
Manners
A person of wisdom and spirituality has very
beautiful manners that have grown from genuine
respect and love for the whole of humanity.
Manners in this sense have nothing to do with
culture or education: it is simply a question of
humility. When we are at the receiving end of
such manners, we feel that some deeper part of
us has been honoured. In fact, none of us
deserves anything less.
Lightness
Lightness is like hitting a spring of water
inside. A sudden break out
from the dryness of your normal reactions as you
begin to express from
within, rather than just responding to what you
see outside. It usually
happens when you come upon a quality that hasn't
been destroyed or
jaded by time, something very old and inherent
in you that has
survived. Most qualities and talents are
developed through use, but are
also in some way diluted and changed. Lightness
is touching what makes
you unique, because it has never changed.
Self Empowerment
To fill your self with a quality or power, which
you feel you do not have or one, which is
lacking inside you, try the following exercise.
Suppose you feel that you lack contentment
(satisfaction). To increase this quality inside
you, sit comfortably in a pleasant room with
your eyes open.
Withdraw (remove) energy mentally from
everything around you - turn your attention
inward. You might think of how a tortoise
withdraws into its shell to detach itself from
the outside world, but carrying the experience
of the world with it inside its shelter.
Create a point of consciousness. Focus on
the centre of your forehead. Think of this point
as a bright star, a sparkling jewel, a flame or
a being of light. This will radiate positive
energy, making you feel good about yourself.
Affirm (strengthen) this positive energy
through positive thoughts and images about
yourself such as * I am a contented soul, I
shower everyone whom I meet with the quality of
contentment, * I am a jewel of contentment or *
I am the child of the Supreme Soul, the Ocean of
Contentment.
Focus your energy on contentment, and let
this become the object of your meditation. As
you focus, you will give contentment life,
turning a thought into a feeling.
Experience this feeling by giving your
conscious attention to it.
During the entire day, you could visualize
yourself performing each action in the canopy
(shelter) of the Ocean of Contentment.
Now perform this exercise for different virtues
like cheerfulness, courage, humility (egolessness),
tolerance, forgiveness, determination, etc.
especially for the ones you think are lacking
inside you. For the qualities already existing
inside you, you could use this exercise to
strengthen those features of your personality
and bring them more into your actions and
interactions.
Soul Sustenance
Discovering Inner Compassion (Kindness) – Part 2
To really understand compassion, we have to
experience it for ourselves. We can observe and
admire others; we can even acknowledge that we
have behaved compassionately on some occasions,
but how do we develop the virtue of compassion
inside us? If we can find a place of inner
silence where we can slow down our thoughts and
touch our deepest nature, we will discover that
it is peaceful and compassionate. This is the
source of our compassion and the more we
experience it the more it will become part of
our actions. Meditation reminds us that we
are compassionate at our core.
Most people can remember a compassionate act. It
may be an everyday situation or something that
stands out as very special. Examples may be
sitting holding the hand of a distressed
relative or friend, or simply smiling and being
positive. Reflecting on such acts helps us to
identify the qualities of compassion that a
person may express, such as patience, tolerance,
generosity and calmness. By thinking about acts
of compassion and the people that perform them,
we can begin to get a sense of what compassion
means and, with further reflection, how we have
shown these same qualities ourselves.
We all use words in different ways to describe
how we feel and what we mean, and the meaning
can change in different settings. We need to
come to some understanding of the wordcompassion,
redefining it for ourselves. Compassion can mean
simply kindness; it can mean patience,
generosity, respect and understanding.
Compassion is unconditional love.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message for the day
The one who is virtuous is loved by all.
Expression:
The one who doesn't let go of
his commitment to his values is the one who is
loved by all. Such a person is not concerned
whether the other person is committed to his own
values or not. He continues to recognize and
express his values in all words and actions.
Hence the expression of his values is not
dependent on others or situations and he
continues to win the love of all.
Experience:
When I am committed to my own
values, I enjoy using them in whatever I do. I
am free from expectations - from situations and
from people. I am able to accept people as they
are and also appreciate them for their own value
system. So I never expect people to change
according to my expectations and I continue to
win the love of all.