The one who loves is the one who gives.

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Message for the day 29-06-2011
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The one who loves is the one who gives.

Projection: True love is free from expectations. When you discover the love within you, you can continue to give. Whether the other person gives or not, true love enables you to give unselfishly.

Solution: Let today be the day for discovering and giving others the love within you. Make sure you do at least one act that shows your love towards anyone around you. Feel the love flowing from within to the ones around you.

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Soul Sustenance 29-06-2011
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What Shapes Our Perception? (cont.)

There are four main criteria that may influence how our perception of reality is distorted or altered (changed). We had discussed "Mental Positioning" yesterday. Today we discuss:

Mental Limits


The solution to important problems we face cannot be obtained in the same consciousness (state of mind) we are in when we create them (the problems) – the consciousness needs to be changed to see the solution".

Mental limits are those which we have imposed on our mind. We create these limits ourselves or they can come as a result of our education, the family environment and the society in which we live.

For example, at work a mental limit is always thinking in the same way. So we always take the same decisions and get the same results. Experience itself may also generate mental limits. You think you know how to do certain things and these convictions act as mental limits. The greater the mental limitation, the greater will be resistance to change.

Due to the mental limits, we usually have a series of readily prepared responses. They are excuses and justifications that provide us with poor results. We are always trying to solve problems using the same formula and this often causes stress because we cannot find the answer.

The main mental limits are related to identity. We create a very narrow and limited image of ourselves. "I am a man", "I am a woman", "I am a Punjabi or a Gujarati", "I'm young", or "I'm old", "I am white or black". The image we have of ourselves may be limited, because we do not have sufficient knowledge of our own resources, virtues, values, and identity.

A deep investigation into our inner selves will help us to change the image we have of ourselves.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

when you have love for yourself

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Message for the day 23-06-2011
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 It is only when you have love for yourself that you can forgive yourself.

Projection: Love gives you the power to forgive. Just as you find it easy to forgive a person you love, when you have love for yourself you can forgive yourself too. It is only then can you find yourself learning and progressing without making yourself heavy.

Solution: When you find yourself making a mistake, remind yourself that if you have to progress you have to forgive yourself. Learn from your mistake in such a way that you never repeat it and forgive yourself. Then you'll be able to move forward with lightness.

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Soul Sustenance 23-06-2011
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What Shapes Our Perception? (cont.)

There are four main criteria that may influence how our perception of reality is distorted or altered (changed). We had discussed "Mental Limits" yesterday. Today we continue to discuss the same:

Mental Limits (cont.)


Trapped by mental limits, some of which were discussed yesterday, human beings in general only use 10 per cent of their inner potential, and the other 90 per cent is available but is not used due to oversight (overlooking) or the lack of awareness that they have it.

Meditating helps us to cross these mental limits. Meditation takes us to a higher dimension over our physical identity that releases us from these limits.

Throughout our lives, and especially during our childhood, many impressions are formed about ourselves, since at the very beginning of our lives we do not know who we are or who we should be, until we learn it from those around us, who are older, and who know more things and who presumably love us.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make in our lives is to refer only to the opinions of others to work out who we really are.

When a parent or a teacher tells a child, "You are very naughty", "You are ignorant", or "You are lazy", this child is creating negative and false images about himself. It is quite possible that the child has said or done something wrong, but this does not mean that because of this they are naughty. It was their behavior that was bad. It is important to establish the difference between, "You are a naughty child", and "It is not right to scold your younger sister".

Due to the fact that many people confuse behavior with the person, negative beliefs are created that are not based on what is true and genuine, and these beliefs may be dragged along throughout the person's life – which then function like mental limits in the life of that person.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

The one who loves is the one who gives.

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Message for the day 22-06-2011
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The one who loves is the one who gives.

Projection: True love is free from expectations. When you discover the love within you, you can continue to give. Whether the other person gives or not, true love enables you to give unselfishly.

Solution: Let today be the day for discovering and giving others the love within you. Make sure you do at least one act that shows your love towards anyone around you. Feel the love flowing from within to the ones around you

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Soul Sustenance 22-06-2011
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What Shapes Our Perception? (cont.)

There are four main criteria that may influence how our perception of reality is distorted or altered (changed). We had discussed "Mental Positioning" yesterday. Today we discuss:

Mental Limits


The solution to important problems we face cannot be obtained in the same consciousness (state of mind) we are in when we create them (the problems) – the consciousness needs to be changed to see the solution".

