God in Brahma Kumaris

Conditioning could be successful if there is an authority to obey behind it or a strong feeling, which will take us to do things and believe things which otherwise we wouldn’t.

The conditioning of mainstream society has power, for there are authorities behind it: The law and their representatives, religious leaders, politicians, business owners, etc. There is a hierarchy which is built upon each level. A member of society knows about obeying certain things and the consequences of not doing so. The concept of punishment is introduced and that will shape our view of the world and the one beyond.

Who is the authority to follow beyond this current existence?
Obviously our “leaders” have no clout over the “after life.”
That is how “God” was introduced in mainstream. If we observe his “job description,” it is a mirror of our society’s hierarchy, which is clearly seen in the most popular religions. He is the “one to obey” (love) to fear, to get salvation from or to be punished if his law is not followed.

The collective consciousness understands this easily. That is my point: The realms beyond the physical world do not comply with our understanding or our laws. Human understanding is limited by conditioning.

The question then, is not whether God exists or doesn’t. The question is, if we are willing to look, to observe deconditioned.

In Brahma Kumaris, the “job description” of God changed completely. God is no longer the “creator.” God is no longer the one who punishes disobedient people. God is no longer watching everyone, everywhere. God is the one who gives “knowledge.”
However, most followers do not understand this knowledge, no matter how long they have been following.

The title of “God” then is changed to “Supreme Soul.” Another set of beliefs could be added to make a difference between a human soul and the “supreme” soul. Observe the power of words, the terminology used, basically refers to the same thing:  The Authority.

An “experience” with the realm beyond the physical is cherished by most. Sure, it is unique. This will give the opportunity to affirm our ego: “I am special.” Moreover, we could add the word “god” to make our experience the “top one.”

“I have experienced God.”
Avyakt7 knew that line very well. Avyakt7-NG (Ahnanda) respects that, and sees the personal evolution through that.

For a kid, to say “dad” is important. Everyone else says it and beyond the word is the feeling of having someone near and dear, someone who cares. When humanity feels in despair, God is very important to feel that company and like “Santa Claus,” someone will play that role, to bring smiles and joy to those kids. That is the gift of God.
Of course, human ego can only see that their “Santa Claus” is the only and true Santa. That is how many religions appeared and how the clothes wore by Santa became more important than the person inside them.

For the common good.

On “Shrimat”: The Elevated directions

Once someone joins the army, there are directions to follow. The army relies on consistency of follower’s activities. The army has an objective to accomplish, a task. The soldiers (followers)  are merely trained to fit into that objective.

Thus, to follow the directions given by superiors of the hierarchy of the army, is considered to be “good.” Not to follow those directions is “bad.” Thus, soldiers can be expelled or rewarded based on their activities, their DOING.
Similarly, is the experience with cults and religious systems. To obey the directions from “above” is mandatory to be able to stay within that system.

In Brahma Kumaris, those directions are called “Shrimat.” That label implies that directions are “higher,” coming from a “higher authority,” God.
It is interesting to note that Baba called the BK clan as the “salvation army” and the “Shakti army.”
It is necessary to believe that “Shrimat” comes from God to avoid opposition, misbehavior within the system. Shrimat has to be some law or some set of directions that are applicable for the entire army. For the sake of consistency, every soldier gets the same. That is a useful stratagem to keep things in order and simple.

Nevertheless, Shrimat has come from human beings.

How do I know this? The cycle of time assures that whether someone goes left or right, their destination is achieved. Every experience is necessary whether we label those as “good” or “bad.” We “learn” by change of consciousness which happens through Life experiences.
The mind may calculate: “If I do this, things may go awful for me. I may not get to heaven. Even worse, I will repeat the same “mistake” for eternity.” Thus, the individual does not DO. However, deep inside he wanted to DO. He is lying to himself.
The negation of something will add up as a repressed activity that will show up at a later time with even greater intensity. Yes, you followed Shrimat like a good follower. You avoided something… but, it will come up again until your DOING is equal to your BEING.

Someone may blame their sanskaras coming up despite their  intense “efforts” to follow Shrimat. Isn’t this a typical situation?
What is missing is inner honesty. Your DOING is not according to your BEING.  BEING has to change. Shrimat is only avoiding your DOING or NOT DOING something. It is ACTION conscious, it does not deal with BEING.

