Brahma Kumaris

Tuesday, July 04, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 04-07-2017

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Soul Sustenance 04-07-2017
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God And I - The Relationship We Share (Part 2)

Experiencing God with you while going to your office, experiencing Him while having a meal, sleeping in His lap are some of our common experiences at the Brahma Kumaris. Also, talking to Him when faced with a challenge, holding his hand when in trouble and taking support are some more experiences. These are the same experiences which you might also have gone through even if you are not attached to a particular spiritual organization. But the one important thing that we would like to share with you is that even we, in our journey with the Brahma Kumaris, define being with God in a different way as we spend more and more time with Him. So say 5-6 years ago, we used the same words – we love God and enjoy being with Him throughout the day, but the same words mean a lot more now than what they meant 5-6 years ago. Today we experience God much closely than we did, say a few years ago. God keeps revealing Himself more and more as we become cleaner and purer even at the most subtle level of the consciousness.

So it’s the same God and it’s the same me but our consciousness has changed in say 5 years because of which God is inspired to fill us more and more with His divine experiences. Also, a walk with God with His hand in our hand today means something much more beautiful than what it meant at that time. Also don’t forget the same experience will be much more deeper after the next 3-4 years. So God does not change but because He reveals different characteristics of His personality from time to time we grow closer and closer to Him. Also, a companionship with God at all levels of thought, word and action takes a newer meaning everyday. Based on this type of spiritual life which keeps becoming more and more beautiful everyday, we welcome you to the centers of the Brahma Kumaris to learn meditation. Also, we welcome you to join us in these life changing experiences of seeing God as closely as what you might ever be able to imagine.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 04-07-2017
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Faith in one's progress brings contentment.

Expression:Even when the situation is not according to what is expected, there is contentment for the one who has faith in his own progress. Such a person will not just sit back waiting for things to change nor will he just curse his fate. Instead he'll do his best and use all his resources in bettering the situation.

Experience: The understanding that all life's situations are a training for me, automatically keeps me content in all situations. There is naturally an experience of constant progress and a feeling of having gained something from all situations.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Monday, July 03, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 03-07-2017

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Soul Sustenance 03-07-2017
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God And I - The Relationship We Share (Part 1)

A beautiful lesson which we learn at the Brahma Kumaris is to keep God with us in every action throughout the day. The type of remembrance varies according to the action we are performing and also changes depending on the setting we are in, like whom we are talking to, whether we are silent or our mind is busy in something. Also whether the action we are performing at that time is something we have to give a lot of mental attention to like driving a car or is it an action like taking a walk in the park which involves lesser mental attention. The energies of our mind and intellect are used in remembrance. We have to keep that in mind and decide how we will keep God as a companion with us at every moment. There are various different methods of keeping a positive consciousness through the direct or indirect remembrance of God. They say God resides in clean temples only – that means if our mind is absolutely clean, we can experience God extremely closely. There are some people in the world for whom God is an extremely close companion who will tell them everything that is required to experience success in every sphere of life. They are so close enough to God that they can have a sweet conversation with God anytime in which He can give clear and absolutely true instructions for the required moment based on the scenes which He can see from above. Sometimes, we are completely unaware of these scenes, since they are hidden from our physical eyes.

Very often we are so busy in performing actions, that our inner mental connection with God is cut off and we do not realize it. What is the right type of positive mindset to experience a pure connection with God, our spiritual Father and Mother, throughout the day, in different actions, is something that God has shared with us at the Brahma Kumaris. This has made us rich with His power filled company. Our every action needs to be filled with the love filled company of the Highest of Highest and the most beautiful being that exists - God.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 03-07-2017
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To accept advice is to ensure self-progress.

Expression:The natural state of the self is to ensure progress. Everything that is done by the self is for its progress. But the one who rejects advice rejects the progress of the self. To accept advice means to take the chance for whatever benefit that comes my way.

Experience: When someone corrects me or gives me an advice or suggestion, if I accept it in the right spirit, I'll constantly learn from it. This will enable me to experience constant progress. I am also naturally able to give regard to everyone I come into contact with and remain in constant happiness.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Sunday, July 02, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 02-07-2017

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Soul Sustenance 02-07-2017
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Understanding What Are Karmic Accounts

We are not individuals acting alone in this world drama; we act in this extraordinary drama or play of life with other actors or souls who (along with us) play their different roles with different physical costumes at different times in the drama. During the process of interaction with other actors (souls) and according to the type of interaction with them, we create accounts of debit or credit that become the basis of our connections with others. The reasons for which a specific relationship goes well or not are in the so called karmic account that I have accumulated with the other person in the past. The past could be in this birth alone or in one or many previous births. The souls that play the parts of parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, office colleagues and others whom I know form a network for the giving and receiving of happiness and sorrow from accounts established in the past or being created in the present.

