Understanding The Process Of Birth And Death

The leaving of one body and the taking of another is nearly always confusing
and soon the details of the old life are erased by the new. Just in one day
we forget so much. After having slept for a while, after some injury or
shock, or even after a change in place, company or circumstances, many
things are forgotten.

Death of the body is a great shock to the soul, especially if there was
great attachment to that body, and the new set of circumstances in the new
body is bewildering (confusing). Because the body and brain are not
developed, the soul cannot express its memory, so it laughs and cries when
it cannot recognize anyone, or when it wishes to express itself. By the time
the body is developed, the soul has forgotten its past birth and has become
accustomed to the new conditions and the new parents. The prominent
“sanskaras” developed in past lives soon begin to manifest (show) themselves
with new details (in the new birth).

The Circle Of Influence And Worry

Make a list of the things that worry you most and decide if they are in your
circle of *influence* or *worry*. Think about what you can really do to have
an influence on each of them in an effective way. By determining which of
these two circles is the centre around which most of your time and energy
revolves, you can discover a great deal about your level of positivity.
Positive people focus on the things they can do something about. If
necessary, they change their attitude. They are aware that perhaps they
cannot change the circumstances but they can improve their inner attitude.
This is what positive focusing is all about: being creative, thinking
differently, being open to listening, being more understanding, more
communicative and showing more solidarity. Reactive people focus on the
problems of the circle and on the circumstances about which they have no
control. They react to the defects found in other people. From this
worrying, accusations, destructive criticism, feelings of blame, a reactive
language and feelings of weakness and frustration can arise. They want
others or the circumstances to change first and when that happens, then they
will change. Whenever they think that the problem is on the outside, this
thought is the problem. The negative energy produced as a result of this
approach, combined with the lack of attention to the areas in which they
could do something to improve the situation, means that the area of
influence decreases in size. They give power to what is external so that it
dominates them. In other words they think that change must come from
"outside towards the inside"; they think that something that is outside must
change before they themselves change.

The Four Phases/Ages Of Humanity

In the stories of history of almost every ancient race, like the Egyptians,
Greeks, Hindus, Mayans, lncas and Aborigines, there are many many references
to a period, some four or five thousand years ago, when Earth was Paradise.
Remembered as the Golden Age, Garden of Eden, Atlantis, ‘Satyug’, these
stories all talk of a time when the world was beautiful and new - Heaven on
Earth. Nearly all ancient peoples and traditions have a common memory of a
time when humanity lived a simple yet magical existence in harmony with
nature. Our ancestors said that this Golden Age came to an end because of
some tragic mistake made by those who lived in that Age - the mistake being
- they fell down from the pedestal of soul consciousness into the dust of
body consciousness and succumbed to the five vices of anger, lust, greed,
ego and attachment. They said that it was only after the change in the human
way of ‘being’ and ‘living’ - the 'fall' of the human consciousness - that
tragic global calamities (accidents) took place on Earth, whose geological,
climatic and mental impact erased the former Golden Age almost completely.
In the stories of history of both the Greeks and Indians, human life on
Earth is depicted by four phases or Ages. These four Ages together make up
one cycle. The four Ages are:

Golden Age or ‘Satyug’ (also the morning or spring time of humanity) -
remembered as Paradise, Heaven on earth, around 4,000 - 5,000 years ago when
the world was one kingdom and there was complete purity of the soul and
peacefulness and happiness in all human affairs. Sorrow in any form or at
any level was unknown.

Silver Age or ‘Tretayug’ (also the day or summer time of humanity) - still
relatively like Paradise, still unity, but the purity of soul and matter
were beginning to decrease. Sorrow was still unknown.

Copper Age or ‘Dwaparyug’ (also the evening or autumn time of humanity) -
the loss of spiritual awareness and stepping down into the consciousness of
the body, succumbing to the five vices. Also the beginning of separation and
breaking up of the world, the beginning of sorrow and conflict. Ego begins
to rule in the minds and hearts of men and women.

