The essence of discipline is to make our intelligence faster than our mind
Suppose we tend to waste too much time on Facebook. We can try to discipline ourselves, but fail. Why is becoming disciplined so difficult? To [...]
The size of our problems is inversely proportional to the size of our purpose
Suppose a truck is moving rapidly on a road on which a tree has fallen. If the truck is large and has high momentum, it [...]
To understand what is wrong in the world, look first in the mirror, not the newspaper
When we hear about the many things wrong in the world, we may feel distressed and disheartened. To make sense of things, we may read [...]
Happiness is savored best when seen through the corner of the eye, not when stared at straight
Suppose an image looks attractive when seen straight, but looks breathtaking when seen from an angle. To best relish that image, we need to consciously [...]
Moral relativism makes wrongdoing tough to identify, tougher to rectify and toughest to purify
Many people nowadays argue for moral relativism: “What is wrong and what is right is relative; if something feels right to me, then you have [...]
If we eat waste, it shows in our waist
Whenever we eat a lot, we may enjoy it initially. But we will suffer eventually. Especially if we eat junk food, that comes with heavy [...]
Doubt is a disease that makes the patient believe the doctor is sick
Suppose a patient rejects a doctor’s advice, arguing that it is the doctor who is sick. Such a patient would be considered mentally sick. But [...]
We don’t owe our friends a positive response, but we do owe them a sensitive response
Suppose we try something creative for the first time and are unsure about the quality of the product: “Is it good? Is it great? Is [...]
Gita 07.06 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Bg 7.6 etad-yonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇīty upadhāraya [...]
We have snakes inside us, but we are not one of them
Suppose someone we thought we knew suddenly does something terrible and hurtful. We may be aghast, wondering what kind of horrible desires lie hidden below [...]
We aren’t merely physical being seeking sustenance, safety and sex – we are essentially spiritual beings seeking purpose and progress
Today’s materialistic worldview holds that we are just physical creatures, who will be satisfied if provided with a steady supply of sustenance, safety and sex. [...]
Don’t reduce scripture to your conceptions of what scripture should be teaching, expand your conceptions to understand what scripture is actually teaching
When we study scripture, our preconceptions often act as a subconscious filter. This filter highlights those parts of scripture that confirm our conceptions and downplays [...]
Those who don’t find the reprehensible reprehensible, are reprehensible
Suppose someone sits and works and lives in a place that is dirty and stinky. If they don't find anything wrong with their surroundings, we [...]
What we achieve depends on not just how we strive but also on what we believe
Some people think, “If you just work hard, you can achieve anything.” However, many people work hard throughout their lives, but still don’t achieve their [...]
Attachment makes us psychologically rigid, detachment makes us psychologically flexible
A tree that is stiff breaks when battered by strong storms, but a flexible tree survives. What applies to trees also applies to us. We [...]
God keeps the door to him unlocked from his side till every soul, however degraded, comes to him
Some religions hold that God gives us just one chance; if we don’t surrender to him in this life, he casts us into hell forever. [...]
The causes of anger rarely hurt us as much as the consequences of anger
Suppose someone insults us. Feeling angry, we lash out at them. They feel hurt and react defensively or aggressively, doing things that hurt us further. [...]
We can’t change our past, but we can change how we see and explain our past
We often have things in our past that we resent. If terrible things have happened to us, we may feel that we are so damaged [...]
When the mind insinuates, it is often more insidious than when it incites
Suppose a politician speaks hate speech against a particular community. Hearers can easily detect and reject such speech as emotional manipulation. But suppose that politician [...]
A rigid structure may not work for us, but without a structure, we may not work
We all have various structures that bring order to our daily life. Such structures include rules, customs, routines, schedules and obligations. We may sometimes find [...]
Passing blame is easy but disempowering, accepting responsibility is tough but empowering
Whenever things go wrong, our mind naturally looks for a scapegoat. We want to blame others because it seems to be an easy escape-way: “If [...]