The Power of Awareness

 

Is it possible to improve or maintain your health without awareness? Even if we have incorporated healthy habits into our daily lives and have learned as much as we can from the information available to us through scientific studies, when it comes down to it, only you are there to make sure that you make the right choices. That is, unless you are 5 years old and are lucky enough to have parents who teach you what those right choices are :) 

 

It may seem like an overwhelmingly large and complicated task to make sure that every day we incorporate healthy food and drinks into our diet, avoid the unhealthy food and drinks, make time for a 10-minute walk at least, and make sure that we get at least 8 hours of rest per night. OK, it is large and complicated but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. We can start by just being aware of what our daily patterns are right now, this week. Keeping a food journal or a workout journal is very helpful (I'll post some useful websites for that on a separate post) as is using a pedometer to find out how many steps you take during the day. If we take some time each day to think about how the day went, what we did well and what we'd like to change or improve on, then this task not only seems achievable but can also be very rewarding. The good news is that by bringing ourselves to account each day, we also have to give ourselves credit for the things that we do right!

 

Here are some of the quotes that were studied at the last Health Devotional on Saturday, June 30th. You might have seen one or two quotes before but the more I search for themes, the more I find them to be overlapping. Please feel free to send me your comments, suggestions, and questions! :)

O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

- Baha’u’llah, Hidden Words, Arabic #13

O MY FRIEND! Thou art the daystar of the heavens of My holiness, let not the defilement of the world eclipse thy splendor. Rend asunder the veil of heedlessness, that from behind the clouds thou mayest emerge resplendent and array all things with the apparel of life.

-  Baha’u’llah, Hidden Words, Persian # 73

 “…the mind and the spirit of man are cognizant of the conditions and states of the members and component parts of the body, and are aware of all the physical sensations; in the same way, they are aware of their power, of their feelings, and of their spiritual conditions. This is the knowledge of being which man realizes and perceives, for the spirit surrounds the body and is aware of its sensations and powers. This knowledge is not the outcome of effort and study. It is an existing thing; it is an absolute gift.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp.157

GLORY be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath existed before all things, Who will exist after all things and will last beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth all things, and is supreme over all things. Thou art the God Who dealeth mercifully with all things, Who judgeth between all things and Whose vision embraceth all things. Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of my position, Thou dost witness my inner and outer being.

- The Bab  Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 217

“O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  Bahai Prayers, pp. 152

“As this physical frame is the throne of the inner temple, whatever occurs to the former is felt by the latter. In reality that which takes delight in joy or is saddened by pain is the inner temple of the body, not the body itself. Since this physical body is the throne whereon the inner temple is established, God hath ordained that the body be preserved to the extent possible, so that nothing that causeth repugnance may be experienced. The inner temple beholdeth its physical frame, which is its throne. Thus, if the latter is accorded respect, it is as if the former is the recipient. The converse is likewise true.”

- The Bab  Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 95

"You should not neglect your health, but consider it the means which enables you to serve. It - the body - is like a horse which carries the personality and spirit, and as such should be well cared for so it can do its work! You should certainly safeguard your nerves, and force yourself to take time, and not only for prayer and meditation, but for real rest and relaxation."

-       Shoghi Effendi  Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual, 23 November 1947

“ Look inwards and not at others, not others’ opposition nor what they did or failed to do,but in oneself should be sought things done, things left undone.”

-       Dhammapada, Verse 50 (Buddhist Teachings)

“Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday…. Guard against idleness and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth mankind, whether young or old, whether high or low.”

-       Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah (LAWḤ-I-HIKMAT - Tablet of Wisdom) pp. 138

 

“Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and the sun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning place of heart and soul, shining brightly.”

-       ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha  11 pp. 405

 

“Let no one imagine that these words imply that man should not be thorough and careful in his undertakings. God has endowed man with intelligence so that he may safeguard and protect himself. Therefore, he must provide and surround himself with all that scientific skill can produce. He must deliberate, thoughtful and thorough in his purposes, build the best ship and provide the most experienced captain; yet, withal, let him rely upon God and consider God as the one Keeper.”

-       ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace  pp. 48

“Those who are beyond the dualities that arise from doubts, whose minds are engaged within, who are always busy working for the welfare of all living beings, and who are free from all sins achieve liberation in the Supreme. Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future.”

-       Bhagavad Gita, Verses 5.25-5.26