What are your strengths and Weakness? Are you interested in Character Building? Are you interested in Growing and Developing?
One of the key messages of Pranic Healing, created by modern founder, Master Choa Kok Sui, is the importance of character building and is also impressed upon in yogic practices too. Character building is the process of trying to improve oneself. Trying to improve your virtues, values, qualities and personal attributes that define who you are, from a perspective of morals, how we interact with others and ethical standpoint. We often see ourselves in a certain way and that is your own self-perception. Others may see you in a different way, and that is their perception. Who is right? Ones perception is one’s reality, it is ones truth. Who’s truth is right?
In reflection of character building, some also may think, if I was in that situation, I would do xyz, but placed in that situation, would you do it? In other words, who you think you are and how you think you behave might be different to reality, when placed in that situation.
To have deep clarity on your own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses you could use an evaluation tool to assist you in this. One of my most favourite, cost effective ones that gives you clarity on your strengths from your own perspective is, the “Strengths Finder” by Gallup, which you can buy on Amazon and is a self-evaluation tool. The easy to use questionaries comes up with your 5 key attributes and strengths. The philosophy behind this tool is that, you are either a sprinter or a marathon runner, you may as well train and focus on your natural strengths to cultivate and foster these, so that you can shine in your area of strengths, which makes sense. If you are built to be a sprinter, be a sprinter, if you are built and designed to run marathons, do that. Focus on your attributes that help you excel and shine.
Character building when considered deeply, is also encompassing of how we develop our character to be a rounded individual with good intellectual property. Growing up my father used to say, invest in your education, build the biggest brain and two of my siblings embraced this philosophy one sister is fluent in Japanese and an Aerospace Engineer, my brother is a Civil Engineer with a Masters in Finance, it suited their very mental approach to life. Personally, I have a Bachelor of Music, a Business Management Certification, a Pilates Instructor Certification and I am a Certified Pranic Healer. To say I’m interested in many things in life, is an understatement, I’m fascinated.
Having personal strengths is one aspect of character development. How do we then know if we have any blind spots? We all have blind spots. Some of us have people in our circles who are very good at helping point out your blind spots. These family or friends, hold up the mirror to you and show you. This can be done in many ways, it might be through triggering you, to see if you will react, the less we react and hit that internal “pause” button, the more we can measure our character growth. This is an actual measurement and what’s better is when something used to trigger you, but no longer even hit’s your radar of the triggering zone, now that is growth. I can attribute this type of growth I have experienced and others I know have experienced to Pranic Healing. Growing up my father used to say, “hit the pause button”. Before you respond, “hit the pause button”. Can we do that?
Other methods of identifying growth, might also be through direct feedback, that someone feels compelled to share, either positive feedback, for example, what a wonderful piece of work you created or through (hopefully) constructive feedback areas you can improve and develop upon. Another way of identifying blind spots or developmental areas, can be done professionally through some personality assessment tools or in a work environment, through a 360 degree feedback tool, whereby feedback is provided anonymously about your working personality, which could be very different to your at-home personality too.
Throughout life’s journey, we are mostly learning and growing and trying to improve upon many things. One of the key competencies, which means behavioural attributes, that my former employer, Amazon used to focus on was, “continuous learning”. And in essence, character building is an aspect of continuous learning.
Character building in “Achieving Onesness with the Higher Soul”, authored by Master Choa Kok Sui wrote, “ when you do meditations, you have to practice Yama and Niyama or character building. Without it there is a tendency to become worse. Why? …Mediating regularly is like being fertilized. Throw the fertiliser on the ground and whatever is in the ground – either good or bad seeds – will grow. Everything, whether vice or virtue , is magnified. Unless a person in the spiritual path practices character-building, (s)he may tend to become worse”.
What is Yama? Yama is a sandskrit word that means “reining in” or “controlling” and is about using restraint from doing things. This is quite a deep yogic teaching and is focused also on character building. Yama is used in yoga as the first of eight limbs, that encourages consciousness of thoughts and actions and having awareness. The first Yama is Ahisma, which is a Sanskrit word that means harmlessness. Hisma means violence and Ashima means non-violence and refers to non-violence in thoughts, words, actions and deeds. Because everything is energy.
Lao Tze wrote, “your thoughts become your words, watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny”. This is also another grass roots philosophy I was raised with. I had added into the context and watch your character as this is how people see you and judge you. In other words what we think has the potential to manifest and materialise and become real. This is powerful to be aware of, because you can use this positively to build a better future, think vision board and things you want in your life and watch what happens.
What is Niyama? Ni means “within” yama means “restraint”. In yogic teachings there are five different niyama’s, one of the five niyama’s is: Ishvara pranidhana, which can be broadly translated to mean, “devotion to God”. The Niyama’s and Yama’s were described in Yoga Sutras, in Sanskrit, sutra’s means thread (of teaching or knowledge) over 2000 years ago. Given yogic teachings are also heavily invested and linked to mediation practices, these pearls of wisdom that explain the importance of character building are interesting to understand and explore.
Master Choa Kok Sui’s Pranic Healing focus’s on character building for five virtues, which you can learn about in the book, Miracles through Pranic Healing or by attending a Pranic Healing Course. One virtue listed is, “loving-kindness and non-injury” which links to the yama, Ahisma, non-violence. It focus’s on cultivating and growing your heart your love centre, by “Being polite, courteous and helpful are acts of loving-kindness. Verbally, you can say words that are nurturing and encouraging…” Non-injury, “is refraining from hurting other people physically, verbally and psychically…” Miracles through Pranic Healing, Master Choa Kok Sui.
What is the mechanism behind Character building? Cultivation and awareness of your own thoughts and actions. We have between 50,000-80,000 thoughts a day, most of which we are not even aware of. By building awareness to your thoughts, you can begin to understand aspects of your character. What is the remedy to improve your character? This is taught in Pranic Healing courses, sign up to our next course at: www.phwn.com.au Techniques are taught how to remove unwanted thoughts, words and actions, typically this takes some time to work through your system, but is simple and highly effective and easy to do.
How else can we improve our character? Join your local meditation on twin hearts, you can sign up to my local one here: www.phwn.com.au The meditation on twin hearts works on your character, by flushing out unwanted negative thoughts and emotions to a certain degree and may disintegrate some of them too. Thereby harnessing your positive thoughts and feelings to bring about positivity in your life.
Another way of working on character development is through Pranic Healing treatment, you can book your pranic healing treatment here: www.phwn.com.au Pranic Healing works by removing negative energies and bringing in positive energies that can create happiness and deeper relaxation, it may also assist with more serious conditions like speeding up the recovery of cancers, broken bones, stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal tendencies, trauma, PTSD, etc.
Character Building is seen throughout society, the best of the best, most inspiring persons, who aren’t ruled by their emotions and who are focused on compassionate care, kindness and selfless love for others, like the Dalai Lama and others. Life is a journey and as we continue to grow, why not grow our character too?
Thank you for reading. Peace be with you.