Now here is the punch line. How is that BEING going to change?
Not necessarily by following Shrimat. That is why, Sakar Murlis (5/4/17) are now saying: “Baba takes the pulse of the soul and sees his circumstances before giving Shrimat. It is not the same for everyone.”
Thus, Shrimat is up to God to be accurate for you. How do you know that your “elevated directions” are specific for you?  How is God speaking directly to you and not someone else? Are there any intermediary persons?
Food for thought.

Compassion is the only knowledge

When we perceive that the Drama is as it must be, a sense of compassion arrives.
I am using the word compassion, because it is known by the masses thanks to Buddhism. However, the definition of compassion as “sympathetic pity and concern for the suffering and misfortunes of others” is far from what compassion is.

In my experience, compassion is to acknowledge that every experience as perceived by others or the self, is important for the development of that being.

Empathy is perhaps the closest word to compassion.
When there is no knowledge, then pity is the outcome. That energy of pity is highly detrimental when sent to others.

Compassion arrives as the understanding “that I have had a similar experience which was necessary in my development.” Thus, I feel with you, I empathize with you; but I understand that there is benefit at the end.

This is hard to understand when we are caught up with what is happening at the moment without knowing the BK motto: “The Drama is beneficial.”

In my trip to Peru, we experienced some days without water in the capital. There were mudslides in other parts which were contaminating the water supply. Many people experienced hardships (inundation, diseases, animal death, etc.) TV was showcasing sorrowful images and people’s cries for help. Sorrow was everywhere, even for those who did not experience the things first hand.

Individuals may believe that “God is punishing them.” Very few realize that it is merely a consequence of their own acts to control Nature and that global warming is a reality thanks to Human “Progress” driven by “economy of scales.”

Yes, someone could help. Someone could act and go there and lend a hand. That is great!
What is the feeling fueling this action?
That is awareness for those who are ready. This feeling is the decisive factor for the consequence of that action.

That is why, to help someone because it is “right” has no meaning. That creates individuals who are unable to feel and empathize with others.

Of course, there are individuals who can take advantage of this by saying: “Why don’t you empathize with me?”
The honest answer is: Because I don’t feel it.
To empathize does not mean to necessarily take action, but the feeling may be the action itself.

Empathy and not pity is the type of compassion that builds up feelings to take us away from the “righteous mind.” Paradoxically, “real knowledge” is beyond the mind.

For the common good.

Wah Drama!

If Brahma Kumaris followers were to replace the word “Drama” with the word “Life,” they may see “Life” under a different perspective.
This is the power of words.

There is no law, but Life itself. There is no God but Life itself. Now, if you call that “Drama,” then we could understand why Sakar Murlis speak about the Drama as being even “more powerful than God.”

Someone may have their little morality running their lives. Their little codes, values and precepts and commandments of Do’s and Don’ts, just because someone’s Life is being run by those external beliefs; it doesn’t mean that I am “righteous,” it just means that someone may feel at ease by conforming with their own values and beliefs. That is all.

To be called a “saint” an “angel” or a “godly man” and all of those “nice words” that everyone becomes when dead, is meaningless.

In Life, we can only be who we truly ARE. We are called to express that. However, the layers of conditioning are hiding our true selves.
Many religions believe in placing another layer of conditioning in top of whatever someone brings with him. That is to hide through a “new” behavior, the traumas made by past conditioning. Those traumas will come out sooner or later and they need to be healed, in order to “Be yourself.”

In Life, many times the impossible comes true. A belief in what “should be” could deny the expression given by Life.

Most Human beings are concerned in labeling things as “good” and “bad,” not with the sole purpose of describing something, but with the intention to show rejection or distaste of that which is considered “bad.” Their value system, codes of conduct, morality, etc. do not approve what Life is presenting to them. It “should not be” like that.

Observe that in the “Unlimited” (As BapDada would say in Avyakt Murlis) everything that happens is as it should be, that is “good.”
In short, everything that happens in Life is “good.”

That is a pill hard to swallow. Life is not about my little interests and beliefs; but it is greater; unlimited.

In my experience, Beings of Light (Like Brahma Baba) deal with human beings appropriately thanks to the knowledge that they have about the Drama, Life. Basically, they know what will happen in Life in the “future.”

Let us say that a loved one is destined to die because someone will kill her. A Being of Light will not tell me how to avoid her assassination before this happens. A Being of Light will help me to deal emotionally with the issue before it happens and after it happens.

But why? Isn’t Brahma Baba or another Being of Light there to help me? Isn’t he my friend?

