What is Soul, What is mind

This world will soon become a better place to live in and will soon have the Golden Age or the era of peace and purity if man realises the self as distinct from the body, practises soul-consciousness and, on that basis, adopts motto of World Brotherhood.In order to end the Iron Age, the society has to understand that the root cause of all sufferings and troubles in the world is that man has gradually come to identify himself with the body. Today, little does he realise, and much less does he practise the truth that, in this body which is made of inert matter, dwells a conscient and immortal entity - the eternal spark of life and light, called the soul.

The body is like a temple and the soul is like the flame of light or like the deity in a temple. The body is like a car and the soul like its driver. The body is an assemblage of instruments in the shape of various organs - whereas the soul is its user. The body and the brain are like a computer whereas the soul it is that programmes it and uses it. The body is not for its own sake but for a conscient user, called the soul.

The soul is like a micro-star. It abides in the body, midway between the eye-brows, where a devout in India apply Tilak - a sacred mark. Here, it is connected with the brain and the nervous system.

The soul has three intrinsic abilities which the body or anything else, made of matter, does not possess. These are (1) the ability to think or wish or will, (2) the ability to judge, understand or investigate and (3) the ability to retain impressions of past thoughts in the form of attitudes, moods or habits. The first of these is known as Mind, the second as Intellect and the third as Samskãras, Resolves or the Latencies.

It is these abilities which distinguish one man from another and determine the mental and moral state of a person. One who is given to violence and other evils is known as a sinner, the other who makes efforts to purify his thoughts, judgment and resolves is known as a 'Mahãtma' or 'an elevated soul' whereas the one who has completely divinised himself, is called a devãtma or a deity. It should thus be clearly borne in mind that it is the soul that suffers or enjoys because of its bad or good actions, for mind is not an entity separate from the soul; rather, it is the name given to the manifestation of soul's consciousness.

Managing Thoughts

Have you ever thought about the fact that there is never a moment when you are not thinking and that whatever you are not thinking and that whatever happens in this world begins with a thought? Here are some simple steps to help you manage your thoughts and achieve success and happiness in life.

1. BE AWARE OF YOUR THOUGHTS:
Start watching your thoughts, without identifying them. At the outset thoughts are like the waves of the ocean, which do not stop even for a moment like the watch ticking, it's way. Do not be discouraged by the fact that you are becoming a part of your thoughts. Just watch your thoughts as an observer. You may even get carried away by your thoughts. Never mind. What you need to do whenever you detect this, is to take yourself out of your thoughts immediately and get back as a detached observer. Just watch after some time you will be able to know your negative thoughts. Now concentrate on all the positive thoughts that you can replace these thoughts in order to switch over to a more positive attitude towards them. Unnecessary thoughts should be cut to improve the quality of necessary ones.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS:
Keep a log book of your thoughts. Write down the happenings of the day. The log book should record both verbal and mental response. Were your thoughts positive, appropriate and adequate or were they confused, superfluous and negative? Sometimes we ask others or simply to ourselves, or think about something just like that. Ask yourself what provoked you to make the initiative to start a conversation? Was it essential? What was the purpose? Did it serve the purpose? If no, then why not? Were the words used in thinking appealing to the other person, appropriate, adequate and positive? Did you feel happy or satisfied after the interaction with the other person or with your inner self? Can you find ways of improving your performance as a thinker or a speaker? Keep in mind that log books are meant to get you started and make you aware of your negative thoughts. It is very important to be aware of these thoughts when they are just taking birth, rather than leave them for later analysis.

3. REPLACE WITH POSITIVE THOUGHTS:
This is an important and vital step, for, it is here that the actual switch-over to the desired state takes place. The removal of your negative thoughts should be followed by the replacement of positive ones. Our success and happiness depends on identifying our goals precisely and chasing them effectively - both of which, in turn, depend on how well we manage our thoughts. The quality of our thoughts decide the quality of the outcomes we land up with. Thoughts have the power to materialise themselves because they are instrumental in channeling energy towards the physical or mental condition they are about. External situations and the remarks of others can harm us through our thoughts - but only to the extent our thoughts allow them to. So think positive.

