The Infinite: Happiness Unlimited

~~ Om Shanthi ~~

Happiness is not dependent on physical objects.

Objects, possessions, gadgets are designed to give us comfort.
Physical comfort is different from emotional comfort. Happiness is a feeling.
Happiness is our internal creation and can be created irrespective of external comforts.
We use the objects as a stimulus to create a response, but the response is our choice.
Different people create different responses, using the same stimulus.

Happiness is a state of being, created while working towards the goal, not a feeling to be experienced after achieving the goal.
If we believe that happiness is after achieving, then we create stress, anger, and fear while achieving, and thus do not experience happiness.
Before I take the responsibility of those around me, I need to take responsibility of my own thinking and feelings.
When I am happy and take care of others, then they will be happy.

III

Stress is a pain, which comes to tell me there is something I need to change.
Stress is our creation of wrong thoughts, which has an effect on our efficiency, memory power, decision power and hence our performance.
Stress has an impact on our physical and emotional well-being, and hence any amount of stress is damaging.
Targets, Pressures, Deadlines, Exams are natural, but Stress is our CHOICE.
Stress is equal to PRESSURE (Situations) divided by RESILIENCE (Inner Strength).
My first responsibility in any situation is to first take charge of my state of mind, because that is the only thing which is in my control.

Our belief systems decide our way of living. We need to experiment what we are learning in order to change our old belief systems.
I don't want peace, but I AM PEACE. Now I will be at peace and do things outside.
Try a new belief system, I am a Peaceful Being, now experiment with it, when we experience the result, it is the truth.
Every person I meet, every act I do, I will do it with awareness - I am Peaceful Being.
Happiness is not dependent on people. No one can make me happy and I can't make others happy, till we want to do it for ourselves.
No one is responsible for my hurt, pain, fear or anger. It is my own creation in response to their behavior. I have another choice.

My responses to people need to be based - on my personality, not based on the behavior of others.
The way we think and behave is not for other people, but first for ourselves, because we are the first ones to experience it.
Let's take charge of our mind, instead of trying to control others and expecting that if they change then my mind will be in control.
Let us choose how we want to think, feel and be in every relationship. We have always tried to make others happy, because we thought when they will be happy then I will be happy.
When we do something for others, let us understand that we choose to do it because they matter to us, and so we are doing it for ourselves, then we will be happy.
Taking our mind to TV, shopping and other distractions is only a deviation from the pain, it is not happiness, because the healing has not happened.

Our personality is a combination of 5 types of sanskars, i.e. habits or traits.
Some sanskars we get from our parents and family, which we call hereditary sanskars. It is because we are in the influence of their vibrations.
Then there are sanskars we create because of our environment, our nationality, religion, culture, and friends.
A very important set of sanskars we carry from our past birth. A soul carries its personality traits created in one costume with it to the next costume.
The fourth type of sanskars are the ones we create through our own will power. We all have the same will power, it is only for us to use it, because each of us is a powerful being.
The fifth type of sanskars are the original sanskars of every soul, which are - Purity, Peace, Love, Bliss, Knowledge, Power, and Truth.

VII

Self Awareness means just to watch my thoughts, able to see what I am thinking and to be aware that I am the creator of these thoughts.
Second step is to check whether this thinking is the right kind of thinking for me. Third step is, can I change this thought.
We create around 25 to 30 thoughts per minute, i.e. 40,000 to 50,000 thoughts in a day. These could be classified into 4 types of thoughts.
One type of thoughts is pure, powerful, positive, selfless thoughts. There will be no attachment or expectations attached.
Second type of thoughts is negative - thoughts of ego, anger, greed, hatred, resentment, fear, rejection, criticism.
Necessary thoughts are thoughts related to action, neutral thoughts. Fourth types are Waste thoughts which are thoughts about Past or Future, both not in our control.

VIII

If we change our thoughts, words and action will change. Hence Personality transformation begins with our thoughts.
I the peaceful being am the actor, playing different roles of relationships and responsibilities.
When we interact with people let us interact with the soul, the pure being, rather than the acquired body, positions, and achievements.
When we talk through the conscious of our acquired things, then it is the ego of one talking to the ego of the other, and then there are ego clashes.
In any situation, playing our role with so many actors, let us stop writing their script, because they are not in our control. Let us write only our script.
When we keep thinking about what others are doing or speaking, we are only depleting our energy.

