Learning the Most Important Lessons (Part 4)
How do you treat people and other living entities who can do nothing for you in return? A truly kind and compassionate person will not want anything in return from others. Their happiness is in pleasing the Supreme Lord, not in being praised or acknowledged. If we are given some praise or gift, we can immediately give thanks to the Supreme Lord. How do you treat others in times of crisis? Being in the material world is a crisis for the eternal spirit soul unless a person remembers their loving relationship with the Supreme Lord. So, we should always remember that this world is not our home and that we are always at risk of becoming overwhelmed by the material energy.
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Learning the Most Important Lessons (Part 3)
Every living entity wants to be peaceful. In fact, experiencing inner peace and freedom from disturbances is our natural condition. Yet, in this material dimension, it is not easy to experience this inner peace. We can only become truly peaceful inside if we begin to focus more and more on the eternal, on the spiritual instead of the ever changing external world. And the easiest way to awaken our spiritual consciousness is through the process of mantra meditation.
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LEARNING THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS (PART 2)
How to have more harmony in this world? This is the age-old question. Why are there so many conflicts and wars in this world. Why can't people just get along. Ultimately, at the root cause this is a spiritual disease. Therefore, no material adjustments will be the real solution. Band Aid approaches have not worked. We must in our personal lives cultivate the spiritual qualities of love, compassion and forgiveness. When the internal changes in more people, then the external will also change.
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Learning the Most Important Lessons (Part 1)
Knowing who we really are is the most important lesson in this human journey. Because this will determine which path we will chose. Most paths don't lead to where you want to be. This temporary material world is like a labyrinth. With the help of a perfect guide we can find what we need much more easily.
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HOW TO CORRECT ENVIOUSNESS
We want to again experience our spiritual identity. Practice Mindfulness & mantra meditation which purifies our hearts and minds. A real spiritual mantra such as Gauranga is invested with all purifying potencies and can remove all unwanted things that might now be covering our hearts and minds. Through regular practice of mindfulness and mantra meditation we can awaken the spiritual love which is now dormant in our hearts. Remember that envy contradicts love. Wherever there is love, there is no question of envy.
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HOW ARE WE GOING TO CHECK OURSELVES FROM ENVIOUSNESS?
Healthy competition between people can be good, but when you’re feeling unhappy when others achieve success or feel the need to constantly one-up their accomplishments, you may be experiencing envy. Signs of envy include:
- You aren’t happy for others when they achieve success.
- Another person’s success makes you feel unhappy.
- You feel the need to diminish someone else’s success.
- You judge others negatively.
- You are happy when others face setbacks.
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WHY DO WE NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENVIOUS?
When we associate with others and make friends with others, we are always either being influenced by them or influencing them. Who influences whom depends on who is more firmly rooted in the lifestyle they lead. If we associate with very envious persons, then many other undesirable qualities will be present in that person’s life as well. Unless we are fully experiencing love, happiness and peace, we will be affected by such association.
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HOW IS ENVY MULTIPLYING?
Historically envy was considered an undesirable quality to have. In recent decades envy has been encouraged in many societies through advertising, the internet and more recently through the social media phenomena. They even have the term social media envy which means when we are resentful to the lifestyle or aspects of someone else's life as seen through the eyes of social media. We often don’t even know that person or whether they are truly happy and satisfied. Envy can lead to a person feeling lonely, anxious and/or depressed.
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WHY IS ENVY CONSIDERED THE LEADER OF ALL
Envy severely distorts the living entity’s natural, loving tendency. Envy does not exist in a pure heart. Envy does not exist in our natural home, the spiritual world. As soon as envy arises in a living being, they can no longer remain in the spiritual world and must come to this material dimension, the temporary world of birth and death. With envy come all other undesirable material vices such as lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride etc.
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Why do we envy?
We are thinking or experiencing dissatisfaction in whatever we have or doing. The things, people, condition or actions we are doing now seem not to bring us happiness. This dissatisfaction and lack of contentment is actually making OUR existence miserable.
And we look at others as wow how come they are happy, contended and fulfilled and we are not. What do they have or doing? And so, we desire to have and get what they have assuming that once we get or do WHAT THEY HAVE OR DOING then we will be happy OR HAPPIER THAN THEM.
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What is Envy?
