Divine Truth

What is the meaning of mindfulness and to live in the present moment? What is the connection?

We need to understand that time is transient. It is flowing constantly. Even as we speak in the present moment which is extremely short, that moment has become the past. And every future moment becomes the short present before it becomes the past. So, really speaking, both the past and future have no permanent existence.

The divine truth that is within us and eternal shines through in that present moment. This is the only moment, the present moment, where we can feel the divine energy. Mindfulness is just this, the divine shining through the present moment.

Once we start living in the present moment, we will realize that we need to go beyond the present moment even, to feel the divine presence. Beyond time is where we realize that we are, in fact, divine consciousness itself.

For example, the fraction of seconds between two “on” chants, that empty space is where the divine presence can be felt. Meditation can help in reaching this divine residence.
Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.comSpeakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Struggle

As humans, we are as negative as many others around us. We struggle with feelings like injustice, reactions, feeling rejected, the unfairness of justifying a wrong deed. Sometimes, these feelings become intense and there is much anger.

Then gradually, as you realize you can only change yourself, grudgingly, acceptance of what you can’t control or change sets in and you begin to seek answers to the “why”.

Finally dawns the light you need so badly within you and have blocked for so long. And when expectations die, finally, some peace dawns.

What a struggle when we could have arrived at this solution so much earlier.

But, right time and right effort is imminent! So much backlog to clear. We have to be kind to ourselves.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Emotion

Tears are like irrigation for the heart. We are always told to control our feelings, not to get emotional or teary, that it is a sign of weakness!

Somewhere, if we believe this, we are suppressing ourselves and not accepting ourselves because we have been told time and time again that it is a weakness. And who wants to be perceived as “weak”?

If a demonstration of emotions is weakness, why have we been given them in the first place? All our chakras are related to emotions and elements. Suppression leads to blockages. But we still carry on in our ignorant mindsets, believing that to be emotional is to lose control. In case if excesses, yes! Otherwise, they are a part of what makes us human, unlike robots!

Ironically, an effort is being made to trigger emotions in robots now! It is very interesting to see that we think humans are limited, so, we create “superior” robots. And then, we try to make them “human” by making them like humans!

The world is a crazy place! We never accept God’s perfect creation. We think we know better!

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Self-esteem

Life is not about feeling threatened, politicking and one upmanship. As long as we are in that space, our toxicity will pile up and will take longer to leave us when we start trying. It CAN happen very quickly if we realize deeply that we have to LET GO every polluted thought, against others and equally so, against ourselves.

The culprits are always within us: self-criticism, void, low self-esteem and confidence, the “I am incapable” / “I am not good enough” syndrome and more….

We have all been fashioned in the image of God, to fulfil some requirement. Instead, we don’t trust and flounder amidst our identity woes. Someone whose life seems perfect may have several challenges you don’t know about. Just minding our own store can upgrade us to the next levels.

That’s all we CAN do.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Self-improvement

“Your path to success starts with a single step towards self-improvement. “A profound quote by Dale Carnegie! Simple and hard hitting, the key word being “self-improvement”. To open our inner eye that sees us as we are and to close our external eyes that only see where others should improve. The latter doesn’t help in our journey, does it?

The other struggle is how to define success. If you build an awareness of where you need to change for the better AND work on it, that is success. If you can turn the negative within to positive, that too is success. If you learn to cleanse yourself of the need for conflict and so on.

Peace descends where we learn to live within our own space and learn to plant a garden within the space, instead of encroaching on other spaces.

The problem with the few materialistic success stories is that those who earn it are more often more balanced than those around them who bask in reflected glory and take their glory to a narcissistic level, never having worked for it for a minute. The quest for an illusory supremacy! This is diametrically opposite to the concept of self-improvement.

And so we exist somewhere between two extremes that polarize humanity so much so that the wrong majority forms the “ right” and the right minority learns to survive as best as they can.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Trust and Faith

I wonder what all this fight within and without, all the conflict, the rat race to that illusory and non-existent place called “the top” is all about. It seems to alter intrinsic human behavior. And not in a good way.

Granted, it is great to be relevant. Wonderful to be recognized. Euphoric if your name is in the neon lights!

Then what? After that? We all have a little void within which we are desperately trying to understand. To me, it is that core that does not belong to this world. It is that spiritual core that knows the extent of our earthly journey. We try to ignore it in our commitment to winning races which can never be won because there is always someone below and someone above you.