Iron Age or ‘Kaliyug’ (also the night or winter time of humanity) - the dark
night of the soul and the darkest period of the world, a time of greed,
lust, sorrow, peacelessness, conflict, war and hatred at all levels of human
activity.
Looking at the complete human story explained yesterday, we are now at the
darkest period in human affairs i.e. the end of the Iron Age or ‘Kalyug’ .
Our spiritual power is at its lowest level. We are no longer one world but
broken up into around 200 nation states. Like children playing all day in
the forest until night has arrived, we realize that we don't know where we
are or how to get home. We start to argue and fight with each other and
small groups break away and go in their own directions. Many of us feel a
sense of being lost. Our cries for help take many forms.

The world is full of fear instead of love, vice instead of virtue, sorrow
instead of happiness, conflict instead of harmony. These are all symptoms of
ill health at the spiritual and mental levels. When they have an impact
within us as individuals, they result in physical disease and, when they
become a part of our relationships, we harm each other (mentally and
physically).

The only way we can heal, renew and re-energize our spirit or soul is to
turn our faces to the Sun of Spirit or the Supreme Spirit (God) and, in that
spiritual relationship, be open to receiving the pure light and love which
reawakens, heals and re-energizes the soul. The healing of our relationships
can only happen when we, as individuals, realize that we are sources of
love, children of the Ocean Of Love.
A circle is not a circle unless the line turns perfectly consistently to
join up with itself. A cycle of time is not a true cycle unless it repeats
itself identically. From such an angle, we can become aware of a fifth Age,
the Age we are now in - the Confluence Age (‘Sangamyug’ - a short Age
between the Iron Age (‘Kalyug’) and the Golden Age (‘Satyug’)) - a time of
change from old to new, from night to day and from vice to virtue. From the
end of one cycle to the beginning of another. It is in this Age that our
spiritual Parent i.e God hears and responds to our collective cries for help
and relieves us from the pain and the fear that we ourselves have created.
Like a good Parent, He intervenes at this time, the only time during our
entire journey, to tell us the whole story - who we are, what has happened
to us and how to find our way home. He reveals the complete picture and, as
a result, sets us free from our false beliefs.

The importance of this time period now sets us free from wondering why the
world seems to be so full of pain and suffering, as we can now understand
that this is the end of the cycle, thus all souls are settling their karmic
accounts at both the individual and collective levels i.e. souls are
experiencing sorrow in various forms as a result of all the negative actions
they have performed in the Copper and Iron Age. Debts are being settled
amongst souls. Knowing this, we find it easier to detach from the numerous
negative scenes that we come across, while staying focused on settling our
own karmic debts through the power of spirituality. At the same time we are
available to those around us when they need a little help to settle their
own karma in the easiest way possible.
When we recognize the precise and exact nature of cyclic time, we can also
joyfully expect and work for a new day or the Golden Age. For this to
happen, great changes must take place in human affairs. It is a process of
change that can only begin from within the individual. Just as we have been
responsible for the degradation of the physical environment, of our world,
so it is we who must take up the repairs. When we understand that all change
is from soul to mind, from then from mind to body or matter we realize that
it is our own spiritual awakening and purification which can change our
world at all levels. As we turn to face the Source of love and light and
fill ourselves with spiritual energy, the process of reduction in spiritual
energy of the world is slowed down and slowly reversed. The soul returns to
its original pure and loving state. The result is a change of the inner
world of consciousness which, in turn, is reflected in the change of the
outer world that we all share.

When we change, the world changes.
When we see and realize the significance of this current Age, the fifth Age
or the Confluence Age (‘Sangamyug’), we also find greater clarity in our
life's purpose. It becomes obvious that the world will not become a better
place through more resistance or conflict; this only adds to the sum of fear
and anger in the world. To fight for peace is a false belief which has taken
over the human mind. To think that peace comes from conflict, or that
conflict is necessary to achieve peace, is to think right comes from wrong.
Deep change is an incognito process (process which cannot be seen) within
individual souls.  Through meditation or ‘yoga’ (union), we awaken and
restore our true, peaceful selves; we absorb the light of truth and love
from the Supreme and we are spiritually empowered. This we can then share
with others. As we radiate our spiritual energy and reflect the light of God
into the world in gentle and humble ways, the effects of our self-change
reach out to other souls as an invitation to do the same.

