Holiness is a highly regarded quality, and people seen as holy are looked upon with great respect. Holiness or purity of character, results in elevated thoughts and charitable deeds, which bring peace, joy, and contentment.
Holiness cannot be acquired by reading scriptures or engaging in religious rituals. It comes from purification of the soul, which is manifested in the form of positive thoughts, benevolent feelings, and clean intentions. This work of spiritual cleansing can begin only when we recognise that we are a soul, the sentient point of light, the seat of consciousness, which expresses itself through the physical medium of the body. It is the soul that thinks, speaks, and acts.
Constantly having pure thoughts and feelings may sound like a tall order to most people, but when we start seeing ourselves and others as souls and live with that awareness, it becomes easier. That is because the soul is originally pure.
Just as our self-image shapes our behaviour, knowing our spiritual identity helps us adopt the qualities that are natural to the soul, such as purity. Where there is purity, peace and happiness naturally follow. Purity is said to be the mother of peace and happiness. The sign of pure souls is that they are always happy. Most people keep searching for peace and happiness because they do not know that purity is the source and the foundation. Since their foundation of purity is weak, they experience only temporary peace and joy. Peace and happiness automatically come to pure souls, just as children are drawn to their mother.
In the absence of purity, any experience of happiness is not only short-lived, it is also accompanied by worry and fear or losing that happiness. Where there is worry and fear, there cannot be peace. On the other hand, where the powers of purity, peace and happiness exist, there is no sorrow.
A pure and peaceful mind is like the clean, still waters of a lake – it allows us to see things clearly. So, there are no doubts and unnecessary conjectures that consume our time and energy. Impurity of any kind, such as ego, greed, or jealousy, can create a mental web of confusion, erroneous thinking, and agitation, all of which cause suffering. Purity is the antidote to all of it. It is the elixir that fills our life with all that the soul needs to experience lasting joy.
B.K. Dr. Savita is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.
