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Study Circle Notes – Thursday 20th Jan 2011

A few notes in relation to conducting Study Circle:

1)To be held at Nitinbhai’s house every 2nd Tuesday of the month

Address is – 38 Eastcote Road, Pinner, Middx, HA5 1EH.

2)Ashokbhai to lead the study circle and others to also take the opportunity to lead a session
3)Timings are approx 8.15pm – 9.30pm
4)Topics to be confirmed but will concentrate on Thought for the Day at present
5)Any changes will be communicated to all

Focused on Thought for the Day – 31st Dec 2010

Never feel depressed when you are weighed down by difficulties. God will never impose on you ordeals that you cannot bear. He tests his devotees in various ways. Test is the ‘taste’ of God. Never fear any test. Be ready to sacrifice even your life for the sake of God. Only then will God protect you. There are no defects in God. All words and deeds of God are perfect. What you see is the reflection, reaction and resound of your feelings. They are psychological in nature. God always grants us welfare alone. Understand and experience this truth.

What are difficulties? They are God’s gift to man. We should study to become steady. Steady in thought, word and deed. Tests are something God himself uses to ascertain our Love and Faith. Between 2 states of happiness there is sadness. We cannot escape that and it is not something the Baba can change either. Instead we should thank God for the good times but also the bad. For He wants us to remember him in the good times and the bad.

To relieve some of the difficulties we face in the external world we should practice control of the mind through meditation. Everything in life is reaction, reflection and resound. Good thoughts, words and deeds that come purely from the heart will surely be heard and seen by Baba. Surrender your actions at his Lotus Feet in order for Baba to protect and guide us. Baba says ‘that we either want him to protect us or not’. Remember that Baba is here for us to develop spiritually. Whether that is individual or group sadhana is must be practised.

Baba is the embodiment of purity and perfection. He has no defects. Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of man. The latter (Brotherhood of man) is something that we must try to understand and practice. That was the topic of discussion at the National Orientation and Welcome Day conference. We can understand the God is our Father but do we really believe that all are our brothers and sisters. See God in all when you meet them to really feel Baba. Do not be disillusioned that God is not present in them, for Baba says He is in everyone at all times.

Japa is another spiritual practice that is used to control the mind. All the problems in the world are due to the mind. If we learn to control the mind and use our intellect then we will be able to tale a step forward to helping our family, friends, society and the wider community.

Spiritual practice and its methods are gifts from Baba. He wants us all to become close to him and move away from duality to Oneness with him. Whatever path we choose to take on this journey of spirituality should be followed with full Faith and Love.

Baba doesn’t ask us to follow him or tell us to follow him. All He asks is that we follow any deity, genuine/self realised sage or saint with full faith to become a better person. Once we understand this, spirituality becomes a way of life and intuitional rather than something that is mechanically practised.