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Book/Audio: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
Author: Deepak Chopra
Year: 1994

Review

The seven laws are available as book or as a 90-minute audio program. I felt that the spiritual message was very concise, focused and attention was paid to make it a truly practical guide. I like simple things, and this is a "simple" message in a "simple" packaging. I must have been ready for this book because it did not take a lot of convincing to agree to these seven guidelines. They are so practical and simple anyone willing can start following the suggested practical actions the very same day.

Live them and share them. Everyone having these guidelines in his heart will make the world a better place.

Spiritual Message

Law of Pure Potentiality

Know who you really are. You can make yourself anything. Self-referral: we measure ourselves on an internal measure. This is power of the spirit. You will have it even if external materialistic things are taken away. Object-referral: we measure ourselves on the opinion of others. The reference point is the ego - your social mask. The ego wants to have power/control over others because it lives in fear. We should move from object-referral to self-referral.

Action Items:

• Practice silence, be silent, just be. Turn off the mind, meditate. 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the evening
• Through silence and communication with nature experience the unbound potentiality
• Practice non-judgment: judge nobody and nothing

Law of Giving

Energy has to circulate. You must give and receive. Give what you seek.

Action Items:

• Whenever you come into contact with anyone, give: a flower, a prayer, affection, appreciation, love, a silent blessing, a gift. Whenever you visit someone bring a gift: a note, a card, a complement, a prayer.
• Gratefully receive all the gifts life has to offer me like sunshine, rain shower, a compliment or material things.
• Circulate the gifts of prayer and love. Each time you meet someone silently wish them well.

Law of Karma (Action)

If we want happiness, we must seed happiness around us.

Everything is conscious choice making. Become aware of the choice we make at every moment. Everything that happens at this moment is result of the choice we made in the past.

If we get insulted we chose to be offended. It is our choice. We can make the choice to not let that affect us. Eliminate the traditional unconscious reflexes. Turn the unconscious reflex a conscious choice. Chose what make you or the ones around you happy.

Action Items:

• Become a conscious choice maker, witness the choice I make every moment, be conscious in the present
• Whenever you make a choice ask yourself: will it bring happiness to me and the one affected by this choice.
• Ask your heart if the choice feels comfortable or uncomfortable.
• Transform your karma by learning from the experience. Why is this happing to me, what is the purpose of this for me?
• Wash off the karma through meditation

Law of Least Effort

Harmony and love is effortless. The intrinsic nature of things is effortless. Human nature's is to materialize our wildest imaginations. Least effort is expended if your actions are motivated by love. If you seek power you waste energy chasing the illusion of happiness instead of enjoying happiness in the moment. Attention to the ego consumes most of our energy. Most of our energy goes into upholding our importance. If we would give up some of this importance we would gain a lot of energy to catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe.

Action Items:

• Acceptance: I will accept people/situations/events as they occur. This moment is as it should be. The universe is as it should be. Don't struggle against this moment, this universe. Accept it.
• Take Responsibility: Do not blame anyone or yourself for the situation/event.
• Defenselessness: Relinquish the need to convince others of your point of you. Don't defend your point of view. Be flexible, bend like a reed in the storm, don't be rigid (on a point of view) like an oak that might be cracked in the storm.

Law of Intention and Desire

It/we are all the same stuff. It/we is/are all connected. "I am that. You are that. All this is that. That's all there is." Our body is not separate from the universe. The universe is our extended body.

Attention energizes. Intention transforms. Intention is desire without the attachment to the outcome. Your intentions become self-fulfilling prophecies. Intention plus detachment leads to live-centered present-moment awareness.

The present is awareness. Live in the now, the now "is", the past and future does not exist.

Action Items:

• Make a list of all desires. Look at this list before going into meditation. Look at it before you go to bed and when you get up.
• Go into the silence, meditate.
• Release your intention and desires.
• Remain in the state of self-referral; don't look at you through the eyes of the world. Don't be influence by the opinions/criticisms of the world.
• Relinquish your attachment to the outcome.
• Release this list of desires and surrender it to the universe. Let the universe handle the details. Trust that the intention will take care of everything.

Law of Detachment

In order to acquire anything in this physical universe you have to relinquish your attachment to it. Don't give up the intention, don't give up the desire, give up the attachment to the result. Money, houses, etc. are symbols; striving for the symbols is like striving for the map rather than the territory. Only from detached involvement can one have joy and laughter. Attachment to something (e.g. money) is a sign of insecurity. Those you chase security will chase it for a lifetime. Security can not come from money or material goods, security can only come from the inner self. Accepting uncertainty is freedom. Search for security is an attachment to the known, and the known is the past. Give up this attachment to the past, the need for security, because it shuts out a lot of possibilities. Between the now and your desire/intention are infinite possibilities.

Action Items:

• Be detached. Allow yourself and the ones around you to be the way you/they are. Do not rigidly impose your idea of how things should be. Do not force solutions onto problems. Participate in everything with detached involvement.
• Factor in uncertainty as an essential part of your experience. Accept uncertainties. Feel secure in uncertainty because uncertainty is your pass to freedom.
• Step into the field of all possibilities; remain open to an infinity of choices. In the field of possibilities I will experience all the fun/adventure of life.

Law of Dharma (Purpose in Life)

We fulfill a purpose, we have a divine purpose. We have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates abundance/joy/happiness. Discover your spiritual self. Serve your fellow beings, all those that you come in contact with.

Action Items:

• Meditate. Seek and get in touch with your higher self.
• Make a list of your unique talents. List what you love to do while serving others.
• Don't worry about making a living. What would you do if money and time would be of no concern?
• Ask yourself what are your unique talents. Enjoy yourself using your unique talents.
• Ask "how can I help?" Ask yourself how you can serve humanity.

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