognises the needs of others is the one who gives real happiness.

Projection: I usually make a lot of effort to give in some way or the other to those around me. Yet I sometimes find that people are not able to be happy with me. What I give is usually based on what I feel the other person needs. I continue to give in this way and begin to expect from others too, and find myself disappointed when I am not appreciated.

Solution: I need to be a giver in the true sense. Before I think of giving, I need to recognise the needs of others. The more I keep myself tuned to this I will enjoy what I am giving and the impact of it will be there on the others too. I will then find that others are pleased with me too.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris