Higher level of awareness

June 6, 2019, 10:46 PM IST Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET
By Alfredo S Younis

We are living in a world of major awakening. We are not only part of this experience of awakening; we happen to be the architects. I often ask myself: how would I like to wake up tomorrow
morning? What would be my ideal awakening? What would I like my eyes to see? We want a world free of poverty, crime, racism, a world full of equality and understanding, where people are
in happiness. We want a world without environmental destruction.

The essential lesson we need to learn from spiritual leaders like Dadi Janki (Brahmakumaris) is that it is not a matter of being only spiritual — we need to be trustees of the purity of
knowledge. It is not just a matter of knowing, it is what we really self-realise and how that knowledge makes us live our life in a particular way.

One of the most interesting things in my conversations with Dadi Janki is the high degree of consistency. A spiritual leader is effective if she has transformational value. You would be able to
recognise that person as a teacher because they have transformed your life by their mere existence. Speaking well and giving knowledge is not everything; there is something more.

This universal transforming value should also become the engine and ultimate ingredient that moves all institutions in our society, because, in the end, institutions are people. Factories don’t
exist without humans.

Governments don’t exist without people. The higher the level of consciousness, the higher will be the level of awareness and the higher the ability

A Beautiful Place
June 5, 2019, 10:39 PM IST Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET
By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
When there is alertness and presence of mind, your life improves. For this, you need to cultivate the habit of listening. When you are listening to somebody, the speaker’s very
first sentence triggers some conversation within you. You are constantly agreeing or disagreeing with the speaker. Have you ever wondered whether you can listen without any
thoughts or preconceived notions? To cultivate the habit of listening, you have to ‘go’ to a place where everything is beautiful.
Where is the place? That most beautiful place is within you! When you come to this place, then any place is beautiful. Then, wherever you go, you add beauty there.
Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson to teach us: for every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath, for
every rhythm in the breath, there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, you can handle the mind through breath.
The first thing we did when we came to this planet is that we took a deep breath and then we started to cry. The last thing we will be doing: we’ll breathe out and make other cry.
In between, the whole life, we are breathing in and out, but, we have learnt very little about our breath.
We need to learn a little bit about our breath. We need to know a little bit about all the layers of our existence: body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what
I call Art of Living, learning a little bit about ourselves, the seven layers of our life.
 Ecological awareness
June 4, 2019, 10:40 PM IST Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Environment | ET
By Shahnaz Husain
Centuries ago, Ayurveda addressed the problem of ecology and the importance of maintaining the fragile balance of nature for our own survival. I have always believed in
protecting the environment and not disturbing it in any way. Eco-friendly products do not harm the environment in any way.
The Ayurvedic system promotes use of plant ingredients and natural substances in products, which are biodegradable.
Plant ingredients have a long history of safe usage. They have no harmful after-effects.
The human body responds extremely well to natural ingredients, while it has an inbuilt resistance to chemical ones. Plant ingredients and natural substances have powerful
healing as well as beauty-enhancing properties. In fact, Nature is not only an expert chemist but an ideal cosmetologist as well.
A whole range of beauty products exists in nature. Plant extracts are remarkably versatile.
Even the natural aromas of plant products help to calm the nerves and induce relaxation.
Today, pollutants in the air are making our cities increasingly hostile to our good health and well-being. Organic beauty care is even more important today, due to the thinning
ozone layer and increasing pollution, which have a damaging effect on health and beauty. That is why pure, organic and holistic Ayurvedic products have become popular
worldwide.
Each of us has the responsibility to protect our beautiful world. Let’s become aware of the environment, plant trees and bring nature into the experience of our daily life.

Use anger in positive way

June 2, 2019, 10:37 PM IST Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET

Seema Burman
We are witnessing a lot of demonstration of anger around us. Even the law courts are getting angry. Whether it’s a natural or human-made disaster, people who lose homes
and livelihoods, family and friends, feel anger and resentment, and this leads to more tension and sadness.
At the individual level, pent-up anger can manifest itself in actions of destruction and violence. A person with undisciplined energy gets angry. Why can’t we use this energy
constructively?
Krishna was angry when Draupadi was disrobed, Rama was angry when Vaali misused his powers and kidnapped younger brother Sugriva’s wife, Shiva was angry when
wife Sati was humiliated by her own father. Durga was enraged when the demons killed innocent helpless people.
There are several instances of God (in form) getting angry whenever there is injustice. But all this anger, we’re told, was channelised in a way that enabled them to fight and overcome
injustice.
Efficient anger management has its uses. “Emotion, controlled and directed to work, is character,” Swami Vivekananda said. Anger has a place in life. But one must know how to handle it
properly. Injustice naturally makes us angry. That’s how we tend to react to wrongdoings.
An unrestrained river floods and destroys life. Every minute we are subject to emotional energies within us. We have to handle them ourselves. Dedication to higher causes and venting
extra energy in team sports, for instance, can help us overcome the destructive potential of anger.