Brahma Kumaris

24.08.15 Cynthia Calvillo's front yard is a showcase for her art work. Old tyres are pots, stones are painted and the fencing is recycled from the trash as well. Transform Transform regrets into realisations and therefore ensure that what could be waste is made into something worthwhile. Good intentions need to be brought into quick action. When we get a thought to do something good, it is better to do it immediately. If we don't, the intention tends to fade and it becomes more and more difficult as days pass by. Also, after a while, we will not be able to find the necessary resources to bring it into action. Today I will take up something that I have wanted to do. I will list out a few points when and what I am going to do to fulfill that thought. I will immediately start doing it. This will bring about a positive change in my life. The Power Of Concentrated Thought (cont.) One important component that doesn't let us remain in the healthy and positive experience of concentrated thought is the many different types of influences we are exposed to in our life. There are two different types of influences - external and internal. These influences can also be called voices. Voices from outside as well as inside speak to us. External influences or voices are of people whom we come in contact with at home, at the workplace, at school or college, at the club, in the media etc. or elsewhere. These people are those whom we either see as equals or look upto. They could be our friends, our parents, our spouse, our teacher, our guru, our doctor, our neighbor, our colleagues, our boss, actors or sportsmen whom we admire, even the daily newsreaders or writers, etc. We have been exposed to these influences right from the time we were born. The influences from all these people are not necessarily on a physical level, they can also be on a subtle level of mental vibrations from others. We interact with all or some of these people and spend time with them and whenever we do that they advise us or give us their opinion on a physical level and we also listen to their voices on a subtle, emotional energy level e.g. we spend a lot many hours in the office. We may not interact with our boss all the time but his personality is constantly influencing everyone in the office on a subtle level, including us. The office environment is shaped largely by the head of the office. In the same way, we may be taking care that we listen only to the positive voices of the media and we do not listen to the negative ones, but the all pervading negative atmosphere that exists everywhere due to everyone being exposed to the news of violence, sorrow and impurity from the media, definitely influences us on a subtle level, even though we might not realize it. As children, we have been listening to the subtle voices of our parents, even when we were taking shape in our mother's womb. In tomorrow's message, we shall explain what our different types of internal influences or voices. Soul Sustenance A Gauge To Check How Spiritually Powerful Am I The territory of spiritual understanding is both infinite and unlimited. Simply put, spirituality can be defined as the rediscovery of the deepest values, virtues, positive sanskars or characteristics of the human soul. The innate attributes or characteristics of the soul (peace, love, truth, purity and happiness) give the soul its power. The power of the soul cannot be quantified either on a physical or a non-physical level. The power can only be experienced and revealed to the self and others through the 'quality' of the above characteristics and the different forms they are given by the soul itself. For a practitioner of meditation, whether a beginner or an experienced once, patience and a gentle persistence guarantee two aspects of self-progress (in varying degrees in different souls): 1. rediscovery and revelation or expression of one's spiritual attributes and secondly, but very importantly 2. the ability to give them an appropriate form internally or externally, depending on the requirement of the situation. A particular soul might be good at both aspects, another one very good at the first aspect and not so good at the second one. When we choose to be peaceful, we reconnect with our inner peace and create the spiritual form of peace within our self. This form created is different for different souls, depending on how powerful the soul is. So what is the quality of that form, what is the quality of our peace? Is it a superficial quality that is easily disturbed with unexpected changes in our external circumstances, or is it a deep peace which is stable even in the face of fierce criticism from others? Only we know the quality of our spiritual forms. Message for the day The one who recognises the needs of others is the one who gives real happiness. Projection: I usually make a lot of effort to give in some way or the other to those around me. Yet I sometimes find that people are not able to be happy with me. What I give is usually based on what I feel the other person needs. I continue to give in this way and begin to expect from others too, and find myself disappointed when I am not appreciated. Solution: I need to be a giver in the true sense. Before I think of giving, I need to recognise the needs of others. The more I keep myself tuned to this I will enjoy what I am giving and the impact of it will be there on the others too. I will then find that others are pleased with me too.