The nagging questions which must enter most minds at least once in a
lifetime (such as ''Why me?", "Why here?" and "Why now?") are answered - our
highest purpose is to help others know themselves as they truly are i.e.
souls and to help in reconnecting them to the Supreme. This is why simply
sitting in meditation, generating and radiating vibrations which are
peaceful and loving, can help to heal others and the world itself. That is
our primary responsibility at the Confluence Age. When we take up this
responsibility we assist the Supreme in his task at the Confluence Age, i.e.
bringing about the Golden Age.** *

Cycles Of Thinking

Even with the best intentions, we can find ourselves stuck in cycles of
negative thinking; often, these are caused due to negative self-belief.
These cyclic thoughts waste our time, but more often, they are depressing or
even destructive, especially if the cycle is due to a deep-rooted lack of
self-esteem or self-confidence. Cyclic negative thoughts, by definition,
have become a habit.

However, cycles of thinking can be positive too. Some people almost
regularly respond to negative situations or events with feelings of optimism
and positivity; they see success and are confident. If this is not natural
to us, we can train ourselves to respond in this way. To become optimistic
we need to create in our mind images of past success and generate a quiet
self-assurance. Thus a cycle of positive thinking gets started and will, in
time, become a habit.

Meditation And Physical Health

The state of the body is a result of the state of the soul not only because
of past “karmas” (actions performed in this and previous births) but because
of its present state also.

For example, when the emotion of fear passes through the mind, the endocrine
system starts pumping adrenalin through the body to prepare it for a surge
of energy. It is easy to note the cause-effect relationship between fear
(cause) and adrenalin (effect). In the same way all of the mental ups and
downs cause resulting secretions throughout the body. Internal rage is
accompanied by heavy breathing, fast heart-beats, red face and so on. This
relationship between body and soul is the reason most physical diseases
arise from a psychological or mental origin. There is no doubt that any
lessening of harmful secretions by reducing the emotional causes will bring
about sound and lasting health. Health and order in the soul (mind) bring
health and order in the body.

Of course there are other factors which give rise to health problems -
pollution, unhealthy life-style, lack of exercise, wrong diet etc. Through
Raja Yoga meditation (taught by the Brahma Kumaris) and its connected
positive lifestyle and through a pure vegetarian diet, ill-health can be
minimized. The removal of stress and tension has to be one of the most
important advantages for a person who practices Rajyoga meditation.

Experiencing The Natural Qualities Of The Supreme Soul or God (Meditation)

This meditation will allow you to experience the natural qualities and
nature of the Supreme Soul or God. We describe the Supreme as an Ocean of
all qualities.

I am a soul, a golden star like energy situated at the center of the
forehead, separate from this dense body of matter, my vehicle…

I am a being of peace… a loveful being… a being of light… a being of power…

I am alive, vibrant, sparkling, divine…

Without the physical body I can fly with the power of pure thought…

I can travel, leaving this world, this body behind… moving away from the
experience of the body…

I am so subtle…

I the subtle being of light… a star, so bright, radiating light, move beyond
sound, beyond the physical world, beyond the sun, moon and stars, to my soft
golden red light home – ‘paramdham’, ‘shantidham’… I float in this sweet
silence home…

I become aware of another being, a living golden star like energy over
there… golden rays of light radiate from this Supreme Star in all
directions….

As I come closer to him, I feel as if I am diving deep into an unlimited
Ocean… Waves of golden light touch me, the soul, very softly…

I merge into the Supreme Being… this is the Ocean of Bliss… this is the
Ocean of Peace… an unlimited Ocean, I am receiving from him… and I feel
complete…

I am merged in the experience of the Highest Soul… diving into the depths of
bliss…

So deep, so silent is this Ocean…

The treasures are eternal… the treasure of peace, treasures of love, of
light, of bliss...

