Gratitude - Vol 3

It is an unfulfilled action on your part that pulls you again and again to fulfill it.

In order to fulfill and exhaust all such karmas that we have accumulated, we take birth again and again on this planet. Just by being with the energy of gratitude, these karmas get burnt! All the karmas, anything which you carry on; which you brought, which you are accumulating, anything can be burnt

A simple remembrance of gratitude; not only to the Master, to every being, to everything, it brings so much of sensitivity. It brings so much of love and so much of settled feeling, so much of connected feeling. It can burn away all your karmas. Such is the power of gratitude.

Sahasrara chakra opens by gratitude. When you live with gratitude, when you feel that you have showered enough by the existence, God has given you more than your qualification, when you feel the deep satisfaction, and gratitude, this chakra opens.

Sahasrara chakra also known as the crown chakra is placed on the top of the head. This chakra

Make the children understand about the common perception of death

If we are asked to write a list of all the things that we have and a list of all the things that we don't have and If we write very sincerely without leaving out anything, we will not be able to complete the first list. That is the truth. When we think we are unable to finish the first list, it means gratitude has started happening in us. The problem is that there is continuous expectation in us all the time.

That is why gratitude does not happen easily. We continuously receive input from our eyes, nose, ears, tongue and touch. Based on this we continuously expect something or other to happen in a certain way example: When we see someone who has a better house or a better car, it registers in us. When we hear of some great achievement by someone, it registers in us. Our energy moves only outward, never inwards towards our self.

Gratitude is when this process reverses and you suddenly awaken to the abundance in you. With gratitude there is no expectation or greed. We will never feel fulfilled if our actions are rooted in expectation, we will on only tire our senses. With expectation there is a desire to possess things, you become the owner.

With gratitude, you become the enjoyer. When you are the owner you enjoy only the few things that you own. When you are enjoyer, you enjoy everything in existence.

When you look to own, nothing will seem enough. When you enjoy, everything seems to be overflowing that is the wonderful difference. When we believe that existence always gives us what we need, we will find everything within us all the time.

Make the children aware of the fact that having expectations prevents us from expressing gratitude.

• Why does gratitude not happen in us?
• Why do we never feel fulfilled?
• When can we become the enjoyer?
• Do you want to be the owner or the enjoyer?
• Can you let us know some of your desires?
• What are your expectations?
• Can you list what are the things you have?
• Can you list what are the things you do not have?
• When do we possess things?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Sketch pen or Pencil
• 3. Three dimensional objects.

Encourage each child to touch and feel a three dimensional object and draw the picture of that three dimensional object on a paper using a pencil or sketch pen.

Gratitude is the third dimension that we usually fail to appreciate, we take all things for granted, since everything is available to us easily we are unaware of the fact there are so many people who are deprived of many things that was given to us easily. We must have gratitude towards everything and understand that everything is auspicious.

To make the children understand about gratitude towards cosmos.

Ask the children to sit in a group.

Ask each child in the group to stand up and talk about different things in the cosmos that are very helpful to us. Explain to the children how we take the cosmos for granted. We think every thing is available only to serve us, since we get everything easily we do not realize the value of these things. Ask each child different methods of expressing gratitude towards the cosmos. Explain to them, how beautifully the cosmos takes care of us.

By doing this activity the child understands the value of showing gratitude towards different things and people in the cosmos.

Morality and Honesty is used to make sure you look good in society but integrity takes it one step further. You have to be in zero resistance for integrity to posses you. It makes the difference between the immediate solution versus the best possible solution. So think through your studying pattern/habits and find out if you are studying for results or to learn. Write down your recent homework and examine what your purpose was

Connect them to the fact. Honesty is not integrity. Integrity is also. honesty Integrity is absolute. Integrity does not change from time to time, era to era. Integrity is not morality it is a spiritual value.

In the whole world there are only two kinds of people. The first kind feels that whatever is happening in the world is against their will and things have to be slightly altered all the time.

Such people will try to alter, judge, criticize and develop the things happening in the world according to their ideas. The other group, is a rare group, that feels that whatever is happening is auspicious as Shiva!

Whoever feels what happens is auspicious, live in Shiva Consciousness, in eternal bliss, in celebration. The other group continuously suffers because it tries to change things all the time. Everything has a message for us including death and disease.

Everything has something to teach us. Every incident raises our intelligence, raises our frequency of consciousness. In the whole drama of the cosmos, anything that happens in our life brings auspiciousness to us. It adds to us. All we need to do is look at the world as a mystery, as an intelligent mystery.

Existence is not an accident. It is independent intelligence. When you understand that it is an independent intelligence, when you understand that it is a profound mystery to be experienced and not solved, everything in your life will open itself and reveal to you the lesson it has brought with it.

When suffering comes to you, if you approach it with non-acceptance, with resistance, it will create only pain in you. It will add only suffering to you. If you approach the same suffering with deep respect and gratitude, suddenly you will see that it reveals its mysteries to you.

It will show you the reason why it happened in your life and the lesson it brought to you in your life. If you approach the suffering with acceptance and intelligence, suddenly you will see that the very suffering gives you enlightenment! It adds joy and experience to your life.

Everything happening in the world is auspiciousness, including what you call natural calamities.

There is no such thing as inauspiciousness. Natural calamities are nothing but nature's ways of adjusting itself to certain actions of human beings. So accept and celebrate the very existence of the world. In the third step, we come to celebrating god, the root and the source for the other two steps that are the self and the world. As long as you carry doubt or faith about the existence of god, you won't experience god. Just like doubt, faith is also an obstacle.

They continue to have faith but never experience god. So now, drop your doubt and your faith about god's existence or non-existence.

Even if you believe in god's existence, you will have only an idea about Him – that He will have ten hands or eighteen heads, that He is tall or short. Whatever idea you may have, even those ideas can be hindrances to finally experiencing god. So drop your faith and doubt. Just remember that if there is a creation, there should be a creato

To make the children understand existence is not an accident and that it is a conscious compassionate happening!

Part 2: Gratitude - Vol 3_English_part_2.md

• Have you ever thanked your mother for taking care of you?
• Have you ever thanked your father for providing you with so many things?
• Have you ever thanked your mentor/teacher for helping you?
• Have you ever thanked your sisters or brothers for helping you?
• How will we look at our relationship with others when we have gratitude?
• What happens when we decide to respond with pure love and gratitude?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Pencil or Sketch pen.
• 3. Real vegetables, fruits or pictures of a few food items

Ask the children to see the real food items or pictures of the food items.

Explain to the children we need food to live. Connect to the fact of having gratitude towards food and not wasting food. There are many people in their world who are not getting enough food.

• 1. Paper
• 2. Pencil or Sketch pen.

Encourage the children to draw any picture or shape holding the pencil or sketch pen in their toes. Ask them to observe whether it is easy or difficult

Drawing with hand is very easy compared to drawing with our legs. Our hands are helping us so much to express what we think in drawing or words. We must have gratitude for our hands.

Children can do a presentation on the topic of How expectations prevents us from expressing gratitude.