Brahma Kumaris

13.09.15 The Dalai Lama Inner Stability Inner stability rests on 4 practices: 1. Daily study - even a paragraph of spiritual wisdom you read will nourish the mind. 2. Regular meditation - the practice of insight, connection and realisation. 3. Cultivate positive qualities - consciously develop, apply and express these qualities. 4. Altruistic service to humanity - try small acts of kindness. Walking Briskly Walk quickly today, not because you are in a hurry, but because you value the exercise for legs and heart. As you walk, allow your thoughts to visit you, but not stay. Let them come to pass, and you will be surprised how quickly they become positive, and filled with creative ideas. And paradoxically, if you stay internally aware, you may notice that the quicker you walk, the more your thinking slows down and deepens. Walking briskly and positive thinking - that's the simplest way to take care of body and mind. And life was meant to be simple...wasn't it ? Varied (Different) Concepts About The Supreme Being or God Various questions related to the Supreme Being or God for the vast majority remain unanswered and therefore the experience of God remains unfulfilled. The concepts about God are as varied or different as are the sanskars of human beings. Some common concepts about God: * Some say God is everywhere. * Some say He is nowhere. * Some say He created the whole Universe out of nothing or out of Himself: others see that as illogical and impossible. * Many say God is beyond the understanding of limited human intellects, others believe that they have understood Him and are then respected as self-realized or spiritually knowledgeable humans. * Still others believe themselves to be God and allow themselves to be worshiped. * Some say that God creates only what is good, and others say that He also creates evil or bad, and that everything that is happening in the world is just God's play. * God is seen by some to be just an expression of human beings' needs and that they will soon go beyond needing such a figure-head (someone who is looked upto). * Some say He makes the grass grow and the wind blow, others say He is merely the voice of the conscience - the inner voice. * Others define God as the higher self who remains constantly at peace; this concept is called cosmic-consciousness, since the one with this characteristic is said to be at one with the whole universe. (To be continued tomorrow ...) Soul Sustenance Exercise On Self Discovery (Part 1) Many people today do not have a clear sense of identity. In fact, when you ask people about the image they have of themselves, it is usually negative, and they see their weaknesses (negative sanskaras) and mistakes committed in the past more easily than their qualities (positive sanskaras) and achievements. This negative image of oneself leads us to an identity crisis. A negative image causes feelings of dissatisfaction to accumulate within oneself. Then our lifestyle is affected by the need for recognition and approval, by the need to justify ourselves, of obtaining material achievements and success. Given below is an exercise to experience your true self: Sit back and observe yourself. What is the image you have of yourself? How do you see yourself? Who are you really? What is there left when you have removed all the labels? Are you thoughts, feelings, free will, energy, ideas, being, conscience, intellect, life? What do the majority have in common? They are internal, incorporeal and invisible: they are non-physical aspects. The true self is incorporeal and invisible. Now experience your ideal self: Make a list of which qualities you think your ideal self should have, the self you deeply long to be and experience in your life. The list may include qualities such as: joyful, tolerant, generous, fearless, free, loving, among others. (To be continued tomorrow …) Message for the day To see specialities in all is to become special. Projection: Most of the time, I'm caught up in looking at people's negativity. When I see some negative quality in someone, I immediately make his specialities a background and start focusing on his negative traits. The more I think of these negative qualities, the more they occupy my conscious mind, changing my reactions too. Solution: It is natural to be coloured or influenced by what I see. If I see specialities, I'll take on a little of that and if I see weaknesses, I'll take on a little of that too. So I need to make an attempt to look at only specialities and encourage others too to use their specialities.