If people are behaving in a reactive manner, at that time to remain stable internally, is strength, and hence Peace is strength not weakness.
Anger is not strength, It is a sign that I have lost control on myself. Even hurt, resentment, are silent forms of anger, and damage me the creator.
My every THOUGHT is followed by FEELING. So if I am not feeling nice, I have to stop and check - what have I been thinking.
My feelings over a period of time, created on the basis on my thoughts, develop my ATTITUDE - about people, situations, work or about the world.
My attitude comes out into ACTION. Any action done repeatedly becomes my HABIT. All my habits put together is my PERSONALITY. At every step in life this PERSONALITY determines my DESTINY.
I the being am an embodiment of 7 qualities - Purity, Peace, Love, Bliss, Knowledge, Power, and Truth.

People predicting our future are only telling us a probability. It is only a prediction, a PROBABILITY, not a REALITY.
We have the power to listen to the prediction, and still choose our response i.e. our thoughts and actions, and thereby create a reality of our choice.
We always thought we need to do things outside to change the way we feel, but the reality is we need to change how we feel to change things outside.
Happiness is not to be wanted from people, but is to be created and then shared with people when we meet them.
We are not human doings, doing things to be at peace; but we are human beings, who be at peace and do things.

We always thought that anger internal is natural, so we created external measures to postpone our reactions. If we take care of our thoughts, we will not create the thoughts of anger even internally.
Our thoughts are created based on our past experiences and the information that we take in through our sense organs.
The first few hours in the morning, the absorption power of the mind is very high, we need to take care of the quality of information we take in.
To protect ourselves from creating negative thoughts, we need to avoid news papers or news channels early in the morning.
Let me try a new way of living. To be able to create pure, powerful, positive thoughts naturally, let me begin the day with reading or listening to pure and positive information.
The last layer of information at night influences my quality of thoughts while sleeping. Let's finish the day with a few minutes of reading or listening to pure information.

XII

Every time we think of the past we are making it the present, because we are creating the same emotions again.
Past is Passed, Full stop. No why, what, how - full stop. Let it not repeat on the mind, it is like rubbing the wound and therefore not allowing it to heal.
There is nothing to learn from the situation that happened. The only thing I need to learn is whether I had the choice of responding in another manner.
Holding onto the past, not letting go - will only create pain in me. The situation is the same, but the longer we hold it, the pain increases.
In relationships, no one is ever wrong, each other is right from their own perspective. Detaching from my own perspective and understanding the other's perspective is empathy.

XIII

Our thoughts are created based on past experiences, the information we take in and most important our belief systems.
Other's appreciation and acceptance has become the foundation of our self esteem, and so we are always dependent on their acceptance to feel good about ourselves.
In interactions, when we get hurt, we are unable to see the perspective of the other, and hence are unable to understand them. So to understand others we need to remain stable.
People who accept us today and make us feel good, may not be able to do it tomorrow, and then we feel low with the same people.
Its important to take charge of how we feel, instead of being dependent on others. To be INDEPENDENT means to be dependent only on the inside.
Let us be ourselves and not keep changing our behavior according to the way others behave with us.

XIV

As we become aware of our thoughts, let's check the belief system from which these arise.
Anger is needed to get work done. We have lived with this belief system and teach our children to grow up with the same.
We like people to deal with us with LOVE, because each of us is a loveful being. So everyone around us would like the same.
Every time we use anger as the tool, we experience the negative energy as we give it to them. They get hurt and their vibrations travel to us. So we get more than we give.
Our responsibility is to take care of ourselves, then people and then get the work done. Let's try a new belief system - Love is needed to get work done.
When we punish a child, the guilt the child creates dis-empowers the child. Pain can never bring about any realization, because there will not be the power of transform.

When we use anger, and others experience fear, we mistake it as respect. Fear creates pain and reduces efficiency of working.
The ones who suppress their anger because of fear, then create anger in the presence of those weaker than them, only to make themselves feel powerful.
Fear and respect can never be together. Respect is pure and positive energy, fear is deep negative energy. Therefore those who fear us, do not respect us.
Ego is lack of Self Respect. In any situation, if we react aggressively or get hurt it is our ego, and if we remain stable and have faith in ourselves it is self respect.
Self Respect means who I am and what I am doing is the best to my capacity up to the present moment and in the next moment I am ready to change.
When we have a strong self esteem, the power to adjust, accept and mould ourselves in situations will come naturally.