Some Tips:
Talk positive quotable quotes of great people. Surround yourself with posters and cards bearing positive messages. Keep them on your table. Hang them on the walls. Paste them near the bathroom mirror and on the doors. Stick them on your watch strap. Keep them on the refrigerator. Have them on the dash board of the car. Slip them under the glass on the table in front of you. Slide them in the inner side of the briefcase you carry. Find other suitable places where you are bound to look at them every day. Remember that these messages will stale with prolonged use. So keep changing their position and contents. Do not let the momentum of these thoughts get weaker. Use them appropriately in response to specific negative thoughts. The replacing thought must be positive in every sense. Apart from being inspiring and assuring, it should also be suggestive. For example, if you confront a negative thought, "I can never succeed", it will not suffice if you replace it with "Attack! I can succeed". This kind of replacement may not be effective, for it sounds like wishful thinking and lacks assurance, depth and penetration. It is better to
break your replacing thought down into more definite and specific steps or instructions.

The replacing thought in this case may be "I can succeed. By earlier failures I have become rich in experience and have come to know specific areas that require special attention. I will jot them down and systematically think of the ways in which I can improve. I shall plan and then stick to it. There is absolutely no reason why I should not succeed. I will assess, plan, execute, monitor, modify and carry on with the plan, and finally succeed.

Infact, that success has already been achieved and only time separates my thoughts of success and its transformation into reality. I am committing myself to all that is required to achieve success. I am a river that knows no obstacles. I shall find my way any how - and if there is none I shall make one". Thoughts like these can be further reinforced with emotions and images.

All this may take longer than one single replacing thought, but these are far more effective since they allow you to divide the desired target into workable units

FORGET WHAT YOU HAVE LOST SO THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHAT STILL REMAINS

CURIOSITY

After having boned up on a mathematical theorem, a student who was attending geometry courses under the tuition of the famous mathematician Euclid asked the teacher, "Sir, what will I earn by learning all these things?". On hearing this Euclid called his assistant and told him sarcastically to, "give the boy 3 coins, as he wants to make money from what he learns".
The search for knowledge - without looking for profits or immediate returns - is a characteristic of superior animals, and it is in human beings that this is most marked. We could say the extraordinary curiosity of humans makes us a unique species! What motivates man in his curiosity? If at the dawn of mankind curiosity combined with a rapid apprenticeship was a synonym of life (surviving), it is no longer the case today. Nevertheless, man is more inquisitive now than he was in the past. Today newspapers, reviews, radio, television, internet are all unending sources of information flooding into our homes day and night to satisfy our hunger to know things, to learn, to be informed... to such an extent that the supply of information becomes unmanageable and so the gathering of information requires a "creaming off", i.e. the filtering of good and useful information and the separation of the wheat from the chaff.
Some scientists regard curiosity as what motivates our exploration behavior, including playing. I'd like to add that curiosity is a measurement of the "mental tonus", and is an antidote against stereotypes, overdeveloped self-satisfaction, and boredom. Everything can be source of knowledge; facts or things which seem worthless, inefficient, useless, absurd, odd, paradoxical or false may be instructive. Remember that America was discovered by the Europeans because Columbus made a navigational error!
To conclude, do you know who said: "I am neither especially clever, nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious"? No? The inventor of the theory of the relativity, Albert Einstein, a big kid!

MANTRA FOR A TRANSFORMED WORLD

TRUST IN A CHANGING WORLD

It is a greeting of peace which, when said with understanding and real feeling, creates a beautiful exchange of happiness. Within Just a few moments, there are feelings of closeness, of belonging, and of knowing each other very well.

Feelings of closeness, of knowing each other very well, of all being part of one Family, are what come to our mind when we Think of trust. They are examples of true feelings; that is, those filled with love. When there are only feelings of this sort in the heart, it is very easy to have faith. It is easy to trust.

The beautiful way it works is this: holding only true feelings in the heart enables one to start trusting his/her own self. We begin to develop faith in the aspects of our highest self. This self-trust becomes the basis for trusting others. So trust is cultivated by cultivating true feelings.