All of those human concepts and cheap morality that we see in the Disney channel and Hollywood/ Bollywood movies do not apply to the “Unlimited,” to Life itself.

To understand the Drama/ Life itself; we may need to decondition from all of those things which we consider to be “good, holy, valuable, moral,” etc. Then, flowing with the Drama is to be One with “God;” not because “God” is something different than Life, but because is the same thing. 

To say “Wah Drama!” will not be just another “BK key word” to utter when something unforeseen happens.
Wah Drama! will be an authentic expression flowing from the bottom of our heart at every heartbeat…
Now, that is meaningful. 🙂

For the common good.

BapDada: When a religion defines what “God” should be

It is apparent that Life is full of “exceptions” to the “rule,” but yet when a dogma is more important than Life itself, then the mental dogma will rule over Life.
This is an issue of seeing Life as a “black or white” matter of fact.
This automatically will blind a person from seeing the many colors that Life offers.

Why?
Because is “secure” to see only 2 colors. If we call the color “White” as “good” and the “Black” as “bad,” we have made things easy for the masses to follow.
Exceptions to that are not encouraged for any exception will take the follower out of the dogma. In a “subtle way,” we are expressing that a religion and its dogmatic view is most important than Life which is full of exceptions, full of colors.

BapDada has “no choice” but to follow the script made by a religion.

It is as when a Milk company hires a rock star to endorse its products.
Even though the rock star may suffer from Milk intolerance, he has to say: “Drink Milk: It is good for you.”

BapDada, as we know him now, does not resemble a bit the person/entity that is portrayed behind the Sakar Murlis. To believe that by following those words, a person will “go to heaven” is just a belief in lieu of knowing that every person is different and have different experiences. Reality is full of exceptions, the ideal does not.  Nevertheless, I truly understand that Sakar Murlis are a very important part of the BK method which is geared for the masses. There is no individual journey when we are dealing with the collective consciousness.

Many could say: “Why BapDada does not oppose? He is God after all…”
That question comes from individuals who only know their own little world and extrapolate their conditioning to everyone and everything.

BapDada is not about “Action” now. BapDada is a detached observer. This is the time for the “children” to act, to change, to make up their own versions based upon their limited understanding,  to unleash their own little dramas etc. All is good. 🙂
Because the Drama is predestined, BapDada knows what will happen.
Thus, he relaxes, unwinds, says hello to the “children,” smiles with them, eats with them, asks them to raise their hands, gives them sweet words of encouragement, gives them homework… and once in while, he will pull their ears… That is it.

The children’s expectation will be fulfilled. Everyone is happy!  🙂

For the common good.

The role of BapDada

BapDada has a very unique role in Brahma Kumaris.
In the Drama there are certain experiences that humans have to go through in order to complete the full range of experiences, for this is the way the Drama moves.

Note that I am not saying to “become better.” If we truly understand the cycle of time, we can observe that every experience is fleeting, but eternal. There is no point of arrival. Thus, we can say that those who become “better” are giving the steps to become “worse” after a while. This is the perception of duality in the world.

The above is not comprehensible by most “spiritual seekers.”
Most Spiritual seekers are only concerned in becoming “better now,” not in being aware of what they ARE now. Moreover, most spiritual seekers have already an idea, an ideal of what “better” means. Their minds have that objective to “work on.”
They strive to get to that “ideal” by behaving like the ideal, although they ARE not like that.

The ideal is to become sweet, gentle, loving, angelical… If this does not happen, or improves then something is “wrong.” Fake it ’til you make it.

That childish idea given by an ego driven mind needs to be put aside, sooner or later.

In Life everything is a process. That may not be a word that Baba has said, but just observe the Drama through an unlimited perspective.

Therefore, BapDada’s task is to take Brahma Kumaris followers to a particular experience, which is needed for their development. That is what all BKs have in common, the same type of collective consciousness: Their objective is to become someone, somebody who is spiritually “better.” This ideal will propel a BK follower to endure an ascetic Lifestyle as duality is part of their consciousness, vision and understanding.

BapDada then is the highest authority in Brahma Kumaris, their God. Although the religion itself as it has developed now, is not necessarily a creation of Him. Many items have changed and evolved thanks to followers and people in charge. This has been the same situation with all organized religions.

Many times, deep experiences cannot be put into dualistic words.
A Sakar Murli is very different than an Avyakt Murli, but yet both are believed to be the words of “God.” Both Murlis denote a process of  personal change, just like Avyakt7 changed into Ahnanda (Avyakt7 NG for BKs.) The Murlis are not a static theme made by the same unchanging “God.” Observe that.

