BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY
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28.02.2015 Manners A person of wisdom and spirituality has very beautiful manners that have grown from genuine respect and love for the whole of humanity. Manners in this sense have nothing to do with culture or education: it is simply a question of humility. When we are at the receiving end of such manners, we feel that some deeper part of us has been honoured. In fact, none of us deserves anything less. Lightness Lightness is like hitting a spring of water inside. A sudden break out from the dryness of your normal reactions as you begin to express from within, rather than just responding to what you see outside. It usually happens when you come upon a quality that hasn't been destroyed or jaded by time, something very old and inherent in you that has survived. Most qualities and talents are developed through use, but are also in some way diluted and changed. Lightness is touching what makes you unique, because it has never changed. Self Empowerment To fill your self with a quality or power, which you feel you do not have or one, which is lacking inside you, try the following exercise. Suppose you feel that you lack contentment (satisfaction). To increase this quality inside you, sit comfortably in a pleasant room with your eyes open. Withdraw (remove) energy mentally from everything around you - turn your attention inward. You might think of how a tortoise withdraws into its shell to detach itself from the outside world, but carrying the experience of the world with it inside its shelter. Create a point of consciousness. Focus on the centre of your forehead. Think of this point as a bright star, a sparkling jewel, a flame or a being of light. This will radiate positive energy, making you feel good about yourself. Affirm (strengthen) this positive energy through positive thoughts and images about yourself such as * I am a contented soul, I shower everyone whom I meet with the quality of contentment, * I am a jewel of contentment or * I am the child of the Supreme Soul, the Ocean of Contentment. Focus your energy on contentment, and let this become the object of your meditation. As you focus, you will give contentment life, turning a thought into a feeling. Experience this feeling by giving your conscious attention to it. During the entire day, you could visualize yourself performing each action in the canopy (shelter) of the Ocean of Contentment. Now perform this exercise for different virtues like cheerfulness, courage, humility (egolessness), tolerance, forgiveness, determination, etc. especially for the ones you think are lacking inside you. For the qualities already existing inside you, you could use this exercise to strengthen those features of your personality and bring them more into your actions and interactions. Soul Sustenance Discovering Inner Compassion (Kindness) – Part 2 To really understand compassion, we have to experience it for ourselves. We can observe and admire others; we can even acknowledge that we have behaved compassionately on some occasions, but how do we develop the virtue of compassion inside us? If we can find a place of inner silence where we can slow down our thoughts and touch our deepest nature, we will discover that it is peaceful and compassionate. This is the source of our compassion and the more we experience it the more it will become part of our actions. Meditation reminds us that we are compassionate at our core. Most people can remember a compassionate act. It may be an everyday situation or something that stands out as very special. Examples may be sitting holding the hand of a distressed relative or friend, or simply smiling and being positive. Reflecting on such acts helps us to identify the qualities of compassion that a person may express, such as patience, tolerance, generosity and calmness. By thinking about acts of compassion and the people that perform them, we can begin to get a sense of what compassion means and, with further reflection, how we have shown these same qualities ourselves. We all use words in different ways to describe how we feel and what we mean, and the meaning can change in different settings. We need to come to some understanding of the wordcompassion, redefining it for ourselves. Compassion can mean simply kindness; it can mean patience, generosity, respect and understanding. Compassion is unconditional love. (To be continued tomorrow …) Message for the day The one who is virtuous is loved by all. Expression: The one who doesn't let go of his commitment to his values is the one who is loved by all. Such a person is not concerned whether the other person is committed to his own values or not. He continues to recognize and express his values in all words and actions. Hence the expression of his values is not dependent on others or situations and he continues to win the love of all. Experience: When I am committed to my own values, I enjoy using them in whatever I do. I am free from expectations - from situations and from people. I am able to accept people as they are and also appreciate them for their own value system. So I never expect people to change according to my expectations and I continue to win the love of all.