I bathe, clean, purify until I feel free and light… refreshed by the Ocean…
surrendered to its waves and depth…

Now I float gently… downwards… softly… slowly…
I enter the physical world… and take my seat in the physical body…

Self Confidence

Self-confidence is very much linked to the understanding that I definitely
have something to contribute to life through my own uniqueness. Each one of
us is unique. That goes without saying. Unless a person has a sense of
contributing, or offering, something to life, they cannot really be happy. I
cannot be happy and confident when I am just taking; it simply doesn't work.
I can only be happy when I am sharing and offering the best of myself. In
that way, I don't feel depleted. When I offer the best of myself in an
unselfish way, my happiness and confidence increases - the more I give, the
more I receive. We start to understand that the well-being of individuals
begins when they can contribute what they are, and what they have, to
others. To be a truly self confident human being means to have true
spiritual powers, like love, peace and happiness, which are brought into
daily life - not just appearing as words or emotions, but truly displaying
themselves in our behavior and bringing benefit to others.

Stress Management

*There are some false beliefs about stress that we have acquired: *

*"Stress is natural and has a positive part to play in our present day
lives"*

*Truth: There is no such thing as 'positive stress'. By definition, stress
is unnatural and unhealthy, and is therefore always a negative state. *

*Stress can be defined as a form of pain that comes to tell you there is
something you need to change. Pain - any pain - is a messenger saying there
is something you need to learn. *

*While some people rightly differentiate pain from suffering, where pain is
physical and suffering is mental or emotional, but the term pain can be used
for both.*

*If you put your hand in the fire, what do you experience? Pain. What do you
learn? Not to do it again. You listened to the messenger, you learned and
you changed. We can experience stress or pain at four levels - spiritual,
mental, emotional and physical. When the messenger comes at the mental or
emotional levels, with painful thoughts and negative feelings created by no
one but ourselves, do we listen to the messenger? No we don't, we shoot the
messenger down. Why? Because we have been taught to believe that some stress
is necessary and good. 'They' told us it is normal, and we believed 'them'.
And so we allow stress to develop within ourselves, not realizing we are
creating our own slow death. One reason why the developed world's medical
services are having such a tough time is because more and more of us are
taking less and less responsibility for our own mental and emotional
well-being. No one told us that a single negative thought could have a
devastating effect on our immune system. * Truth: The second reason why we feel that stress is normal and don’t learn
and change is that we have grown to like a 'dose' of fear and a 'quick shot
(injection)' of anger. Why? Because these emotions stimulate the production
of certain addictive chemicals in our bodies. Many people cannot get through
their day without their 'adrenaline dose'. So we go looking for bad
situations, for confrontational people, for reasons to become angry, and if
we don't get our dose then it feels like something is missing from our day.

To say that stress is normal, that a bit of stress is good, is a neat way of
avoiding the inner work of self-responsibility and a sign of lazy thinking.
We all learn to think lazily, it is largely an unfortunate consequence of
our education (or lack of education) so most of us learn to believe that
some stress is good. One thing is for sure, an increasing number of people
are waking up to the reality that stress has no part in a fulfilling life
and they are doing something about it at the level of their thoughts and
feelings.

The Power Of Thought

Thought has been proven to be a powerful yet non-physical "energy", which
can influence other souls and also matter. On a limited scale, there are the
experiments with ESP (extrasensory perception) and mental telepathy. On a
more sensational level, some use the power of thought to such an extent that
steel objects can be bent and heavy objects moved without any physical help.
In the case of telepathy, communication over thousands of miles is possible
in an instant when two souls are "tuned" to each other's mental
"wavelength", as if thought-broadcasting and receiving is some sort of
subtle (non-physical) radio system. Evil powers also invoke the power of
thought, although for impure or egoistic motives and gains. Thought can be
regarded as the energy or subtle force which links the soul to physical
matter through the soul's connection with the body.

Understanding And Overcoming Ego

Identification with the ego and the external self creates a false identity
and extremes of feeling inferior, or superior, depending on the
circumstances and people. It brings with it the thought of 'I am', which is
based on gender, religion, nationality, achievement or talent, creating an
attachment to the self, which always compares and competes with others. This
insecurity leads a person into forcing others to act and think in the same
way as them. An egoistic person, rather than recognizing that everyone is
unique with a unique personality and has a right to express his/her
respective personality, sees difference in personalities as a threat to
himself/herself.

