North Americas News
Table of Content
Start a Fresh New Year With a Retreat (January 5 - 7) & More Events Coming Up!
5 January 2024
IN PHOTOS: Brahma Kumaris Participate in HMEC & WHC Conferences - A Service Report
7 January 2024
Click on the below image to view the full report.
A Warm Invitation for 'Values for Life' Series, Ep 81, on 'Stability' with BK Jayanti Didi (Saturday 2:45 PM, UK time)
5 January 2024
Hello everyone,
Greetings of Peace to all.
This is A Warm Invitation for Episode # 81 of our fortnightly 'Values for Life' Series, for a spiritual reflection on “Stability” this Saturday.
Value : Stability ( स्थिरता )
Speaker : BK Jayanti DIdi (UK), Additional Chief/Administrative Head & European Director of Brahma Kumaris.
Date/Time : Saturday, 6th Januray 2024 (1.5 Hrs session)
Kindly note the timing in your region :
8:15 PM (India), 2:45 PM (UK), 3:45 PM (France, Germany,Spain), 5:45 PM (Turkey), 6:45 PM (Dubai)
6:45 AM (Westcoast US/ Can), 9:45 AM (Eastcoast US/ Can), 11:45 AM (Brazil)
Join directly on Zoom -
(OR, Meeting ID – 925 2808 7710 )
(Translation available in French, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil & Telugu )
Join on YouTube Live -
in English - http://omshanti.live/English
Thank you all
With Warm Regards
'Values for Life' - Team
New Year Greetings From Family in Milipitas, California
3 January 2024
MOfHope - Increase Your Inner Beauty
2 January 2024
‘We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the natural changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.’
We hear our real beauty is not in making the physical body attractive, but in increasing our inner beauty. We all know deep down a person’s inner beauty is more valuable than their physical appearance. Yet today the society is using cosmetics, makeup and even surgeries to look beautiful.
1. Take care of your body to appear presentable, but focus more on inner beauty, the collective vibrations of your thoughts, feelings, attitude, behaviour, habits, values and personality traits.
2. Meditate every morning and study spiritual knowledge for at least 20 minutes to consciously create powerful, pure and positive thoughts. It's your quality of thinking which creates your feelings, and automatically reflects in your appearance.
3. When your physical weight increases, your physical appearance is affected. In the same way, if your thoughts are heavy and pile up, then your inner beauty is affected. After every hour, pause to check for any thoughts of stress, anger, fear, worry or pain and change them immediately.
4. Have a healthy lifestyle. Take care of your body, keep it fit with energy of love and appreciation.
We often believe happiness depends on how our body looks. Casual statements like ’I am not happy about how I look’ send a powerful negative message to the mind and the body. Do not criticize or reject your body. ’I am too fat… I am dark … I am weak … every word says you are rejecting it.. Truth is, how you look does not make you happy, but your happiness definitely makes you look good. Many become artificial, thinking makeup makes a woman beautiful, but her personality and good character make her beautiful. The earlier the young woman knows this, the better for her, as she will spend more time on her character and personality rather than on makeup kits. Makeup is useless and cannot cover up an ugly character.
Instead of considering the beauty of peace, love and joy of our inner self, we identify with outer bodily identities - our roles, achievements and possessions, Remember “I am a happy soul playing different roles through my body. The role is temporary, the inner being is eternal.”
Natural beauty is the inner light that radiates from your heart, mind and soul, and is reflected outwardly through your eyes, touch, smile and loving personality. It is about kindness, compassion, gentleness, humility, loving and being non judgemental about others appearance, Be cheerful, help others and remain light. Your facial expressions, eyes, smile, gestures and body language, are indicators of who you are inside – beautiful, pure and powerful. Feed yourself with positive energy. Embracing your true self radiates a natural beauty. Let your heart shine bright. Be the burst of sunshine in someone's day. Inspire all that you meet, look for the positive in a negative. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Life is an echo; what you send out comes back.
Contact: Yvonne Risely, bkchirya@gmail.com, chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org
Sr Chirya is a student and teacher with the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University for over 40 years.
She is published in several international publications including the Daily Guardian (Delhi)
Season's Greetings from Brahmin Family in Cinnaminson
2 January 2024
Warmest greetings of the season! May your new year be filled with love and serenity; every moment a fresh beginning, full of hope and potential.
We wish you all the very best.
The Brahma Kumaris, at
The Meditation Center, in
Cinnaminson, NJ
MOfHope - What Gifts Does God Give, And What Gifts Do I Give to God?
1 January 2024
God has given us all many gifts, but we seldom use them. Perhaps it is because we lack the knowledge of their existence and the ability to utilize them. Sometimes we simply forget they belong to us. If a gift has been given with great love, is it not disrespectful to leave it in a corner without using it?
