Loving yourself is loving all

Children, we are living in a time when people not only hate other people but also themselves. This is why we see a rise in suicides and mentally destructive habits. All religions, spiritual leaders and psychiatrists stress the importance of not only loving others but also loving ourselves.People generally believe that “loving ourselves” means loving our physical body. Many of us spend a lot of time and money struggling to maintain our physical beauty and health. Upon waking up, many people spend hours in front of the mirror. They go to beauty parlours and gyms. They spend a lot of money and time on such things. Some try to whiten their dark skin or tan their white skin. Some dye their grey hair black. Some dye their black hair red—even green. While taking basic care of one’s body and health is important, many of these things are excessive. But does anyone think about the precious time they are wasting? Tragically, no one seems to focus at all on improving their heart and mind.In a multi-story department store, there were not enough elevators. Hence, the customers had to wait a long time for them to come. Tired of waiting, some customers started to complain and create a commotion. The manager understood that if the problem was not solved quickly, it could affect business. He started trying to think of a solution. Finally, he had an idea. He placed several mirrors around the area where the people had to wait for the elevators. He also had mirrors installed on the walls of the elevators. As soon as he did this, all the complaints stopped. No one felt the time passing as they waited because they were now all totally occupied with looking in the mirror, brushing their hair and applying makeup. They continued this even inside the elevators.Just as we clean and beautify our body, we should also clean our mind. How do we do this? By quickly removing any negative and harmful thoughts or emotions that enter. Similarly, we must train our intellect to think with discernment. To do this, we have to gain spiritual knowledge through listening to satsangs and spending time with mahatmas and other spiritually inclined people. The true meaning of “loving ourselves” is letting the divinity within us shine outwards. This light is at the core of all of creation. Your true nature is like the sky, not the clouds. Your nature is like the ocean, not the waves. The sky is Pure Consciousness, and the ocean is Pure Consciousness. The sky simply witnesses the clouds. The ocean simply witnesses the waves. The clouds are not the sky. The waves are not the ocean. Clouds and waves come and go. The sky and the ocean remain as the substratum of the clouds’ and the waves’ existence. They have no existence of their own, they are unreal and constantly changing. Like the sky and the ocean, the Witness is the substratum. Everything happens within that supreme state of witnessing, but the Witness remains uninvolved. The Witness simply is - pure and untouched. In a similar way, the mind and its thoughts come and go. They are unreal and impermanent. They are like the ephemeral clouds of the sky and the waves of the ocean. They cannot touch your consciousness. Beyond the surface, your consciousness remains pure and untouched. That Pure Consciousness, which is eternally aware of all that happens, is the Witness, the Sakshi, of everything.