Envy is a propensity to view the well-being of others with distress, even though it does not detract from one’s own. An envious person does not want to see their well-being overshadowed by another's. We compare ourselves with others instead of seeing our intrinsic spiritual worth and well-being. Envy aims, at least in terms of one’s wishes, at destroying others’ good fortune.
WHAT TO DO WHEN PROVOKED
Even if there is provocation one should be tolerant, for once one becomes angry his whole body becomes polluted. When a person becomes more humble and spiritually advanced, they will not be easily offended if they are being criticized or provoked. One sign of spiritual advancement is that one actually becomes more aware of one’s own imperfections and faults. So, if someone is criticizing me, then I will consider it. I will feel that there is a good chance that this might be true to some extent. I will not immediately react in an angry manner. We usually don’t see some things about ourselves that are easy to see for others. I have benefitted the most from constructive criticism. This can be very helpful. And if someone else criticizes us out of a feeling of wanting to feel superior, wanting to find fault and argue, then the best thing usually is to tolerate it and either leave or change the topic.
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LET GO OF ANGER AND EMBRACE FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is a decision. We can choose to forgive, or we can choose to hold on to hurt feelings and let them sit in our hearts like thorns.
Forgiveness consists of tolerating enmity the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
Learning to forgive is in our best interest. To forgive someone doesn't mean their actions were right, but it is an amazing act of kindness and is liberating. Holding on to hurt feelings and anger make us prisoners of the past and trap us in a dark place.
The duty of one seeking enlightenment is to culture the quality of forgiveness, which is illuminating like the sun. The Supreme Lord is pleased with those who are forgiving.
HOW TO STOP OVERTHINKING
Overthinking is when you dwell or worry about the same thought repeatedly.
People who overthink can be paralyzed by their worries and may struggle to make decisions or take action.
Overthinking can be caused by — and can contribute to — depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Mindfulness is one proven tool that is incredibly effective in helping people to choose their thoughts and stop overthinking. Mindfulness is actually a way of connecting with your life, and it's something that doesn't involve a lot of energy. It can help us to come back in touch with who we really are.
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HOW TO OVERCOME OVERANXIETY
Please be reminded that having some anxiety temporarily is fine. Like you are anxious not to be late, so you exert efforts and more focus to reach the destination on time. However, when anxiety is prolonged and becomes like a habit, that is not healthy. If a person becomes overanxious over small things to the point that they cannot eat or sleep normally anymore, then this can bring down the immune system down and make the body sick.
Here are 10 tips how to handle anxiety:
1. Be physically active like doing exercise moderately that you will not be stressed out, do gardening, playing fun games, household chores. Get involved. Volunteer or find another way to be active in your community, which creates a support network and gives you a break from everyday stress.
2. Engage the mind in creativity like having some projects or reading scriptures
3. Gauranga Deep Breathing, Spiritual meditation, mindfulness (step out from the concerns that are making you over-anxious)
4. Eat more fruits and vegetables to boost your energy and immune system. Eliminated alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
5. Get enough sleep. When stressed, your body needs additional sleep and rest.
6. This too shall pass. These concerns that are triggering overanxieties shall also pass just like a movie that has a beginning and has an end. Try to have a beautiful ending by always surrendering these burdens to the Supreme Lord.
7. The serenity prayer – acceptance of the unchangeable, courage to change what is within our power and wisdom to know the difference.
8. Do not become a victim of emotions and overanxiety. Learn to hit pause, calm down, evaluate – how can/should I deal with this situation or person. Before I speak or act, consider what outcome I desire and then speak and act in a way to produce that outcome. Emotionally driven responses, choices and actions never produce good outcomes.
9. Our choices determine our experience of life. Make good choices that produce great (or at a minimum, acceptable) outcomes. You are an eternal spiritual being residing in a temporary material body in a temporary and changing world. Unrealistic expectations of life destroy inner peace and lead to anxiousness. 10. Communicate with the Supreme Lord, talk to someone. Tell friends and family you’re feeling and let them know how they can help you. You may also seek help from a professional and from a spiritually advanced person.
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HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR
Fear arises with the threat of harm, either physical, emotional, or psychological, real or imagined. While traditionally considered a “negative” emotion, fear can also serve an important role in keeping us safe as it mobilizes us to cope with potential danger. It is like pain. If there is no pain when you put your finger unto a flame, then there is a probability that your arm will be burnt. However, when the intensity of the fear is already illogical and is crippling us or stopping us from doing necessary basic things, then that intense or irrational fear can significantly reduce the quality of our lives.
