Navigating the inner marketplace
Introspection is meant to tune out the louder voices inside us so that we can tune in to the wiser voices inside us. Suppose we [...]
Transform our wandering into a pilgrimage
In the Bhagavad Gita (18.61), Krishna states that he is directing the wanderings of all living beings from his strategic vantage point, which is within [...]
From ‘what if’ to ‘what is’: steadying the mind through spiritual focus
Bhagavad-gita (6.18) depicts how the mind of a purified yogi becomes steady, like a lamp in a windless place. We are often confronted with the [...]
Needing Krishna to fix us
Meditation begins in earnest when we realize that we need to change from the inside out. We generally turn toward God when things are not [...]
How to dump emotional bumps and slumps during meditation
Life is filled with ups and downs, or alternatively, life is filled with bumps and slumps. Things go up and down at times. If we [...]
How to sustain our determination in meditation
We can consider meditation to be like any other skill that we seek to learn. Sometimes, we think that to become more determined, we need [...]
Can we stop the flow of temptation into our consciousness?
Even if we can't stop the flow of temptation into our consciousness, we can certainly stop that flow from becoming a flood that takes over [...]
Are nostalgia or utopia distracting us from meditation?
Meditation is essentially about connecting with a timeless divine reality that resides and presides beyond the mundane reality, which is constantly subject to change due [...]
The Journey from effortful remembrance to divine absorption
The Bhagavad-gita (10.9) states that the thoughts of the devotees reside in Krishna. This is a far more devotionally endearing way of describing the activity [...]
How remembering Krishna makes the mind peaceful
In the Bhagavad-gita [18.61], Krishna directs the wandering of all living beings. Does this mean he also directs the wandering of our minds? After all, [...]
Remembrance of Krishna — From Factual to Personal
The Bhagavad-gita (8.5) emphasizes the significance of remembering Krishna at the time of death. By such remembrance, we can attain Him without any doubt. But [...]
Do we need to flee from temptation to be free from temptation?
In the Bible, it is said that we should flee from temptation. Some people may object to such an idea, saying that such fleeing sentences [...]
How discipline in meditation helps in discipline in all areas of life
Whenever we try to do anything worthwhile, we need to discipline ourselves, especially in terms of giving up something that seems enjoyable initially, even though [...]
The material realization that fosters spiritual immersion
Meditation requires us to turn our attention from the world’s promises of pleasure to a higher reality. Such turning away from the world requires a [...]
Temptations are like precision-guided missiles
In a war, the enemy is not just passively waiting to be attacked by us, nor is it hyper-angrily racing to attack us. If the [...]
When food becomes our enemy
What we eat is meant to energize us, to help us break free from the forces that control us, not energize those forces to control [...]
How meditation differs from obsession and frees us from obsession
The Bhagavad-gita (18.22) describes knowledge in the mode of ignorance, which leads people to obsess over one thing as if it were everything. Such an [...]
Importance of intelligence in meditation
Our intelligence is meant to be our protector, akin to an inner guard. We need such a guard because inside us is our mind, which [...]
Krishna is equal – be encouraged, not discouraged
The Bhagavad-gita 9.29 asserts that Krishna is equal to all; there is no one that he favors or disfavors. This assurance of Krishna's equality can [...]
Does surrender mean that God manages our life for us?
The Bhagavad-gita begins and ends with surrender. But these two forms of surrender are significantly different. The initial surrender in 2.7 happens when Arjuna acknowledges [...]
An exam where the examiner is on our side
The Bhagavad-gita (8.27) urges us not to worry about specifics regarding the moment of our death and to instead focus on the universal principle of [...]