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Meditation To Experience Being An Impartial Observer

Experience the following thoughts one after the other:

I sit in a relaxed position, letting all tensions dissolve...
I relax my shoulders and neck and breathe deeply several times...
Now I focus all my attention inside and observe what is happening in mind...
I observe, and look carefully...
I see myself in different situations; I can identify the things that affect
me most, the dependencies on things and people, the various circumstances
in which I see myself involved...
I observe how these external factors influence me and change my state of
mind. I lack trust in some people, but with others I can express myself
freely. There are many influences in my life...
There are the influences of these external factors...
I separate myself from them and observe my inner qualities; I begin to feel
that peace, strength and love are part of my original self...
They are so strong that they cannot be influenced by the changing external
factors...
I create positive thoughts about myself...
I am a being independent of external influences, and in my inner self there
are many qualities. I feel them...
I enjoy being myself in my original peaceful state...

Vision, Goals, Strategies And Action Plans

A *vision* is what you can see but not yet reach. The most powerful
dimension of vision is not the long term dimension but actually the way you
choose to see yourself in your work, circumstances, relationships, etc.
Important changes start occurring by simply choosing to see things and
people differently. That will have a huge influence on the decisions you
make and the results. This is the power of vision.

*Goals* are aimed at achieving the vision. They should be achievable in a
short span of time and represent what you can see and reach. Goals should
be specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time bound (SMART).

Clarification of goals then sets the agenda for the *strategies* (how) that
are necessary to achieve those goals, to drive those goals forward. The
strategies then need to be broken down into very specific *action plans*.

Choosing Peace Over Anger

 Making the choice of peace is a simple choice, which lies in the hands of
each one of us, at every moment right through the day, every day. A lot of
people would choose a world, the world out there, made of peace but spend
most of their time remaining peaceless in their own inner world, and then
in their next door world, i.e. in their personal interactions. *A lot of us
would prefer a life of peace and we try to shape up such a life, only to be
influenced by the old belief about how it's absolutely fine to get angry
once in a while, without which it's difficult to get things done.* We also
get influenced by those people around us who continue to get angry for the
shallowest of reasons. These people could be either at home, at the
workplace, in the friend circle, the world at large or people who do not
matter too much to us but whom we encounter every day - at the vegetable
market, on the highway, or even in the movies for that matter!Unaware of
the root causes of their anger, all these people around us will find a
thousand ways to justify it, and will keep continuing with the habit in
their lives. Their emotional un-clarity is so deep and addiction to the
emotion of anger is so powerful that they will probably laugh at the idea
that anger is a negative emotion and is form of weakness or suffering. They
will, on the other hand, say that peace is timidity and a form of weakness
or suffering. So, if you do *choose peace over anger* in your life then you
are also choosing to be in a state of power and becoming free from
suffering as a result. However, *after having made that choice, to
experience it in every moment of your life, it is necessary to rediscover
where your peace is located inside you, it's true nature or essence, how to
access it through meditation and finally how to use it or apply it in your
daily life.*

Signs Of Depression And Coming Out Of It

You feel depressed when you lack happiness and optimism about the
possibilities that you have and a constantly negative consciousness and
vision is produced. You lose hope. In depression you lack an interest in
things. You are sensitive to criticisms, even if they are very little. You
feel sadness, impatience, a lack of perspectives. You try to reach
satisfaction through material means, like, for example, eating too much,
eating sweet things, etc.

You get depressed because you remember past errors; because you need the
experience of love in life; because you have developed the habit of seeing
only the negative in each situation, without sensing that a positive side
exists. The imagination behaves in a negative way; it is weakening,
depressing and even destructive. Nothing seems attractive to you and you
feel unmotivated.

To get out of this state it is important to accept yourself; keep a mental
state of a detached observer; don't allow the mind to cling to depressing
thoughts and tune it into the positive aspects of life. Sometimes
negativity and weakness have overwhelmed you to such a point that in order
to get out of that state you need a "bombardment" of positivism: go on a
spiritual retreat or holiday to a suitable destination; surround yourself
by good company; attend a course of personal development; get out of that
state in which you are closed into yourself. Take the step. Nobody can do
it for you.

