Living Wisely Living Well | With Asha Nayaswami

State the truth in a normal, conversational tone. Often, people who shout their thoughts are either lying or talking through their hats.

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If someone insults or makes fun of you, thank him (even warmly) and say, “I appreciate your reminder that I’m very far from perfect. Since perfection is what I hope to attain someday, I consider it a helpful reminder to be told I still have work to do.”

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To be fully aware, look for the hidden reality behind all appearances.

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Avoid negative thinking. Remember, whatever you project outward to the world will return to you. A boomerang effect is inevitable.

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Never lend money unless you can feel, in your heart, that you are giving the money away. This practice will spare you much pain. For as Shakespeare (through Polonius) said, “Loan oft loseth both itself and friend.” Tell God that you place the money in His hands. He will see to it that you don’t lack in consequence. Be sensible, however, in your lending. Try to ensure that the help you give goes to someone whose need is real. Reflect on those movie actors who carelessly gave away large amounts of the money they were earning, but who years later died in penury.

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Respect everyone, even if some people strike you as a bit daft. Remember, God dwells in all beings, and can express His wisdom in countless ways—sometimes quite surprisingly. I myself have found that, when I listened open-mindedly to someone whom I thought a little foolish, it was that person, specifically, whom God chose to tell me something I needed to hear.

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Keep in your heart a constant, flowing conversation with God. Address Him in the second person as “You,” not as “He” or “She,” nor even in the nowadays-stilted form, “Thou.” Share with Him or Her—your Cosmic Friend—every thought, every feeling of your heart.

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Your body is a temple more truly than any edifice built by hands. Enter therein daily. Move in solemn procession up the aisle of the spine to God’s high altar in the forehead (the seat of superconscious ecstasy). Worship God at that altar in the spiritual eye.

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Mental attitudes are often reflected in bodily positions. Do you lean habitually forward, as if to grasp at events before they happen? Do you lean backward, as if to distance yourself from others or from some unpleasantness? Do you tend to lean sideways, as if to find a strategy for getting around some obstacle? Keep your bodily and mental posture upright, relaxed, and serene. You’ll find it relatively easy, then, to cope with any difficulties that confront you.

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Give people the time they need to express themselves clearly. The rhythms of thought vary, but sincere self-expression requires careful, and sometimes prolonged, deliberation.

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