Mental limits are those which we have imposed on our mind. We create these limits ourselves or they can come as a result of our education, the family environment and the society in which we live.

For example, at work a mental limit is always thinking in the same way. So we always take the same decisions and get the same results. Experience itself may also generate mental limits. You think you know how to do certain things and these convictions act as mental limits. The greater the mental limitation, the greater will be resistance to change.

Due to the mental limits, we usually have a series of readily prepared responses. They are excuses and justifications that provide us with poor results. We are always trying to solve problems using the same formula and this often causes stress because we cannot find the answer.

The main mental limits are related to identity. We create a very narrow and limited image of ourselves. "I am a man", "I am a woman", "I am a Punjabi or a Gujarati", "I'm young", or "I'm old", "I am white or black". The image we have of ourselves may be limited, because we do not have sufficient knowledge of our own resources, virtues, values, and identity.

A deep investigation into our inner selves will help us to change the image we have of ourselves.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

When there is love, tolerance becomes easy.

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Message for the day 18-06-2011
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When there is love, tolerance becomes easy.

Projection: Love makes us free from expectations, which enables us to accept
people as they are. The more we go within ourselves we are able to discover our
own strengths. We will automatically be a giver in all situations and we can
tolerate very easily.

Solution: Let me think of one person in whom I am not able to tolerate some
quality. I then need to tell myself that just as a mother accepts her child even
with weaknesses, I will accept this person as he is. When I change my attitude
towards that person I can be tolerant.

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Soul Sustenance 17-06-2011
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Improving The Quality Of Different Areas Of My 'Karmas' (cont.)
Karmas as spiritual service of others
Service of others can be seen on a very basic level as physical charity but the
real service is to uplift the souls of others by inspiring them to re-claim
their state of self-respect. There is the old saying that if I give others
chapattis, I feed them for a day. If I teach them how to cook chapattis, I feed
them for life. In a spiritual way, this refers to the fact that instead of
merely performing a positive 'karma' like the donation of money, food, clothes,
etc. if one can show others the understanding of 'karma' and how it works and
also teach them the ultimate, pure karma of coming closer to the Supreme on a
spiritual level, they can make efforts to change their negative karmic situation
and bring happiness, peace and positivity back in their lives. When there is a
change at the mental and emotional level, then changes will begin to show at the
physical level too. Over a period of time, due to understanding spiritual
knowledge (as a result of which the soul starts performing positive actions) and
a deep connection with the Supreme (due to which negative actions or sins
performed in the past are burned up), the karmic situation of the soul, which
has been served, starts improving.
In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

To have true love means to provide an environment for others' growth.

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Message for the day 21-03-2011
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To have true love means to provide an environment for others' growth.

Projection: Usually in relationships we begin to expect from people whom we get close to. We feel that because we have love for them we have a right over them. Because of our expectations we are not able to give the other person freedom to move forward or progress.

Solution: When I have true love I am able to provide the right environment for people so that they can bring about progress in their life. I will not hold on to them and expect them to do everything according to my needs, but give them real support.

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Soul Sustenance 21-03-2011
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Love and cooperation bring success in all tasks.

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Message for the day 28-01-2011
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Love and cooperation bring success in all tasks.

Projection: Love is reflected in the love that there is for the person and also for the task. When there is love for the person, there is the ability to give cooperation without any expectations or demands. And when there is love for the task there is the commitment for completing the task, whatever the obstacles that come up in the process of doing things.

Solution: When I am able to have love, I am able to receive hundred percent help and commitment from others too and so I am able to have the satisfaction of moving forward constantly. There is nothing difficult for me and I do everything with great ease. Not only is the task easy but also there is a spread of happiness and joy experienced by all who are involved in the task.

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Soul Sustenance 28-01-2011
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The Principle Of Focus and Flow (cont.)

With reference to the sun and the earth (explained yesterday) - in certain situations and moments we need focus (like the sun), that is, a concentration of thought, will power and understanding. These three need to be together in one focused point if we are to reach depth and newness. However, if we become over-focused, then rigidity and pressure gradually set in. This subsequently leads to an imbalance that makes us lose our creativity and openness to new vision. Once we have learnt to focus, then it will require less effort and, eventually, the flow (like the earth) will become natural.

In focus, we find vision, inspiration and understanding, and in the flow, we find expression, experimentation and experience.

