I'm Shanti.
Good evening,
Welcome to everyone.
This is Rose from Inner Space in Glasgow and we're going to look at the power to co-operate.
Now I know we've heard this power to cooperate for a long time but we're going to look at it very deeply in that whatever energy we think,
This is the entire world,
Everyone picks up the vibe.
So all the sadness and the sorrow and the worry and the pain in the world affects every single soul on the planet,
Which is why it can seem quite difficult at times to focus on I'm a soul and which is why it's really critical that we learn the art of being aware of being the soul.
Souls are always sending out energy vibrations and the soul is consciousness and that consciousness and our thoughts radiate energy.
And so do I bring my best energy to every situation?
I have to teach myself this.
I mean we do get into and get influenced by the heaviness around us but Raja Yoga is teaching us to pull out of that as much as possible with understanding.
And so I can monitor my energy and I can offer this energy in a useful kind and peaceful way to others,
To a task and also to the world.
Now the wonderful thing is in this way we're not connected in the other ways,
By family bonds and by the fact we're all human,
But these vibrations we pick them up.
So if we start to have very pure,
Powerful cooperative vibrations,
It applies to everyone else in the world,
It's not just us that pick up all the pain and the agony and the upset,
They will,
Even without maybe realizing and almost against the conscious wish,
Pick up the vibrations of peace and harmony and love and power,
Cooperation.
And so because in that way we're all connected.
And so do I keep adding some positive vibration in some way or other throughout the day?
And can I monitor my attachment to my friends and my ideas and wishes so that the outcome is the best for all involved?
So this is what we teach ourselves if we're listening to spiritual information.
Still think this is,
I'm so clever,
This is my idea,
This is my way.
Not everybody out there's thinking that,
Everyone thinks that they're the ruler of everything.
This is where all this sort of force and push comes from.
Do I think that my opinion is always the right opinion?
Now it can't be because we all have different opinions and in our own way we're all right for whatever role it is we're playing,
We're all different,
We're all unique.
So each and every one of us has an influence on the atmosphere.
That's of the whole world,
That's quite amazing actually.
We can achieve more together.
So I was thinking when we come together like tonight we're sitting together and we're sharing words,
We're listening,
We're focusing.
We are actually cooperating with each other at this moment in time and together if we were sitting separate and doing our housework or talking to our family or friends it would be very different.
But we're sitting here specifically thinking in a more spiritual way and that vibration is so powerful.
So we're sitting here and we're doing service of our friends and relatives and of the world.
Our vibration together is going out into the world.
This is real spiritual cooperation.
So do I stay open to everyone's contribution so no matter where they're coming from I have to see that there's something there,
The real spirit is underneath whatever is happening there.
And do I also keep my self-respect so it might be an awkward situation.
But do I keep my dignity and keep the right attitude for myself and I can be aware of the special contribution that each person makes.
And remember many hands make light work so this is a physical task and also a spiritual task.
This is what this applies to.
But things can quite easily get into a conflict.
A conflict of the roles and responsibilities are not clear then people think wow wow wow whatever.
So do I know how to teach myself again when to listen and then when to speak.
And I was thinking that in every day they'll be different even if it's the same people.
What they're going through will be different,
What the task will will be slightly different,
The atmosphere of the world will be slightly different,
The weather will be slightly different.
So I can't think well I know them and that's I'm just going to do this anyway.
I have to keep paying attention inside to what's the best way to be here.
What's the best energy to use here.
I need to be able to listen,
To understand,
To feel supportive etc whatever energy I need.
This is actually cooperation.
It means I'm being helpful and useful within a task.
So do I pay attention to roles and know when to be in the front.
Sometimes you have to say what's to be done and when to be in the background and just step back and let people get on with what they're going to get on with.
So I need to pay attention to that otherwise there won't be a feeling of cooperation,
There'll be a feeling of hmm don't know about,
I don't think I want to do that.
I have to stay aware.
So to be in harmony is an art.
And how can I have that art?
I have to look within myself over and over,
Keep an eye to how I think and bring my thoughts into a feeling that everything's okay and be so sort of grateful for people who they're helping in any way and not be judging that they're not doing it the way I think they should.
Because every soul can offer a bit of help and they help to live difficulties in any situation.
Everyone has that feeling of well this is a good idea maybe this would be this.
Everyone likes to feel that they're involved.
So if we could remember that with our family and friends actually and keep making them feel that they are important and that they're involved.
And the very best cooperation is when someone uses their energy without wanting to be praised for the task.
