When devotion doesn’t feel good …
When devotion doesn’t feel good - Suppose a disease weakens us and kills our appetite. If we are provided a healing and energizing medicine, we [...]
Three benefits of fasting
Three benefits of fasting - Fasting is a time-honored practice in most of the world’s great traditions. The Bhagavad-gita too urges us to minimize our [...]
Does devotion result in renunciation?
Does devotion result in renunciation? - The bhakti tradition features sterling examples of great saints who became so devoted to Krishna as to completely renounce [...]
Is our body fast becoming an ego feast?
Is our body fast becoming an ego feast? - Suppose we fast strictly on sacred days, abstaining even from water. When we see others eating [...]
Fanatics use God’s name to give God a bad name
Fanatics use God’s name to give God a bad name The news often reports how religious fanatics kill innocent people and justify their barbarity in [...]
Let your practices make you a spiritual fruit, not a religious nut
Let your practices make you a spiritual fruit not a religious nut Religious nuts are those people who in the name of religion become fanatical, [...]
If an ideal inspires more regret than reform, an intermediate ideal is required
If an ideal inspires more regret than reform an intermediate ideal is required Suppose a hospital gym has weights so heavy that they can’t even [...]
Don’t let our desire to use something for Krishna become greater than our desire for Krishna
Don’t let our desire to use something for Krishna become greater than our desire for Krishna Suppose we are driving to meet someone dear to [...]
To respect Krishna respect the time we have carved out for Krishna
To respect Krishna respect the time we have carved out for Krishna Suppose we are to meet someone who says they respect us profusely. But [...]
Without going deeply into one tradition we can’t deeply appreciate any tradition
Without going deeply into one tradition we can’t deeply appreciate any tradition When we start exploring life’s spiritual side, we may hesitate to commit ourselves [...]
Keep the mind on one track don’t keep a one track mind
Keep the mind on one track don’t keep a one track mind To keep the mind on one track means to keep our attention focused [...]
Fanatics don’t see how God is present everywhere; they see how God is absent everywhere
Fanatics don’t see how God is present everywhere; they see how God is absent everywhere Religious fanatics often attack those whom they deem heretics. They [...]
Ritualists see hierarchy above equality spiritualists see equality above hierarchy
Ritualists see hierarchy above equality spiritualists see equality above hierarchy We cherish equality; we don’t want anyone to be discriminated against. Simultaneously, our hard-nosed side [...]
Humility is the pathway to Krishna not the password to position in a power structure
Humility is the pathway to Krishna not the password to position in a power structure Some people are humble and submissive in front of their [...]
The cure for ritualism is not the rejection of ritual but the infusion of emotion into ritual
Some people criticize religious rituals as mindless performances and campaign for their rejection. However, rituals are present in every walk of life. For example, when [...]
Use self-control to commit the self to the control of the supreme self
Suppose a person has a severe digestive disorder that requires not just dietary regulation but also medical treatment. The patient’s self-control in eating is beneficial [...]