I have seen famous people cry alone. The higher they go, the lonelier it is . Emotions going haywire at what compromises you may have had to make in your values and principles so that you can have a million followers on social media. Popularity kick!

Please have more followers but for the right reasons, when your work has spoken for you and you don’t have to succumb to rigged awards and followers to gain some empty publicity for yourself.

Life is much, much vaster. The more you want, the more you will want. Poor Satiation levels can only be counteracted by genuine contentment and understanding that you will always get what is ordained for you.

Somehow, we feel irrelevant unless we are the talk of the town. Again, after that what? Do we become better humans after that? Do we suddenly start understanding concepts of right living?

The most unaccepted fact of life is death! The mad scrambles to defeat age and to refrain from entering the “vaanprastha ashram” and defying the natural progression of life is so self-defeating if we can see that for ourselves.

That is why the society is devoid of trust and faith. It is said that faith is more fragile than love. We lip read most orators who speak of the unseen, inner world and continue our cudgels with our ambitions and greed.

Aptly said, that unless we personally reach this point in our thought processes, nothing will sink in anyway.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Evolutionary path

We get our present life based on our performance in other lives. Soul connects, discord, relationships we managed and those we didn’t.

If we look at each one around us, family, friend or foe, we don’t need to be an Einstein to know that there is a reason.

Opening your heart with compassion is enough. Try never to get emotions all knotted up about anyone or anything from YOUR side. We don’t understand that by retaliating, we ARE starting that knot!

If YOU take a wrong step, YOU are on the wrong path. You can’t justify it with any argument accusing another. Your decision is in your hands. Period.

I often sit down and examine my feelings! Intense as I used to be, I have understood that I am in my own space. My mind body spirit are mine. I have come alone and will go alone. So, I need to balance my life between who I really am and who I am here.

You keep trying. Some things work. Some don’t. You fall ! And you rise again, this time hopefully wiser in understanding. And this is a pattern on the path of learning.

But let me learn this fundamental rule. No one and nothing should change the course of your life if you are on the right track. And I don’t mean we should not have examples to follow.

Just that we tend to emulate lifestyles which will not really get us on an evolutionary path. And we must be careful.

Two emotions we MUST avoid are at any cost:

HATRED and ENVY! They just seem to corrode all the goodness within us. And for what reason? No one else is affected but US! And That would be a sad, sad story to tell each time.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Graciousness

From graciousness to being non gracious to pettiness. These are levels of human thoughts and patterns. Graciousness is a trait that seldom translates into the non-gracious and even less, pettiness. Gracious people are gracious inside and outside. Of course, there could be certain basic triggers from Old memories that might induce non characteristic thoughts/ behavior. But these are easily checked because they are not intrinsic traits.

The long and short of this is… we must watch our thought patterns and reactions minutely and regularly. Unless we want to live a life of a yoyo, oscillating between our positives and negatives and reaching nowhere but into a world of likes/ dislikes/prejudices/ and a demonstration of these inspired by a well fed ego.

The choice is ours! Whether to clean up or remain polluted. Because our next life will start from where this one stopped.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Forgiveness

Please don’t hate family and don’t practice enmity either. There is a karmic reason for being together. There may be unfinished business from other lives that needs healing. That is why we have been given a chance by the universe to be related by blood. Healing is what we must do, not by distancing but with love and forgiveness.

There is always goodness in everyone. We just fail to connect with it , both in ourselves AND in others. If there was no goodness, we would not be connecting with anyone.

When we put friends above family, we forget that those very friends have issues with their own families. Then why do we find it in our hearts to shun family and make “friends” outside?

Growing up, we had our siblings and cousins as friends. Today, there are distances. Very unfortunate that our egos are more separatist today !

Let us try and rethink our relationships, especially with regard to where we have failed in wisdom. Because where there is love and forgiveness, there is always wisdom.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Growth

Something to think about! Every negative emotion can be used positively for personal growth. Every challenge facing us contributes to a certain fear / anxiety / doubts. whether we should take it up, whether we will succeed, whether to play safe and not take it up?

If you give up before you try, you have failed already. But if you face your fears and anxiety but take up the challenge anyways, you will find yourself becoming more aware of the process required for success. This very awareness of incorporating features that you require to accomplish a task is the major contributor to your growth.

So, if your goal is personal growth as it should be for us all, then your courage should kick in each time that you shirk a task because of self-doubt.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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