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HOW TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE FEELING INSECURE, EMPTY, AND LONELY
We can let others know that there is nothing very wrong with them. Feeling insecure, empty and lonely in the material dimension is a natural outcome when a person is in forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord. When we feel that something is very wrong, then this should motivate a person to begin to look for a real solution. Not just a quick band aid fix. It is said that going through difficult times on this human journey is an opportunity for spiritual advancement. We need to be patient and caring always.
A person needs to know who they are and why it feels very wrong to have feelings of insecurity, emptiness and loneliness. It is because we are like a fish out of water, not in our natural environment. There are many attempts by people to try to adjust things to overcome these feelings. But ultimately the only thing that will really solve these problems is a spiritual solution. Because the problem is spiritual in nature, we need a spiritual solution.
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WAYS TO COPE WITH LONELINESS
Many people get married with the idea of never being lonely again. We Our natural tendency to want to both love and to be loved can find ourselves in the middle of so much activity, so many friends and family and experience deep loneliness. Many people have an aversion to loneliness, and they fill their lives with noise and clutter.
To understand loneliness better we can ask the question Why do we find loneliness so unpleasant? It has to do with our spiritual nature, with a very deep spiritual truth. Our natural tendency to want to both love and to be loved. This is a spiritual desire & need, not a material desire. It does not arise from the body or the mind. It comes from the eternal living being, you, me and everyone else.
Loneliness becomes more pronounced at the time of death. We tend to cover up loneliness with temporary relationships in this world. Covering up loneliness will not help. We need to find a solution. When we are not living in harmony with our true spiritual nature, we will experience difficulty, we will experience pain.
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WHY A PERSON FEELS EMPTY
We seek happiness by stimulating the senses and the mind. No matter how much stimulation we get, it leaves us empty. There is a great difference between pleasure in the body and the mind and real happiness. No material experience can truly touch us in our hearts. This is a realization that the experiences in this world cannot satisfy us completely.
The craving for happiness is a spiritual longing. We need spiritual food. If we have unrealistic expectations of materialistic relationships, of anything in this material world, thinking that these will make us happy, at some point you will become profoundly unhappy and depressed. This material world cannot deliver what you seek.
A mindful person will know what their goal of this human journey is. As we said earlier, just living for passing material pleasures will not give us what we are looking for. As long as we identify as being material, we will be pursuing temporary, passing goals. This brings us to the question what is our real function? Since we concluded that we are eternal spiritual beings, then we should also have an eternal function. So, what is our eternal function? It is to render loving service and not live a self-centered life. The nature of the soul is to serve, not to be served. A connection of loving service to the Supreme Soul and to others. This is our real eternal function and purpose. When we are acting on our true function and we try to offer everything we do to the Supreme Lord, then we will automatically experience real lasting happiness.
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HOW TO OVERCOME THE FEELINGS OF INSECURITIES
If we depend on others who are also imperfect, then this usually will not end well. There is a natural tendency to want to love someone. By our spiritual nature we need to experience loving and being loved. Instead of trying to be loved by others, instead of trying to be pleasing to the temporary names and forms of this world, this need must be directed towards the Supreme Person. I must come to appreciate that God loves me and develop my love for God. You are as valuable as the one who is loving and protecting you. The highest self-esteem you can achieve is to realize that I am the loved child of the Supreme owner. You cannot achieve this as long as you are in body consciousness. The eternal spiritual being is glorious and cannot be destroyed. We have eternal value. When we don't know about our real value and worthiness and try to find it through material means, e.g., our body, this is a great cause for the anxieties and insecurities that we experience.
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MINDFULNESS VIDEO SERIES (20): IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
No matter what we try to achieve in life, what we are trying to get better at, it takes regular practice. We need to really have some determination and motivation to try to reach our goal that we set. And this is actually the greatest goal that we can set. The goal that we can experience real lasting happiness and peace, that we can actually be a force for good in this world. This is our hope.
I just wanted to say one other thing. That we need to be mindful about the power of association. Who do we spend time with? Who do we get close to, what type of activities do we engage in? It is said that it is very beneficial to be with like-minded people who have similar goals in life because we can actually help each other. If we spend time with people who have completely different goals in life, we will find that we don’t have very much in common. And we cannot be as focused in our practice. If you have the fortune of spending time in your life with people who have the same or very similar goals, this can be so beneficial.
