‘When my father was very ill, I had to spend long hours waiting in a hospital corridor. Everyone around seemed busy and stressed. I consciously started to send out vibrations of peace. When I did this, a sweet smile naturally came out of their faces. Before long, people were smiling back at me and the atmosphere lightened. So I knew that thought vibrations were having an impact on others, although everyone was just as busy as before,” recalled B.K. Jayanti, London-based author, international speaker and peace emissary.
Born in India and raised in Britain, Jayanti has acquired Eastern wisdom with Western education and lifestyle. She is the European director of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University and its representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
With over 40 years of experience in meditation, she has written several books and delivered lectures on spirituality and mental clarity, designed for hectic lifestyles.
Joy, truth, beauty
Jayanti works on the premise that our natural state is joy, truth and beauty. Over time, we have moved away from our true nature. This indicates that the art of thinking has been forgotten as life has become a series of reactions to situations.
Jayanti pointed out that despite the continuous advancement in information technology in the world, it is ironic that we have a limited understanding of our thoughts, attitudes and emotions. We tend to feel that we are victims of external situations. However, it is our right to gain mastery of events and not allow them to have a negative influence on us.
“Whatever my thoughts, that is what I become. If I want to make my life full of truth and beauty, then let my thoughts be full of truth and beauty,” said Jayanti. “This sounds very simple, but our thoughts are rather like a ball of mercury, difficult to capture.”
Training the mind
She said the mind moves in various directions and at vast speed. “Sometimes we don’t know where it is going or why, and only after the experience do we begin to see what has happened. Then we say, ‘Why did that happen?’ We don’t realize that it is I who made it happen or allowed it to happen.”
We can break this pattern of being vulnerable to situations by training the mind to think positively. Here is her guide in improving the quality of thinking.
Detachment. This word is not to be misconstrued as alienation or separation. It means to distinguish the outside world—work, wealth, relationships—from the inner world of feelings, conscience, awareness and personality, elements that comprise the true self. “These are the ingredients which I, the detached observer, can creatively experiment within the ‘art’ of thinking and can apply in the art of living,” said Jayanti.
Knowing the mind and the spirit. The essence of the human being is the spiritual being. The mind is a function of one’s spirituality. It can go from the conscious level to deeper levels of motives and conscience. “As I observe the quality of my thinking and understand where it is coming from, then I start to be selective. As a detached observer, I choose which types of thoughts I would like to have. What I will become totally depends on what types of thoughts I choose to have. So the art of thinking starts with the ability to stand back and look inside my own mind.” Jayanti warned that if we don’t make it a daily habit to take the time to clear our thoughts, then life will just push us around.
Take personal responsibility. When something occurs that is not to our liking, we often blame the external factor for our negative reaction. In truth, we are born as creators of our own thinking and responses. We are responsible for our state of mind and well-being and no one else. Allowing situations or people to affect us means that we no longer have control over the quality of our thinking.
“Realizing my responsibility, I am challenged to make a decision whether to take on all that negativity, or rather to respond creatively with positive thoughts and responses from my own inner world,” said Jayanti.
Changing our thought patterns. Habits and reactions can be traced as far back as childhood. Our internal responses to a situation, in turn, instigates the external reaction. Jayanti cited the example of drawing a dot in the middle of a blank paper. Most people will see the dot. In truth, 99 percent of the sheet is blank. This is the same behavioral pattern when looking at people. We tend to took at the minor flaw and overlook the individual’s vast goodness. Correcting these deep-seated thought patterns needs courage, time and effort, especially in this world where the mind is constantly distracted.
“Once I am aware that I am actually creating my own thoughts, then I can begin to master the art of creating the best thoughts,” she said. Hence, instead of reacting to the weaknesses of others, we can practice looking at their strengths until it becomes a habit.
Understanding cause and effect. Relationships are the most severe of all the factors to grapple with in life. They are governed by the law of cause and effect or giving and taking, receiving and sharing. A person who maintains a positive attitude will reap the benefits. Likewise, a negative attitude will create obstacles in relationships. “What I am inside is what I will project through my give and take in relationships. What I give is what will come back to me. Taking responsibility to change my thoughts and feelings can radically shift the balance in relationships and transform them.”
Empowering my thoughts. When we remove our emotional baggage and remove the clutter from our thoughts, the mind becomes clear and original qualities of the spirit begin to resurface. Focusing thoughts on the Supreme Being, the spiritual source, invigorates the spirit. Jayanti likened it to the sun beaming its rays on the seed and allowing it to flourish and bloom.
The Brahma Kumaris will hold a free program, “Carry Peace Inside You” on Jan. 30 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Venue is at 7484 Bagtikan, San Antonio Village, Makati City. Call tel. nos. 8907960 or 0927-2808363.