Creating A Meditation Space Of Your Own

The first step in your journey towards experiencing your true state of
inner peace is finding a place or space in your home where you will
practice your meditation regularly, even if it's just an armchair. Always
use this chair, this space when you can. In this space, place two or three
objects, which represent peace to you. Soft music, soft red light and
lighting an incense stick ('agarbatti') can make the atmosphere soothing
and relaxing. The walls could be decorated with white curtains to create a
peaceful and purifying effect. After using this space for your practice of
meditation for a few days, you will experience that the atmosphere of this
space has elevated itself to a higher positive level and this will help
your practice further.

Saying Yes Or Saying No

In life many times we are presented with situations that *ask something of
us* or *offer us opportunities*. They make us question what we are doing
and suggest to us that perhaps we should change direction. To remain in
flow with life is to remain bring about changes in the self that situations
want from us, as long as it is in agreement with our conscience.  But for
that, we should be clear about what we say *yes* to, and what we say *no*to.
*When you put your heart into something and your mind is centered, the
energy flows powerfully towards there. It is a question of listening to
your heart, and daring to say yes or to say no.* We have to say it keeping
our conscience and action in line, in order to maintain honesty and
integrity.

Personally, we all live through difficult and uncomfortable situations, but
in your heart you need to know that you will definitely be there. *The
trust in yourself, and the confidence that everything will work out fine,
knowing that there is some hidden lesson that you have to learn, helps you
to say yes.* It is what the situation asks of you, although you prefer to
be in some other more comfortable situation - a less risky or seemingly
negative one. It is important to hear the voice of time, of the moment, of
the situation and trust that it would strengthen you, with which it would
bring you closer to greater personal development and to your destiny as a
person, and also brings about global benefit since you are a part of
society, a part of humanity.

The Four Pillars Of A Spiritual Lifestyle - Achieving A Balance

A balanced and fulfilling spiritual life is like a table.   It stands on
four legs and if one leg is shorter than the others then both balance and
equilibrium will be difficult.  The four legs or pillars of a spiritual
life are given below in the form of four subjects. If any of the subjects
is not a part of our lives or is a part of our life, but not to as great an
extent as the others, then the overall balance of our spiritual life will
be affected adversely (negatively).

*1. Daily spiritual study (knowledge or gyan)*
Daily spiritual study provides the right quality of nourishment for our
mind and intellect, the two important energies of the soul.

*2. **Daily meditation (spiritual yoga)
*Daily meditation provides the means to explore, discover and reconnect
with oneself and with God.

*3. **The inculcation and development of virtues (dharna)
*Giving some time each day to the conscious development of our character
(virtue) helps to eliminate any negative sanskars or personality
characteristics (vices) and improves our ability to build positive and
harmonious relationships. The quality of our relationships is a mirror
reflection of our dharna.

*4. **The service of others (seva)
*A life purpose based on some kind of service is the foundation of personal
growth through the practice of giving.  Finding appropriate ways to use our
increasing spiritual power and understanding (through the three subjects
mentioned above) for the benefit of others is the most satisfying way to
use our energy today. It also ensures happiness for the present as well as
for the future through accumulation of positive energy in the form of
blessings of those who are served.

The Effects Of Fear On The Physical Body

The human being is psychosomatic by nature - what that means is that our
health is deeply influenced by our behavior, thoughts, emotions and social
relationships. Therefore, in order to experience good health, we should
care for our life style, our mental, sentimental, emotional and relational
world, as well as our communication. Fear is bad for our health. It
manifests itself in the form of anger and promotes coronary diseases. Fear
suppressed for a long time ends up producing diseases such as cancer. Apart
from cancer and heart attacks, there are other illnesses brought on by
fear: addictions, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, irritability, nervous
breakdowns, memory loss, gastritis, back pains, baldness, diarrhea,
sciatica, crying attacks, alcoholism, constipation, hypertension, cystitis
(bladder inflammation), vomiting, palpitations, digestive disorders, ulcers
and migraines.

*When we get old, our neurons do not die, but rather the connections
between them disappear*, that is what recent scientific research suggests.
The neuronal connections or synapses keep us lively and young. *When we
have pleasant experiences, such as during meditation or when we are on a
holiday or are surrounded by friends or while working in a team, some
examples of activities in which we feel happy, the neuronal connections are
more fluid.* However, the lights go out when we feel fear. It is an emotion
that is capable of slowing down and blocking the electrical impulses
between the neurons. With fear we are less creative and we get older more
quickly. If we do not want to suffer illnesses (or want our illnesses to
get worse) we should learn to manage and overcome fear.

