The cause of fights — a deeper examination
Whenever fighting breaks out between two sides, we may naturally ask: “What is the cause?” While a particular issue may be stated as the cause, [...]
Is our need to nurture aiding or impeding those whom we nurture?
We living beings have a deep need to nurture. That noble need is what inspires us to become parents, even if caring for infants sometimes involves sleepless [...]
Get rid of misplaced guilt
Suppose a policeman feels guilty about putting a vicious criminal in solitary confinement. If that criminal has been duly tried and convicted, then the policeman’s [...]
Forgiveness shouldn’t enable atrocity; it should end animosity
To know when to forgive, we need to recognize two different needs: ending atrocity and ending animosity. Ending atrocity: If someone is treating us hurtfully, [...]
Our attachments are like a rented house that we don’t usually leave unless we are evicted
Our attachments are our mental home – that’s where our thoughts go by default when we have nothing to think about, just as we physically [...]
The essence of renunciation is not giving up worldly things, it is giving up worldly thoughts
Some people define spiritual advancement in terms of renunciation: the more one physically renounces worldly things, the more spiritually advanced one is. Significantly, the Bhagavad-gita [...]
To deal with fear, focus not on what if, but on what is
Suppose we hear about an acquaintance getting a heart attack. We may become fearful: “What if I get a heart attack when I am alone [...]
The mind makes us fight wars that aren’t winnable and wars where victory is not even definable
During our life-journey, we often have to fight against various adversities and adversaries. Among these fights, the fight we focus on is frequently determined by [...]
Value those who value you and don’t overvalue those who devalue you
Suppose we are giving a talk. If the audience is responsive and appreciative, we feel enthused to speak. But if the audience starts frowning and [...]
Attachment is the inability to say no, whatever the cost
Suppose we are buying something. Usually, we would compare its cost with its value: is what I have to pay commensurate with what I will [...]
Tolerance empowers us when we focus on our purposefulness, not on our powerlessness
Some people feel that tolerating makes them powerless: “If things are going wrong and I just tolerate them without doing anything about them, am I [...]
Tolerance empowers us when we focus on our purposefulness, not on our powerlessness
Some people feel that tolerating makes them powerless. To know more about this verse, please click on the image Explanation of article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiSddd-O16Y&feature=youtu.be Podcast: [...]
If we are grateful when ability manifests through us, we can be graceful when it doesn’t
Amid life’s challenges, we all look for some ability that enables us to stand apart. On finding such an ability, we may become proud, delighting [...]
Solutions that try to satisfy everyone usually sway no one and solve nothing
Whenever we face problems, different people suggest different solutions. Because everyone is irreducibly individual, people often have irreducibly different opinions. While deciding which solution to [...]
When we are attached to someone, we don’t care much for them; we care much more for what they think about us
Suppose a doctor needs to give an injection to a sick child. But the child starts crying and complaining about the doctor: “You are so [...]
Detachment is absence of emotional dependence, not absence of emotion
Some people fear, “If I become detached, will I become emotionless, uncaring, stone-hearted?” No, detachment empowers us to care truly for others, for it frees [...]
Don’t pack what is back – the past – in your backpack
Suppose we are going trekking with just a backpack. We will carefully decide what all to pack in it. If we fill it with novels [...]
The heaviest thing to hold is a grudge
When someone hurts us, we may become filled with anger and resentment. Entertaining revenge fantasies, we may hold grudges against them. Just as heavy weights [...]
In the war of egos, the winner is the bigger loser
When people disagree on an issue, the disagreement sometimes degenerates into a war of egos, where the issues are pushed into the background. People obsess [...]
When we resent others, we drink poison and expect them to suffer
Suppose a person becomes furious with someone and decides to hurt them. So, they drink poison themselves. Ridiculous, we would say: Who would do anything [...]
We can help the unable, but not the unwilling
If a car is not starting, helpful passers-by may push it. With the driver and the pushers working together, the car may start moving. But [...]