"San ka Humuhugot ng Saya?": A Review

Jenette shares a laugh with Rose Ann during the event 

“A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world."       ~ Susan Sontag

My friend Jenette Vizcocho of Murphy Report came to our event, "San ka Humuhugot ng Saya?" as a guest but she ends up translating the 1 hour talk in Filipino to Rose Ann and later writing about her beautiful experience.

I asked her if I can share her thoughts in this blog and like the angel that she is, she said yes. 

Here's what Jenette has to say about the event.     

I joined a talk on Happiness and where we find it at Brahma Kumaris because I was curious about my notion of happiness and if my practice/daily life is leading to a sustainable form of it. The speaker, BK Gopi Patel, came highly recommended by @smilea who heard her speak in London, and so to have her come here and explain happiness seemed like lucky happenstance.

BK Gopi said that we usually identify our happiness with momentary pleasure: food, material wealth, even people. The problem that cases us to over-anything (eat, spend, form unhealthy attachments) is that pleasure is fleeting. If we make an external thing or person our happiness, we will always be let down. Not to say things and people cannot make us happy, but if we hand the responsibility of our happiness over to others, we never find ways to feel happy with or by ourselves.

So how do we attain happiness? She suggests learning to recognize our thoughts especially the negative, downward spiral, self-sabotaging ones, and learn to dispute them as fears and false truths. She suggests sharing the best of ourselves with others not for their approval or for an expected reaction, but because we are inherently giving. She suggests learning to see the good/joy in everyday life, even in the ordinary days, especially on the bad days.

It's funny because I went there for myself but ended up translating the whole talk to Filipino for Rose Ann, a girl I previously met, who is sick and has to endure daily painful treatments, who thinks going to BK is a grand adventure, who spoke of how when she went to a party, she chose a Batman figure for her nephew instead of the bracelet she really liked because she knew it would make him happy, who sang out loud to Katy Perry during an intermission. It reminds me I am in a very good place in my life, and that one of my happiness comes from sharing my time with her.

It is customary after the talk to receive sweets or toli, so that all our thoughts and words are sweet even after we leave the center. BK Gopi handed me this card and when you look her in the eyes, you see that in her life of simplicity and practicality, is a life of happiness.

P.S. BK Gopi Patel still has one last talk in Manila on August 24, 6:30pm before she flies for London. I hope you get to listen to her.  

invite by Brahma Kumaris Makati

Letter to my 27-year-old self

Dearest Karen,

First off, let me tell you that you will not get your die-at-33 wish like Jesus and Napoleon Bonaparte.  Thank heavens! You will mature and figure out that dying the same age as those 2 great souls will NOT make you great. 

You will soon find out that greatness lies not in the scale of the task or how far-reaching its scope.  What really matter are the purity of your intention and how much love you put into what you are doing.  Actually, you don’t need to impress anyone but yourself.

In fact, you don’t need to do that great thing you always dreamed of- not yet.  You have to take care of yourself first- truly understand and appreciate your value.

My dear, the path you will later choose is unchartered.  Your fears and doubts will try to stop you that’s why you need to build your inner strength.

I know that at this point, you are confused.  You don’t even know what makes you happy and where exactly you are going.

Just keep on moving forward and things will clear up.

You are wiser than you think and braver than you can ever imagine.

Know that you will attain the freedom you’ve always wanted when you come to accept who you truly are and nurture the gifts inside you.

Everything will be ok- promise.  You will come out of whatever it is you’re going through humbled and enlightened.

Will see you at the other side! 

                                                                    Love,

                                                                      Your future self

P.S.  I wish I knew then what I know now.  It would have saved me from a lot of disappointments.  

If you are looking for happiness that lasts and peace which empowers, you are warmly invited to this event for young ones under 40 years old.

You may register at facebook or eventbrite.  See you! 

invite from BK Lighthouse Youth

She’s not a myth

image from brahmakumarisafrica

It turned out that she just has this little habit of making the impossible possible.  

She was interviewed on national tv and the anchor said, 
“It hasn’t rained in Africa for months, can you ask God to make it rain?”

Without batting an eyelash, she said yes.

A few hours later, it rained cats and dogs.

“What is the qualification to be able to order God and for God to obey me?”, I asked Sister Vedanti.

“It’s about relationship.”, she replied. 
“Everything is about relationship.”

She then related that she has a right to ask because she maintains a very close relationship with God.

But, there was a time when she asked God to oversee a construction project while she was away.  She came back to find all their building materials gone.  Fortunately, the police caught the thieves but wouldn’t release the materials back to them.

“God, were you sleeping?”, she asked.  

“I asked You to keep guard!”.

She said, God answered her back, “Daughter, you’ve been serving the different professions but not the police.”

“I served the police and I got our materials back.”, she said.

“You see, it’s a relationship!”, she reiterated.

meditation by Release Your Wings