The Senses in Balance

Our five senses are windows, which open out to the world through which
energy flows in two directions. The senses receive impressions and
information from the world, and at the same time transmit our personalities
to others. Our eyes receive a constant stream of visual messages, but we
may also use the eyes to show how we feel. Through our ears we hear the
sounds of life; while by "lending an ear" to others we give comfort to
them. Touch allows us to experience texture; but can also transmit love and
assurance. Our senses are not merely instruments, but deep-rooted aspects
of the self or the soul.

In India, the senses of the body (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and hands) are
beautifully depicted in the form of a chariot. The self or the soul is the
charioteer (controller of the chariot); the five senses are the five
horses. The self keeps the senses harmoniously (peacefully) working
together, controlling their tendency to go out of control.

Breaking Down Patterns Of Negative Thoughts And Feelings

Having understood that the source of our feelings are our thoughts, we
realize that right through our journey in the physical world, in many
births, *we have repeatedly built up enormous webs of negative and harmful
thoughts and feelings, creating many unnecessary difficulties for us,
internally as well as externally.* The habit continues in my present life
too. *Meditation helps me to untangle this mess, and break the habit.* It
helps me come to terms with what is going on in my own inner world and
understand how I create thoughts and feelings, how to take responsibility
for them, and how to tap into my original, positive inner resources, which
helps me displace negative patterns of thoughts and feelings. So,
meditation is not merely a relaxation technique but a powerful tool for a
seemingly difficult task of self-transformation.

*To get the positive cycle of thoughts and feelings working in my life, the
easiest place to start with is our thoughts.* It's not very difficult to
change our thoughts. It just requires attention. And by changing my
thoughts, it becomes easy to change my feelings. In meditation, I decide
that for a few minutes, each day (it could be as less as 1-2 minutes or as
much as 25-30 minutes, depending on the external setting I am in) I am
going to set aside negative thoughts which are weak or wasteful, and create
pure, positive, powerful thoughts, based on the awareness of my spiritual
identity. As I do this, I begin to experience the original resources or
treasures of the self. As a result, positive and powerful feelings for the
self and others emerge.

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (cont.)

*Continuing from yesterday's message:

*The Zoroastrians worship God as fire (Indian Zoroastrians are called
Parsis).

The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun as God.

A Buddhist sect in Japan focuses the mind on a small oval shape. They call
it Karni, the Peace-giver.

The Jews have the Menorah (a candlestick or holder for many candles
together) which when lit is a memory of the form of God as light.

*It seems therefore that human beings, without realizing, have all been
worshipping and trying to discover the same God. There is only one God and
His form is light. If union between the soul and the Supreme Soul is to
take place, it can only be possible if there is knowledge and experience of
that form.*

On the basis of our (soul and the Supreme Soul) similarities of form and
place of residence, I learn from God of my own original sanskars of peace,
purity, love, knowledge, power and bliss. As I tune my thoughts to Him, His
influence fills these original qualities in me. He is the perfect and
infinite fountain, indeed the ocean, of these qualities. His superiority
lies in the depth, clarity and continuity of His divine sanskars. Whilst
human souls fluctuate between peace and peacelessness; love and hatred;
knowledge and ignorance; sorrow and joy, God is ever constant and above and
beyond these fluctuations.

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God (cont.)

Just as a candle flame emerges from a point source and assumes an oval
form, mystics and saints throughout the passage of time have had visions of
God as a point of self-luminous light with an oval aura.

*Most religions have images, idols or memorials, having one name or the
other to represent God as light or as an oval shape.

*Throughout India there are statues of an oval-shaped image. They are
called Shivalingas, and are thought to represent the Creator Himself. The
names of the temples of Shiva confirm this: Somnath, the Lord of Nectar;
Vishwanath, The Lord of the Universe; Mukteshwara, the Lord of Liberation,
etc.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, it is mentioned that Moses had a vision
of light as a burning bush in the desert. Jesus also referred to God as
light. In some Christian ceremonies, during the ceremonies, an ostensorio
is held up. The ostensorio is a golden ball with many rays radiating from
it. Perhaps this is a symbolic representation of God.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism called Him "Ek Omkar, Nirakar", the one
non-physical (bodiless) being or soul.