There won't be any expectations for praise or acknowledgement which can actually make others feel uncomfortable if they want praise.
And it's good if people get a bit of praise from time to time.
I think there's times when we really deserve to get the medal to be acknowledged.
But to not be looking for owning that task,
It's a very dignified state of self-respect.
People love that actually.
True cooperation is giving silence and good wishes to everyone.
So how do I get the strength to do all of this?
It is with inner stillness and inner silence,
Rajo-gimitation.
And if I could have periods of time where I see myself as the energy and that energy that is I,
The soul,
Has all the power.
It has the energy to look within which we would call tapasya.
It has the energy of cooperation and the two together are like,
Wow.
Because if I can look within in a silent way,
Even while I'm speaking to someone,
I'll see that this is the best way to say this.
So the energy of stillness,
Silence,
Meditation.
And where do I receive my power from?
The one above.
The silent soul.
The soul who's the ocean of stillness,
Silence and peace.
The all-powerful one,
The father of all souls.
If I can remember that one when I really,
Especially if when I really need that strength,
But if I can do it during meditation,
Then I can get my power in advance and be ready for most things that might come my way.
So it is about attention,
Attention,
Attention on the self.
And what is it I wish to be?
I wish to have power.
We need to have power to go through the journey and I want to to feel part of the mix of the people around me.
I don't want to feel separate and I want to feel that I'm appreciating people around me and we would like to feel appreciated.
This is not to do with praise,
But it's to be appreciated.
And if I think I'm the smartest one around,
Then I won't be so appreciated actually.
I'll be more appreciated if I can see that there's a time to stand back and a time to be there.
And so if I can keep seeing the specialities of others,
This is a very,
Very powerful way to think because it stops having waste thoughts and it stops people from feeling uncomfortable.
There's a question from the audience online today.
How do you cooperate in a situation when you feel you've been badly wronged?
Yeah,
I know.
I think the same rules seem to apply.
It's quite tricky.
I think you have to first of all,
I mean I've been through this a lot myself I have to say.
I think you have to first of all cooperate with yourself,
Calm yourself,
Soothe yourself,
Reassure yourself,
Be a friend to yourself and then encourage yourself to do that which is going to give you power and strength.
And I would say when we've been badly wronged,
It's given us a pain and it's added to our incredible emotional discomfort because the memory will keep going back there again and again.
And this is a weak energy believe it or not.
This is making me disempowered.
This is making me feel all sorts of emotional things,
That oh sorrow and sadness.
Now if I can deal with first of all how I'm feeling,
Forget the other soul,
Forget who's wronged you for a wee while and only focus on you.
If I can focus on me and remove the stings,
Funnily enough I start to feel refreshed because I cannot get over that without having freshness in my energy.
I have to be refreshed before I can forgive.
I can't just forgive it would just be words.
It wouldn't be true.
So I have to sit with myself and if possible with the one above and open my heart and pour out how I feel and start to reassure myself,
Soothe myself and start to make such feelings and let them go the hurt.
And if I can let go the hurt I can then start to forgive the one who's hurt me.
And if I can do that I am doing a wonder for myself because I'm replacing that hurt with fresh energy.
I hope that makes sense.
It's interesting,
So it's about cooperating with yourself first.
Yeah otherwise how can you because the mistrust and the hurt and everything is all there.
You can't just put it to the side and try to be nice to someone,
That wouldn't be true.
And you'd still be going on in your mind about the pain and the hurt.
So back to the point about logging,
Attached to my idea,
My way so that I can be more truly cooperative and open to all offerings of assistance and the task.
What's the best method to just check that I'm not getting,
What are the signals if I am getting too attached to my way?
Well for most,
If it was say a task,
A physical task,
There has to be a set of rules.
Like it wouldn't just be all slapdash and you can do this and throw this around and do the next thing.
If it was,
You'd have to look after whatever it is you're doing and take responsibility.
But if it's cooperation,
Everyone wants to feel that they are part of the task.
They don't want to feel that they're at the slaves of the task and that someone is,
It's your way,
We do it your way.
The task itself has rules and regulations and it's not a person that set the rules.
For instance you would do,
You wouldn't bash the furniture around because it's cost a lot of money or you wouldn't just throw all the potatoes out because that costs a lot of money.
So you would be responsible for the task.
But that being responsible means that you're part of the task and you're not there to be treated as nothing in the task.
So if someone is the boss of the task in the wrong way,
People will lose heart.
They won't want to cooperate and they might forcefully,
For the sake of they've turned up,
Start doing it but they won't be happy with it.
