The Cause of all Conflicts
Desires cause peace to disappear. You think that
acquiring things will make you feel secure, but
the reality is that the more you have the more
fear there usually is of losing it, and the
further you are from peace. Desires are the
cause of all conflicts. When you want something
and cannot get it you become frustrated.
Learning to be free from desires is learning how
to stay peaceful.
Overcoming The Subtle Desire For Revenge
Ask yourself very honestly how many times in
your life did you feel joy, even a slight trace
of it, when something negative happened with
someone who had harmed you or hurt you or
insulted you in any way in the past - either in
the immediate or distant (far-away) past. When
this kind of joy, which is an impure form of
joy, is seen inside you, even if it is at your
extremely subtle thought level (if not in your
words or actions), you need to remember that
this is nothing but a feeling of subtle
revenge, even if physically you haven't got
back at any point of time at the person who has
harmed you, when he did so. It may not sound
very nice, but this kind of joy is enjoying the
pain of others and is obviously an extremely low
grade form of joy. Sometimes, as a way of
justifying our joyful revenge, we call it
justice. The driving energy or fuel
behind this kind of revenge is hatred or anger.
It is a feeling of: "I really enjoyed it
when what they had done to me came to them - I
was so happy to see them suffer for what they
had done, this is their punishment ... tit for
tat." It is a type of joy that only increases
our accounts of negative karmas with the other
person, which as a result, increases our sorrow,
instead of decreasing it, although it may give
us an impression for a while that it is
decreasing our sorrow. This kind of joy will
only cause the radiation of a negative form of
energy to the other person, which will not only
give pain to the other person, but will also
cause the radiation of the negative energy of
hatred from the other person to us that will
never bring us long term joy. Imagine someone
meeting with an accident on the road and in a
lot of pain and instead of helping that person
immediately we smile at that person happy with
what has happened to him or her. What energy
will such a person send us in return? This
example is on a physical level, but the same
principle applies on a subtle level. So the next
time something like this happens in our life, we
need to remind ourselves only if we don't have
the slightest trace of joy inside us that we can
safely say that we are free from any desire for
revenge, even though it may be very subtle.
Freedom
The meaning of Freedom is having no burden - no
burden of body or mind. Freedom is having such a
clear vision of reality and such a powerful
image of the self that the superficial bondages
cannot contain you. Freedom is the knowledge
that comes from knowing what your role is and
playing it accurately. Freedom is freedom from
fear and anxiety. Living from a position of
freedom gives us the opportunity to make choices
beyond the ordinary because then we are living
beyond all bondages - even the bondage of
actions.
Soul Sustenance
Is the Supreme Soul (God) Really Omnipresent
(present everywhere) – cont.?
If the Supreme Soul (God) were omnipresent there
would be no need for knowledge and no need to
search for peace. The One who is the ocean of
peace and the ocean of knowledge would be
everywhere. Perhaps the strongest point against
the idea of literal omnipresence is the point of
relationship. In the heart of every soul – there
is a distinct memory - I am the child, God is my
Father. If God is omnipresent, does that mean
that the Father is present inside the child? God
is also the supreme teacher, guide, liberator,
friend and purifier of human souls. That is why
everyone turns their thoughts to Him in their
hours of sorrow. The idea that God is
omnipresent is indeed the ultimate excuse and
greatest escape from responsibility of the
mistakes that human souls have made and continue
to make. After all, if God were omnipresent
(present in everyone) He would be responsible
for good as well as evil karmas that humans
commit. An omnipresent God implies that we have
nothing to complete in ourselves for we are
already God. Am I really God? One could not
seriously admit to such a claim. It is only
through deep and concentrated meditation that
one can enter the spiritual dimension where His
presence is truly felt.
Message for the day
To end waste means to be free from defeat.
Projection:
The one with faith in the intellect always
remains at a distance from waste, whether it is
waste thoughts, waste words or waste actions. To
move away from waste means to be victorious. The
one who is free from waste is busy with the
positive and useful. Such a person is constantly
searching for solutions and trying to make the
best out of the situation.
Solution:
It is because of waste that I sometimes
experience defeat and sometimes victory. If I am
able to finish waste, I am able to finish
defeat. Because whatever the situation may be,
however challenging it may be, if I am able to
finish waste I am able to recognize the benefit
that is merged within it and so I am able to
experience being constantly victorious.