According to Islamic legend, when Adam left paradise he came to a low hill
upon which he saw a shining white oval stone. Around this stone he circled
seven times praising God. He then built the Kaaba. By the time of Abraham
it needed to be rebuilt as a temple to honour the one God. The town of
Mecca grew around this spot. This oval stone, later called Sang-e-aswad and
now 'blackened' by the kisses of millions of sinners, so they say, is the
only object of worship in the whole of Islam.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God

*There are some universally accepted characteristics of God:*

* He is the creator and the one who sustains and takes care of the entire
world population.
* He is the Highest of Highest.
* He is the Supreme Father.
* He is non-physical.
* He is omnipotent (one with unlimited power).
* He is a living being.
* He is all-loving and possesses complete knowledge.
* He is unchangeable.
* He is one and He is light.
* He is perfect in values and morals.
* He is absolutely just.
* He is the Supreme Benefactor (the one who brings benefit to everyone).
* He is the savior of souls.
* He is the purifier.
* He is mysterious in His ways.

Even in those religions that believe in and worship many Gods, there is one
God who stands above the others. Then there are other faiths who believe
God to be one single Supreme Being. Traditions, sacred texts, monuments,
sayings and rituals all over the world, point to the existence of and
belief in one knowledgeful, all-powerful and merciful being or soul. That
being is universally called out to and recognized as the remover of sorrow,
the giver of happiness and the savior of the 'sinful'.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

The Source Of Our Feelings - cont.

The longer I experience thoughts and feelings of a particular variety
(explained yesterday), the greater is the soul's inclination to generate
those feelings. This can reach the point where feelings take over, and I
experience their impact even though they are no longer consciously
connected them with my thoughts e.g. my office colleague has done something
incorrect without taking my opinion, and there's a series of negative
thoughts running through my mind, such as 'Why did she do like this? It
shouldn't have happened like this. How dare she! Why on earth didn't she
consult me? I do wish she wouldn't be so unreasonable. It would have been
much better if the task had been done like that', etc. Bring over thoughts
of this type in my mind leaves me with a negative feeling - a feeling which
is critical, nasty and rejecting.

What is worse, when I have let feelings like this emerge; it is very easy
to carry them over into circumstances where they have no relevance e.g. it
is the evening time now - I have left my office to go home, and in my mind
I am now occupied with thoughts related to my children and groceries that I
have to buy to on the way back, but the unpleasant, critical feelings for
the colleague are still with me to the extent that they affect my behavior.
I react over some minor issue with the grocery store keeper, creating bad
feeling in him as well. Or, the other way round, I carry bad feelings due
to an argument at home, with my wife, into my office, and then create an
atmosphere of irritation in the office instead of comfort and warmth.

The Source Of Our Feelings

The topmost area of the mind is the area of conscious thought. Thoughts
arise in our awareness like bubbles. Many thoughts carry a feeling or a
series of feelings along with them e.g. the thought at a restaurant - 'I
love how that pizza looks', could be accompanied by feelings of hunger, or
greed, or happiness, or yearning (longing) or anticipated satisfaction.

The fact offered by spirituality and supported by experiences of many
people who are spiritual is that *feelings, as well as thoughts, originate
from the soul*.

Feelings are clearly reflected in the form of physical changes in our body:
I may feel my heart beat fast with excitement, my mouth salivate with joy,
my stomach sink with fear, my hands shiver or goose pimples on my arms with
nervousness, etc. This is because the soul and body are interconnected and
work in complementary ways, so that what goes on in the soul is definitely
reflected in the body, and what goes on in the body is reflected in the
soul. The degree to which both these processes happen in each individual is
different. *It's not that feelings arise out of nothing, or merely as a
reaction to external stimulation by people, objects, nature, etc. Thoughts
are followed by feelings. So we can understand that both of them arise from
the soul.* Recognizing this is an important step if I want to break free
from cycles of unwanted or unsuitable thoughts and feelings.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

A Simple Definition Of Contentment

If one was asked to define contentment, how would one do the same? A very
simple and easy to understand, definition of contentment, is:

"At the present moment:

** wherever you are is wherever you are meant to be,

* whatever you are doing is whatever you are meant to be doing and

* whatever everyone else is doing is what they are meant to be doing."

*To experience constant contentment, we need to become aware of all the
things that make us discontent (dissatisfied) and free ourselves from those
things (ideas, opinions, objects, people). We don't have to reject them or
distance ourselves from them, but a detachment from them, a detachment at
the level of the consciousness that will bring back our inner freedom.
Detachment is then accompanied by the experience of a deep, inner awareness
of satisfaction and stillness, because you stop being dependent on anything
or anyone outside ourselves.

