See Benefit
Seek to 'see' the benefit in all events. That's not to
say, ignore the downside. See the 'reality' but, at the
same time, deliberately look for the upside. Find that
silver lining. Look for the lesson. Realize, nothing
happens TO us but everything happens FOR us. Shift, "Why
is this happening TO me?" to "What is the lesson here
FOR me?"
Faith
Sometimes when we are trying for something, we find
ourselves losing hope and giving up midway. Although we
do feel that we are trying till the end, it is usually
not so. Sometimes we find ourselves giving up just
before we could have succeeded. Determination to succeed
comes with faith - faith in myself and the faith that
things will work out fine. This faith doesn't let me
give up mid-way but gives me determination that makes me
put in effort till I achieve success.
Pure Cooking
A significant part of our lifestyle is to consider the
quality of our thoughts required while making food.
Living in a family may make it more difficult to have
that quiet and ordered state of mind while cooking.
Also, children, friends, husbands and wives have the
habit of coming into the kitchen while you are cooking.
So, see if you can re-organize your timetable so you can
cook at a time when they are busy, and then you can
properly concentrate on giving pure vibrations to the
food. It also helps if you play some gentle, soothing
music which reminds you of the Supreme Soul or God while
you are cooking. Even better sit in meditation for 4-5
minutes in the kitchen before starting to cook.
If you think of yourself while you are cooking then
there will be a vibration of greed created. If you think
of others while you are cooking there will be a
vibration of attachment created. Think about the Supreme
and there will be that feeling of deep love and freedom
(liberation). Physical cleanliness before cooking is
important. Walking off the market or crowded roads, into
the kitchen and cooking can affect the vibrations of the
food. Washing, changing and meditating is a good start
for preparation of satwic food. The ideal time for
cooking is in the morning, the mind is quiet and if one
has read a short paragraph of spiritual knowledge
sometime after getting up, the mind is filled with new
gems of spiritual knowledge, free of waste thoughts.
(To be continued tomorrow ...)
Soul Sustenance
Fears and Dependencies in Relationships
Relationships are a source of support for our life, or
at least, they should be. Relationships should ideally
be an exchange of happiness and love. Peaceful
relationships are the foundation from where we create,
generate and carry out shared endeavors (efforts).
Thanks to cooperation, we achieve our objectives.
When people are asked about what the different causes of
stress, worries and suffering are, one of the main
answers is relationships. Relationships have become a
cause of ties (bondage) and pain. Instead of trust it
seems fear dominates in relationships. In a relationship
of love - be it family, be it friendship - due to
emotional weaknesses and a lack of self-esteem, in order
to learn to love ourselves we need another person or
people to value us, to appreciate us, to need us, to
love us. Even so, we do not manage to learn to love
ourselves and we continue to depend on and worry about
the opinion of others, what others might say, think or
feel about us. You fear the answer of others; you fear
they might say something that hurts you. These fears
arise out of the emotional dependence on this person or
these people. And they (fears) prevent us from
developing and expressing all our potential, meaning
that we stop being ourselves and we fear sharing
ourselves openly.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message for the day
True service is to spread the light of happiness to all
around.
Projection:
In any negative situation, the usual reaction is to feel
disheartened and unhappy. With this reaction to the
situation, the people around too are affected as the
unhappiness spreads around. Focusing this way only on
the problem creates such negativity that it doesn't
inspire anyone to work for a solution.
Solution:
Instead of spreading unhappiness in a difficult
situation by seeing the negative aspect, we need to
think of how to bring a solution. Even if we can't, we
need to look at some positive aspect in it that will
enable us to maintain our own positivity. When we keep
ourselves happy in this way, we will be able to spread
this happiness to others too.