XVI

Spirituality is natural, simple, and a very practical way of living. Spirituality is not doing things or becoming someone, it is about just about being who we truly are.
It is not necessary that what the majority believe - is the truth, it is only a belief. Let me experiment with the belief, till I am comfortable, and only then accept it as the truth.
Let us clean our mind before we meet someone again, so that we do not interact with them through the perspective of our past experiences, because they could have changed.
As soon as we start creating thoughts of hurt, let us take out a few minutes to be with ourselves and counsel ourselves with powerful, positive, and loveful thoughts.
No one can hurt me, and I do not hurt anyone. My behavior can be a trigger for others, I need to change my behavior, but I cannot take responsibility of their hurt, it is their creation.
Let us take care that we create the right thoughts, so that we can speak what we think, and do not need to pretend or be tactful in our relationships.

XVII

No one can hurt me, and I do not hurt anyone. My behavior can be a trigger for the others, I need to change my behavior, but I cannot take responsibility of their hurt, it is their creation.
People can hold us responsible for their pain, but if we create guilt, then it is negative energy, it depletes our power and hence we are not able to transform. Realization means a mistake once is not to be repeated.
To bring about a transformation I need to know - Why I want to change? What about myself do I want to change? How do I change? Unless the Why and What to change is clear, the How will not get implemented.
Everyone around me is an actor, and each one is playing their role. Each actor is a pure being. Let me the pure being interact with another pure being, not interact with them on the basis of their roles.
When we are natural in our relationships, and accept others as they are, it gives them the freedom to be their natural selves.
When I am soul conscious, my consciousness triggers the same consciousness in others, and they are able to experience their purity.

XVIII

When we are peaceful and stable then we are happy and we accept others as they are, it means we love them, because love is unconditional acceptance.
The energy of love is our natural quality. It gets blocked when we become judgmental about people.
When we think about other's weaknesses, then their weakness becomes the quality of our thoughts, and very soon a part of our personality.
Let us become aware and observe one quality in everyone we meet and interact with.
Let us be in the awareness - 'I am a loveful being, and so are everyone I meet, and I accept each one as they are'.
Accepting people means - their behavior does not create a disturbance in our mind. We tell them what is right but with the energy of love, not rejection.

XIX

Criticism dis-empowers, demotivates people. Appreciation empowers and energizes them. Let us be aware that our thoughts should be as sweet as the words we use with people.
We create 25 to 30 thoughts per minute. Speak but speak only a few sentences per minute. Thoughts are more in number and travel faster than our words.
Let us be liberal with our appreciation, because it gives people the energy to realize and transform their weaknesses.
We cannot make people realize their weaknesses. What to change and Why to change can be realized by each one only for themselves.
Everyone has knowledge, they do not need advice. They need power to change their sanskars, that power comes from our love and appreciation.
Every thought and word we sent out to a little child is being used by them to create an image of themselves, i.e. their self esteem.

Ego is attachment to a wrong image of myself. It is when we are not aware of our true identity, and identify ourselves with all that we have acquired.
Our body, name, position, relationships, caste, nationality are all acquired. They are all mine, but they are not I. I am a pure conscient being and it is my body, name, family, and position.
A royal soul is the one whose state of mind is not dependent on others. Royalty means being a master of oneself, not a victim or a slave.
Detachment means my state of mind is not dependent on others, and then I can remain stable and give unconditional love and acceptance.
Worry is not Love. When we worry we create and send negative energy. In any situation let's create the right quality of thoughts, that is love, care, and concern.
When we remain stable and then share with others - why they need to change, then it is only for their benefit and not for our happiness.

XXI

When we learn something pure and positive, we need to take it as a tool and experiment it in the day. See how it works, check the obstacles, experience the benefits and hence empower ourselves.
We have grown up with the belief system, that performances are appreciated by people. Hence our self esteem, i.e. we feel good only when we perform well, and our performance is accepted by others.
Let us appreciate values and qualities in children and people around us, so that each of us is able to build our self esteem on our core values and are not dependent on performances or public acceptance.
When we live our lives by our core values, principles and with integrity, then our energy of conviction will empower our children to live by those values.

XXII

Our values and powers are ours property, we have the capacity to use them with everyone, in every situation and every time.
The value of love and compassion is mine, if I can use it with my children, I can also use it with my team at work.
When we go for a spiritual retreat, the environment and the people there, awaken the same peace and purity is us, but it is our own energy which we has emerged in their company. Now we can create it at home and work. We can't get peace from somewhere, we can learn the art of how to create it.
Judging, criticizing, and controlling others depletes our energy of peace. Let us consciously choose not to criticize and be judgmental about people.