The strongest relationships that I have now were established previously. We knew each other in other lives and but in different roles. The daughter of some births ago returns now as the father, the best friend comes back as the sister etc. As long as the account exists, the interchange of actions between two souls continues. When there is nothing more to give or receive, the paths between the two souls separate by death, a break-up, a divorce or simply by the loss of contact. An e.g. of this is our school friends. Many of our friends whom we were close to in our school days, we are not in touch with today. Another e.g. is when we change jobs; we might lose complete contact with our old colleagues.

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Message for the day 02-07-2017
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Humility enables one to serve others.

Expression:The one who is humble is the one who is complete and full. So just like a tree which is laden with fruit, bowing down and offering all it has humbly, the one who is full is ready for service. He is available for others to take benefit from whatever resources are there with him. This humility earns respect from others and gives happiness to all.

Experience: When I am able to bow down with the awareness of what I have, I am fully in the stage of my self-respect. the more I am able to bow, the more others also bow down with regard to me and respect my fortune. This enables me to be a giver to those around me and experience contentment - constantly.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Saturday, July 01, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 01-07-2017

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Soul Sustenance 01-07-2017
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The Subtle Role Play Of Thoughts And Images (Part 2)

What the quality of a soul’s thoughts and images (or scenes) that it creates, depends on the soul’s sanskaras. Depending on the quality, the soul experiences the various different emotions, whether positive or negative. When the soul first incarnates on the physical world stage from the soul world, the quality of this role play of thoughts and images is high, pure and positive, hence it experiences only positive emotions. As it plays its different roles and comes down in the birth-rebirth cycle, this quality reduces, leading to the experience of emotions like sorrow, peacelessness, etc.

A point worth noting is that the key to any deep emotional experience, whether positive or negative is the creation of thoughts as well as images related to that particular emotion at the same time e.g. think and visualize at the same time, the death of a close relative that took place ten years ago and you immediately have a deep experience of sorrow. Think and visualize together, a loving hug of your mother that took place in your childhood, and you immediately experience deep happiness. This type of co-ordination between these two subtle processes is true concentration. The key to any type of spiritual upliftment is the upliftment of these two processes. The meditation that is taught at the Brahma Kumaris is nothing but a spiritual thought process accompanied by a spiritual visualization process, whereby thoughts and images of the subtle, spiritual self (or soul) and the Supreme Being (or Supreme Soul) are created together to experience the original qualities of the spiritual self and the eternal qualities of the Supreme Being – purity, peace, love, happiness and power.

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Message for the day 01-07-2017
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A single step of courage brings a lot of progress.

Expression:The understanding that one can do a lot and reach great heights, enables one to take courageously a step forward. With each step taken with courage, there is a hundred-fold help received. Also courage means to understand the accurate method of achieving things. When there is this kind of courage, there is a lot of progress in whatever is being done.

Experience: The aim to achieve the best enables me to have the courage to take a step forward in all situations. So I am able to be light yet powerful under all circumstances. Because I also find myself receiving help, I am able to further increase my own courage. There is nothing to stop me, but I continue to experience progress, in both the positive and negative situations of life.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Friday, June 30, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 30-06-2017

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Soul Sustenance 30-06-2017
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The Subtle Role Play Of Thoughts And Images (Part 1)

The human soul is a subtle (non-physical) stage on which a subtle role play of thoughts and images constantly takes place throughout the day and even while sleeping. We have explained in our older messages how thoughts are of 4 main different types - positive which are based on virtues, necessary related to day-to-day activities, waste which are mainly unnecessary and related to the past and future and negative which are related to vices and other weaknesses. In the same way, we also constantly create images or scenes, which are of the same 4 types, which is why we commonly use the term the eye of the mind. The mind not only thinks or speaks subtly but visualizes or sees subtly too, almost all the time.

