talk

We are passing through challenging times globally for a long time in terms of natural disasters, wars, poverty, etc some form or another. The world around us is always changing and it is important for us to keep going and stay motivated.

Everyone has ups and downs in life. Sometimes there is success, and sometimes, failure.

I love the story of the bird sitting on the tree holding a branch. A wood cutter comes to cut the branches of the tree. Bird was singing and enjoying the nature and was not worried by the wood cutter. The bird had the confidence over itself, its two wings that it can fly to a different branch.

Stability and Resilience are also two wings of life and are the the most important set of skills that help us thrive despite the small and large challenges in life. Resilience means the ability to bounce back.

Resilience is our personal power, our inner strength that allows one to rise above difficult circumstances, and bounce back stronger than before the challenge! With such vitality, nothing can bring you down, or de-stabilize you.

― Nelson Mandela once said,

Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

For this I need to build up my own inner capacity. When a wire has a resilience test, weights are put on it and the resilience factor can be gauged from the point when it doesn’t bounce back, and then either weights need to be removed or more strengthening of the wire needs to happen.

Question arises that how am I living bearing all the weights and burdens of life ? Am I able to take care of myself and others?

 

If I want to feel secure, safe and stable, I need to bring care for my mind to the top of my priority list.
Meditation, self awareness, these practices are good, we tend to say, I have a job, family to take care of , go to gym, friends, shopping, I will do it when I have time. It is number 4 or 5 on list. Global scenario is telling me to bring soul care, care of inner self to the top of priority list.  Just like, oxygen and water are needed , for mind to remain peaceful, strong is very imp.
Quality of life depends on quality of mind. mind is the interface between you and world. how much attention do I pay to it.
when we buy new machine, computer, we receive a user manual, that tells us how to use it and look after, take care of it properly.
Where is the user manual for the mind. what kind of thoughts are healthy for me.what thoughts shd come later ? how to wake up in the morning. what to think thru out the day, how many thoughts are enough to think about a particular situation. how to put the mind to sleep in the night ?
In 24/7 lifestyle, we forgot to take care of mind, and do practices to make mind stronger.

2 things fundamental that helps to pass thru challenges with stability and resilience.
1) how strong is my mind – is helped by meditaiton ,building meditation practices in daily life
2) how I see life…how I am leading my life – greater understanding of life and greater understanding of events, changes the way we feel about things.
****************** We can’t control what life is bringing to me, but I can control how I chose to receive it. ******************************
We can’t control what comes infront of me, but I can control how I choose look at it.

Generally what happens to most people is, they see what happens in life whether its a global scenario or something in personal life and they forget they have a choice, how they wish to see it. Bcoz of seeing life from one particular angle, which I call as a limited angle and our emotional state is the result of that.

Here are some examples. Stuck in traffic?  Am I patient or am I frustrated ?Enjoy music! Patience is connected with resilience.
Need to clean the bathroom? Focus on the enjoyment of seeing clean surfaces!
Need to do a boring task in Excel? Focus on fancy formatting and finding a more efficient approach!

There is something enjoyable in every task.
Develop the mental strength to shift your attention when needed.
If I can master this, then I can develop the ability to enjoy everything I do.

In general, The way we live is outside-in lifestyle. Whatever is happening outside is effecting me inside. In spirituality it is an inside-out approach. how we think inside about things happening outside – two things that determine -whether we feel safe or unsafe, secure or anxious, stressed, tensed, emotional up and downs.
3 main types of people:
1) Majority of people are in the mode of surviving. Surviving is we are living for the sake of living. Even a clock and tree survives.
2) We exist -daily challenges, experiences of life, some times success, fail, wonderful happens, difficult times.
In exist mode, we are as per the results of what is happening. we hv no sense of control over my emotions. roller coaster of emotions due to lack of self control.
3) Those who really live. What does mean it to really live. We Go through daily routine, exp. of life.
some times you are ignored, sometime you are the center of attention.
The way I live is in my hands. I choose how I wish to feel. My thoughts and feelings are my own creation.

Here is a story to illustrate what is within will come out: Two people bump into each other on a corridor. One is holding a cup of coffee and it spills on them both. What happens? Whatever was inside the cup came out, coffee. If it had been tea, that would have come out, if it had been water, that would have come out. We cannot expect anything else. Just as when someone comes into friction with me and rubs me up the wrong way, what will I give out? Whatever I have filled myself with! If what I have filled myself with is critical, wasteful, unhappy thinking… the collision is just an excuse and I will come out with whatever I am carrying within. If instead in the collision, I stop and apologise and the other says ‘it is ok’, with a big smile, there is growth of compassion, love and non-reactivity. This happened not at the time of ‘bumping into them’, but through a practice they had developed. Through that practice they were able to create the feelings of positivity. This is what happens. Let me fill the self with the feelings of goodness that I am, then my old reactions and responses are the things that go under water, not me. All the bad images and feelings that I am still holding in my space, is what creates a disturbance.

when we see life in a limited perspective, there is stress, there is insecurity, there is fear, there is anxiety.

So can I see life, what I would call as an unlimited angle.We have unlimited energy within us. Most important energy is the power of our thoughts. It is said, Life is simply a game of thoughts.
When we think too much, we are throwing away this precious precious fuel of thought power and the result is mind becomes.

When mind is weak, our energy levels go down and then we easily become afraid of what we see or hear or we become reactive and tension, anxieties, fears grow when the mind is weak.

Positive thoughts, negative thoughts, waste thoughts, necessary thoughts.Exchange of positive and negative energy. 3 things…

How to make mind strong ? Few practices to put into life.
1) When one wakes up in morning, before we start engage with life, engage with inner self, experience peace at the very center of your consciousness.

Meditation Beginers exercise, simple visualization. Comfortable and alert.
Step back from world of action, world of doing and we just be with myself. In this exercise , we use the power of images, as the mind thinks in pictures. Just withdraw your attention towards yourself and now draw your attention up towards your face, draw your attention to the center of the forehead. Here the center of the forehead, just picture a small room. this small room is your quiet room of peace. This is your private and personal space. This quiet room is the place where you can relax completely. This is the place where you can be yourself. Your quiet room of peace is your sacred place, the place where you can recharge your mind. Inside your quiet room, you are safe, you are secure, you are free from the pressures and demands of outside world. You can step away from your daily roles and responsibilities. Feel the silence, the wonderful peace of your quiet room. Just allow your mind to absorb the atmosphere of serenity, tranquility. As you do so, your mind begins to slow down, mind becomes calm and relaxed, peaceful and free. Just be with this feeling of peace in mind one minute.

when you feel ready, return to the awareness of the present location.
Making time and practice, its not difficult.
First truth is I am spiritual energy, soul, peace is my basic nature, that peace has to be brought out, by simply being aware of it, I am a peaceful soul. You can start the day with this thought and during the day, repeat this thought.

Resilience also means to understand that my original state is the highest of all and stay stable in that original state of peace at all times.

Let me begin to relate to others as spiritual beings. when you see other person, what is the first thing I see, is it the age, is it the gender, is it the family or profession, or do I see the other as spiritual being or soul.
Try to visualize star, a soul energy in the forehead, here is the other soul, fellow soul.

With spiritual connection, I can generate genuine love and respect for others and our relationship becomes stable.  Let’s Spiritualize your relationships, and see how the relations change with spirituality as base.

Karma:

There are two approaches.
Life is a series of random and spontaneous events it just happens. Some are lucky and some are not.
Another approach is, There is a mechanism to life. There are some steps, some principles that are guiding human experience and human events.
And I subscribe to second paradigm. There is a principle , there are systems behind which are causing some events happen. Some people call it as Law of
Cause and Effect , some call it Law of Choice and Consequence or Law of ACtion and reaction or the word, Law of Karma.
Actions I perform, actions means thought, word, expression or physical level of doing things. there are virtues, values behind what I express. Ex: integrity, fairness, kindness, mercy, compassion…

*************** see what is coming out of me, that will give me confidence, stability and security  that my actions will take care of me.

I dont have to be over concerned about what others are doing or not doing. I believe people really pay attention to quality of behaviour and what is the intention behind my action and how much virtue is behind my behaviour, such people have this confidence inside. they dont run after things. They believe that at right time, right thing will come to me.

******* In simple terms, some people say it at the end of the day, your karma will protect you. no need to overthink. continue to pay more attention to virtue and purity of my intention, behind my every action and these are the things that really matter.

Personal story, couple of years ago, I was in meditation gathering, one guy in the class passed away right there and then,  I saw paramedics working on him trying to save him.
What came in subconscious, one day my time will come to leave this particular body, what will I ask myself ? how much love did I share, how much happiness did I give, how many smiles did I bring, how many spirits did I uplift and I think these are the things that really matter at the end of the day.
That’s the criteria I would use to measure a meaningful, successful life as it were.
I think that, if we pay more attention to this in our daily relationships, and not only am I helping others, but it is making me spiritually strong, its going to help remove fears and anxieties, so its not enough to stop waste thoughts, waste words, in addition, how much happiness can I generate to others, how much positivity do I have in my behaviour and how much love can I share with whoever it is around me, that kind of karma, which we call as sukarma
or positive karma also helps to make the soul strong and when the soul is strong, these feelings of anxiety, insecurity, they begin to dessipate and finish.

Drama:
Screen the Past , Cream the Present and Dream the Future. Everything is accurate in the drama.
whatever happens is good. There is something to learn and experience.
Full stop to the past. Take lessons from the past.Dont worry, Be happy.
Except Less.  Look at the bright side of everything we have in our life.
Story of Village man and horse.

Supreme Soul :

We are the souls and powerful energy in the forehead, but because of misusing the energy of mind we have become weak and that weakness means that we get influenced by everything around us. And now there is another energy that is more powerful than us and that’s the energy of the supreme power.supreme being, supreme soul.
Super essential is we need to connect with that supreme power and download that power, energy into ourselfs.Connection of the soul with the supreme soul is the truest or deepest meaning of the word yoga. Yoga comes from the word UJ , means union or connection or link. Connection of the soul with Supreme is the highest action the human being can do. to make and experience connection.
The soul’s battery is recharged. my powers of peace, love, happiness is awakened.
Regardless of age, culture, religion, nationality, socio-economic profile we can practice meditation.

Three approaches people have about the Supreme.
-If beggar knocks your door, you may open the door, you may offer some food, clothes, you may not invite inside.
-Cleaning lady comes to your house, that individual has access to house, there may me some areas where they are not allowed to private areas.
-Child says, my house is your house, they are the master of the house.
Some has beggar approach, asking Supreme for something, give me , give that, help us with this.
Some has cleaning approach, we give money and so cleaner comes and cleans, commercial relationship with the Supreme, I will do this,if you
do that only. I was caught with some results, like trade and commerce, which is distant relationship.
Third is the child and parent relationship, child is safe in the company of parent. child have feeling of belonging, I belong to somewhere,I belong to someone. child has all rights over parents property.
Supreme being is ocean of peace, love, I have right over that. My personal connection with Supreme need to be worked out and make it more deeper, more experiential, more intimate, more real, so it helps in my day to day life.

Lets have little meditation to experience this.
Let’s sit with back straight, feet flat on the floor, follow the commentary as best as you can.
I Ask myself this question, who am I, behind the roles that I play, behind the masks I wear everyday, who am I ? when I look in the mirror, I see reflection of my face and body. but there is more to this, so I bring my attention upto my face and upto the center of my forehead and here my picture is beautiful star of peaceful light. Just visualize , a wonderful star of peaceful light in the center of forehead. This is the star of peace and from this star, rays of peaceful energy are radiating throughout my body. sending peace and healing energy to every part of the body. This wonderful star of peaceful light in the forehead, this is me. This is I, the eternal soul. I the soul, I am living spiritual energy. I the soul, I am eternal, I can never die. Deep inside, I the soul am a reservoir of inner peace. This peace has always been inside me. Now, I choose to emerge this peace once again. What I have to do is just be aware of I am peace, I am light, I am eternal, I the soul, I am the child of the Supreme, the Supreme is my true friend, my guide, my parent, my teacher, Supreme is the ocean of peace. The ocean of love, let me bathe in these rays of peace, of light , of strength. This is my right. I become closer to the Supreme, the true friend of the soul, the One who does not see my weakness. One who knows me better than I know myself. The one who accepts me as I am. The One whose only interest is to uplift me, to guide me, to hold me, to help me and protect me I am under the canopy of protection of the Supreme Light, Supreme source of Energy, Supreme soul.

Resilience uncovers your ability to be flexible, adaptive, optimistic, and learn from your experience to become stronger and thrive.
Resilience provides a protective factor for us to deal effectively with times of change, high pressure, and stress

**** Resilience building helps you turn adversity into advantage – the ability to advance despite adversity. This is what enables you to live a meaningful and fulfilling life, regardless of what happens along the way.

Soul care kit : Understanding of Power of Thought( Developing positive energy ), Experience of soul qualities, Connection with supreme soul,
Actions based on karma philosophy, Faith in the drama of life.

10 positive affirmations:

Come out of Covid 19 with renewed resilience and then whatever comes after that you will be able to deal with that.

https://youtu.be/eRT0QPm6rMU

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