It is highly unlikely that we will arrive at this deep state of fulfillment
very soon - though we may touch it and experience it temporarily. It is
only by understanding and accepting completely that everything is the way
it is meant to be at every moment, both outside our minds and inside our
minds that we move closer to being content.

Nurturing My Relationship With Myself

One of the most significant areas of importance in any human's life is that
of *relationships*. Someone with very good, close, harmonious and loveful
relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, etc. is normally
considered very fortunate or lucky. *But of all relationships, the first
and most basic one is the one I have with myself.* So, how good, close or
deep is my relationship with myself? How well do I know myself? Am I my own
friend? If I think over the last week or fortnight, how many of my
reactions were unexpected or uncontrolled or basically not the right ones?
How many reactions left me confused, sad, unenthusiastic, peaceless,
depressed, negative in any other way or in short uncomfortable? If there
have been several such situations, it is an indication that there are still
things deep within me that I do not know.

Normally a friend is someone whose company I enjoy, for whom there is love
and from whom there is some benefit. *As in any worldly relationship,
without knowing a particular person to the core I can never have a deep
relationship with that person.* As the phrase 'spiritual knowledge'
implies, it is the knowledge of the spirit or the self. Only by knowing
myself completely and having a good relationship with the self, can I
channelize my inner potential that I have within myself - just as water
from a river, when properly channelized, provides water for various
purposes. In any worldly relationship, if enough time and attention is not
given to it and it is not nourished, it gets affected negatively.  In the
same way, though it's obvious that I have to spend a large chunk of each
day involved in situations arising from my duties, routine activities,
responsibilities and worldly relationships; my relationship with myself
should also be given enough time and attention, so that it does not suffer.
If I am not careful about that, my worldly life may use up my energy
completely and discharge my inner battery. *I need to find times in the day
when I give time to my relationship with the self and recharge myself. The
peace and happiness I long for internally will be obtained by having a
good, positive relationship with the self.*

Analyzing Success And Failure (cont.)

 *For many, society has conditioned us to look for success through the path
of our career, achievements, profits, praise, financial wealth etc. That
way, we have learned a narrow view of success. Running in search of this
kind of success and pursuing it, we come to exhaust ourselves, get burnt
out and depressed.* In order to achieve these successes we have stopped
caring for the inner being (the soul) and relationships. That has meant and
means stress, pain, anxiety, family break ups, personal and relational
disintegrations, the destruction of the environment and planetary and
climatic imbalances. As a consequence, we feel empty. Although we achieve
the applause, the income and other successes, the soul is malnourished and
has the sensation that it is lacking something. Reaching fame, financial
wealth, the power of a visible position, and reaching it with a broken
soul, broken up family and a sick body, causes depression which explains
why, in our recent history , famous people have ended up committing
suicide.

*If we want to redirect our personal and collective lives toward true
wellbeing and wholeness, we have to re-evaluate and redefine our beliefs
and factors that lead to success and failure.* Before asking yourself what
success and failure mean for you, it is important to be clear what context
you want success in. Depending on the context, the dimension and the
meaning of success and failure will be different. For example, in the work
context, a failure will be different to that in the family context. In the
personal context or in life in general, the way of perceiving success or
failure varies.

Analyzing Success And Failure

You feel positive and joyful when you realize that you are successful.
However, when failure comes to you, you feel defeated. The definition of
success and failure varies from one person to another and according to the
stage of life that you are in. *It is important to have success and failure
well defined for yourself, because, based on your definition, you feel
greater or lesser inner wellbeing, happiness and wholeness.* There are also
different levels of success and of failure. For example, for some the
greatest success is to be happy and radiant, whatever happens inside or
outside. If one manages to keep happy in the face of failure, for them it
is a success. Because to be happy means that I am connected with my
essential worth or inner self, my being is awake and alive. Failure does
not reduce my vitality, my contentment levels. The greater or fewer
external achievements do not reduce the quality of the inner being or of
being happy. *The important thing is that you believe your own definition
of success and failure.* Some ideas can be shared that can act as
guidelines, but, in the end, each person has to create their own
guidelines, definitions and factors leading to success and failure. Basing
ourselves on these guidelines and beliefs, we evaluate our successes and
failures.  *You can reflect on what true success and failure mean for you
and, according to those meanings, centre your attention on the values and
efforts that lead you to achieve your objectives.
*
(To be continued tomorrow ...)