Most are unaware of the issues of “channeling” a being. I know that this may be an unnecessary topic here, as most do not have an experience of this. However, let me say that the “words chosen by God” are narrowed down to the vocabulary of the medium channeling and to the quality of the connection.

Yet BapDada will communicate personally only with those who he needs to communicate with according to the Drama. For the rest, it will be a matter of belief. Not fair?
That is according to the Drama. Observe how our little concept of “fairness” goes down the drain.

Many have an expectation of BapDada as if he was an “all powerful, all knowing being” based on someone’s definition of those words.
Rest assured that when you are at the level of a being of light like BapDada, to conform to the ego trip of humans is out of the question.
BapDada will reveal only what it is needed according to the Drama, for what it is according to the Drama is what has to happen. Nothing else.

It is in that perspective that we can see that human desires and perspectives of what is “good” or “bad” or “desirable”  or what “should be” are merely kindergarten wishes in morality, law and codes of conduct. Childish stuff.

BapDada will do as his role calls… and that is “good” because it is according to the Drama. Any human judgment on BapDada’s role based on human morality, is the cry of an infant looking for baby formula.
That may be why BapDada sees children.

For the common good.

The path of yoga

A child’s consciousness will change all by itself into a teenager. There is no consciously “effort” driving this change. As the child ages, his body will transform and reach a point of maturity and then start a process of aging, decaying.
Observe that this process is not just about the body, but also about consciousness.

Is there at any point any need for “effort” to change?
There is no need. It just happens, and what happens is out of our control. It is in the Drama.

The path of yoga introduces the possibility for someone to change himself by sheer use of will power.
This change is according to a particular belief, a particular morality considered to be “right or good.”

A follower of the path of yoga is interested in “DOING the right thing.”

This entails the belief that right now, as we are; we need “improvement.” This improvement is conceptualized by agreement of what SHOULD BE “good or right.”

In Brahma Kumaris to be “right” is supported by the belief that a set of behaviors are considered to be given by God. In other words, to DO something “right”, according to a direction given by God. Your belief in God creates the need to comply with God; according to someone’s concept or experience of what God SHOULD BE.

This is how yoga starts. “Union” or yoga is identified as becoming someone “better,” by using our will power to change ourselves.
“Becoming better” is accomplished by not DOING some things and by DOING others, that is; it is about BEHAVIOR.
To follow a set of “nice” words called “virtues” become the goal, for that; rejection of who we are “now” by suppression and repression becomes part of the training of not DOING.

Therefore, Yoga becomes the path of inner fight. The path of inner struggle.

I am angry, but I want to become anger free. I will “work on it” by becoming aware when anger appears so I could suppress it, or by minimizing the situations that could start my anger, that is by controlling Life. This is a continuous inner fight. It is believed that at one point through “practice”, anger will go away…

However, anger will be there as long as compassion is needed. Ego will be there as long as the mind exists to separate. Attachment will be there as long as ego exists. That is the untold dilemma of Yoga.

The continuous inner struggle is like the metaphorical fish going against the current of the River. Where is the fish going? This stubbornness or courage will lead the fish into some sort of imagined glory among other fish, if it survives.
All of this “effort” only strengthens the idea of separation between “I” and the rest, thus it fortifies the ego.

This path of yoga however, is part of the journey. For ego needs to grow up, to build itself up in order to disintegrate itself, to dilute itself.

What happens when ego dilutes?
There is no fish to struggle against the waters of the River, although; there is a fish. Where is the fish going?
That is no longer a good question. There is no fish, so who is going where?  but there is River… although, there is a fish.
How could there be a fish but yet not be a fish? That is illogical!
That cannot be understood by Yoga… even though, there is “knowledge” of the eternally predestined Drama.

Brahma Kumaris’ path relies on the yoga of the “I.”

For the common good.

Question: Dialogue with ShivBaba?

“It is about talking with Shiv Baba in paramdham, we have done that .. I mean I had done that while I was on that path. We go there by converting ourselves into a point form of soul and visualize baba in front of us and then we both start talking:
Soul: Good morning Baba
Supreme Soul: Good morning my sweet child
Soul: Baba I am not feeling good today
Supreme soul: Why what happened?
Soul: Someone said something really hurtful in office, and I am a little angry on that guy.
Supreme soul: Oh sweetheart, that guy was just playing a role in the drama of your life and in the cosmic drama too. And that too according to his own sanskars. Forgive that soul and move on child.
Soul: Oh baba, you are so great you freed me from anger I had on that guy by giving this answer. Thank you baba, now I have a lot of work, going down on stage back and will see you soon, love you baba.

