Are we connecting the dots or concocting the dots to connect?
Connecting the dots is a sign of perceptive intelligence, while creating the dots that can then be conveniently connected is a sign of deceptive intelligence. [...]
Understanding what pushes us toward transcendence and what pulls us toward transcendence
Intelligence means keeping accessible not just the factors that push us toward transcendence but also those that pull us. When we aspire to grow spiritually [...]
How desire abducts and abandons us
Desire abducts with the promise of pleasure and abandons us in the province of trouble. The Bhagavad Gita (18.38) states that sensual desires lead us [...]
Preventing the need for food from becoming greed for food
Detachment arises from understanding that desire can only be dealt with by tolerating it, never by titillating it. We all face sensual desires, and it [...]
What truth will our life story demonstrate?
We can choose what truth our life story will demonstrate: what is possible with God or what is inevitable without him. Our life is defined [...]
Two steps to stop feeling sorry for ourselves
Wherever we go, we will be carrying our sorry self with us; stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and stop being the kind of person that [...]
Three tests to counter rumor-mongering
One of the fundamental implications of the Bhagavad Gita 16.2 directive to be averse to fault-finding is to avoid engaging in rumor-mongering. This means not [...]
Tackling impurity from indulgence to transcendence
Impurity needs to be tackled by focusing on transcendence, not tickled by fantasizing about indulgence. Whenever we have any impurity within us that triggers desires [...]
From wishful and fretful thinking to prayerful and purposeful thinking
Let our thinking not be wishful or fearful; let it be prayerful and purposeful. Our thinking capacity is our most powerful capacity. It is the [...]
The essence of karma philosophy is not punishment but encouragement
The essence of karma philosophy is not punishment but encouragement The concept of karma has become widespread to the point of having gained mainstream acceptance, [...]
How discernment makes detachment easier
Detachment becomes easier with discernment. When we understand that what we seek to let go of was never really there or was never really ours, [...]
Three ways to differentiate between punishing and scapegoating
The difference between finding a criminal and scapegoating someone can be broadly defined by three main aspects: Method: In the case of scapegoating, the accused [...]
Three reasons for differences of opinion
Three reasons for differences of opinion Differences in opinion can often lead to conflict, especially in today’s hyper-individualistic age. The tendency now is to view [...]
“If you say yes I say no” – why we sometimes make irrational decisions
To reject an opinion by default just because we dislike the person giving that opinion is just as bad as accepting an opinion just because [...]
When orthodoxy overrides morality decency humanity
Devotion is characterized more by the protection of morality than by the protection of orthodoxy. All theistic traditions worldwide are associated with certain ritual practices [...]
Speaking our mind or speaking with our mind?
Before we speak our mind, we need to speak with our mind; otherwise, it is our mind that will speak—instead of us, and not for [...]
Purity clarity & energy – 3 resources for playing our part in facing the world’s problems
Just because we can't fix all the problems in the world doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to fix any of them. Nor should we feel [...]
The difference between outer achievement and inner achievement
The difference between outer achievement and inner achievement lies in where each seeks to bring our focus. Outer achievement aims to place us at the [...]
Two ways attachment torments us
Attachment sentences us to be taunted by our desires and haunted by our fears. During the routine course of our lives, we often get attached [...]
Countering invisible attacks on our consciousness
Just because we don’t see that we are being attacked does not mean that we are not under attack. The inner war is invisible, but [...]
Focus on who will be responsible not on who was responsible.
Whenever things go wrong, finding someone to blame is a default human tendency. When there isn’t anyone clearly to blame, we tend to presume that [...]