06.04.2014

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur,
Rajasthan, India
Contentment
Contentment is the king of
all virtues. A contented man lives naturally peaceful
life. Remain happy with what is available and at the
same time keep trying for better.
Tolerance
Tolerance does not mean to suppress
something. Suppression is a negative energy which causes
stress. In time anything that is suppressed rebound.
To tolerate means to accept through understanding.
Acceptance is a change in my internal attitude towards
that which I feel I need to tolerate. Tolerance is
actually about respecting the differences I see. First I
have to learn to tolerate my own inner reactions. This
can only happen when I learn to disengaged from the
thoughts and feelings creating my inner reaction.
I am not my thoughts or feelings, they are my creation,
thus I am able to separate myself from them if I wish.
If I can take a second to step back and become an
observer of the drama that is going on within, then I
will have the opportunity to see it from another
perspective, and so understand and accept it. Make a
friend of the power to tolerate.
Meditation
Imagine you are walking along a
crowded platform in a train station. You know that where
you want to go to is the other end of the platform where
your train is waiting. You don't stop and talk to anyone
on the way. If you did you would be delayed. You would
fail to arrive at your train if you interacted with
everyone on a platform that is continuously filled with
new people. Meditation is exactly like this. Just as you
cannot empty the platform of people just because you
have a train to catch, you cannot just empty your mind
of all thoughts just because you want to
get to the destination (goal) or seat of your inner
peace. Not at least until you are able to practice
meditation correctly.
Remind yourself that you are not your thoughts, you are
not your feelings, you are not your memories, you are
not any of the voices in your head. You are the creator
and they your creation, but they are not you. In fact
they represent a platform of absolute strangers.
Soul Sustenance
The Relationship Between Virtues And Vices
When we are internally strong, our nature characteristics
and skills are reflected, from inside us to the outside,
to everyone we interact in, in the form of virtues. If
we are internally weak, those same traits emerge and
radiate as vices. Vices are just qualities or virtues
that have lost their focus and strength. For e.g. if we
take the quality of love - when a strong soul radiates
love, it is unlimited and without any conditions. Such a
soul respects and has good wishes for everything and
everyone and under all circumstances, irrespective of
whether love and respect is coming from the other side
or not. When a weak soul radiates love, he/she tends to
restrict the love to limits e.g. the love would vary
from person to person and from situation to situation.
In a sense, if spiritual might (strength) and spiritual
light (understanding or knowledge) are taken away from
the virtues, they get transformed into the six vices,
which make us spiritually unhealthy or weak:
Ego - developing an image of the self that is
false, temporary or imaginary.
Greed - finding short term fulfillment by
acquiring material goods, a role in society or money or
through the physical senses – eyes, tongue, ears, etc.
Attachment - finding security by developing a
feeling of possessiveness over loved ones and material
objects.
Lust - using excessive satisfaction through the
senses as a means of fulfillment.
Anger - the feeling of hatred and revenge when
any of the other vices are threatened or being taken
away from us.
Laziness - becoming inactive on a spiritual,
physical or mental level.
Message for the day
The one who wins
over situations with the power of one's own stage is a
winner.
Projection:
When difficult situations come our
way, it is usually our own stage that is affected. We
feel disheartened, or frustrated which makes us feel
helpless in the situation. We can, then, do nothing to
bring about any change and lose out to the situation.
Solution:
Whenever a difficult situation comes our way, we need to
remind ourselves that the situation is here only for a
short time as a test for our own stage and to give us a
chance to progress. This thought will help us be stable
in the worst situations and will enable us to learn from
what has
happened in order to improve ourselves.