One of the eternal gifts we receive from the Father is Peace. He reminds us, 'Peace is your original state. You Godly children don’t need to search for peace – you already have it!" However, sometimes peace is hidden under the rubbish of our negative thoughts, our fears and worries. We now understand peace, happiness, and joy do not depend upon a large bank balance or any temporary physical thing. Although often buried, within each one of us is a treasure store of virtues and positive attitudes. Your present state of mind may be peace-less, but you are actually peaceful by nature.
Another gift God gives is the gift of spiritual knowledge of the soul. At the holidays many Christmas trees and homes sparkle with colorful twinkling lights. Why is this? Perhaps we are unconsciously remembering our true identity as imperishable beings of light. The soul is an immortal point of spiritual light, and this is why each soul can be likened to a bulb, a light, on the world tree of humanity. God, the Supreme Soul, is the big Star at the top of the tree and He is also the Seed, and from Him all power is received that nourishes the whole tree. By being connected with the Seed, we receive the gift of enlightenment as the light of the soul once again becomes lit.
God is like an 'Eternal Santa Claus'. He comes from up above, and amazingly in one night (when the world is filled with darkness), distributes his Godly gifts to every person and home. He lands on the roof and climbs down dirty chimneys (represented by the current state of the world in general). With a twinkle of his eye, (God is Light), he flies away in his magic sleigh pulled by 8 reindeer (whose names are similar to 8 original major qualities of the soul except maybe for Vixen!).
Think deeply about the gifts God has given you. They are always there. Every day stop for just a moment and remember and distribute God's gifts. Spend a few moments to share your love and company with someone who needs it. Even if you have nothing to give, simply give the gift of a smile! Experience life as a new beginning. To wake up Christmas morning knowing you have life, is in itself quite a gift!
What gifts can I give to God this holiday season?
Whatever gifts I give to the Father automatically are returned to me many fold.
Give the gift of creating pure, positive thoughts through which we develop a close relationship with God and give peace and happiness to yourself and others. When the soul develops through reflection and study of Godly spiritual knowledge, our character and personality become rich, full of light and beauty. We are in full control of that wonderful ability we all have, the power of thought.
Have the thought to become like the Father, and make yourself attractive to God. Father shows son, and the son shows the Father.
Another gift for the Father is to wake up early in the morning,and connect your mind and communicate with the mind of God.
Give the gift of keeping my light shining by experiencing myself as I really am, a peaceful soul filled with virtues and positive attitudes.
The gift of seeing others as souls, as our brothers and sisters.
The most essenceful gift to give to God is to see the world as one family with God as the Father.
Contact Sister Chirya Risely, at bkchirya@gmail.com or chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org,
New Year Greetings from Family in Mississauga, Canada
1 January 2024
Happy New Year From Peace Village
31 December 2023
2024 New Year's Message From Mohini Didi
29 December 2023
A Warm Invitation for the Values Workshop (#80), on 'Hope' with Sr. Elizabeth from Anubhuti Retreat Center, San Fransisco, USA (This Saturday 2:15PM - UK time)
29 December 2023
Hello everyone,
Greetings of Peace to all.
Join us this Saturday for our fortnightly Experiential Values Workshops Series ( # 80 ) .
Value : Hope ( आशा )
Content of the Workshop :
1st Hour : Reflective Exercises on 'Hope.'
2nd Hour : An insightful talk and meditation by BK Sr. Elizabeth, Anubhuti Retreat Center, USA.
Date / Time : Saturday, 30th December 2023 ( 2 Hrs Session )
7:45 PM ( India )
2:15 PM ( UK )
3:15 PM ( France, Spain )
5:15 PM ( Turkey )
6:15 PM ( Dubai )
6:15 AM ( Westcoast US / Can )
9:15 AM ( Eastcoast US / Can )
11:15 AM ( Brazil )
Direct joining Zoom link at :
https://brahmakumaris.zoom.us/j/91529229648?pwd=Ri9mN1VLbUV3RXJ5VXEzbmdUUndyQT09
(Zoom ID – 915 2922 9648; Passcode - values)
(Translation available in: French, Hindi, Spanish & Portuguese)
Thank you all
With Warm Regards
'Values for Life' - Team
Celebrating Inner Victories - Lecture on Thursday 28th December by Manhattan Meditation Center
28 December 2023
Further update on Mohini Didi's health
24 December 2023
Dear Centre Coordinators and Divine Family;
Om shanti and greetings of love. Mohini Didi is back in Baba’s home, enjoying the pure and natural environment of healing. It will take some time for her full recovery as her lungs have to heal from the infection and we are told it can take some time.
The sakaash of the family has been very powerful. She thanks the family for your good wishes and pure feelings.
In Baba’s love and remembrance,
The National Coordinating Team of the US
Message of Hope - Quality Thoughts Create Quality Life
21 December 2023
We need to keep in touch with God’s plan to change the world of darkness into a world of light. Worldwide, souls are experiencing sorrow and peacelessness. We hear rising feelings of helplessness, anxiety. People are wanting but not knowing how to connect to some positive action with their inner values.
