04.01.2015

Pessimist to Optimist
If you have the habit of seeing things from a
pessimistic viewpoint, then all you need to do
is broaden your scope for a moment and step
outside of your negative perspective.
View the situation from a different light. See
the opportunity in every difficulty, not the
difficulty in every opportunity. Focus on the possibilities and not the
impossibilities.
Be more optimistic and you'll be healthier and
less stressed than when you were a pessimist.
Focus on the present
Worries are an illusion. They make you live in
the future, giving you
the belief that you are very busy and takes you
away from the present.
Worries are an excuse for not doing what you
really have to be doing. A
reactive person appears very busy and worried.
With worry, no problems
can be resolved. A proactive person focuses
attention on the present,
acts with initiative, and the understanding that
being calm and free
from worry is far more effective.
Internal And External Attachments (cont.)
Each time we attach ourselves to anything which
is external or internal (we
have mentioned some common examples of both
types of attachments in the last two days'
messages),we create fears, amongst which the
main one is the fear of loss of what I am
attached to. The attachment not only gives rise
to fear but also brings with it emotions like
anger, ego, sadness, jealousy, greed,
comparisons, hatred etc. All these emotions
have their roots in attachment, which gives rise
to insecurity.
Any type of attachment out of the ones mentioned
in the last two days' messages or some other is
a sanskar that is so deeply embedded
inside us that it seems normal to us. It is just
a sanskar but it has immense amount of
power and it manages to imprison us completely,
but most of the time we do not even realize we
are imprisoned. The negative emotional states
connected with this kind of attachment create a
state of internal mental pressure or an inner
emptiness and make us feel absolutely helpless
at times. Over a period of many births, we have
become so accustomed to these attachments and
the various forms of suffering connected with it
that we have started believing that these are an
integral part of the human personality and human
life since the beginning and are, therefore,
natural. And so we continue with the sanskar and
even keep strengthening it, never ever thinking
that it should be removed. We do this with
internal stress and unhappiness to the point
that even our health gets affected adversely. The
natural state of the self is free and not
attached in this way to anything. Attachments,
whether external or internal, are acquired at
different points of time in birth-rebirth cycle
and are not natural or there from the beginning. All
the things mentioned in the last two days'
messages have existed from the beginning but
attachment to them has not. The present
suffering indicates to us that these types of
attachments are something abnormal or not
natural.
Soul Sustenance
The Three Mirrors for Inner Beauty (Part 1)
“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest
of them all?” are famous words. To check our
external beauty or tidiness, we look into the
mirror on the wall each day. But on a mental,
emotional and spiritual level, what is the
mirror that helps you to see if there is
anything wrong with your inner face or self or
to realize what is happening to you and what you
have to do to maintain your inner fairness or
beauty?
There are three types of mirrors, which
one can use to see or check the internal self:
The first mirror is the mirror of spiritual
knowledge – Spiritual knowledge is the
knowledge related to spiritual self-development
i.e. of the soul and also of the Supreme Soul.
Each day, in the morning, you can look into this
mirror for 5 minutes at least. Looking into
this mirror means listening to or reading a
piece of spiritual knowledge for at least 5
minutes that connects you to your inner essence,
increases your emotional and spiritual
intelligence as well as reminds you of your true
purpose.
You will see yourself very clearly in this
mirror as this mirror will show you:
* the knowledge of the original and ideal
virtues of the soul like peace, love, bliss,
purity, power, joy etc.;
* how these virtues can be imbibed in the self to
benefit the self and others;
* the knowledge of the different types of
weaknesses that can arise in the soul like
anger, greed, ego, hatred, fear, attachment,
jealousy, sorrow, etc., the roots of all
which lie in mis-identification with the
physical self and forgetting the spiritual self
and how these weaknesses can harm the self and
others;
* the knowledge of overcoming these
weaknesses.
All of these things which you see in the mirror
will help you to check where you stand in
comparison to the right code of conduct for
thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, words
and actions, where you are going wrong and how
you can make the required corrections in the
same. On looking into this mirror you will be
reminded of the Law of Karma (the Law of Action
and Reaction), which will motivate you to make
these corrections.
(To be continued tomorrow ….)
Message for the day
To check regularly means to bring about a
change.
Expression:
When there is any negative action performed,
there is an immediate feeling of guilt and a
desire not to perform it again. But the checking
also needs to be at a level where it never
repeats again. Maintaining a chart of one's own
weakness means checking regularly. Such checking
brings about a permanent change.
Experience:
When I am able to maintain a chart where I could
monitor my own progress, I am able to remain
committed to my transformation. Adverse
situations or people will never deter me, but I
am able to bring about the desired change. I am
able to continue the process of transformation
even when what I seek to change is not harmful
in the present phase of my life. Thus regular
checking will prevent carelessness from creeping
in.