Meditation – The Surest Way to Personality Development

“It gives me great pleasure to be at the World Headquarters of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya at Mt. Abu to interact with educators on a subject, which greatly contributes to creating a Better Society. I have the added pleasure in being here today as I not only belong to Rajasthan, which houses the world Headquarters of this Vidyalaya, but am also the Head of the State of Arunchal Pradesh, where the Brahma Kumaris have been doing commendable work for the past 25 years. Since I take pride for both these reasons, it becomes essential that I briefly narrate to you the pioneering activities of the Brahma Kumaris in my State of Arunchal Pradesh as well as in the other seven Sister States of the North East, including Sikkim. In addition to what has already been stated by persons who have achieved intellectual and spiritual heights, I feel one of the important aspects of Personality Building is having the right attitude. It is important for people to have good character, integrity, good values and positive attitude. If one has the right attitude, experience and sound education, he is on the right path.

There are various ways through which one can develop a positive attitude, e.g. look for the positive, do not procrastinate, develop an attitude of gratitude, education with values, increase your knowledge, build a positive self-esteem, stay away from negative influences etc. etc. one should remember that life is an ‘Echo’ or a Boomerang. The biggest hurdle in building a positive attitude is ‘Ego’, which is negative pride, resulting in arrogance. While healthy pride is feeling of pleasure, ego gives a swollen head. We all know that while a big head gives a big headache, a big heart always displays humility. One should also differ from ‘Selfishness’ and ‘self interest’. While selfishness is negative and destructive, self-interest is positive. One should have an open mind, accept responsibility and have consideration for others.

Lastly, remember that every success story is also a story of great failure. The question now arises in our mind, how to achieve personality development? Various Action Plans, solemn oaths and promises can be taken, but the surest way is through ‘Meditation’. Over the past three days, you have already received intensive training in moral, human and spiritual values through Raja Yoga Meditation. In simple words, meditation cultivates awareness of one-self and the world and infuses a calming effect steadily over time. It produces a feeling of deep realization and is considered a cure of several illnesses, apart from increasing one’s capacity to handle stress and turmoil and increases self-confidence.

Today human beings lead a hurried and harried life, with hardly any opportunity to pause and ponder. Communication with the inner and the outer mind reduces the pulls of the opposites. It is natural that initially all of us would find Meditation difficult. Mother Teresa, who finally achieved so much in this respect, had once confessed that when she made the initial attempts, she felt the impossibility of collecting her thoughts and fixing her attention. It was only after 14 years had passed that she was able to practice Meditation without the aide of a book. She said, “Prayer is when you talk to God: Meditation is when you listen to Him”. A healthy body, healthy mind, healthy thoughts, will power and work efficiency go hand-in-hand in contributing to Personality Development. All these, as well as Stress Management, which is extremely important in today’s world full of stress and strains, can be achieved through Meditation.

To conclude, in the words of Rajyogini Dadi Prakashmani Ji, which she conveyed on conclusion of 62 years of this World famous Institution, the World today is standing on the verge of total destruction. It should be our desire to bring in a peaceful and prosperous World. The hour of Kaliyug has to be replaced by Satyug or the Golden Age and in order to make this a reality, there has to be self-empowerment by every human being, which can be achieved through meditation and spiritual study. I would like to wish all of your good luck in practicing and achieving what you have learnt during your stay at this great Institution.”

H.E. Bro. Arvind Dave