POSITIVE vs NEGATIVE FEELINGS
In today's world hardly anybody trusts anyone anymore. Many parents don't trust their children; many children mistrust their parents and even their own brothers and sisters, We don't trust our neighbors, nor our politicians. Nations often interact on a basis of mistrust as well.

It is as if people don't feel they have enough time to trust; they don't have the time it takes to develop that level of trust. Nowadays, people walk, talk, eat and even breathe very fast. The usual way of greeting each other is a quick, "Hi, how are you?" and by the time you turn to give your response, you look around and the person is already gone. A very hard and fast work life-style has replaced a life of peace and love. There is no time to smile. Instead of sparkling eyes, a cheerful face, and a sharing of beautiful greetings, there is only worry, day and night, "There's no time. I've not much to do," has become a king of modern-day proverb.

What happened? How did we get this way? It began when we lost touch with our true feelings. Feelings became negative and because of these negative feelings, the intellect began to question the value of its own truth. Ultimately, doubts like this started to destroy whatever inner power or strength we had.

When the oil in the car runs low, the engine starts heating up. This is what happens to humans when the 'oil' of positive feelings begins to run low.
They continue to move along in their journey through life, but they are heated individuals, holding a lot of anger inside. In one second they get irritated, annoyed and lose their inner peace. This is why there is so little quiet, peace Conferences. Instead of peace, people have ended up simply dividing themselves into more and more pieces.

BALANCE OF BRAIN AND HEART
Where there is no experience of true feelings, the lives of human beings become very empty. Hopelessness, fear and discouraging feelings have made people's lives very shallow. However, the basis of negative feelings is negative thinking.

Think less, think quietly, think in peace, don't think uselessly. This is what is really needed. Keeping the heart filled with good, true feelings require the right balance between the brain and the heart. Actually there is no need to think very much. The habit of thinking too much has made everyone's brain very tired and weak, and therefore easily influenced, especially by the negative vibrations that are all around.

Because we have been using the brain far more than the heart, something somewhere has gone wrong with feelings. The feelings of the heart have disappeared from life.

I have to be careful not to use my brain too much. My feelings are my main focus. Make sure that they are pure and true, because I know that if my feelings are true then whatever the brain thinks will be right. You could say it is like a different kind of intelligence, based on a completely different way of using the brain. When feelings are pure, the brain automatically begins to think right thoughts, based on those feelings.

TRUE FEELINGS

We need to understand deeply what true feelings are. True feelings are feelings which connect us to our divinity... Our innermost, highest truth.

The idea that true feelings are the basis of trust is a message that should be made very clear and shared with everyone.

Everyone should now experience their good, true feelings and begin to cultivate that faith. Go within and experience these true feelings because a lot of feelings from situations in the outside world have accumulated in the self and because of that, the true and natural feelings, like feelings of love, are not being experienced. I need to separate myself from the feelings which have come from the outside, and now experience my true, inner ones.

Start by taking the time to experience them, and then begin the practise of putting these true feelings into your everyday life: your relationships, activities and so on. Three qualities emerge when your feelings come from this level of positivity. They are purity, truth, and determination. With these, you will find that the need to do a lot of thinking is removed. When faith operates on this level of truth, it is guaranteed that the purest desires of your heart will definitely be fulfilled. If not today, then tomorrow.

Hopelessness disappears. In fact, it becomes impossible to feel hopeless. True feelings connect you to your inner power and strength.

DOUBTS AND FEAR
People are distanced from their pure, true feelings because they have grown fearful of speaking up and voicing them. In fact, many are not able to live by the truth. There is fear of standing up for what you believe in. Inner truth, such as peace, power, happiness and many other values that are needed in your life, can be easily discovered when you turn within for the purpose of internal change. Yet, it is as if people have chosen to keep these treasures hidden. They think that if they were to start believing in such things and behaving accordingly, they wouldn't be able to survive in this world. So they continue with their lying, cheating and wrongdoings. And they support each other in this deception and dishonesty. There might be moments when the intellect regains its faith, and for a while trusts the higher, inner voice. However, within a short time, doubts emerge, such as, " How will I be successful if I continue like this?" In this way, doubts are created about the value, of their highest truth. It is the beginning of not being able to trust their own self. This, then, becomes the basis for not being able to trust anyone else.