It is important not to over-flow, otherwise we get lost in a flood of over-thinking, over-speaking and over-doing. In such a state, there is no direction to guide the expression and things become unclear and delicate. At such a point, we need to recognize that it is time for focus again.

According to necessity, a human being needs to move between focus and flow and it is only through the ability to discriminate, that we can know when and how to do this. Everything has its time. We are eternal beings working in time, so we need to know the balance between focus - where we find truth and purpose - and the flow of time - where we find expression and experience.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

True love means the ability to forgive and forget.

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Message for the day 23-01-2011
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True love means the ability to forgive and forget.

Projection: When there is love there is the ability to look at only specialities. Even if the other person makes a mistake, there is only the conscious awareness of his specialities. So it becomes easy to forgive the mistake committed by him. When there is real forgiveness the mistake is totally forgotten and the future interactions with that person are free from the negative attitude.

Solution: When I am able to forgive the mistakes made by others, I am able to forget them easily also. So my mind is free from the burden of waste of all the past mistakes. So I am able to be light even when I am faced with the negativity of the other person. I am never caught up with attitudes about people so I am successful in my relationship with others.

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Soul Sustenance 23-01-2011
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The Fifth Phase/Age Of Humanity (cont.)

True love for others

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Message for the day 25-12-2010
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True love for others enables them to be free from their weaknesses.

Projection: The sign of good wishes is that the negativity is not described to anyone else. When there is true love for the other person and there is a desire to see them improve, their negativity is not repeated again and again to oneself or to others. There is also genuine love and concern revealed in the words and so it helps the other person recognise his own specialities and he is encouraged to use them for his own benefit.

Solution: My desire for perfection enables me to become a source of support and encouragement for the other person, when I am able to see their strengths and relate to these strengths and specialities. Under no circumstance do I give others an experience of negativity or discouragement. I also get the love and good wishes from others as a return for what I have given.

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Soul Sustenance 25-12-2010
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Experiencing Freedom From The Dependency On Novelty Or Newness

To transform waste into something purposeful

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Message for the day 11-10-2010
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To transform waste into something purposeful and powerful is to remain light.

Projection: To successfully transform something waste into something powerful and meaningful is to look beyond the situation and see what it has to teach. When there is the ability to do this, there is the ability to go on in spite of the most challenging obstacles. There is the deep understanding that nothing happens without a purpose. There is no time or energy wasted in wasteful company.

Solution: When I understand the significance of everything that happens, I am able to transform in a second. So I am able to remain light because I am able to put in sincere effort and free myself from the burden of waste. I also find that there is no problem in my relationships too, as I am able to understand others and behave accordingly.

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Soul Sustenance 11-10-2010
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The Search For Peace, Love and Happiness

We are constantly searching for true values. In consciousness we mistakenly think that the physical world and physical relations can provide us peace, love and happiness. However peace, love and happiness are not the properties of matter, nor of the physical identity, but the true properties or characteristics of the soul. This has to be realized.

Imagine a scene in which you are surrounded by all your favourite things; food, music, fragrance, scenery and companions. Just about to enjoy your meal, the telephone rings and you are told that a person close to you has just died. Instantly, that scene of "favourites" melts into a distasteful and superficial experience. Something has happened that shakes the soul and it can no longer enjoy those things. At the same time it finds itself powerless in the face of the bad news as understanding and power are missing. Life is full of experiences such as this and it becomes clear that physical things are not the sources of peace, love and happiness, but that understanding and inner strength are.

One of the basic facts of human psychology is that we do not seek or desire something that has not been experienced previously. For example, if one has never tasted a mango, there cannot be a burning desire to have a mango. This suggests that desires might be arising from previous life experiences. In fact, it is impossible for a human being to act or desire outside the field of his or her own experience. The search for peace, love and happiness is so fundamental to the human spirit because these are the original and true qualities of the soul itself.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

The method to finish all laboring is to do everything with love.

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Message for the day 02-06-2010
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The method to finish all laboring is to do everything with love.

Projection:
Throughout the day we find ourselves doing several things which we don't like. As soon as the thought of such a task comes in our mind we tend to feel heavy which makes even the simplest thing seem very difficult.

Solution:
Before we are going to start some task which we don't like we need to train ourselves to think of something positive in it. When we train ourselves to love the task we will be able to do it with lightness.
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Soul Sustenance 02-06-2010
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Meditation