Calmness means remaining serene, composed and undisturbed. It is cultivated by quieting my emotions when I am challenged or upset. Its opposite is agitation.§
Comparing the behavior of one who is calm to one who is agitated§ |
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|---|---|---|
Situation§ |
Calmness§ |
Agitation§ |
Learning that a major storm is coming, you…§ |
methodically make the appropriate preparations.§ |
become emotional and are unable to address the urgent needs.§ |
After a disagreement with a friend, you…§ |
control your speech and calm down quickly.§ |
speak angry words and remain upset for a few days.§ |
When given a challenging task, you…§ |
remain centered and make a sound plan to accomplish it.§ |
worry about failure, become agitated and lose the mental clarity needed to figure it out.§ |
Gurudeva explained: “If you are not peaceful, you are still reacting to past habit patterns. If you don’t feel peaceful, pretend that you do. Feel peace. Feel everybody feeling that same calmness right now.”§
“The mind becomes calm through your understanding of experience and how experience has become created.”§
“The clouding of the mirror of the mind—that reflective pond of awareness which when calm sees clearly—or the ripples of disturbance on the mind’s surface distort seeing and confuse understanding.” “If your emotions are upset and you’re suffering, there’s an area within you that’s calm, peaceful, dynamic, vibrant, watching. That’s the body of the soul.”§
ASSIGNMENT: When you find yourself becoming upset with others during these two weeks, deliberately breathe deeply for a few minutes to calm emotions and relax the mind.§
Date you began this assignment ____________________§
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF CALMNESS: 
§
