To best defend our consciousness from the world, first raise it above the world
Suppose a city is under attack from powerful plunderers. If that city were at ground level, pushing back the attackers would be difficult. But if [...]
Just because a wound is painless doesn’t mean it is harmless – even when we are not hurting, we still need healing
Suppose we had a painless injury. We would go on living normally, while the wound would worsen, eventually felling us. We all are souls who [...]
Spiritual vision sees people not as philosophical categories, but as conscious beings
When we gain spiritual knowledge, our zeal to share it with others may blind us to basic human courtesies. While interacting with people, we may [...]
Sensual pleasure touts itself as free and then takes toll forever
Many drug dealers give drugs free to gullible kids. Though the drugs may be delivered free, those dealers do take a price: the price of [...]
The world may not value our individuality, but we can and should
Each one of us is an individual, with our own strengths and weaknesses, interests and blind spots, aspirations and anxieties. The constellation of all these [...]
There is more to us than what faces us
Suppose an unarmed civilian is facing an armed aggressor. The odds may seem hopeless. But if they discover that they have a weapon more powerful [...]
Gita 13.21 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So in this verse Krishna [...]
Don’t forget to compliment those who complement you
We all have painful inadequacies that make us dependent on others who complement us. Indeed, almost all of life’s important responsibilities require us to work [...]
Satisfaction comes by knowing ourselves, not by making ourselves known
Suppose we see someone who turns heads wherever they go. We may naturally want to be similarly well known. Given the world’s hugeness and crowdedness, [...]
Even if we can’t close the door to temptation permanently, we can close it presently
Suppose we live in a thief-infested locality. We will want a strong, permanent lock for our home door. But if somehow we can’t have such [...]
Those who think they aren’t prone to evil are the most prone to evil
When we see someone doing something horrible, we may feel revolted, “How disgusting! I would never do anything like that.” Shock at seeing people do [...]
Arrogance keeps us not just in ignorance, but also in ignorance about the extent of our ignorance
Suppose someone swims in an ocean, knowing that the ocean is so vast that they hardly know anything about it. While swimming, they will be [...]
Humility means to focus on how we can serve, not on what we deserve
In life, we frequently feel that we don’t get what we deserve. For example, we may work tirelessly on a project, yet our team may [...]
Stop struggling to turn off the inner darkness, start striving to turn on the inner light
Suppose we are lost in a dark room. We stumble over various things, hurting ourselves. To avoid such trouble, do we try to turn off [...]
Wrong philosophy may not obstruct people spiritually as much as our calling their philosophy wrong
Suppose we encounter people who follow some philosophy in which we can find many holes. We may be tempted to call their philosophy wrong. We [...]
If we repeatedly let our mind take us to hell, eventually it won’t let us come back
Addicts often live in their own mental hell. Their mind subjects them to tormenting emotions: unbearable cravings, crippling self-flagellation, utter hopelessness. How do addicts enter [...]
Worrying about the world’s problems is often an excuse for not working on our own problems
Many people worry constantly about world problems such as climate change or discrimination. While these are serious problems that require dedicated action, we need to [...]
Watch yourself as if you are someone you don’t know – self-observation opens the door to self-transformation
Suppose we want to develop a relationship with someone. We will observe them carefully, noting how they behave in various situations, especially in difficult situations. [...]
During our idle time, the mind works overtime
We often look forward to holidays when we can just relax, free from life’s daily grind. But unfortunately, during such breaks, small things get to [...]
To be happy is possible, to be happier than others is impossible
We all want to be happy, but we often tie our happiness to certain conceptions. One such common conception is that we will become happy [...]
Just because we have a right to be angry doesn’t mean we are right to be angry
Sometimes, people wrong us by acting foolishly, irresponsibly or treacherously. At such times, we feel angry with them and also feel that our anger is [...]