04.05.2015

Resolve Conflict
There has probably
never been a time where there has been so much
fear and conflict across the world, not just
across oceans and borders but across the
breakfast table. In fact many now prefer
conflict to peace, as they become addicted to
the actions of anger and aggression, and the
adrenaline rush which results. They don't really
want conflict to end, in fact, they will say
that some conflict is good to get things done
and stimulate change. They are not aware that
they are killing themselves. All conflict is
simply a symptom of attachment to a position.
And as we know, this generates fear, and fear,
if allowed to stay, eventually kills it's host.
All solutions are based on detachment or letting
go. But that will be difficult until we can see
that all possession is an illusion, that we have
nothing to lose and that there are no victories
in winning.
Introversion
It is extroversion
that wastes our energy and makes us feel weak.
In a
state of introversion we think less and speak
less. We then have the
power to put into action whatever we think and
whatever we need to do.
Freedom From The
Dependency On The New
One of the dependencies that the consumer
society promotes is dependency on the new. You
have a car but today a new, better one is coming
out. You have a mobile but the new one on the
market today has more features and yours is now
obsolete. The same thing happens to the
television, MP3 players, DVD players, etc. Today
you have some clothes but tomorrow the fashion
will be different. We find the need to fill
ourselves with more and more. This way an
addiction to the new is generated. We get bored
quickly and we need something apparently new and
different all the time.
Some people need to buy new clothes all the time
because it makes them feel better; they feel the
newness, is this normal or is it actually an
addiction to the new out of boredom, is it
discomfort with oneself and the inner need to
impress and please others that sometimes some
people seem to possess. It is actually living in
the superficiality 'of the pair of jeans or the
saree', not in the inner essence of being
or soul. It is to use time to distract
oneself and not to construct creatively. It's
not as if buying new stuff or going shopping is
wrong but when it becomes a dependency, when it
becomes a source of boosting your self esteem,
that's a sign that you are going wrong.
(To be continued tomorrow ...)
Soul Sustenance
Absorbing
Spiritual Light - Part 1
Just as darkness is the absence of light,
negativity which manifests as vices and
weaknesses inside us is merely the absence of
spiritual light. Through the influence of
negativity, the sense organs waste away the
light. The question of vice, or sin, has been of
a lot of importance in religion. No matter how
much political or religious control has been
imposed, nothing has been able to block the
internal wasting away of the "light" of the
soul. Light has a source but darkness does not.
Darkness is not created by any source but is
rather the absence of a source. In the same way,
the negative forces do not emerge from the
real nature of the self, but are simply symptoms
of a lack of spiritual power or light. As
spiritual power declines, symptoms of negativity
such as anger, greed, ego, attachment, hatred,
jealousy and related vices appear. On the other
hand, as the soul's power and spiritual light
increases through a union (meditation) with the
Supreme, the vices automatically disappear. In
fact problems are not fundamentally caused by a
particular vice, it is a question of the extent
of one's power. If I am weak, the sanskars
mostly related to vices dominate my experience.
If I am strong they do not have a chance to
affect me.
The negative forces have often been personified
as Ravana, Maya or Satan but in
fact there is no such entity. Maya
describes a level of consciousness. There is no
outside being whom we can blame. The vices are
symptoms of individual ignorance and loss of
power, which appeared only when our original
creative powers subsided as we came into the
process of birth and rebirth. When the soul's
power fell below the level necessary to control
matter and the senses; then the vices emerged
inside the soul. The soul was more and more
propelled by them through many births, until
today when they appear to be a basic part of our
real nature.
(To be continued tomorrow …)
Message for the
day
To look closely
at one's own behaviour is to bring about a
positive change.
Expression:
While it is easy to talk
about what other people should do to change
themselves and their behaviour, it is also
important to see what one can do to bring about
a change in oneself. When there is the ability
to look in this way, effort is put in
continuously to change old unwanted patterns of
behaviour and replace with more desirable ones.
Experience:
When I am able to take a
closer look at myself, I am able to see which
trait in my personality is getting in the way of
my progress. This knowledge helps me accept
myself with my shortcomings and yet have the
courage to bring about a change easily. So I
have the satisfaction of working on myself.