The Nectar of Kindness: A Path to Inner Peace
By sharing what is good and true — love, joy and a sense of lightness — even simply with those in our immediate vicinity, the feeling that my life is of value to the world begins to grow
By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
Hyderabad: As per the dictionary definition, kindness is the virtue of showing love and the qualities of having a sympathetic, affectionate, warm hearted and considerate nature. For many of us kindness may be simple things like saying please, thank you, excuse me, or I am sorry. It may be offering a helping hand, patiently waiting your turn, returning a phone call or favour, or even cheerfully responding with a smile. Kindness, as the Greek philosopher Sophocles said, gives birth to kindness. Within each and every human is a mine of wonderful virtues and qualities, but for so many of us they lie dormant. Seeing, valuing and using these treasures of virtues is the key to a fulfilled life. By reconnecting with and valuing these parts of ourselves, we are learning to see ourselves in the same way that the Divine does. But more than that, we need to share from a genuine heart space all these inner virtues and talents as precious gifts with others, because when we start sharing and using our inner virtues for others, we quickly learn to value ourselves, without needing to compare our contribution to that of others. Remember! By being kind and compassionate, both to others and most importantly to ourselves, we plant kindness in the atmosphere. One must understand that donating money is valuable, but limited in terms of the benefit it brings to our own hearts and the hearts of others. On the other hand, by sharing what is good and true — love, joy and a sense of lightness — even simply with those in our immediate vicinity, the feeling that my life is of value to the world begins to grow. The nectar of kindness is a sanctuary for the heart, a refuge for peace of mind and peace given to others, no matter how large or small the gift.
Till now, time has taught us to view ourselves with harshness. But unlike family, we can choose our teachers. So, we can either listen to the stories of our past, or we can listen to our precious, often silenced voice and with love rekindle that inner sparkle which was lost due to confusion & lack of self-worth. But, how can we reconnect with what is inside without retreating to an isolated mountaintop to escape the noise of the outside world? It’s very simple indeed! By gathering strength in silence, in meditation, we learn to forgive the pebbles and express the jewels within, to choose and live honestly with confidence rather than out of duty and become liberated from the sorrow that our old thinking and self-limiting behaviours bring.
Dedicating a few minutes daily to meditation is a meaningful expression of caring for yourself that can help you move through the mire of feeling unworthy. Meditation enables a person to discover or re-discover the self and to have a channel for heart-to-heart communication with Almighty. It enables a person to penetrate deeply and progressively into deeper levels of the mind and peep into the hidden world of reality. It involves the turning of one’s mind and the flow of his/her love in the direction of the Almighty, giving him/her the hot-line, to communicate with HIM. Thus, it is a technique of self-exploration, leading to the experience of heightened and expanded awareness, reaching God and bringing HIM into the focus of the soul’s awareness. In a word, the principal object of Meditation is to bring the self in conscious touch with the Almighty, thus making it increasingly aware of its divine origin, divine destiny and divine and peaceful real nature. This practice of awareness of Supreme opens greater orbits of being. One not only gets first-hand vision and experience of the ultimate truth and the reality behind all realities but also one feels that one is not merely the creature but also creator of his environment. So, c’mon start meditating from today & rediscover yourself.
