Disliking ourselves is not humility
Every culture glamorizes certain models of beauty, wealth, ability. Many people compare themselves negatively with those models, deem themselves inferior and inadequate, and even start [...]
When skepticism is healthy — and when it becomes unhealthy
In today's world, skepticism is often considered an intellectual virtue; skeptical people proudly say, “I'm not gullible. I don't believe the religious mumbo-jumbo that so [...]
How appreciating other spiritual paths can distract us — and inspire us
We live today in a multicultural world where people from many different faith-traditions interact at the workplace as well as in cyberspace. In order to [...]
How following tradition literally may defeat the essential purpose of following tradition
Suppose somebody had sanctified their consciousness by bathing in a sacred river regularly at a particular place. This practice may have been going on for [...]
Opening our mouth and opening our Gita
Everyday, we open our mouth hundreds of times to speak something. Much of this speech is pointless chit chat. Even if it is functionally useful [...]
Beyond feel-good spirituality — and beyond feel-bad spirituality
Many people nowadays present spirituality as a tool for helping us feel good about ourselves. Such a presentation serves a vital human need because today’s [...]
The importance of complexifying things
When we want to understand things, we often want them to be explained simply. Indeed, effective education centers on simplifying things to aid assimilation. Simultaneously [...]
Why do good people do bad things
When people do bad things, especially if they are normally good people, then their bad actions can shock us. If we had trusted them and [...]
Have we earned the right to criticize?
When we see someone doing something that seems wrong to us, we often feel the urge to criticize and correct them. We may feel we [...]
When pride masks itself as humility
Suppose we get an opportunity to serve Krishna, say, by speaking about him. We may think, “I am too fallen and impure. I'm not qualified [...]
Is progress just replacing the problems of poverty with the problems of prosperity?
Today’s world usually equates progress with economic development and prides itself on the number of people raised above the poverty line. Undoubtedly, efforts to help [...]
How inner bridges and inner barricades can empower us
Our mind is sometimes a source of creative ideas and sometimes a source of destructive desires. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (06.05) urges us to elevate ourselves [...]
Are we rude to the crude?
Suppose we come from an urbane background and behave in ways that our culture considers well-mannered. Suppose we meet someone from a rustic background with [...]
Gita 06.28 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 10-32: From practice to perfection in [...]
How spiritual experiences affect our spiritual journey
When we embark on a spiritual journey, we may read in wisdom-texts about saints who have spiritual experiences, wherein they feel some sublime joy or [...]
Three ways to see our abilities spiritually
We all have certain abilities. Though we often think that those abilities belong to us, they sometimes inexplicably desert us, as when talented sports players [...]
How to persevere amid uncertainty?
Suppose we are driving. We gain confidence by seeing the path ahead clearly and knowing how it takes us to our destination. However, if the [...]
Is death just a snag in our biological hardware?
Some people believe that humanity can attain immortality if we just understand what causes the aging process and then reprogram the genes that cause that [...]
Sensuality + Technology – Spirituality = Recipe for self-destruction
Sensuality: When we are consumed by sensual pleasures or even sensual fantasies, we become oblivious to everything else. By that obliviousness, we may end up [...]
What do we need to be happier?
Many people think that to be happy, they need to become richer and thinner. By their wealth, they believe they can buy the things that [...]
How Krishna descends to civilize and spiritualize humanity
One of the greatest civilizing forces in human history has been the belief in a God who keeps track of our actions and who [...]