These two processes function, sometimes independent of each other as well as sometimes dependent on each other i.e. influencing each other e.g. think of peace and that leads to visualizations related to the same. Visualize an unpleasant scene of anger and hatred, and your thoughts are led in that direction. Sometimes these two processes function at the same time and sometimes one at a time. Sometimes neither functions at all, which happens much more frequently while sleeping as compared to when we are awake. This subtle, physically invisible role play is the foundation of the physical role play of words and actions that is visible to the self and everyone else around you.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 30-06-2017
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Love for positivity brings progress.

Expression:When I have love for positivity, I will not be able to have negative thoughts for a long time. I will naturally put in effort, both internally and externally to come back to positivity. So this positivity spreads around to others too and serves in creating a positive environment.

Experience: Because of my love for positivity, I begin to enjoy creating and maintaining positive thoughts. When there is experience of positivity within, there is the natural desire to sustain it. Then no negative thoughts or feelings are encouraged. Slowly I find myself being only positive.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 29-06-2017

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Soul Sustenance 29-06-2017
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False Attachments

Are you aware that whenever you lose your true self-awareness (soul-consciousness), you will identify with and get attached to something that is not you? It could be another person, your work, or some material possession. Let's say you are attached to your job and one day, due to rising costs, your company decides to downsize and starts laying off thousands of its employees - all of a sudden you are asked to leave. The attachment to and identification with your position in the company, which has become a habit (sanskara), causes the creation of fearful and angry thoughts (e.g., I'm going to lose my job (fear related to the future) or How dare they downsize the company and damage my position (anger towards the company and its leadership)). The destructive energy of these thoughts becomes emotion (energy in motion) which then invades your entire mind so you cannot have clear and calm thoughts (the prime requirement of that moment). It hijacks your intellect so you cannot make correct, wise decisions and choices (also the prime requirement of that moment) for the future. Any connection you had with your inner peace is broken. All this happens because you forgot who you really are and had begun to think you are what you do. When seen from the point of view of this example it sounds ridiculous that we should identify with what we do or what we have, but this is currently how the world and its people work. So, never forget who you truly are!

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Message for the day 29-06-2017
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Life's situations are a game for the one who is prepared to face challenges.

Expression:For the one who is a skilled player, every situation, however challenging it may be, seems like a game. Even the most difficult situation is faced bravely, knowing that it has come to teach something and increase the skill within. So such a person becomes a source of support to those around during difficult times.

Experience: When I am aware of my own skills and specialities, I am able to face all life's situations with lightness and confidence. I enjoy everything that comes my way. I also am able to experience progress as I use all situations as a means for further increasing my own potential.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 28-06-2017

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Soul Sustenance 27-06-2017
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The Power To Transform Situations (Part 3)

Looking at situations with spectacles of a positive vision means having positive perceptions of negative situations. So, looking at situations with a brave face and not being in awe of the situation is a way of bringing to an end the problem as early as possible. Whereas being in awe of the situation and letting it affect your mind negatively means the problem gets prolonged further and does not go away very easily. So the choice is in our hands. But as some would say this is theory and theory is easy to preach and understand but when it comes to the real test papers of life, we forget this basic truth of life. We tend to easily get caught in the web of negativity which is always there and it gets created because of the habit of perceiving situations negatively.

It is worth realizing that when a powerful consciousness acts on a negative situation on an energy level, it is an interaction between positive and negative forces? The greater our positive consciousness or the power of the positive force, the faster the negative scene which is the negative force, transforms into a positive one. The positive force is the energy of the mind and the negative force is a situation which is of the physical world, either of our physical body, of our wealth, of our relationships or of our role. In all the cases, it is the non-physical force of our consciousness which is stronger than the physical one because the mind is subtle and possesses greater power than anything physical. The mind can influence matter more than the other way round i.e. matter influencing the mind. Techniques like what we have shared in yesterday’s message i.e. a positive thought diary can help you in raising the power of your mind. Keep one positive thought with you everyday even if negative situations do not exist in your life. Over a period of time you will enjoy a greater success rate in transforming negative situations of all types, when they arise.

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Message for the day 28-06-2017
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Commitment for truth brings constant happiness.

Expression:For the one who is constantly with the truth, there will be no fluctuations in the happiness - experienced by the self and expressed to the others. So there is benefit for both the self and others through this. Only when there is no truth, the support of falsehood is taken to prove and defend oneself. So the happiness is not retained constantly.

Experience: When I am committed towards living by the truth, I will not be influenced by the different situations that I am faced with, but will be able to experience constant happiness. I will never be influenced negatively by negative situations and allow myself to lose my happiness. Also I naturally find my happiness rising constantly.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris