Clear Thinking CAN VIRTUE LIVE IN A VICIOUS WORLD?

We are all essentially made of virtue. Even the most bad person in the world will find time to do something goodat least once a year! If you conducted a straw poll on people's preferences between peace and conflict the result would be predictable. The most meaningful of human relationships are not a condition of hate but a creation of love. And love is the source of all virtue. We are all essentially (in essence) made of love with the potential to be good and do good. But virtue is not so popular in these days of growing cynicism and disrespect. Lying, stealing, cheating, killing and manipulating are now easily found in most cultures. They seem to thrive where modernity invades, and their growth frequently correlates with the growth of material wealth. Why? What has made virtue fall out of fashion? How did we lose our value for virtues such as kindness, fairness, honesty, trust and respect? How did we collectively decide to surrender ourselves to animosity, jealousy and greed? Could it be down to one simple belief that life is survival of the fittest? Could it be we started to think that we might not get what we wanted, or that we may lose what we have? Could it be that we found others acting towards us in ways which were far from compassionate and caring, and we are merely returning like for like? Probably yes to all of the above. But what is virtue exactly? And how can we be virtuous when the world around us appears to applaud and reward vice? Is it worth acting virtuously when many may scoff, somewhat judgmentally, at what they may perceive as our naivety? Virtue is love (not Hollywood love!) in action. Love's natural intention is to 'do good' and bring benefit to the other before oneself. Virtue is an intention first, and then an attitude and then a behaviour. Virtue comes from the inner core of our consciousness where the beauty and truth of our spirit, which is love, is the birthplace of thoughts and actions that are good and right. This 'inner space' is prior to all that we have learned. It is our nature. To be good and to do good is the alignment of a true heart and therefore a loving heart, with right action. When our actions emerge from this inner alignment there is the 'feeling' of integrity (integratedness) and everything flows. When we lose our inner connection (awareness) to our heart we begin to act 'out of alignment' and then things begin to jar, get stuck, and our conscience will inform us that we are acting against the grain of what is true, what is good. Simplicity is a virtue. Not the simplicity which is nave or without intelligence. A life lived with applied simplicity is based on

a. the understanding that we need to acquire very little at a material level in order to live a fulfilled, contented and connected life. b. the awareness that we need nothing at a spiritual level as we already have all we seek within us, though we may need some assistance to find it within, and then translate it into action.
Simplicity is without desire. It is not a question of making personal sacrifices, more a way of living that is based on giving, more a way of life that has mastered the economic use of all energies i.e. physical, mental and spiritual. In simplicity there is no surplus, and no waste, at any level. Forgiveness is also virtuous action. Not the forgiveness of others when they appear to hurt us, but the forgiveness of oneself when one realises no one has hurt us and no one can hurt us. We only hurt ourselves. This 'good' inner action is based in the truth that we are responsible for our thoughts and feelings and any 'hurt' feelings are caused by oneself in response to another. However, in order to carry out this virtuous act of forgiveness we do need to know ourselves as spirit and not the form that greets us each morning in our bathroom mirror! A large part of forgiveness is to correct the false perception that 'I am a victim'! Not easy in a world where victim hood has its own language and is accepted as an inevitable consequence of living.

Generosity is another virtue that can appear to have gone the way of the dinosaur. It is impossible to acquire this virtue just by 'making' oneself generous just because it seems to be the right thing to do. Virtue cannot be forced. Authentic generosity emerges from a heart that holds on to nothing, is open to everyone and can no longer be threatened by anything. Easy words, but not so easy practice! Seen occasionally in those who have nothing, yet still seem to give everything! As we come to see and recognise the potential depth of 'virtue in action' we can see what has been missing from our education. You may begin to see that the challenge of living a 'virtuous life' means swimming against the tide of a world invaded and pervaded by selfishness and greediness. 'Vice' is a good word to describe the negative habits that are in contradiction to virtue. It perfectly describes how our consciousness is held so tightly trapped by ideas such as 'greed is good' and 'might is right' and 'its dog eat dog out there'. Gripped in the vice of these kinds of beliefs our intellect is not able to turn inwards and see our innate goodness, our virtue, and our virtuousness. Hence the wisdom that lies in the practice of meditation. Meditation helps you to see and cut through the jingle of vicious (vice full) beliefs and perceptions, and reach back into the light of your pure heart that still beats at the core of your consciousness. Vice is viciousness and therefore violence and therefore it is disorder. Virtue is order. To restore a natural order to our consciousness it is necessary to see understand the learned and unnatural tendencies of disorder. Question: What are the three most virtuous things you have ever done? Reflection: How might each of the three virtues in the text above change your life if you introduced them more often. Action: Pick three people you interact with daily and apply one of these virtues to each relationship this week. 'Clear thinking - Pressure OF Power ON - 5/8/07 - BK Mike George - www.relax7.com

SO HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE YOUR SELF? by Al Diaz Is it enough to have the success and prosperity you desire? Enough to have greater and better health? An amazing relationship? Joy? Only you know the answers. The past is gone, the future is yet to come, but right Now in this moment Love your Self as you are, because that is all that matters in this moment. Everything else comes second. Hint: Love is the Universal energy that moves everything, it is the power behind all of creation, and with your greatness you have the ability to tap into it if you so desire. Start by just looking in the mirror and telling your Self I love you as you are. For our best and highest good, all ways In every moment. Ilumine 2 Ao, Al Diaz It is a Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn If you can somehow understand that in every moment it is either an opportunity or a blessing and there is no other option, then your ability to succeed becomes even greater. In every opportunity there is some action or growth to be done and a blessing is something that you co-created in your Life. Live your Life so that when you move on you can tell your Self "I lived my Life well...", you deserve it. Read this insightful article by Jim Rohn. It is all for our best and highest good, all ways... In every moment. Ilumine 2 Ao,

Al Diaz It is a Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn (excerpted from The Challenge to Succeed CD series) It is a challenge to succeed. If it were not, I'm sure more people would be successful, but for every person who is enjoying the fruit from the tree of success, many more are examining the roots. They are trying to figure it all out. They are mystified and perplexed by what seems to be some strange, complex and elusive secret that must be found if ever success is to be enjoyed. While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily engaged in designing and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. While the much larger group sits in awe at how life can be so unfair, complicated and unjust. "I am a nice person," the man says to himself. "How come this other guy is happy and prosperous, and I'm always struggling?" He asks himself, "I am a good husband, a good father and a good worker. How come nothing seems to work out for me? Life just isn't fair. I'm even smarter and willing to work harder than some of these other people who just seem to have everything going their way," he says as he slumps into the sofa to watch another evening of television. But you see you've got to be more than a good person and a good worker. You've got to become a good planner, and a good dreamer. You've got to see the future finished in advance. You've got to put in the long hours and put up with the setbacks and the disappointments. You've got to learn to enjoy the process of disciplines and of putting yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. You've got to be prepared and willing to attack the challenges if you want the success because challenges are part of success. Now that may sound like a full menu of activities, but let me assure you that the process of going from average to fortune isn't really all that difficult. Thinking about it is the difficult part. Anticipating all the effort and the changes and the disciplines is far worse in the mind than in reality. I can promise you that the challenges you'll meet on the road to success are far less difficult to deal with than the struggles and the disappointments that come from being average. Confronting and overcoming challenges is an exhilarating experience. It does something to feed the soul and the mind. It makes you more than you were before. It strengthens the mental muscles and enables you to become better prepared for the next challenge. I've often said that to have more, we must first become more, and to become more, we must begin the process of working harder on ourselves than we do on anything else. But in addition to gathering new knowledge, new skills and new experiences; it is also important to discover new emotions. It is how we feel about what we know that makes the biggest difference in how our lives turn out. How we feel about the chances we have and the choices we have determines the intensity of our effort. Whether we try or don't try. Join or don't join. Believe or don't believe. I'd like for you to discover some strong feelings about your life and about what you want to do with that life. You probably have much of the knowledge and a lot of the experience and perhaps most of the skills that it takes to become successful. What you may be lacking in are the strong feelings about what you want and what you want to do. You may be one of those who have become so involved in the process of earning a living that you've forgotten about the choices and the chances you have for designing your own life. Let these strong feelings help you take a second look at your life and where you're headed. After all, you've only got one life, at least on this planet. So why not make it

an adventure in achievement? Why not discover what all you can do and what all you can have? Why not discover how many others you can help and in the process how that can help you? Why not now take the Challenge to Succeed! To Your Success, Jim Rohn Are You Doing Something You Love Each and Every Day? By Stacey Mayo Do what it takes to live the Life you desire and require, and one of the first steps to fulfill that is to live from your Heart's inner most desires. Most people live from the ego which is just an accumalation of experiences since birth. Your Heart already knows what is for your best and highest good for every area of your Life, so make this the year of a new begininng of a "Life well lived..." This excellent article by Stacey Mayo perhaps will inspire you to use your own special gifts, strengths and talents to move forward Now instead of later. For our best and highest good, all ways... In every moment. Ilumine 2 Ao, Al Diaz

Are You Doing Something You Love Each and Every Day? By Stacey Mayo It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stress of everyday life: deadlines to meet, schedules to keep, unexpected expenses, conflicts to resolve, illness of loved ones, to name a few. Amidst all this, it is easy to for me to lose sight of why I do what I do -- my purpose for being. I discovered my passion and my purpose over a decade ago. It was the catalyst for starting my business, The Center for Balanced Living in 1996. It is what led me to my purpose which is to empower you to live out your dreams with ease and abundance. Sometimes I get caught up in the external factors and forget to focus on what is really important. It is then that I must remind myself why I am here. It is a grounding place for me. I teach my clients to look to their life for their passions and purpose when contemplating a change. That is certainly where mine came from, and I have found it to be true for many others. A lot of different threads weave through my story, but the most obvious and first I can remember centered around my life while I was growing up, and most specifically my dad. I always had the impression my dad was unhappy. Actually, miserable is more the way I would describe him. He was mostly unhappy about his career. I vividly remember my dad coming home from his job, with his shoulders hunched over and his head hanging low. He would walk right past a mosaic picture of horses pulling a carriage through the snow. Looking exhausted and sad, he would sit down at the kitchen table kitchen table and say to my mom, "Charlie (that's what he called her), I can't take it anymore. I want to quit my job!" And I can remember my mom, who was looking after our security and well-being in the best way she knew how, saying, "Just hang in there, Mac. Stick it out! We need the money!" And I can remember thinking, "Yeah! Hang in there! We need the money!"

We didn't have much money in those days. This story repeated itself year after year, as my dad persevered. The last two years of his career were literally a countdown to retirement at age 65. My dad retired at age 65. Two years later, he did some introspective thinking at the prompting of his daughter. At age 67, my dad declared himself an artist. I can still remember the moment he told me. My eyes got teary as I recalled the beautiful, mosaic picture on their living room wall. You see, my dad made that mosaic picture, but I never saw him working on it. He created it before I was born. It was a beautiful mosaic, made of thousands of small hand-cut tiles. My dad had always been an artist but had suppressed that talent for most of his life while he strove to earn a living for his family in a career that did not suit him. He worked in the garment industry in New York New York , and then changed to the carpet industry in Florida Florida . I often wonder what would have been possible if my dad had worked out a way to utilize his artistic abilities in his career. He had always been a good employee; he might have been a happy one too. For a while, my dad was happier than I had ever seen him. He carved wood etchings and gave them away as gifts. He traveled to places he had never seen. He also made more money in his investments than he did at his jobs. I am glad he had that short time period when he was happy. Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before my dad's health started to decline. Eventually, he lost patience and could no longer focus on his artwork. And soon after, he died. My dad waited until he retired to make some changes and do what he loved. It was a small window in the whole continuum of his life. That is why, more than ever, I strongly urge people to move forward now -- don't wait until you retire to change and do what you love. We all tend to live as if we have forever, but really, who knows our time allotment? Are you doing what you love to do? Do know your purpose or have a career you enjoy? If so, take the time today to get re-grounded in it. If not, take the time to reflect on what would excite you or what you want to contribute in this lifetime. Consider getting some counsel to help you discover it. Stay In The Flow and Avoid the Mine Field of Life by Lisa Cherney Here is a great article by Lisa Cherney about following the guidance of your Heart. Listen to and feel your gut feeling as you read the article, if it resonates with you, then it is time to follow your Heart. That is what I do... Ilumine 2 Ao, Al Diaz Stay In the Flow and Avoid the Mine Field of Life By Lisa Cherney Today I feel lucky, even blessed, to have such a fulfilling life. I credit this to following my heart. You see, after many years of self-exploration, I have a low tolerance for not being happy. In other words, I can no longer ignore my heart when it speaks to me. This can lead to having to make ?difficult? decisions, but it ALWAYS pays off in the end. The result, I am in the flow of life and this leads to prosperity in all ways. Part of being in the flow is being of service. When you give to others, you also reap the reward. This giving can be a talent you offer in a business or service you provide to your family. You see, the universe has an ebb and flow to it. When you give you receive and when you give from your heart you receive tenfold. How can you give of

yourself so that you are receiving and giving at the same time? That is the key. And in business this is the ultimate reward. This is when you feel in the flow and all is well. This is when you have achieved a symbiosis and you can rest easy knowing that you are flowing with the laws of the universe. When you are not in the flow, what does it feel like? A struggle Lack and scarcity You are not following your heart and it aches Swimming upstream You are a rebel (without a cause) You have gone too far to follow/give to others and now you are alone So, are you in the flow now? What can you do today to get in that flow? It?s like in the movie Finding Nemo when Crush and Squirt, the green sea turtles, ride the East Australian Current (EAC) to expedite their journey. Make a small shift today. If you put your toe in, you will get caught up in the current and have to expend far less energy to get where you want to go. Ask yourself this in the coming year? How can I be more in the flow, in life, my career or business? Am I willing to follow my heart to the letter and release the outcome? See, when we follow our heart we are following the flow of the Universe and everyone is served. Our ego wants us to believe that if we change our mind, cancel commitments or shift focus, everything will fall apart. The truth is we get all the support we need and could want. We are lifted up to the highest good and we are rewarded. When we don?t listen to our heart, we are stuck and feel stuck (and our bodies know it too). We feel stiff, sore and lethargic. It?s like swimming in a thick sea. What is your body telling you right now? Notice and listen to what it says. Our bodies are an amazing source of wisdom. Imagine that every ache, pain and symptom is a clue to your path, that your body is having a conversation with you. It?s sort of rude not to listen. Think about when someone is not listening to a toddler, what does the child do? They speak louder and louder and yell and then maybe throw a fit. That is what our bodies do as well. The additional risk for going off the path that your heart is illuminating is that you will blow up your peace, happiness, health and dreams, like taking the wrong step on a path through a mine field. Be mindful and you will know the next steps to take. Follow these steps with the importance of safe steps through a mine field and you will be giving your heart (and life) the importance it deserves. Secrets of Success
Success is guaranteed when youre conscious of the quality of your actions. For a gardener, success is guaranteed when he sows seeds in the right season and cuts weeds regularly. We reap the fruit of the seeds we sow. Having sown the seeds, that is, performed an action, you cant be careless in thinking the fruit will just grow. As a gardener, you cant blame someone or situations if the fruit doesnt emerge. To the extent that there is patience, to that extent you will reap the fruit of your actions, successfully. No rush, no worry! The gardener tends his garden with a lot of love. He never becomes hopeless. One who maintains hope experiences success. A star of hope is a star of success. If there isnt instant success, just accept and continue to make effort. No matter what happens, keep moving forward. Have the awareness that there is benefit in everything that happens. The result of a successful action is when there is benefit for the self and others. For this, the qualities of courage, loving feelings and tirelessness are needed. Your actions should inspire others, so that they too are able to reap the fruit of their good actions.

For example, each finger on your hand is different yet when they work together, you can achieve the impossible. To act, a very determined and a powerful thought is needed, this is represented by the thumb. Where there is a determined thought, you will automatically receive cooperation. When you give cooperation, you will receive cooperation in return. Without the little finger of cooperation the work wouldnt get done. The index finger reminds us to connect with God and absorb His power. The middle finger stands for wisdom and the ring finger is for victory. If any of these qualities are missing, it is difficult to get the task done. The ingredients for success are truth and wisdom. In truth there is power. Act with absolute truth and a motive to benefit. To be free from the ego of I and Mine, consider yourself to be a soul as you come into action. When you are free from the feelings of possessiveness or desire then it is possible to act as a master and not out of ego or attachment. The mind may fluctuate under the influence of circumstances but the wisdom has the power to direct the mind to a state of calm and stillness. When youre able to keep your mind uninfluenced then God will also invest His faith in you. Through this internal method, offer yourself to be Gods right hand. For this, you need to be light in character and mind, the one who doesnt carry the burden of pressure. When you dont feel a burden then you can do lots and achieve more. God also needs a free hand. So, when you become a light, right and free hand then there will always be success. We are unable to experience success when we begin to doubt and start questioning, why, what, how? Remain unshakeable and immoveable and be one that never creates upheaval. You will have strength when there is faith that its definitely going to happen. Thoughts of experiencing difficulty drain your inner power. But if you say nothing is difficult, then it isnt just a positive thought but a powerful, firm thought, filled with faith. When you act with absolute good wishes in your heart then others will also co-operate and help easily. However, no one will help, if you yourself think its difficult. Just remember, victory is your birthright. Success is already guaranteed. Have faith in the self and in God the Supreme Soul. If you look up at a mountain from down below, are you thinking, how will I get up there? No, you just have the thought of reaching the top. If there is a fire, get up and go and get help! One who is alert and ever ready never finds anything difficult. With courage, be the one who acts! Someone who finds things difficult makes a mustard seed into a mountain. Those who sit and worry, dont achieve anything. Whatever you want to do, do it now. If you have a sensitive nature and have the habit of taking things personally then youre bound to lose faith and confidence in yourself and others. This is why we have two ears - so, that you can let it in one ear and out of the other. Wisdom says keep your mind peaceful and dont waste time thinking waste thoughts. When you use your time, thought and energy in a worthwhile way, there will be success. Where there is success, there is happiness and power. by Dadi Janki Relationship: The art of connecting .. with others There is something which is common that connects all of us together what is that, discover it? A tune of life that works very well when you are on your own, may not necessarily work when you are in a group including family. To create a tune, I will have to be in rhythm with others which is called as cordial relationship. Most of the time our communication is non-verbal. It is on the basis of what we think about others and what type of behavior we create towards others. If the attitude and behaviour is positive, well we are in tune with others, but if our attitude and negative it affects our relationships with others. Once a relationship is affected then it is very difficult to change other's behavior towards us. The attention that we need to have in relationships is 1. Behave positively with others on the basis of their good feelings but not on the basis of their weaknesses. Remember each one of us have weakness/s one way or other.

2. One has to keep in mind that what ever I do is what others will follow. Any behavior in a person which remains constant is followed by another whether positive or negative. This is an automatic process. 3. I have to understand the application of my values according to the person, situation, his/ her mood and relationship you have with that person. 4. No individual can give me sorrow or happiness on the basis of my own personal choice, I choose to take up happiness from sorrow or sorrow from happiness. For example, if xyz country wins a match against country abc, then the people in the victorious country are happy and people in the country which lost the match may become unhappy and even get angry against the players. 5. The more we let go, the better the person turns out to be. To let go means to give freedom with guidance. Sometimes giving freedom keeping trust, sometimes freedom with wisdom. The common chord that connects everyone is the common cause of living for values such as 'love'. In order to live we eat, sleep, drink, work, etc,. But we live for love, peace and happiness. So any positive change in relationships should be based on a silent transformation from within. I need to work with the other person on the basis of equality that is of using values. Most times words, deeds do not help to get the essence of a person into conscious level. On the contrary, if you work with the other person on the basis of relationships, egoism, bossism, etc your relationship is bound to get affected. If we are able to recognise the commonality among ourselves we can connect with others easily. To transform ourselves in relationship is very important because it is visible. In situations at work , within our self, we can put it in our self. We know ourselves the way we feel. When it comes to relationship, it is visible. Our responses, our behaviour, our attitude, are very much visible to others. Everybody would know what we feel about other person. For e.g. Orange. If it get spoiled inside we would never know initially. But after sometime when it becomes black on top, we recognise that the orange is getting spoiled. Similarly, there is some negative feeling inside towards other which comes out in some form or the other. We get either irritated or come to a negative feeling whenever we see a person whom we do not like. Like a spoiled orange spoils other good oranges in a basket, the negative feeling of one person towards other spreads to others through negative vibrations or mood. When one person's mood is in off stage it gives negative feeling to others. This gives negative connections to others. Our relationship is primarily on the basis of our vibrations or feelings. We have liking and disliking towards others which depends on our feelings towards other which is based on the certain information we have in our mind. Most of our understanding with others is on the basis of our feelings. So while connecting with others it is important to note that we recognise the way we have to transform. If we want to transform our behaviouir towards others, we have to transform our feelings and attitudes - naturally. In relationship, the joy is to be in tune with others. It has to be so constant, even if other person is getting fluctuated, I should be able to go into the tune with that person. It is called as rhythm of life. Life is like dance or music. Our life depends on so many tunes (relationship) of others.In relationship there is always rhythm and it is a joy to be in tune with others.This requires transformation in relationships. Why is it so difficult to transform in relationships? Because there is weak internal adjustment mechanism. It is like driving on a busy street where we adjust pace of driving according to the traffic in front and both the sides and if we are in tune with the traffic, we are bound to hit by other vehicles. Relationships to be in the rhythm means not to focus on what I can have on relationship, but more n what this person is for me in this relationship. For example: The relationship between mother and child here the mother understands what the child needs. In relationship we try to understand what is the attainment, how best I am going to benefit from the person, what value this person has .. in short we establish positive relationship if we are going to gain something out of it (other than normal family relationship and friendly relationship). The core of all relationship is 'Communication'. Even if you have positive or negative feeling towards others, only after communicating it can be expressed and that makes the connection with others. So, how to connect with others? Through Sanskar milan. How can it take place? Commonality water can get mixed with the water. But can we mix water with oil? What is common among individuals is

the values: Love, peace, happiness. So on what basis we can connect each other? These values.. if I am able to see values in other person, I can connect with him by understanding his values. In our relationship we hurt somebody emotionally or through our feelings it is very difficult to heal the injury. In order to build positive relationship we need to have attitudinal change which means the whole transformation of environment. Attitudes are deep and feelings are such that they are communicated all the time. There is no guarantee that we get right response if my feelings and attitudes are not right towards others. When we are able to remove the word 'I', 'mine' in our dealings, we are able to create a positive relationship. From a relationship we have to remove our ego, attitudes, belief systems and feelings which are limited to our own understanding. Then we are able to learn from others or connect to them positively.

Knowledge and Transformation

When the mind is negative, the intellect is paralysed and the sanskaras are resistant, whats the fourth element that creates transformation? Whats the secret? Its very wonderful that God has given us clear knowledge of the self. With the simple understanding that soul and body are two separate entities, we can understand ourselves. We understand the mind, intellect and sanskaras (subconscious). Sanskaras are very deep and sometimes the mind goes into a storm. The intellect has the capacity to know right from wrong. If someone thinks deeply about these things they can free themselves from negativity. It is the intellect that understands and catches God's signals and God's ideas. Before, the mind was like the horse racing without reins. Now the intellect understands it can control the wild horse. Dont just listen to me but look at your own experience and experiment with these ideas. Let the intellect tell the mind to be quiet. The intellect wants to listen to what God is saying, but the mind has developed the habit of getting into waste and negative stuff. The intellect says now be quiet, be silent, let me listen to God. We learned how to silence the mind and we learned manmanabhav (fix your mind on the One). On the path of bhakti (devotion), saints and holy people failed in this. In the Gita, it is said that Krishna explains a bit to Arjuna and then says manmanabhav. He explains some more, and again returns to manmanabhav. This is very subtle and deep. Firstly let the intellect make the commitment to take in only good things, so that it doesn't touch anything other than good. The intellect gradually becomes powerful enough to tell the mind to be quiet. God speaks to the intellect and tells it to think of useful things. The mind has the habit of stumbling around and dangling here and there, and the old sanskaras keep interfering in between. However, God continues to give understanding to the intellect to make it powerful. Knowledge and yoga/meditation are both required. As the soul listens to spiritual knowledge, it is able to have yoga, and as it has yoga it is able to imbibe the teachings. Then there is success in effort for the self, faith and victory. But theres one more thing that interferes. There are the mind, intellect, sanskaras (traits)and the chit. The stage of the chit is evident when something from the past comes up and creates a disturbance. Subtle effort means to internally clean this memory track. We do make effort to change sanskaras but from time to time something comes up in the chit. Let me work on such a deep level that with knowledge and yoga Im able to clean myself. This word chit comes in when you talk about the power of the soul to concentrate. It also comes up when you talk about the soul being peaceful. The chit is naturally peaceful. In bhakti they say that God is the being who never remembers our mistakes. This is because Gods chit is completely clean. No matter how good a human being is, there will be something in them that reminds them of the mistakes of others. Experiment with cleaning the chit with gyan (understanding) and yoga (meditation). Then youll notice that thoughts about the self and others become very pure. Often theres the stage of reflection, and then, further along, deep churning in which new things are discovered. In between these two, mundane thinking comes in. We think its natural and so tend to give ourselves permission to do this. Don't. In my reflection, only let there be elevated thoughts - thoughts of God and the eternal self. As the soul starts cleaning out its consciousness in this way, the intellect begins to enjoy its own beauty again. Then the mind starts changing its pattern. It doesnt go into negativity, the old sanskaras say goodbye and the original sanskaras being to emerge. Where the chit is clean, one's face changes especially the eyes and the vibration. When the chit is clean the heart becomes true and the mind thinks about Gods

knowledge. As the chit becomes completely pure and clean, God will make you divine, like the alchemist's stone. One can feel one's divinity re-emerge. Although we have the knowledge of the soul, we dont really know ourselves deeply enough. What we need to understand is that, truly, I am a child of God. Spin the cycle and feel, yes, God is making me truly divine. The effort I make now should bring me the experience of attainment. The reward will be in the future. If the rust has been removed, the Magnet (God) will pull the needle (soul) automatically. Not only will the needle itself be pulled, but it becomes a magnet itself. Let me be a true alchemist so that I inspire transformation. God explains things so beautifully. Just simply make deep, incognito effort over this one subject of cleaning the chit. Then, as you experience success, God will sing the praise of your fortune. Remember you need both knowledge and yoga to clean the old memories. So often the obstacle that comes in effort is a memory of the past. As the old memories finish from the chit, old sanskaras also change and the intellect can then have deep yoga. The intellect will never come into a state of doubt. Then, everything will seem very clean and very easy. If the old memories keep emerging, Im not able to either have yoga or absorb spiritual knowledge. It becomes difficult to apply spiritual principles in life because old sanskaras interfere. The chit should have this awareness - I belong to God, I can have all relationships with One, all attainments are with me and all is achieved by becoming stable and focused. Gods desire is that I should become equal to Him. This is the method of becoming equal. When Dadi says clean the chit with knowledge and yoga is there a specific process? The process is to be introvert and have the one concern to create an elevated stable stage. What does gyan say? What does God say? Fill the chit with spirituality and divine love and there will be great happiness and power. With this in my awareness, attitude and vision, it will change the way I behave in my life. Spiritual teachings are for this purpose alone to awaken the pure memory. If I just simply think, it can go in the direction of waste. Let the mind repeat the ideas that are sacred. Repeat the ideas of God's knowledge and that will lead to the right awareness. Sometimes we think that wasteful thoughts are useful thoughts and so give them permission to continue. When you begin to clean the chit you recognise waste. Someone who does this will reveal clear purity and clarity. They dont keep anything in their chit. If you tell them anything negative, its as if they dont hear it. They say, I know, its okay. When the soul becomes clean, the connection becomes clear. Then, what is service? Simply to share the fruits that God has given. Were in God's hands. You said that the intellect was the driving force for the mind. Would Dadi call the intellect the doorway to the purity of the soul? When I withdraw from the mind, is it the intellect that enables me to reconnect to my original state? Out of these four aspects of the soul, it is the intellect that has to do the work. It is the intellect that will go into silence, it is the intellect that gets pulled by silence, and in silence, it is the intellect that is working. Human beings have the intellect that allows them to become evil like an animal or divine like an angel. It is the intellect that will either imbibe values or reject them. It is the intellect that gets pulled by attraction or confusion. Then the mind gives it company, and the sanskaras anyway are old ones. It is the intellect that understands the powers that are available from God and decides, I want to take these powers. However, the mind, sanskaras and chit will all compete against the intellect. The intellect has to say, yes, I will do this! It is the intellect that will understand the powers, have yoga with God, imbibe and absorb the powers within it, and then use these powers and attain success. The intellect is what holds faith, which leads to victory. Let the intellect at all moments and at all times constantly use spiritual knowledge and yoga. And if there is anything that interferes, dont listen to it, dont look at it, just move ahead. This is what it means to be a mahavir - a brave warrior. A little while ago you brought up the subject of faith, trust and bhavna (pure feelings). You said that if there is bhavna, these feelings enable the soul to move forward easily, however when one uses the intellect too much one gets stuck. How does this fit with what you were saying? For the last few months Dadi has noticed that when souls use the intellect too much they dont know how to make it peaceful. They cant listen peacefully, which is why it may become difficult to put things in practice. This is why Dadi says not to use it too much. Have good feelings and the intellect will become good and work well. Good feelings are very important. Always remember to use your

intellect only where it is useful and needed. Let the intellect remain yogyukt (accurately linked) and use it on the basis of knowledge. Let my intellect go into the depth of dharna (virtues) and imbibe everything, so Im not just thinking or speaking about it, but Im doing it. If I use my intellect too much, I cant inspire others to have yoga or make the intellect quiet. Some will say that they are thinking only of knowledge, but they havent learnt to keep the intellect quiet, so theyre not able to give others the experience of the quiet intellect. Bhavna/pure feelings teaches the intellect to think in an elevated and pure way. Teach the intellect what it needs to do according to knowledge, so that the ego of the intellect finishes and it becomes soul conscious. When theres bhavna, theres also the possibility of trust, and then God becomes responsible. The one with bhavna can stay carefree. The one with the intellect cant stay carefree. Theyll do something and wonder whether it will work out or not. The one with bhavna will say, God, you said its going to happen, so it will happen. I might be in a situation where I have no money, health, wealth, the weather is bad and yet everything will work out fine because of my pure feelings. However, if it is just the intellect, therell always be the interference of doubts. Let the intellect be quiet and let God do what He needs to do. He says, simply keep faith in the intellect. Where theres bhavna, faith and trust, things work out automatically. Trust in God, keep feelings clean and the intellect will work accordingly. If someone works with bhavna, God gives them the return. There are many wonders in this. God touches the intellects and and says child, you have to do this. Then watch the magic. The intellect receives power through God's knowledge, and the power of the Almighty makes the soul become a master. When the intellect races too much, instead of being cooperative, the soul tries to prove things and can become very stubborn. They may be intelligent but they try to prove everything. They cant have yoga and dont allow others to have yoga. Please, keep the intellect quiet and leave it to God. Have mercy on yourself. For the last few months Dadi has noticed that when souls use the intellect too much they dont know how to make it peaceful. They cant listen peacefully, which is why it may become difficult to put things in practice. This is why Dadi says not to use it too much. Have good feelings and the intellect will become good and work well. Good feelings are very important. Always remember to use your intellect only where it is useful and needed. Let the intellect remain yogyukt (accurately linked) and use it on the basis of knowledge. Let my intellect go into the depth of dharna (virtues) and imbibe everything, so Im not just thinking or speaking about it, but Im doing it. If I use my intellect too much, I cant inspire others to have yoga or make the intellect quiet. Some will say that they are thinking only of knowledge, but they havent learnt to keep the intellect quiet, so theyre not able to give others the experience of the quiet intellect. Bhavna/pure feelings teaches the intellect to think in an elevated and pure way. Teach the intellect what it needs to do according to knowledge, so that the ego of the intellect finishes and it becomes soul conscious. When theres bhavna, theres also the possibility of trust, and then God becomes responsible. The one with bhavna can stay carefree. The one with the intellect cant stay carefree. Theyll do something and wonder whether it will work out or not. The one with bhavna will say, God, you said its going to happen, so it will happen. I might be in a situation where I have no money, health, wealth, the weather is bad and yet everything will work out fine because of my pure feelings. However, if it is just the intellect, therell always be the interference of doubts. Let the intellect be quiet and let God do what He needs to do. He says, simply keep faith in the intellect. Where theres bhavna, faith and trust, things work out automatically. Trust in God, keep feelings clean and the intellect will work accordingly. If someone works with bhavna, God gives them the return. There are many wonders in this. God touches the intellects and and says child, you have to do this. Then watch the magic. The intellect receives power through God's knowledge, and the power of the Almighty makes the soul become a master. When the intellect races too much, instead of being cooperative, the soul tries to prove things and can become very stubborn. They may be intelligent but they try to prove everything. They cant have yoga and dont allow others to have yoga. Please, keep the intellect quiet and leave it to God. Have mercy on yourself. Dadi Janki