Where there is such ego, only 'yes' people (who have the same opinion as
yours) are allowed to come close: anyone with a difference of opinion is
rejected. With ego, the original uniqueness of the self is denied,
unrecognized and buried deep in the layers of wrong identity. This is why,
these days, there is such an identity crisis - humanity has lost its soul,
or rather, sold its soul to external traditions and attractions.

With ego, then: is the idea of ‘I know best' and consequently the
misunderstood duty and right to control and manipulate others, in their best
interests (supposedly)! This results in the spoiling of the creativity and
uniqueness of others.
To conquer ego, humility and honesty are required. We need the courage to
look into the self honestly and acknowledge that the characteristics of 'I
know' and 'I control' exist and have to be removed, if there is to be truth
and happiness inside. We need to remember the original 'I am' e.g. “I am a
child of the Supreme Soul, similar to him in qualities and powers”, “I am
the soul which is seated on the Supreme Being’s (God’s) heart throne”, “I am
a knowledgeful soul”, “I am a blissful soul who gifts everyone with the
treasure of happiness” etc.

Through meditation and remembering the true ‘I am’ (shared above), the
pollution of the selfish ego is gradually replaced by the remembrance and
the experience of the pure self: the 'I' that is not attached to anything,
or anyone, but is completely whole within itself. The expression of this
pure entity is not selfish but selfless and the person begins to share with
others, everything that he/she possesses – knowledge, specialities, talents,
virtues etc. where necessary, facilitating the awakening of the true
potential of others, just like sunlight. Light is a great facilitator. It
steps in, awakens and then moves on. An egoless person acts, interacts and
expresses themselves in this way.

“Karmas” In Spiritual Consciousness

The soul creates its destiny according to the “karmas” or actions it
performs. “Vikarmas” or negative actions are those actions performed in
body-consciousness. “Sukarmas” or positive actions are those actions
performed in soul and Supreme Soul-consciousness. Given below is a list of
differences between the two:

Body Consciousness: The soul is influenced by any of the vices; principally
anger, greed, ego, lust or attachment.

Spiritual Consciousness: The soul brings its original qualities of peace,
power, purity, love and bliss into action.

Body Consciousness: The soul is unable to settle its past karmic accounts
and so karmic debts accumulate.

Spiritual Consciousness: The soul balances out its karmic debt and actually
begins to accumulate or store credit.

Body Consciousness: Actions cause sorrow and loss for the self and others in
contact.

Spiritual Consciousness: Actions fill the self and others with happiness and
peace.
“Vikarmas” or negative actions are those actions performed in
body-consciousness. “Sukarmas” or positive actions are those actions
performed in soul and Supreme Soul-consciousness. Given below are some more
differences between the two (we had explained a few yesterday):

Body Consciousness: Relationships become bondages (burdens) and causes of
sorrow rather than enjoyment.

Spiritual Consciousness: Relationships with others are purified and
elevated. There is no sense of bondage.

Body Consciousness: Conflicts, which can be called "clashes" of sanskaras,
occur between souls. There is negativity, sensitivity and disunity.

Spiritual Consciousness: Souls are able to harmonize with each other with
happiness and peace.

Body Consciousness: Actions are performed to attract or impress others by
the physical identity.

Spiritual Consciousness: Actions are performed to bring others also into
relationship with the Supreme Soul.

Body Consciousness: Charity performed for others has the shadow of ego and
has limited results.

Spiritual Consciousness: The highest charity of introducing other souls to
the Supreme Soul is performed selflessly through thoughts, words and
actions.

Manage Stress By Changing Your Attitude

To manage stress effectively, the easiest and the most fruitful method is to
change our attitudes towards the particular stress inducing situation. In a
similar situation one person becomes anxious and stressful whereas the other
may remain calm and cheerful. This difference is just due to their
difference in attitudes towards the event. Your attitudes are the higher ups
in your mental life. They are the habits that sit in the driver's seat. When
you can control them, you are in control of your own life, you remain
untouched by situations and nothing can hurt you. Thus every effort to make
our attitudes positive, benefits us to live without stress and tension.

