Brahma Kumaris talk by Sister Shivani Verna

22 April 2009

This are my notes of the talk by Sister Shivani Verna from the Brahma Kumaris in Singapore. They are written as in the first person for easy reading, but it is not an ad verbatim recording of what Sister Shivani spoke of during the seminar.

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Clean the slate. Freshen the mind.

Be in the present. Delete what is not needed for now.

What is important now?

What we share is our way to transformation.

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* One minute silence *

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I am a peaceful soul. 

Here to find if problems be solved.

I am a powerful being. Do you feel it? How do I become a powerful being?

Who am I?

I am a mother.

I am an MNC professional.

I am...

In the role you play, you are powerful.

But as a being, you are powerful.

Do you know what is it to be a 'being'?

Why is it important to know who am I?

The deepest meaning - 'I' is:

Self - confidence?

Self - motivation?

Self - esteem?

Self - respect?

Self - centred?

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So many words. I know what they are?

These are words we use everyday, and yet we are still not clear of what they are.

Self-confidence is confidence in what I do. 

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Self-respect - not sure what it is. Is it ego?

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It is the word 'self' that is not clear.

'I' - What do you see when you hear the word 'I'?

Do we think of a picture of ourselves?

I am a human-being. If we relate that to the body and what we do, then we have become 'human-doing' (not 'human-being').

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(For instance) How would it be if I am this costume? (pointing to the white sari she wears).

If the costume is dirty, does it mean that 'I' am dirty?

(Clearly) There is a being underneath the costume.

So when people criticise, don't take it so personally.

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When a person dies, who dies?

The body dies. Take a distance from the death.

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One wrong idea (of identifying with the body) in the consciousness and one live a life of Fear.

So, when someone say something about what I am doing, I feel hurt. I get disturbed, as I always want to be perfect. But who got disturbed? If I am disturbed, that means I look at 'me' as the doing part. If I remain stable, I remain perfect.

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How about the positive comments about what we do?

Do we do something to feel good?

Job satisfaction - does it mean to do something to feel good.

We should feel good first, then do something. Otherwise, we are looking at energy from outside to inside. That is, 'I do this, I feel happy', or 'I buy this, I feel happy'.

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Energy is flowing from 'inside' out, because the creator is the being.

Can this flower give me happiness?

It can only give what it has. If we seek from outside, we become dependent. How about people? Can people give me happiness? Can we suck happiness out of people? This leads to 'I want'.

They will radiate only what you think you 'have not' and what 'you want'. 

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(So) You didn't buy me a gift for my birthday meant you don't love me(?)

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I am also a walking radiator of energy. When you are happy, you radiate the energy to another person. 

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So from where do I get my happiness?

'I am a happy being'.

The glass is already full. Make sure it doesn't spill.

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Homework: To cross 24 hours without getting disturbed with any situation. 

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Where does happiness fit in your priority list? How many people get happiness from their salaries? If you do, be careful because salaries do fluctuate. For some people, their self-esteem comes from their salary - the attachment to the figure (salary). 

Is this how I feel about myself? 

How can I face society now? 

How will people treat me now?

Will the praises stop?

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What I say about you, how I see you, how I feel today, forms the filter of my feelings when I am seeing you. 

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Can I say something nice?

Is the food good?

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Do not take each one to what they are saying about you. Know about yourself and not get affected by what others say. This is going to be more so when more people are in pain. Others talk about me and I am going around justifying that it doesn't work. Let people think what they want. Truth will automatically reveal itself. 

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Remain stable. It doesn't mean no response, but a stable response. When I am stable, I have the power to change. When you are in pain, you can't change. Don't handle people. Handling one person is enough. That one person is yourself.

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Questions from the audience:

Q: I see two persons drowning - my wife and my mother, which one should I save?

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Reply: I can do anything to anyone when I am not sucked into something. You have a belief that you have to save one. (Typically, in a domestic problem) Let them sort out their own problems. Get both the mother and the wife to sit together to talk. If they are not sitting together, it doesn't get solved. Only speak the truth when both sides are present.

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Note that, "My perspective to reveal" is different from "My perspective to show you are wrong". 

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After revealing your perspective, let the other person respond. Don't interfere with his journey. We are only in-charged of our own journey. It is like the dance you watch before this. If each of the dancer is going to worry about the steps of the other dancers, she'll not be able to dance her own steps. So don't worry about the other person. We are often writing the other person's script, then while doing so, my scene has passed.

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Keep an open mind during the talk. No verdict before the talk, otherwise you won't be listening.

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Why am I working?

To survive?

To experience happiness?

Try giving happiness to others without feeling happy. Take 1 mintue to heal myself, then work. Take care of yourself, the rest takes care of itself. I'll take care of one person. I experience it on the way out (by giving).

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The seminar ended here.

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On the way out, each of us get a beautifully folded message and an Indian sweet (cookie).

It looks like this:

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When the folds open up, it says:

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Read about "Blissful Scripts", click here.

For more of such posts, click here.