Silence
Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom.
See Specialties
Sometimes people are not able to use their specialties.
But even at such times if one has the ability to see
their specialties there is the ability to give courage
and enthusiasm to them. One can provide them with such
an environment that allows their own growth. So whatever
the circumstances may be, there is progress. When we are
able to see the positive aspect of others, we can keep
our mind free from a major portion of negativity. The
potential of our thoughts can be used fully for our own
inner progress and we can therefore make a contribution
for the others too. This earns us blessings and good
wishes from others, which further enhances our own
progress.
Imbibing Or Absorbing Spiritual Knowledge
The first step into experience, particularly the
meditation experience, is knowledge. What does it mean
to 'know'? Knowing involves four steps, which ultimately
give the meditator the experience of realization:
The first step of knowing is information.
With information, our intellect opens to new ideas and
opinions.
The second step of knowing is knowledge,
when we begin to reflect and think on the ideas and
views that we have listened to. At this point, we often
have to select only a few of the ideas we have heard, as
it is not always possible to reflect (think) on all the
information that is fed to us. In order to deepen our
understanding, we reflect on the information and
sometimes discuss our findings and thoughts with others.
The third step of knowing is when we move from
thinking to doing, that is, from knowledge to
wisdom. Wisdom is gained when we commit ourselves to
'doing'. Knowledge translated into our everyday behavior
is called wisdom, which, in turn, is called quality
life. A life of quality is where personal values are not
only realized but also lived and experienced through our
practical actions.
Doing, or practice, naturally brings us to the fourth
and final step of knowing, which is called truth.
Soul Sustenance
Understanding And Overcoming Ego
Identification with the ego and the external self
creates a false identity and extremes of feeling
inferior, or superior, depending on the circumstances
and people. It brings with it the thought of 'I am',
which is based on gender, religion, nationality,
achievement or talent, creating an attachment to the
self, which always compares and competes with others.
This insecurity leads a person into forcing others to
act and think in the same way as them.
An egoistic person, rather than recognizing that
everyone is unique with a unique personality and has a
right to express his/her respective personality, sees
difference in personalities as a threat to
himself/herself.
Where there is such ego, only yes people (who have the
same opinion as yours) are allowed to come close: anyone
with a difference of opinion is rejected. With ego, the
original uniqueness of the self is denied, unrecognized
and buried deep in the layers of wrong identity. This is
why, these days, there is such an identity crisis -
humanity has lost its soul, or rather, sold its soul to
external traditions and attractions.
With ego, then: is the idea of ‘I know best' and
consequently the misunderstood duty and right to control
and manipulate others, in their best interests
(supposedly)! This results in the spoiling of the
creativity and uniqueness of others.
(To be continued tomorrow…)
Message for the day
Pure feelings reach out and bring benefit to others.
Projection:
When there is someone who is being negative, we tend to
think or speak about the negativity we perceive at that
time. To think about negativity is to imbibe a little of
that negativity within our mind. Then our mind is no
more pure and so whatever thoughts we have for that
person don't have any positive influence and there is no
benefit for them.
Solution:
If we see someone using some weakness, we need to pay
special attention not to think or speak about it.
Instead we need to concentrate on some speciality of the
other person. This gives them the encouragement to use
it. The more we see negative, the more negative they
will be with us and the more we see positive the more
positive they'll be with us.