Wisdom of a Turtle

Come explore how using the power to withdraw from waste thinking restores energy that can be used to create positive and noble thoughts. Such elevated thinking will not only improve the quality of your own life but will also contribute positively to the creation of a more harmonious world.

Transcript

Hello, everyone. 

Today, our topic is being wise like a turtle.  You ever taught being wise like a turtle? 

 Sometimes when we see certain scenes of nature, of certain animals, there are interesting lessons to learn.  And one thing about turtles is they don't waste their energy. 

 Meaning if they don't have anything to do outside or if there is danger outside, they withdraw within their little house, their shell.  And growing up in the Caribbean, there was one area that we would sometimes go to in certain times of the year, where these big sea turtles would come on land a certain season of the year. At night, they would come to that specific spot on the beach.  They would come on land, and they would go there to lay eggs.  And of course, when it was that season, it used to be a period of a couple of weeks, I think two, three weeks, when they are passing by that area in the ocean, and they come specifically to that beach to lay their eggs. 

 And they used to be huge sea turtles, like a meter long and sometimes 80 high, also huge turtles.  But what you'd be even more amazing is that some of them could live up to 200 years.  So compared to the age they would reach, actually, their body was very small human beings. We can't even reach 100 years in proper health, if at all, we reach.  Our bodies have so many facilities and we have so many comforts. 

 And these turtles, they just live in the wild, and they. 180 years, 200 years, it was quite a thing, because on the carvings of their shell, their home, they could count. They could make out how old they were. And I used to be amazed, living 150 years, and they could do it. They did it. 

 But it means they’re using their physical energies in a very worthwhile way. They're not wasting these small turtles, you know, house pets. They are kept as pets in terrariums, those small animals. They can easily live 16 to 18 years.  Such a small animal, such a huge lifespan. 

 Somehow, somewhere in their physiology, metabolism, they are able to be very efficient and very effective. They don't waste energy. And so the body can live long.  Now, how can we apply that to ourselves and to our own lives? 

 Can we live a life free of waste, or at least diminish the waste? And with this waste, I do not necessarily mean wasting food or wasting clothes or wasting money or wasting physical resources, although that is an extension of it.  But can we become free of waste in our minds?  How many thoughts you need in a day to just go about a day and do the things that are required to do? 

 Most of us have many, many more thoughts than that, and many more topics of thoughts that are not required at all.  So we're wasting our thoughts.  We're having lots of thoughts that are not required, that are useless.  They have nothing to do with what we are supposed to do and what is in front of us at that moment in time.  So that mental energy is wasted and thoughts is just one area. 

 If I have lots of waste thoughts, you can imagine what kind of feelings we have, what kind of attitude, and what kind of vision. My attention goes all over the place. It follows the thoughts that are waste. Anyway, if I'm thinking like that, so can I reduce  the waste in my mind  by becoming more focused on what is required, what is not required? And then I'm not even talking about positive thoughts, or noble thoughts, or thoughts of service or selfless thoughts, just not wasting and focused on the tasks at hand. 

 So if we are that turtle, if we can see ourselves as a turtle and near in our head,  can I withdraw from all those sense triggers that are not required, that distract me? Can I withdraw from all those thoughts about what happened in the past and what happened yesterday and who said what and who did what and whatnot, and why and how and when and where and it shouldn't have been. All of that is waste.  Wasting my energy and diminishing the lifespan which none of us want.  You want to take life enhancing therapy, then check your thoughts. 

 And another area, of course, is worries about future.  To be like a turtle and to focus on what is required.  And now, if we see a bigger picture in terms of the journey of our life and the journey of humanity, what is required in the big society?  What is the time we are living on? And where is it that we need to be going? 

 This world is full of sorrow. This world is full of suffering. This world is full of anger and greed and lust and attachments and arrogance and fears.  This world is full of destructive tendencies.  So if we even look at a bigger picture, what are the tasks at hand? 

 Am I using my life to contribute positively?  Am I using my life to work towards a future where there is harmony at the individual level, at the level of the people around me, but also at the level of society now, to be able to do that, the root cause of all the problems and all the negativity and all the illness and all situations that exist in our world today, is a lack of spiritual wisdom, a lack of spiritual power.  If we had more wisdom, if we had more power, if we had that clear vision, then many, many things would be very different.  So in that context also, what does this world need?  What kind of life can I live that would contribute in a positive way to the creation of a society that is harmonious? 

 Then also I could come to the conclusion, am I using my thoughts? Am I using my consciousness? Am I using my attitude and vision and vibrations? Am I using my energy for that task?  Instead of being scared or angry or stressed out, then I'm just adding to the problems? 

 Or am I using my inner world, my tools, to live for constructing a life and understanding for the whole of humanity in a way that brings benefit? 

 So whether it is at an individual level in my life or whether it is my part in the world, how am I using my resources?  And one of your biggest resources is your thoughts.  To be like that turtle, focused on what is important, the task at hand, and in the spiritual context. The task at hand is to gain spiritual wisdom and spiritual power. And spiritual wisdom firstly revolves around knowing who I truly am. 

 Not this physical, bodily,  human personality,  but a being of consciousness,  a being of peace,  timeless,  invisible presence  that has divine potential.  And this body is extra vehicle.  So am I going about my daily activities in that awareness of the self as a soul, seeing others also as spiritual beings?  Then I am addressing the bigger task that is at hand.  But also I will be more easily focused on what is right here, right now. 

 And there is a beautiful slogan that we use in the Brahma Kumar is.  Think globally, but you act locally. 

 So for the benefit of the world, focus on enhancing your spiritual power, your spiritual wisdom, and for benefit of the self. You make time to do that, and you stay focused.  Be that turtle. Whatever is distracting, whatever doesn't lead to that destination is not worth putting your energy in. Just withdraw like the turtle. 

 What I know need to see.  Why create all kinds of thoughts of what I'm seeing? What I know need to hear, what is not contributing, what is about gossip or other people or whatever. Why should I listen to that? 

 So let's take a few minutes and just practice the essence of this. 

 Whatever we see, don’t need to create thoughts about it. Whatever we hear, no need to think about it.  Just for a few moments, come back to the essence. 

 Essence is that we exist as beings of consciousness, with the inherent qualities of peace, of love, the soul. The real self is like this invisible presence, timeless, a being of light.  This body is just a mask to play out a part. 

 But the real self is this living light, like an invisible traveler through time and space. 

 A being who belongs to God, who belongs to that invisible dimension we have come here to visit, to play.  Let's play the game right and never forget the real nature of self. 

Thank you.