Spirituality and meditation is extremely beneficial for developing such an
attitude. e.g. when faced with a situation involving a negative behavior of
someone in his/her life, a spiritually inclined person, whose attitude has
changed, would think; "I am just an actor in the world drama. I must try to
play the role given to me in the best possible manner. I should not become
anxious, depressed or worried about the activities of others because they
are also playing their roles in the huge world drama. I remain detached and
peaceful because I am just an observer of various scenes of the drama. My
original nature is peaceful. I am a peaceful soul. I am a child of the ocean
of peace -- the Supreme Being, and so my words and actions should reflect
that nature of peace." The spiritual knowledge also helps me to see the
hidden benefits in every situation however stressful it may seem externally.

Rather than relying on drugs or alcohol or smoking or other techniques, a
better way to handle stress is to change your attitude, which determines
whether we perceive any life experience as pleasant or unpleasant.

Are You Mentally Healthy?

Mental Health is an important dimension of health, because the state of mind
immediately affects the physical body's processes. Mental health is not
merely the absence of psychological disease but also the balanced
development of an individual's personality and emotional attitudes which
enable him to live peacefully and harmoniously with his fellow-beings.

To know if you are mentally healthy or not, answer the following questions:

1. Are you always worrying?
2. Are you unable to concentrate because of unrecognized reasons?

3. Are you continuously unhappy without any particular reason?

4. Do you lose your temper easily and often?

5. Do you have wide fluctuations in your moods from depression to happiness,
back to depression, which weaken you?
6. Are you troubled by regular insomnia (sleeplessness)?
7. Do you continuously dislike being with people?
8. Are you upset if the routine of your life is disturbed?
9. Do your children consistently get on your nerves?
10. Are you irritable quite often and constantly bitter?
11. Are you afraid without any particular reason?
12. Do you feel that you are always right and other people always wrong?
13. Do you have numerous physical aches and pains for which no doctor can
find a physical cause?

The conditions explained in these questions and in the ones mentioned
yesterday are the major warning signals of poor mental health in one degree
or another. Help is necessary if the answer to any of these questions is
definitely 'yes'.

Spiritually based positive thinking helps one to attain the highest level of
emotional balance and remain mentally healthy.

The Life Jacket Of Hope

In the midst of the constant changes of life and confusing or chaotic
situations, hope, becomes our life jacket, which helps us to keep afloat and
not to drown in the hurricane that at times causes unexpected or sudden
changes. Without hope, we expect the worst. Our vision gets cloudy; we do
not find or see any ray of light to see by. The mind fills with questions,
allowing it to be overpowered by doubts and insecurity. Fear takes control
of us and everything turns into a mountain or an un-climbable wall. It seems
to us that we will not be able to get out of the difficult and critical
moments, or it will be difficult for us to get out of the "hole". We feel
incapable of going forward. Fear and doubt paralyze us and prevent us from
deciding with clarity and acting with determination. We need to find support
or help and, when we don't get it, we go even further down.

Living with hope keeps us awake. With hope we are open to the opportunities
that life offers us. We overcome fear and expect the best. With hope our
forces are joined in order to deal with and overcome difficulties. We
maintain the vision that everything will get better and things will
streamline themselves, giving out benefits to all. Hope helps us to keep the
meaning of our life alive.

What is “Will Power”?

The expression "will-power" is often used to refer to our ability to put
into practice the ideas we know to be for our well-being and to resist
actions (“karmas”) which are harmful. This is directly related to the soul's
intellectual strength. When we speak of weakness or strength in the soul we
are referring to the intellect. In the case of a weak soul (one with lower
“will-power”) it is almost as if the intellect plays no part in determining
which thoughts arise in the mind, but they come as if pushed by the
“sanskaras” (mainly in the form of habits) or are triggered by the
atmosphere around or the moods of others. On the contrary, a powerful soul
(one with higher “will-power”) enjoys the experience of its own choice
regardless of external stimuli (influence).

Rajyoga meditation develops the intellect to such an extent that this degree
of control is possible. A practitioner of Rajyoga meditation can be in the
midst of a situation of intense disturbance, yet remain so unshakeably calm
that the inner strength becomes a shelter and inspiration to others lacking
in that strength. The weak soul is like a leaf at the mercy of the storm,
the strong one, a rock in the face of a rough sea.