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MINDFULNESS VIDEO SERIES (19): MANTRA MEDITATION
Spiritual love is eternally established in our hearts, in our very being, and it is not something that we need to gain from an external source. Rather, just like we take a shower every day to clean our body, we can take a spiritual shower every day by practicing mantra meditation. These mantras have great spiritual potency, and they will cleanse and purify our hearts and minds so that we can actually experience who we really are. We are not these external labels that we place on each other in this world. But rather we are eternal spiritual beings.
The next type of mantra meditation that we would like to share with you is called kirtan or congregational chanting. This is typically done as a group, more than one person. But if you happen to be by yourself and you like to sing or play a musical instrument by yourself, that is also perfectly fine. But usually it’s done in a group. People will use some musical instrument. There are no hard and fast rules. We can use whatever type of musical instruments we like. There is one person who will typically be leading this kirtan, singing the mantras. At that time we just listen. And then when it comes to our turn, we respond while the person who is leading the kirtan is listening. This is not a type of musical performance. We don’t have to worry about what we sound like. Rather it is a spiritual discovery, an uncovering of who we really are. We don’t have to change and become somebody else. But rather we get to actually experience who we really are. I am not any of these temporary labels that are on this body, and that will stay with the body, when I, the spiritual being, leave this body at the time of death.
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MINDFULNESS VIDEO SERIES (18): THE HIGHEST FORM OF MINDFULNESS - TRUE LOVE
Each of us is actually by nature a pure love particle. Our natural condition is to love the Supreme Soul and to love all other living beings unconditionally. Because of this we need to experience loving and being loved. When we first come to this material world, we no longer experience this loving union with the Supreme Soul. When we then express this spiritual need for pure love through our material body and mind in this world, this love easily becomes polluted by self-centeredness. Spiritual love can become material lust when my focus is on myself rather than on pleasing the object of my love.
Our spiritual nature is full of qualities such as compassion, kindness, forgiveness, tolerance and selflessness. We are all like a very precious diamond. Just as a diamond can become very covered by dirt, we can also become covered by undesirable qualities such as lust, anger, greed, envy, hatred etc. Such qualities do not belong in our heart, but unfortunately most of us have accepted them to be normal in this world.
A pure diamond still exists even when it is surrounded by mountains of dirt. Similarly, our pure love is still there in our hearts even when our hearts become covered by self-centeredness. The ancient yoga wisdom actually states that this pure love for the Supreme is eternally established in the hearts of all living beings. It is not something that we need to gain from an external source.
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MINDFULNESS VIDEO SERIES (17): SERVING OTHERS IS OUR NATURAL FUNCTION
Over the last few decades we have seen a big shift in most societies towards people becoming more self-centered. The idea is that if I really focus on what I want, I will become happier. There is so much emphasis on people setting their personal goals and then doing whatever it takes to reach them, even if it means harming others in the process. We have all been influenced by so many types of slogans like “If you don’t care about yourself, who will? or “Look out for # 1”
When more and more people think they are #1, then naturally we will have societies where there is great conflict. We will view each other as obstacles to move past and as competitors to climb above instead of viewing each other as friends or someone we should care about. Nowhere is this more evident than in the corporate world where people often maneuver in many ways so they can become the next manager of a big department.
It has become evident that this approach of many people wanting more and more material things and experiences cannot lead to harmony and peace. Nor is it sustainable in the long run from an environmental point of view.
This type of self-centered approach to life is in great contrast to the ancient yoga wisdom which teaches that we can have harmony and love personally and as societies when we care and serve each other. We all have heard slogans like “Giving is better than taking” or “Leave a place in a better condition than you found it”.
So where do we find ourselves on the spectrum of selflessness vs. self-centeredness? Have you experienced feeling some happiness inside when you did something for someone else without any expectation for something in return?
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MINDFULNESS VIDEO SERIES (16): TRANSCENDING THE LAW OF KARMA
The way to become free from all karmic reactions is to make an offering of our actions, of our life. We can begin to act on our true eternal spiritual nature even in this world. When we engage in the loving service to the Supreme and to His servants, then we will not create any more new karmic reactions.
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