26 April 2009
This are my notes of the talk on "Raja Yoga Intensive", by Sister Shivani Verna from the Brahma Kumaris at the Excelsior Hotel in Singapore, on the 26th April 2009. 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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The word "meditation" comes from "medivate" (to heal).
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[An unexpected loud screeching noise on sound systems...]
Situation comes, situation goes, what is left behind is the impact.
Was the situation worth it for us to be disturbed?
It was a trivial disturbed 30 seconds. Add the 30 seconds and one can become disturbed beings.
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In a crisis, in order to cme up with the right solution, the mind has to be stable. If the mind is disturbed, it will not be able to see the solution. You can be stable with the earth shaking below you.
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When we were in Pakistan, there was an earthquake, but we got together to meditate for 1 minute without the thought of the earthquake. We stayed calm, so others stayed calm.
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Irritation. Is one born with this or is this cultivated? When a child wants something, he cries and throw tantrums to get what he wants. If he gets it, he learns that this is how he can get things. Instead, if the adult gives the child only if he asks politely, then we teach him that love, courtesy and respect is the way to get things.
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What does "Raja Yoga" mean?
'Raja' means highest.
'Yoga' means connection, communion or link.
It is a meditation which I become the ruler of myself. A self-ruler over my mind and over my sense organs.
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Who am I?
The consciousness which I sit brings about the next series of thoughts.
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Ego. What is that? Anyone? (asking audience)
(Suggestions from the audience)
To protect ourselves.
Attachment to self.
Body consciousness.
I am right you are wrong.
...etc
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These are attachments to the wrong image/belief about myself.
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Who are you?
Are you your name, designation, qualifications,...etc. Your name is your label, not your identity. Your titles and roles are also not your identity.
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When we hold on to something that we have to let go, there will be pain. We are then going against what we know is the truth. By doing so, we didn't enjoy the moments when we have that something. Everything is absolutely going to go one day. Fear of losing, fear of death,...etc.
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Say "I" and some of us may picture our body. We say, my body is acheing, or I body acheing ? We don't say "I body acheing", because it is not 'I' that is acheing, but our body.
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One wrong consciousness can make everything go haywire.
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Human Being.
'Human' is matter.
'Being' is energy.
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'I' decide what to think, what to see.
The one who expresses himself through his body. I think, I create and speak through this body. My 'consciousness' or my 'body'. Any difference?
I am the 'programmer' (of my body).
The programmer has the power of the choice of instructions to feed into the computer that runs the robot.
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In the morning, when you reach the office, you saw the security guard and you spoke to him, then you see the receptionist, and you spoke to him; then you spoke to your boss; then you spoke to the CEO.
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Now, which of the four conversations comes from your real you?
(from audience)
The conversation with the security guard?
None?
If the conversations were made from your actual nature, it wouldn't have changed.
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I am a pure being walking into the office, I meet another pure being playing the role of a security guard, then another pure being playing the role of a receptionist...etc.
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When a person got out of a car, are you speaking to the person or the car?
If you establish relationships based on what you have acquired in your lifetime would be doing it on temporary foundations.
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It'll be more peaceful if you are the same to all four of them. Be yourself. You'll stop wearing masks and stop having to be polite. Soul consciousness helps us to connect to the other person. We seldom talk about the 'soul' in our daily life. It seems the word 'soul' only comes up in a spiritual discourse or in a funeral.
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When you see the person as a spiritual being, that's the highest respect you can give to that person.
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Respect = re-spect.
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If you live a life believing that you are a body-mother-wife, it'll be difficult to leave this body. It is akin to children who got attached to the dress.
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What's the 'art of dying'? We speak about the 'art of living' more, but what's the 'art of dying'?
If you understand the art of dying, then death won't be painful. Detachment is living with the consciousness that you are a pure being.
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We spend to much time on things that are not important.
At the time of dying, then do we realise that they are not taken care of. The rest which we have spent much time and taken care of, we will leave behind when we die.
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Say if a few of us go around India in a train in our white saris. After a few days, the saris will be stained, but each sari is stained our own way. Same in life, though we started as pure beings, we developed differently and have different personalities. But the sari despite being stained, is still white. The soul despite having developed personality, is still pure. If you keep focusing on the stain, it will become worse. Focus on the white. That's the vibration we are going to send out.
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I create thoughts which is the mind.
The mind evaluates, discriminates and decides (using the intellect). This will lead to action, and frequent actions form habits that will create personality traits.
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Our personality traits are affected by:
Parents
Environment
Past
Own Will power
Our original nature.
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Our original nature is peace, love, happiness, power, purity, knowledge of who I am and bliss.
Bliss is the pleasure beyond the sense organs.
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Shift from body consciousness to soul consciousness. Try to remember who we are. After each hour, pause for one minute to remind who we are.
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Medical science is trying to prove the presence of the soul through out-of-body, 'near death' and past life regressions.
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If our mind is stable (strong), we are not vulnerable and we are taken care of. Be soul conscious. Astrology...etc, doesn't have power over you. For instance, an astrologer may ask you to wear a stone, but that'll only work if you believe. So, who's doing the work? You or the stone?
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From the audience: How about the Year 2012, Dec 23?
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Yes, what about? Whatever that time means, what can you do about it? Just enjoy now. *laughters*
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I can remember everyone, even people I don't like, but I can't remember Him. Why when I quieten to remember him, the mind starts to wonder? That's because we don't know who is the Supreme Power. He himself will give his introduction which will be accurate. Others give the introduction based on their own experience. God resides in us. God is omnipresent. We are all Gods.
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What is said of God is heard, read and passed down from generations to generations. We have to experience it for ourselves. When was the last time you experience divinity?
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In entropy, order will turn to chaos. There is then an external supreme intervention that is accepted by everyone.
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From the symbol of light, we build a stone, then a temple of diety, then man worship nature and then worship human beings, like Mahatma Gandhi.
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Therefore connect to Him as He is, not as the person I connect in the middle.
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I am a peaceful soul. I am in an ocean of peace.
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