By Dev Lingadevaru
INDIA New England Columnist
WATERTOWN, MA–The chief of the Brahma Kumaris world spiritual organization, Dadi Janki at the age of 102 says, the core of many of our problems is that we think too much. She advises the seekers: “Think before you think.”, as there is not really a lot to think about!
Coming from an engineering background, I was taught to think, to ask questions such as Why? What? How? Where? When? Asking all of these questions is how you are going to resolve problems. I call this an analytical mind. Many of us are trained to think in a very analytical way. In Raja Yoga awareness, analytical reasoning is completely on the other end of the equation. There is more accepting, and simply knowing. In other words, on a spiritual path of Raja Yoga meditation, you can reach a state of Thinking less and Being more.
We can observe many things in life that are in the state of “Being More”. If we look at nature for eg., the sun shines in the morning, the water flows and gives its coolness and Mother Earth gives food for us to eat. Nature is continually serving and giving. It’s natural way of being is giving. There is no logic behind it, it’s just the way it is. Similarly, if we observe animals or pets, they just go with the flow of life just “Being” in their natural state. This is why our attention is pulled to them.
We, as human beings, actually have a much higher capacity, but what often comes in the way is our thinking. The analytical mind is fueled by the thoughts of past negative experiences, worries of the future, insecurities etc.
Our mind is – in its original state – a very beautiful mind, and the thoughts that we create are very powerful. Imagine a thought to be like a seed. A seed has so much potential. In the same way, our thoughts actually carry potential like a seed. What is important is the quality of the seed, the seed of thought. The seed could be positive in nature, it could be negative in nature or it could be a seed of waste thought.
We all have the capacity to turn those thoughts into the other end of the spectrum, which is positive in nature. There is something interesting to note, and to realize: the thoughts that are positive in nature, are fewer and the thoughts that are negative in nature are more and random.
Here are some practices to incorporate into our everyday life to live life more from the state of Being with Less Thinking. When we are in the state of Being then we naturally receive everything, or attract everything good into our life.
- Learn to develop a reflective /contemplative mind. Adopt meditation as a daily practice so that you start to experience “Being More”!
- How you start your day and end your day is very important. Your thoughts in the beginning of the day will shape the whole day!
- Wake up in the morning with positive thoughts and feelings
- End your day by cleaning any unpleasant thoughts and feelings before going to bed. Know that you have another chance to create a better next day.
- Integrate inner silence into your daily routine. For example, while having your meals, while driving or walking, in between phone calls etc.
- “Time bound” your thinking – Whatever you have to plan, decide, etc. think about it for fixed length of time and then if needed, come back to it later. Don’t keep thinking about it again and again.
- Create a “to-do” list on a piece of paper or on your device and check it off as and when you are done. Don’t hold the list in your head!
- Make your nature easy and flexible. Perfection is good but not at the cost of wasting your thoughts and time!
- Know that some changes are gradual and do not happen overnight. Your consistent efforts to stay with it can bring lasting results.
To learn more about the teachings and the activities of the Brahma Kumaris please visit bknewengland.org or call 617-926-1230.
(Dev Lingadevaru is co-coordinator of New England regional Brahma Kumari activities.)
