Brahma Kumaris

24.09.15 Ludwig van Beethoven: 1770–1827. Pianist, Composer: He was an innovator, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto and quartet, and combining vocals and instruments in a new way. His personal life was marked by a struggle against deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was quite unable to hear. Purpose The purpose of our lives is to give birth to the best that is within us. Reducing and Recycling It's so easy to accumulate "stuff" - gadgets, clothes, appliances, shoes.... It not only takes up space in our home but also in our head. So, simplify your life by reducing and recycling. Just look around your living space and take stock of what stays and what you can easily live without. How does the accumulating "stuff" begin? Shopping! So, the next time you go shopping, question the "I need" items on your shopping list. Do you really need it? Shop less and simplify your life. Taking Time Off From Busy Lifestyles (cont.) To rise above the monotonous and busy existence explained in the last two days' messages, we all require a regular dosage of newness to keep our hearts and minds fresh. How can we define newness? It is a change of thoughts, feelings, words, actions, circumstances - when all or some of these deviate from the normal or are new, they give us an experience of joy. On a physical level we go on a holiday or a party, watch a movie, etc., all of these and many more such activities explained earlier in this message series, achieve the purpose mentioned above. We then get back to our daily routine of thoughts and actions, with more freshness, which makes the routine more interesting. On a spiritual level, to become silent, to be still in the ocean of hectic, noisy action is a choice many people are now making. When this is achieved, this stillness acts on the mind like oxygen, giving the breath to both understand and enrich life. Of course, action is a necessity, an expression of ourselves through time, relationships and the roles we play. However, if we do not sometimes stop and take a breath of silence, then the mind begins to suffocate, thoughts speed like bullet trains and the brain feels as if it is in a pressure cooker. Emotions erupt and react like volcanoes, eyes become dizzy with mountains of information and the head feels like a rollercoaster. This is stress. The mind needs to come up for air, to leave the jungle of pressure, deadlines and speed and slow down and find the point of silence within. Also a daily dose of new and different spiritual knowledge at the start of the day does the work of newness and helps us rise above the monotony. It rekindles our creative spirit. Newness in our thoughts then flows into our feelings, beliefs, attitudes, personalities or natures, perceptions, actions, interactions, relationships, etc. bringing newness in all of them and removing the stagnancy of the regular routine. Also feeding spiritual knowledge to the mind benefits silence or meditation immensely, because meditation, which is not just a process of reducing the mind to a nil stage but the creation of positive, constructive thoughts to take the mind to a positive experience of peace and bliss, can then become an interesting, new and creative exercise each time one practices it. Spiritual knowledge is the foundation of good meditation or silence. Soul Sustenance Understanding The Different Types Of Thoughts That The Mind Creates (Part 3) We have explained Necessary and Unnecessary Thoughts in the last couple of days. Today we explain: Negative Thoughts Negative thoughts harm you and are not good for you. As well as the impact they may have on others, these thoughts disturb your peace and weaken your inner strength. If these thoughts occur on a regular basis, they can cause health problems, both physical and mental. They can even become destructive. Negative thoughts are based on the five vices primarily – lust, anger, greed, ego, attachment. They are chiefly caused by selfish and harmful reasons, without taking into account the values and inner qualities of the person. * If he speaks to me again in that way I'll beat him up (rage), * I think they should pay me more without having to do any more work to earn it (greed). Negative thoughts also arise from unsatisfied expectations, in disagreements, in laziness, vengeance, racism, jealousy, criticism, hate and an excess of power. * My boss never appreciates my work but he always values my colleagues more (jealousy). * An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth or * He who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword (vengeance). (To be continued tomorrow …..) Message for the day The one who fulfills promises with determination is the one who overcome all problems. Projection: When I see some weakness working within me I usually make a promise to myself with a lot of enthusiasm. But if I face even a little opposition or difficulty in fulfilling this promise, I tend to lose hope and usually give up trying altogether. Solution: In order to bring about a change in me and fulfill my promise, I need to use the virtue of determination. Every time I find myself becoming careless in it, I need to remind myself strongly of the importance of the promise that I had made. Then I will be able to win over all the obstacles that come my way in bringing my thoughts and words to actions.