XXIII

The belief system - life is a competition, creates fear and insecurity and hence depletes our happiness.
My life is my journey, to my destination, at my speed, using my capacity, and on the basis of my values and principles.
Living by the belief system - life is a competition, creates stress, anger, jealousy, hatred and is one of the main reasons why we resort to unethical practices.
We are not in competition with anyone. Our reference is only our own best, and we keep working towards getting better than our best. It is a journey of improvement and empowerment.
Let us co-operate with everyone instead of competing. The positivity that gets created within and the blessings we get from everyone, keeps us contented, happy, and successful.

XXIV

When we compare and compete with others, we create fear, insecurity, jealousy, stress and this depletes our energy. Let us focus only on ourselves and use all our energy to push ourselves forward.
Let us take this belief system today and experiment with it - life is a beautiful journey, which I travel according to my capacity and values. Once we experience the result, then we realise its the truth, and thereby change our destiny.
When we set a goal, we visualise the goal. Visualisation enables us to create the right kind of thoughts to achieve the goal. We should not create any thoughts of doubt or fear.
The mind does not understand the language of opposites. If we create a thought - I should not get angry - the scene that gets created is only of anger. Instead create the thought - I am a peaceful being, and visualise the scene of being at peace in every situation.

XXV

Expectation means predicting the future behaviour of others. Letting our happiness be dependent on their behaviour and then feeling let down if they do not behave as we had predicted.
People around us will behave and work according to their capacity, we can share with them what we feel is right, but cannot expect that they will always do it our way.
Expectations from children to perform, becomes a pressure on them and creates fear of not being able to make their elders happy. This lowers their efficiency.
When we do something for others, we do it according to our values and capacity. To expect the same from others is unfair to them. We need to understand they will behave only according to their capacity. Let us not give up our qualities because others did not respond the way we expected.

XXVI

Each thought has an effect on the cells of the body. Wrong thinking manifests itself into a disease in the body. While we heal the body, let us also change our thinking so that we can experience total health.
Visualization is a powerful tool along with Meditation - in which we use the power of the mind - sending vibrations of love and peace to clean and clear the blockages in the body.
To heal the body, we need to heal our emotional blockages. Let us not hold on to anything of the past. Mistakes we have made, let's not hold the guilt. It is past. Let us delete that thought and feeling.
If others have done wrong to us, let us understand - they had a reason for what they did. According to me they were wrong, but still my hurt is my creation, and now I have the power to let go, i.e. not keep those thoughts on my mind. Everything that happens to me is only a return of my past Karma, let me now settle it with dignity.

XXVII

If we let people be the way they are, do not put the pressure of our expectations, then we liberate them. This is love and respect.
Detachment means our state of being is not effected by situations and other behaviours. When we are detached, we are stable, and hence emotionally available to be there for others. Detachment creates strong relationships.
Attachment, dependence, and possessiveness is not love. Because if one is in pain then the other also experiences the same pain, and hence is not available to help and heal.
When we start being different, it inspires others to change. We don't ask them to change. When WE CHANGE the WORLD CHANGES.
The energy of the food has an effect on the state of mind. So to create pure and positive thoughts we should consume satwic food, i.e. vegetarian, fresh food, prepared in a pure state of mind and clean environment.

XXVIII

Spirituality means not just to know that 'I am a soul', but to 'Be the soul', i.e. to be with everyone in the consciousness of a soul interacting with another soul.
Our consciousness now shifts from body consciousness, i.e. consciousness of body, name, position, relationships, to soul consciousness, i.e. awareness that 'I am a soul, and everything else belongs to me'.
As is the consciousness, so will be the memory and so will be the thoughts, feelings, attitude, behaviour, personality, and therefore destiny.
To begin the day in the right way, our FIRST thought should be elevated. The day can begin with wishing Good Morning to God, our Supreme Father.
Before we begin the activity of the day, let's be 10 mins with ourselves, and create powerful pure thoughts reminding ourselves of our true identity.
Plan the entire day, as to how we will be in every situation, visualise ourselves in charge of our thoughts, stable, and in control in every situation and interaction.

~~ Om Shanthi ~~

Source: Brahma Kumaris
E-mail: awakening@bkmail.org

The Infinite

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Happiness Unlimited

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