The Brahma Kumaris approach to mastering our mind

In the middle of my interview with Sister Claudia at the Vancouver Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre, a timed prayer came on and we paused in silence for a few minutes.

Instead of collecting myself, I sneaked a few glances at Sister who seemed to have disappeared into another world with her serene eyes wide open.

I badly wanted to examine her more closely in this state, perhaps wave a finger in front of her eyes to see what would happen, but I didn’t want to appear rude.

Where? Where did she go?

Of course her answers didn’t satisfy my restless mind, because a “peaceful place” cannot be grasped by the mind. It has to be experienced. How does one describe happy? She asks. One needs to be happy in order to feel it.

On our natural state

Happiness and peace, she says is our natural state. By practicing Raja Yoga meditation, we learn to master our mind and re-discover the bliss within us all that is pure energy.

When we understand  that we are made up of energy and that our thoughts and emotions influence our reality, then we can start to change our world.

For example, when we have a negative thought about someone, our energy will harm us and the other person, which will manifest on a physical level. Likewise, positive thoughts invoke a happier world for self and other.

On food

I asked Sister Claudia about their food practices. In the interest of non-violence, Brahma Kumaris are vegetarian and emphasize the importance of keeping our thoughts pure when preparing food because they either enhance or decrease the vibrational level of what we eat, thus affecting our health.

Before eating, she says bless your food and offer it to God as part of your relationship with Him.

On getting to know God

Sister Claudia describes a relationship with God as similar to building a relationship with someone you love. You spend time with them and get to know them so intimately that you can naturally sense what is going on in their hearts. In the same way, through quiet time and by staying open we get to know the difference between conditioned mind (ego) and our heart (God).

Yet again we get the same message that the way to peace is…within.

Photo credit: Inner Light Meditation