So this is not right to think this is my task,
My weight,
But if ever you get the opportunity to explain the rules of the task.
So if for instance if you come to a meditation centre,
We look after things ever so carefully because nobody's really rich and there's not a lot of money going and so you're careful with the possessions and so most people are I have to say.
You treat everything with such respect and so therefore there's no need for someone to be the boss but if it was new people involved they may have to know that no we don't do it that way because it just wastes that so we're very careful when we do this and just explain the rules and then leave it and then you don't really need to be in there being the boss.
Does that make sense?
So much of society and the world is just all set up nowadays for you know being a winner or a loser getting praise or being defamed and you were saying that the aim is to not be seeking praise or acknowledgement because you're just so content with your level of cooperation and your own energy.
Could you say a bit more about that,
About maintaining or developing that?
It sounds like such a faith in the self that you know you are using your best so you don't need constant feedback.
That's it,
You've really said it there.
If we're sincerely doing our best we can't do more than our best and we're not all perfect yet but if we're doing the best we can,
If someone's not pleased with my best well that can make me very disheartened.
It's like I'm giving them the best I can and you're not happy with it.
So to be content's not a little thing you know it takes us to think about it and even if I teach myself to become a bit more content and a bit more content I would say,
Yeah but not to get disheartened because if you're sincerely putting good energy in,
Wow that's great,
You yourself should know that you've done that,
You should know you don't need,
It's nice to be given a bit of respect and well done and things like that from time to time.
It's different from wanting a big accolade of praise and you know but it's nice to be noticed that you're actually there and that you're cooperating and you're sincerely contributing in some way to whatever's happening,
That's brilliant and I should be quite happy with that along with everyone else being acknowledged.
There's a way to cooperate as well as to acknowledge others and be the one who gives the good feedback and the praise.
Not many people do that actually.
No I know.
It's quite an art as well to do it sincerely.
I know it's quite hard to get good feedback from people just no matter what you do.
It would be hard to be acknowledged as having been helpful or useful or whatever.
Someone just asked the question you just answered really that it is good to acknowledge and praise and recognise when people have done well.
Yeah.
It's absolutely fine.
No,
No it's really great.
I mean people need that.
You need that interaction you know but it's not the I need big praise,
I need big praise,
I'll get so upset if I don't get big praise.
That's different.
That's when the ego's coming in sort of big time.
Yeah.
And maybe just a final thing,
I've noticed that sometimes there can be the temptation to withdraw cooperation as a kind of form of punishment you know.
You're like oh well I'm not going to do that anymore because they don't appreciate or that kind of thing.
And on lots of levels but it's like withdrawing your attention or your friendliness or your love.
Obviously it works negatively on the self but it's this reaction isn't it?
It's a reaction,
It's I'm going to punish you.
I'm going to punish you for not noticing me.
I'm going to get back at you somehow.
I'm just not going to come,
I'm just not going to speak to you or I'm just not going to do it.
So yeah well I have to watch that in myself and not try and not be like that because we're not really the judge of others,
We're the judge of ourselves.
And if we look inside the way we're thinking when we're like that you'll find that you're very disgruntled and very annoyed and so you're just as bad as all the people in the world.
You're having not good energy at that point.
So if we see that it's up to us for our own energy to lift that up and think oh I can't,
I mustn't,
This is not good for me.
Probably some kind of humour would help with that.
A bit of a laugh,
Yeah.
It's a bit childish isn't it?
Yeah,
A bit of a lighthearted.
It's not always easy to be lighthearted though but maybe teach the self to have a bit of a laugh,
A bit of a laugh at the self.
Okay.
So we have a minute of meditation.
So before that we'll say thank you so much for coming and being here and cooperating and just think how much that power of cooperation is going out into the world and the world so much needs it.
So all of us have contributed to that task.
So just to sit peacefully for a minute or two.
And the centre of the forehead is this living energy which is the self,
The soul.
And this energy is beautiful in every one of us.
Beautiful living life energy,
The most beautiful energy ever.
I am this point of living life energy and within I,
The soul,
Are my original qualities.
They're still there.
My qualities of purest energy,
Loving,
Peaceful,
Lighthearted,
Friendly,
Healthy energy.
And the more that I think of this and think in this way,
The more powerful those beautiful vibrations will become.
I am a soul.
I can use my energy to lift the difficulties of every soul in the world.
I am light.
A point of beautiful living life energy.
Every soul in the world also,
They're also light,
Beautiful energy.
Om Shanti
