Even if we can’t change the content of our experience, we can change its context
Sometimes people ask spiritualists, “What do you gain in this life by your spiritual practices? You too face the same problems as we do – [...]
Just because something is persistent doesn’t make it pertinent
Advertising blitzes that repeatedly expose us to particular products exploit an innate weakness in human psychology: familiarity is the gateway to credibility. That is, when [...]
Blind people can be cured – people proud of their blindness can’t be
Suppose a blind person considered their blindness as a matter of pride to be paraded. We would wonder: would anyone do such a thing? Yes, [...]
Worry is the interest we pay on loans we haven’t yet taken
Suppose a friend is worried about paying the interest on a loan. On enquiry, we come to know that they haven’t yet taken that loan. [...]
Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the spiritual journey, but don’t underestimate the opportunity either
When people go sailing on the high seas to some distant land of legendary prosperity, they often conceive navigation more romantically than realistically. They see [...]
God is not a being who exists in time – he is the being because of whom time exists
Some people ask, “How can we know that God is still living?” The notion that God can cease to exist is like the idea that [...]
To be distracted is to be disempowered
Whatever power we have to do anything depends on our foundational power to focus. For example, a batsman may have phenomenal talent, but if he [...]
When we rationalize, we indulge in rational lies
To rationalize is to give some fallacious reasoning to prove as right something that is wrong and that we know is wrong. We resort to [...]
Happiness comes not by making money, but by making something worthwhile with money
Money is a matter of anxiety for most people. Concern for money is understandable because we need money to survive. But what actuates and aggravates [...]
Before playing your part, understand what play you are a part of
Suppose someone practices meticulously for a play, but for a play other than the one they are meant to be a part of. Despite their [...]
Thought is perfected in thinking of that which is beyond the grasp of thought
Some people ask, “Scripture says that God is beyond the grasp of our thought. Yet it asks us to think about him. Why?” Because thinking [...]
The mind may show us a horror movie, but we don’t have to watch it
Suppose someone starts showing us a horror movie. If we find such movies disconcerting or distasteful, we will refuse to watch it. We need to [...]
The Gita doesn’t reject dharma, but raises dharma to its summit
The Bhagavad-gita’s concluding call (18.66: Give up all dharma) often perplexes people. They ask, “Why does the Gita, a book on dharma, ask us to [...]
To tap your potential, expand your awareness
What we are aware of determines what we can do or can’t do. If we become aware that some attacker is sneaking in on us, [...]
Gita 09.17 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Krishna explains how He [...]
We can’t lose weight just by reading books on how to lose weight
Learning is foundational for doing, but learning itself is not doing. The difference between the two is evident for activities such as weight loss: reading [...]
Don’t just be active – be aware
Some people question the utility of meditation: “Why spend so much time sitting at one place doing nothing except thinking? Why not use that time [...]
Don’t just eradicate the past – engage its product
When revolutionaries seize power from a tyrannical regime, they often go on a destructive spree, wanting to eradicate all reminders of the dark past. Their [...]
Don’t let self-control fuel the illusion of the self as the controller
Self-control is a valuable virtue on the spiritual path. It helps us resist worldly pleasures and focus on higher purposes. But that very self-control may [...]
Even a go-getter needs to know where to go and what to get
Some people refuse to study spiritual books such as the Bhagavad-gita, arguing, “I am a go-getter. I have many things to do in life – [...]
Break free from the small desires that have held you hostage for lifetimes
Abductors who take control of a plane often force it to a destination other than its intended one and hold the passengers hostage there. The [...]