Protesting that the mind is wandering is progress over wandering with the mind
When we start practicing spiritual life and try to fix the mind on Krishna, we may become disheartened at how frequently and forcefully the mind [...]
Detachment doesn’t make us hardhearted – attachment does
Sometimes people fear, “If I become detached, I will become hardhearted.” However, what makes us hardhearted is not detachment, but its opposite: attachment. When we [...]
To reject reality because it is not found in the map is absurdity
Suppose a person uses a map to travel to a friend’s house. At each step during the journey, suppose the map guides them well, and [...]
The mind is not your boss – don’t let it boss you
Suppose a colleague started bossing us around. We would rightly be annoyed and would counter, “Mind your own business. You are not my boss.” Yet [...]
The body is meant for neither gratification nor mortification, but for utilization
We often assume that our body is meant for gratification. The world leads us to believe that by indulging in our bodily senses, we will [...]
Possibilities expand when we begin where we are instead of where we should be
Suppose we take a wrong turn and end up somewhere other than our destination. If we keep resenting, “Why am I here instead of where [...]
Channelize your capacity to control for connecting with the supreme controller
Some people ask, “If the Gita teaches that I am not the controller, then why does it ask me to control my senses?” Actually, the [...]
Let emotion inform, but not form, your decision
Our emotions are a big part of who we are, but they are not all of us. We are bigger than our present emotions, most [...]
Don’t stay crying in the night – start crying for the light
A child lost in a strange dark place may start crying helplessly, but an adult similarly lost will instead of collapsing into tears look for [...]
Enlightenment ends the mind’s search for alternatives to Krishna
We are all searching for some object as a source of love and pleasure. Gita wisdom explains that we are actually searching for Krishna, the [...]
Focus not on avoiding entanglement – focus on seeking engagement
When a person is traveling on a boat, they need to be aware of the dangers, but they needn’t become paranoid – otherwise, they will [...]
The mind seduces us into doing wrong – and then scolds us for doing wrong
Suppose we have a tyrannical boss who tells us first to do something that doesn’t make sense and then castigates us for having acted senselessly. [...]
Devotion makes the head clear and the heart pure
Devotion is essentially the disposition of our heart to love and serve Krishna. And from that devotional desire, all auspiciousness emerges, as the Bhagavad-gita indicates [...]
Determination is the fruit of purification – and its root too
The Bhagavad-gita (07.28) indicates that we will become determined in our devotional practices when we live purely and stop impure actions. This begs the question: [...]
To stop defeating yourself, stop deceiving yourself
Suppose a sick person denies their sickness not just to others but also to themselves. By their denial, they deprive themselves of the good health [...]
Learn to see Krishna’s love with the eyes of knowledge
Our culture often bombards us with explicit images of what is considered to be love. If we equate love with such gushy expressions alone, we [...]
Gradual destruction is as destructive as sudden destruction
When sudden, huge destruction occurs because of, say, an earthquake, we are jolted out of our routine complacency. Being confronted with the brittleness of our [...]
If we do what we can, Krishna empowers us to do what we can’t
During the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was unfairly, brutally murdered on the thirteenth day. Outraged, Arjuna vowed to kill before the next sunset the [...]
To beat problems, first beat the problematic mind down to size
When an army is fighting a war, it depends on its intelligence – its information sources – to know the strength of the enemy. But [...]
Purity is the key to freedom from misery
Suppose an alcoholic has become sick because of excessive alcohol indulgence. While the disease is a danger that needs treatment, an equal, if not greater, [...]
The ego’s default defensiveness doesn’t protect us – it protects the misconceptions that limit us
When someone points out our faults, our ego often makes us respond defensively and deny those faults. Defending is a natural survival instinct – if [...]