Well that was my personal example in my own way. But my question is “Are all the replies from Baba are from my own mind and not from Baba, because we feel that when we do? That we are talking with our own mind and not with any supreme being.” 

Thank you for your question.
In Brahma Kumaris a relationship with God is emphasized.
It is a relationship what brings love. It is through love, how a BK is able to follow their ascetic Lifestyle.

Nevertheless, most of the BK followers only know about this God through Murlis or through a BapDada Milan. It is quite impersonal. Very few have actually had a relationship with subtle Brahma.

Could you fall in love with someone who you only know through writings? Could you fall in love with the picture or video of that someone?

Apparently, some have been conditioned to believe that this “feeling” is love.

Therefore, the mind needs to believe that this relationship is in fact going on. That is why, the dialogue that you bring between “you” and “ShivBaba/Brahma Baba” is necessary, otherwise; where is the relationship?

Your mind is making that up, but at the same time; it is believed that you are “connecting with God” through a “feeling” that you get afterwards: You feel more peaceful, calm, happy…. Because you had a conversation with God. You are truly talking to yourself, but it is nice to believe that God is speaking to you and listening to you.

Most individuals cannot recognize what is their minds and what is not, so it is safe to have a structured “chit chat” where you know what God will tell you (good things) and you know your role of a complainer (bad things). That is the arrangement. It works!

Observe that this same procedure is used nowadays through the impersonal use of technology.
For example, someone may call me “their guru” because she likes the stuff that I write here and she likes my picture.
In reality, what comes through  these writings is not me. My picture is not me. 
A relationship is needed for “love” to appear. Something personal, to be around that person to get to know the person… this will certainly unmask the fantasy.

This “relationship” is all mental as for most; Brahma Baba and ShivBaba are only beliefs, pictures, writings, a collection of stories told by someone else higher up in the hierarchy.

That is the level of honesty that needs to be accepted before moving on… but the attachment to the idea: “I have found God, I cannot be wrong” is so profound; that it is best to live with the fantasy created by the unobserved mind rather than to acknowledge “what is.”

Nevertheless, The Brahma Kumaris method of a “relationship with God” is necessary for those who need to feel assured that they are in the “right path.”  The power of “yoga” then, is understood as needed baby formula that is given to a baby in his process of growth. You think God, you feel God… you believe God… but most important;  YOU are “special and safe” for you know God.  A time proven way to develop ego, which is necessary to dilute it.

 

For the common good.

The danger of extremes

Balance, harmony, vitality. Those labels are more than words, indescribable states of being.
There are no formulas, not methods to “get there,” for no one but yourself could find that state.

Harmony, vitality and balance are never found in extremes.
If there is a suggestion that I’d like to convey to BK brothers and sisters out of my experience in the Brahma Kumaris movement; is the above.

Brahma Kumaris is an ascetic path meant to reform an individual. Every individual has different needs, different timing. Once the timing is over, “zeal and enthusiasm” will be lacking. At that point, many will DO things to continue on, to force things. The rationale goes something like this: It is the “right thing to DO,” “I should be doing this,” “I am an example,” “what the senior/God may think about me?” etc.
The outcome is the feeling of duty. It is a burden that many are willing to live with as “martyrs” for the rest of their lives.
That is when we reach the extreme. However, the conditioning of the mind and all the learned fears imbibed through continuous hammering of beliefs, could be very resilient.

Life “now” is no longer an enjoyable experience, but a thing to fear for we have to be careful not to miss our “opportunity” to be someone in the  future,  the “Golden age.”
The belief is that we know exactly what to DO but, that DOING does not change BEING in the most minimum.
Why?
For when there is fear to Life there cannot be love. Love changes, transforms. Fear stagnates.

That is how a BK brother or sister could be proud to be X number of “years in gyan,” but that doesn’t tell the full story.
There may be fear underneath which is covered up so we can look “good” now and to convince ourselves that this will take us to a happy “Golden age” in the future, with a “good status,” a veeman and a Life of artistic endeavors in debonair style.
Make your life miserable now. Suck it up in the name of God. Repress yourself but label it as being virtuous. Tomorrow, “you” will be a happy camper!

That is a self-inflicted lie.