Everything Depends on your Way of Thinking

Let the good thoughts that you have become a practical part of your life. If you think that something is the right or a good thing to do , put it into practice. Dont just understand it and think it but, do it. This brings power. Dont think too much. The method of your thinking should be so discerning that you think and then you know what to do, and youll also know immediately if something doesnt need to be done. A determined thought means just that, not changing the mind.

Think about all things that you have, rather than thinking about what you dont have. God, whatever you have given, you have given me limitless. Knowledge has made me honest, truthful and sensible and with the power of yoga we become strong and fearless. Have such power of thought that every scene that passes by is left behind, you dont follow it up in your mind. Our thoughts create an atmosphere in our immediate surroundings as well as spreading vibrations into the far distance. Therefore elevated effort means make your thoughts pure, elevated and determined. Then wherever you set foot you create a beautiful atmosphere and those vibrations spread and spread. The quality of your thoughts and the concentration of those thoughts in the atmosphere you create has much more impact than your words. Share what youve taken from God with others through the atmosphere you create around you everyone wants the atmosphere that God creates because its full of humility and full of truth. There is the feeling of humility because God is akarta (beyond the consciousness of doing), abhogta (beyond experiencing the fruit of karma) and ashochta (beyond thinking). He does so much yet He never shows Himself to be doing anything. He just sits there peacefully, spreading love. We on the other hand say I have to do this and I have to do this and this and this. Throw out the things youre hanging on to. Meditation means to recognise your rubbish and get rid of it; meditation also means to collect what you need to take to the future. For this I need deep, not just surface introversion and realisation. Be so stable in your thinking that you consider those who defame you to be your best friends. Having no unnecessary thoughts is connected with having equal vision for those who defame you and for those who praise you. If my vision does not remain equal then I cannot become asochta and abhogta. I have to make this effort before I can become incorporeal, viceless and egoless. The practical form of realisation is to achieve a stage like this. If you think too much then small things become big. If you dont think too much then a big thing becomes small. Use your thoughts to keep things in perspective. If your intellect has the habit of thinking good thoughts then you will become an unshakeable pillar, a tower of peace, of knowledge, no matter what others say. This is the power of thought. It is this that creates faith. Then you yourself dont have to move but the power that comes from faith makes you move. It carries you. It also brings about service in the task. Then my loving feelings are always maintained. And it is those loving and true feelings that please the Lord. I am working under His directions not doing that which simply pleases me. Those who do that which pleases their own heart or those who chase after pleasing others cannot become truthful. Create a memorial of yourself in your life through the quality of your actions. Negative thoughts make you bankrupt, weak thoughts make you live your life just for the sake of it. Recognise the power of elevated thought. Take care of your head and take care of your heart. Dadi Janki