It's interesting what the mind will attach itself to. A cat can hiss @ us and we say, "oh well, it's just a cat." A dog can bark @ us and we tend to do the same. We are not obsessing for days, months or years about the incident. Sometimes cats hiss and dogs bark. It's what they do. Cats are catting. Dogs are dogging. But, have you noticed that when people are peopling we just can't seem to let it go? 

Probably, the most difficult problems that face humanity today have their genesis in people trying to control other people. WE JUST CAN'T GET PEOPLE TO DO WHAT WE WANT! And if we did, well, the world would be a much better place, right? Right?! Hm-m-m... 

We have all fallen into the habit, at some point or another, of judging others and then fantasizing about how we are going to get them to change. We manipulate, hint and bully. Then we try to get other people involved in changing the people we want to change. But let me ask you this: Can you control the contents of your own mind? Can you see a thought form rising in your own mind? And if you see a negative, hurtful thought developing, can you change that thought into something more positive? If the answer to any of the above is no, then how on earth can you expect to change anyone else? Or, more to the point, WHY do you think that you SHOULD try to change anyone else?

Part of letting go of trying to control others begins by recognizing that we are all beings living in human bodies and that those bodies all come with different personalities. And, sometimes, personalities become offended. Usually, we are most offended when we see a personality trait in someone else that reminds us of some aspect of our own personality that we are not comfortable with. Ouch. We don't like that. We certainly don't want to be reminded of it. But, remember, it's not about them. It's about us. And here's what you can do about it: Forgive them.

There's a technique called the Forgiveness Ritual that is very useful in retraining the mind to stop trying to control others. It is quite simple. This technique is best practiced @ the end of the day after reaching a calm, meditative state.  Before going to bed, close your eyes. Visualize each person whose personality you have offended that day. Call them to mind one at a time. As you see each one say silently, "Please, forgive my personality for offending your personality." Then visualize each person whose personality has offended your own and say, "I forgive your personality for offending my personality." Mean it and then let them go out of your mind. In some cases you will see someone in your mind and say, "Please, forgive my personality for offending your personality. Also, I forgive your personality for offending my personality." Start with the small "offenses" (for example, the person with 40 items in the 10-items-or-less line @ the grocery store) and work up from there. When you've reached the very last person that you can think of that has either offended your personality or you theirs (or both) on that day, when you've asked forgiveness of their personalities and forgiven their personalities and there is absolutely no one left...go to sleep. This technique takes practice. Do it every evening and you'll begin to find that what other people are doing bothers you less. We're all people and we're just going about doing what people do. We're peopling.

Shanti and Prem,
  S.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

I have a question. I'm going to ask it and then after you read it, I want you to close your eyes and contemplate the answer before you continue. Here it is:
What have you been doing to create peace throughout your life?

Okay. Good question, right? My Guru asked that question of her disciples a few nights ago. It was meant to be answered internally. I realized how important the question was when it occurred to me that I did not have an answer. Certainly, I have been working toward a more peaceful and meaningful existence for the last decade or so. But what about before then? Did it ever cross my mind that peace is something that I/we create?

And here is a statement that I'd like you to give the same consideration to as the question in the first paragraph. Close your eyes and hold it in your mind for a few moments after you read it:
Enlightenment is something you have to do yourself.

There is a formula that those of us in this branch of the Kriya Yoga lineage are familiar with. It looks like this: IxF=D
It means Intensity times Frequency equals Duration. When someone new comes to the practice, we teach them this. You see, many people come to meditation with the idea that if they meditate a long time, they will be accomplishing something. Then, when they sit and become frustrated that they can not quiet their minds the entire time, they give up. It's too hard. There is something wrong with them, they reason, that prevents them from focusing for very long. Well, the truth of the matter is that probably no one is meditating for an entire hour or more. The mind tends to wander. What is most important when we meditate is the intensity. If for one moment you completely let go and are peaceful, you've reached your goal. Please, pay close attention here. I want you to remember this:
Single-pointedness for a nanosecond shifts everything. It changes the Karma.


This one moment will allow you to think a new thought. It will allow you to change your life. Now, what would happen if instead of sitting for an hour being uncomfortable and perhaps discouraged, you had several short, but intense meditation experiences throughout the day? What if you tried meditating for maybe 6 minutes @ a time and did that 10 times a day? Would that be the same as meditating straight through for an hour? Yes, it would. You've accomplished your goal...if meditating for an hour is your goal. Set your own limits. IxF=D.


Reflect upon your life and how you are spending your time. How can you vivify that? The practices need structure, so you must make a plan to structure your practice into your day. Kriya Yoga gives you techniques to use as tools to live the life you want. But you must incorporate those techniques into your life in order for them to be effective. Remember this and you will find that single-pointedness will bring you maximum intensity.

Shanti,
  S.