Comparison with Others Comparing yourself with others will leave you vulnerable on three counts: you'll either feel inferior, superior or impressed. All three of these states are dangerous because they all disregard the underlying principle of our true connection with each other - mutual love and regard, based on independently generated self-esteem. To protect yourself from this vulnerability, make sure that your attention remains turned within, towards the spiritual experience of pure pride. Staying centered in your elevated self-respect will help you remain undisturbed by others around you. Keep asking yourself, "Who am I?" "How would my spiritual personality respond to this event or person?" this will help to center you further, and allow you to enjoy the successful efforts of others. Looking at Positivity When someone relates something to me about another person's negativity, I tend to listen to it with great interest. I then find that the other person is greatly encouraged to speak about it. But such waste talk is not really useful for anyone and I find that there is no solution for the problem at hand. When someone is talking about the negativity in another person I need to question myself if listening to this is of any use to me, or if I can do anything about the situation. If I cannot do anything I need to remind myself that there is no use listening to such waste talk. Instead I need to make an attempt to look at the positive aspect in the other person so that the other person can see that too. Practical Positive Response Training To The Mind (cont.) In last two days' messages, we have explained the process of restoring positivity in the mind when faced with a negative situation, where the most common response is a negative one but the mind can be trained to respond in a different way, in a positive way. Today we explain this process with an example. e.g. You have just had a major argument with your spouse and have lost your temper. At that time, not only your mind but your physical body also feels uncomfortable - it is in a state of complete stress. You feel your blood pressure has suddenly shot up, your heart is beating fast, you feel uncomfortable in the stomach, your hands are shaking, your face and eyes are red. On top of that, you also feel sad. You have behaved like this many times before and you know the results of responding in this way. The relationship has been scarred and you have worsened a situation. This could have been avoided. There is sorrow, guilt, low self esteem and hopelessness over your loss of control. Also, there is a fear regarding your future, not necessarily a long term one, because things will get sorted out sooner or later, but a short term uncertainty does exist, especially regarding what your spouse's response will be in the next few hours or days. In this state of mental and physical helplessness or desperation, anger may come again either projected towards yourself or towards your partner, which will be followed by the same effects, worsening your state further. In this moment of lack of spiritual wisdom, you remind yourself of the simple wisdom that you are in fact a soul. Even while you are still caught up in the turmoil of the negative situation, using your intellect, you consciously emerge inside yourself, your true awareness of being a sparkling point of peaceful light situated just above the eyes, at the center of the forehead. You not only become aware but you also use the intellect to visualize your true, peaceful, spiritual and star-like form clearly. In that moment, you are able to tap into the reservoir of peace that is present deep inside your being. You calm your mind by holding on to this awareness for a few minutes. You feel - you know - that you are peace. As this experience grows, it has a soothing effect on your whole physical system. Gradually, stability and peace are restored to your body as well as your mind. Soul Sustenance Restoring The Mind-Body Balance Many people are under the impression that the focus of spirituality is only on the mind and the soul, and the physical body is neglected. But that’s not true. Our physical body is essential to our life and the art of living. It is our vehicle and our home. An appropriate balance of diet, sleep, relaxation and exercise is important for the body. However, when we enter the world of spirituality, the main emphasis is on the mind and the soul. This does not mean that we do not value or take care of our body. Without a healthy body, we would not be able to express ourselves mentally or spiritually. Spiritual progress, which includes the listening/studying and imbibing of spiritual knowledge, the practice of meditation, the inculcation of divine virtues and the spiritual service of others through different means is much easier and better with a healthy body. Unfortunately, though, we have lost the art or wisdom of balance and for very long we have placed too much emphasis on our physical form, the body; and less emphasis on our spiritual form, the soul, as a result, reducing our spiritual awareness. One of the aims of spirituality is to restore this balance between mind and body so that we can experience well-being and happiness at every level. So while our body and our physical energy are essential, the focus of spirituality is on the mind and the soul, to help regain the balance. Message for the day God's love brings out the best from within. Expression: God, who is an image of perfection, becomes a source of inspiration and power for the one who is connected to Him. With the connection with God, and with an experience of His love, it becomes easy to be in touch with the innate qualities of peace and purity. In all circumstances, the presence of God becomes a great motivator to express the inner beauty. Experience: When I am deeply connected with God, I am able to be connected with the innate beauty. God's love becomes a source of energy to connect me back to my innate beauty. Thus I find that I am able to maintain this inner beauty under all circumstances. I am not negatively influenced by the situations or people.