Life can become fulfilling only when we see the material world in a spiritual light. We then realize the quality of our life depends on us, on the quality of our thoughts. Our mind is a powerful thing! Our mind is not a cage. It is a garden and requires cultivating. When we fill it with positive thoughts our life will begin to change. Challenges and situations will come but they are what make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful. Situations do get resolved as now we think of solutions, not reasons, which allows us to emerge and use our inner qualities and strengths. We lose our happiness when we think too much and focus only on the reasons. With her positive thoughts and affection for the Grinch, little Cindy Lou Who in the movie 'The Grinch Stole Christmas', overcame all the challenges. She saw his goodness, never lost faith in the Grinch and with her good wishes and pure feelings, voila! the Grinch transformed at the end of the story!
We forgot or perhaps never noticed, there is an aspect of our mind, our intellect, our conscience, watching our thoughts arise and leave. We need to get in touch with this observing capacity of the mind, as it helps us see the full picture better, know what we are thinking and change directions. As we watch our thoughts, how one thought leads to the rest, we can see if we are heading down an unhealthy path, and if so, let it go.
So focus your thoughts on the brightness of each day, on warm and happy faces, voices that speak from the heart. Understand a better way of life is in your hands, not in the hands of others. Focus on the positive and become light-hearted and our interactions will be full of love. Let us make a commitment and embrace these values: Not to give or take sorrow, not to steal or deceive anyone, to speak the truth, see the good in others not the defects and not criticize others. With this spiritual wisdom and by strengthening these moral values we can work together to bring God’s plan into this world.
Contact: Cindy Lou Who and Yvonne Chirya Risely bkchirya@gmail.com chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org
Sr Chirya is based at Peace Village Retreat Center, NY and is published nationally and internationally.
MOfHope - Missing Element In Solving The Environmental Crisis
20 December 2023
The 2023 UNO Climate Change Conference COP 28 has once again started in Dubai with prominent heads of nations and delegates from 200 countries. One delegation headed by BK Didi Jayanti* has been offering for many years sustainable solutions based on meditation with the understanding, ‘When I change the world changes.’
“Nature has served us since the beginning of time with such great love and abundance sharing her beauty and her gifts for all of humanity, and somewhere the relationship between nature and all of us went askew. Something that went wrong has come to this point where it feels we are exploiting nature, and now nature is now retaliating with a huge amount of force and destruction. So what went wrong? I suggest one thing - Lack of Respect. We forgot our identity, our own inner being. We forgot to respect ourselves, respecting others and respecting the laws of nature. We thought nature was a limitless resource we could always draw from. So exploitation and consumerism happened. It’s time now to come back to the essential awareness of who we are, and how happiness doesn’t come from consumerism and materialism. Happiness is within. When we can treat each other and nature with dignity and respect, then that imbalance will again be put right, and we can have a beautiful relationship with nature that is filled with love, respect and dignity again.” - *Sr Jayanti - Additional International Administrative Head of Brahma Kumaris addressing this year's Climate Change Conference.
Our thoughts create our world and guide us to our destiny. If we always think the same we will get to the same place. Think in a new way and become a new person and create a new world. We can transform our subtle inner world with the power of spirituality. Spirituality is the technique of learning to rule over yourself on a more subtle level of thoughts, feelings and emotions. It teaches us the art of applying a brake to our negative and unnecessary thoughts when a difficult situation is in front of us. It gently transforms our negative emotions into positive ones through the spiritual power filled in the self by connecting with the supreme source of power of the world - God. This connection is called yoga in spirituality.
“To think about the transformation of others is a waste of time. Each of us has to think about how we can be good instruments for our own transformation. Transformation comes from keeping God’s company. He is not just the Supreme Soul; He is my Father, Teacher, Guide and Friend. Keeping His company brings transformation in the self. I must not waste my time getting caught up in concerns about the body, other people or anything of the world. I have to pay attention to yoga, and then I will receive strength. Yoga is simple: “I am a soul, a child of the Supreme Soul.” The power I am receiving is bringing transformation within. Seeing my transformation, others will have love for me and wish to also change. This has been my experience. “When I change, the world changes.” -Dadi Janki.
Why do your best? As you do, so you become. Every action we perform is recorded within the soul, and these imprints ultimately mould our character and destiny. When we understand this principle, we will pay more attention to bringing our best to everything we do. When a large number of people together peacefully focus their thoughts on creating positive change, the power of their thoughts yields positive results.
Contact: bkchirya@gmail.com chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org Sr Chirya is a student and teacher with the Brahma Kumaris for 40 years and is based at Peace Village Retreat Center, NY. She is published nationally and internationally.
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