Reformation ends when we discover inner honesty.
That is what we have lost by living under the conditioning of a society. 
Rather than observing that from a different perspective, the one offered by Brahma Kumaris; and use that time to heal our traumas; we use the time to become self-righteous by being oblivious of our own feelings and observations and many times become obsessed with an ideal, which we will always fall short on reaching. It is the pie in the sky syndrome.

 The extreme has been reached and we are not aware of it.

This is how many followers have lost their own lives. It is not because of the BK path, for their mission is to entice the follower to follow until the “end,” as otherwise it will not take the effect of a reforming path.

There is no glory in reaching the extreme, but to experience it can only take someone sooner or later, into the other extreme. Paradoxically, the extreme that is avoided, will be embraced. That may be the Life teaching; therefore, there is nothing wrong with reaching the extreme, it is neither good nor bad; just “is.” Don’t worry. Whether you get there or not, you will be alright…   Enjoy the game. Be aware of it.  🙂

 For the common good.

Happy Holidays! Until January 3rd! 🙂

Question: Is the mind separate from the soul?

“It is about mind and soul. Are mind and soul two different entities or the same entities?
Now when I practice Rajyoga, it is believed that when soul does the task of creating thoughts, the soul itself is acting as a mind, in other words in the very first lesson, they give a statement that “Mind is one of the three faculties of the soul”.
However, after exploring you and Osho, I practiced “Awareness”, just being aware of all my “Doings” and sometimes “thinking”. So, in that practice I experienced my own mind as a separate entity than me. Because as soon as I was getting a thought of any kind of judgement, I was able to distinguish that I did not create it, it is my mind who created that judgmental thought….”

Thank you for your well elaborated question, Dinesh.
Whenever the mind is looking for an answer such as: Is the soul separated from the mind? Yes/No. The answer becomes the important thing. Although it will not affect you at all. It is about “being right,” that becomes truly the thing.
In self-realization, the intellectual answer is not important at all. What matters is what you found out: ” I experienced my own mind as a separate entity than me. Because as soon as I was getting a thought of any kind of judgement, I was able to distinguish that I did not create it, it is my mind who created that judgmental thought.”

That is the most important thing. Please do not put that as an “answer” or even worse as “the answer.” Forget about answers and keep observing. Observe how the thoughts could change your mood, the way you feel, observe how they make you react when you identify with them as being “my thoughts.”
Some people will be aware that those in fact are their thoughts. They will swear that they are creating them. That is their level of awareness. You have found something different, something crazy… If those are not your thoughts, whose thoughts those are ?

“Wrong” question. It does not matter. Just be AWARE of them.
Every belief has a counter belief. To illustrate, let me give a BK example:
It is the belief in Brahma Kumaris that a happy world, is a world WITHOUT God.
No? 🙂
What is the Golden age, then? A happy world without God.
Therefore, how could there be any happiness with God?
That is the other Brahma Kumaris belief: We can be happy now, because there is a God.

One belief about happiness cancels the other. Do you see that?

Is the power of yoga something that happens in a connection with God?
Yes?
Then, how do babies are born in the Golden age?
Through the power of yoga, as the Sakar Murli says.
But, how can that be yoga if there is no God there?
That is the enigma of the “power of yoga.” It is a connection with God and a connection with no God.

A BK who is “knowledgeable” has a baggage of beliefs based on a story which hasn’t been experienced many times. It is a “Baba says” world.
Nonetheless, what is believed to have been spoken by Baba, is just another belief. Belief upon belief, we could build a dogma to be taken as truth by followers.

The intellectual stuff that I wrote as examples, do not mean a thing for those interested in self-realization. It is just a bunch of ideas, beliefs. The core of AWARENESS is observation. That is what matters, to be AWARE.

AWARENESS is not a practice, although in the beginning we may “practice it,” all you need to be AWARE of, is how you feel during different scenes that Life will bring. What happens, does not matter. What matters is to be AWARE of how you feel in front of those things that are happening. Why?
Because that is how you discover who you ARE. From that point, who you ARE could change. Tomorrow, I will share an article about this in “Exploring the Depth of Living.”

Purposely, I haven’t given you an answer to your question… but I have. Either way whether “Yes, the mind is part of the soul or No. It isn’t” have no importance at all. In Life, in the Universe everything is together, but the mind is always trying to separate things, for that makes an intellectual answer.

Here is an article that could help in your observation:
https://avyakt7.com/2014/11/23/positive-thinking-viewed-from-a-different-consciousness/

For the common good.