DEPRESSION
When the brain is continually exposed to negative vibrations, sad and unhappy feelings are accumulated. Figuring out how to contain all this is disturbing to the self, yet there is fear of speaking out. You are afraid to communicate from the heart. Because you are unable to trust your own feelings, you are reluctant to talk about them. There are doubts about how others will perceive what you say. You wonder if it is all right to speak, whether the one you are speaking to will like it or not. You start thinking that, maybe you
won't be understood, that, maybe there will be criticisms or comments, so it might be better not to speak at all. Your self doubt creates fear, and this fear becomes an obstacle to communication. Because of this, even though you desire to communicate, to express yourself, it doesn't work. Doubtful, negative thoughts have weakened the brain, allowing misunderstandings to be created very quickly.

This is how Godly feelings, which are buried under the negativity and fear, get locked away even further. Ultimately, this leads to depression.

THE SOLUTION
An open heart is a big part of the solution. Find the time to try and understand each other's feelings. When the heart is open, it is easy to share your feelings. The face loses its sadness and becomes cheerful.

However, the basis of an open heart is trust. And the first step in this is self-trust. You will not be able to trust yourself if you are distanced from your inner truth. Therefore, continue to cultivate your pure feelings, and self-trust will grow automatically. This, then, becomes the basis for being able to trust others.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER
True feelings create a clean heart. When the heart is honest and clean, it is easy to pick up on the true feelings of others. When the heart is clean it is natural to feel what is in the hearts of others.

GOD
When our interactions are filled with the good qualities of pure feelings, God starts trusting us and that is when everything really starts getting very beautiful. To work with pure feelings reflects faith in God and this becomes the basis for God's trust in us. Faith in God is a very necessary first step. This is how I know that everything will work out very well. Every step I take and every thought I create is filled with trust in God's trust. When we work with courage in this way, God's help will always be with us. This puts an end to hopelessness.

When people come to you with a look of hopelessness on their face, say "no, don't have such feelings", because they will make one unconscious. It is when you go unconscious that the beautiful experience of trusting God is lost and so you start feeling that there is no more hope. This is when people begin to do things from ego. However, such motivation is not supported by true feelings or faith in the intellect, so what will be the result?

The only way we will be successful is when we are able to work together as true companions in the task of world renewal. The need of today's world is that we learn to work together in the right way. However, before becoming companions to each other, we first need the steady companionship of our internal, highest truth; that is, the true feelings that come from qualities like selflessness, honesty and humility.

There is only one God and of course, he will bestow peace on earth. However, before that can happen, we must first become His honest, worthy instruments. We must become trustworthy; that is, trusted by God. Experiencing His trust in us teaches us how to trust our inner voice. Ultimately this is what then allows us to hear the voice of God.

Our own inner voice, the voice of God, the signals of time, and the needs of people - all these 'messengers' are telling us that what is really needed now is -'trust'. Our only aim now should be to raise a collective, universal voice filled with that trust which is created from true feelings... the faith that no matter what happens, truth will prevail.

Inner happiness and strength are the tangible rewards of this, which in turn help us to continue to move forwards.

TRUST
When the heart works with pure feelings, it reaches out and touches the pure feelings in the hearts of others. This enables the intellect to function at a purer level. Pure qualities in our behavior and relationships emerge as a natural consequence.

TRANSFORMING THE WORLD

Feelings of genuine friendship are needed. Life depends on the quality of our feelings... just as the quality of our relationships are founded on the caliber of our feelings. So the ability to transform the world is also dependent on the quality of our feelings.

Scientists use their intellects to produce many wonders and miracles for the world. The intellect is used to understand matter and transform it. However, the power of silence, also uses the intellect... for the purpose of turning within and changing the self. Shouldn't the power of silence also be able to create some miracles and wonders?

One feeling we should have always is that one day, across the entire planet, there will be only a sharing of true feelings, based on faith. Let's easily share this vision with others by our faith in it. We all shall have firm faith that change must happen.

Everything is possible. Everything is in our hands. It all depends on us.