What does it mean to make peace your state of mind? “Gradually you develop a habit of goodness, a hang-up for kindness, a positive passion for the welfare of others,” Easwaran explains. “In terms of emotional engineering, you are using the mind’s enormous capacity for passion to develop the power to put other people first: and not just verbally, but in your thoughts and actions as well. Eventually kindness becomes spontaneous, second nature; it no longer requires effort. There is nothing sentimental about this quality, either; kindness can be as tough as nails.” Continuing our study of Turning Ideals Into Action: The Spiritual Challenge from the Blue Mountain Journal, let’s read Easwaran’s article on pages 23–33 and examine more of his presentation on the dynamics of acquiring a peaceful mind.
What is Easwaran telling you about the workings of your own mind? This week, use this new understanding to get some cooperation from your mind when it is being uncooperative. Tell us how it goes!
Let’s continue extending our practice of putting others first. In this week's reading Easwaran writes, “Nothing we do could have a more beneficial influence on those around us than remaining calm and considerate in the midst of ups and downs.” For this week’s challenge, reflect on a situation where you’ve been agitated recently and craft a strategy for remaining calm and considerate the next time you face it.
Mantrams for Peace and Healing
Throughout the ages, when times were dark and people were losing hope, the saints and sages gathered with their students to lift up their prayers, asking for the Lord to bring help to the suffering world. It is said that over and over again, we’ve been rescued by Divine forces in this way. So let’s join Easwaran, Christine and Granny in this ancient tradition. We’re calling on all of us to lift up our mantrams for peace and healing in the world throughout the entire month of January. Here is how we will do it:
Please find a nice little blank book to fill with mantrams. We’re going to aim to fill up our books with mantrams by the beginning of February, and then, if you will, please send your book of mantrams to us here at the BMCM. We hope to gather all the books by February 14, a day especially inaugurated by Christine as “Ramagiri Aspirations Day.” On Aspirations Day, the Ramagiri residents gather to rededicate themselves to Easwaran’s legacy. We hope to place all those books full of mantrams before Easwaran’s altar at Ramagiri. That will be a fitting offering for peace and healing in the world.
We’ll need to get cracking with our mantram writing so we can get those books filled. Please join us, this is a grand offering for a very grand and needed purpose!
Let’s all send our mantram books to:
BMCM
PO Box 256
Tomales, CA 94971
For a spiritual treat, here is the second half of the video we started last week. The player should start automatically where we left off at timepoint 8:30, so feel free to restart at the beginning if you missed it last time. In the video, Easwaran reminds us about all the opportunities our desires offer for gaining a firmer, fitter will. He also discusses practical ways we can make great strides towards realizing our true Self within.