When work doesn’t work, detachment works
Sometimes, we work at something, yet nothing seems to work. We struggle to improve a relationship, but things keep going south. What can we do [...]
Opinions are like onions – know when they need to be sealed and when peeled
When we have an opinion about something, we may hold on to that opinion irrationally, even if it exasperates those around us. We can understand [...]
We relapse not because we are witless or will-less, but because we are weapon-less
When we make resolutions to give up some unhealthy indulgence, we often relapse. On succumbing thus, we may berate ourselves for being witless: “How could [...]
Choose the good when it protects you from the bad, but not when it deprives you of the best
Suppose we had to choose between a low-quality product for a high price and a high-quality product for a high price. We would naturally choose [...]
More important than understanding what we observe is understanding what it is that observes
Every day, and indeed at every moment, many things pass through our visual range. If we observe such things carefully, we can understand a lot [...]
Protect the fences that protect you – keep temptation at a healthy distance
Suppose we live in a neighborhood where robbery is common. We will naturally build a strong fence around our home. Does building a fence signify [...]
Even when we can’t avoid sensual perception, we can avoid sensual imagination
We live in a world rife with temptation. Such temptation can deceive and degrade us at any moment. Given that we can neither remove temptation [...]
Saying no to temptation doesn’t mean much if we don’t mean no
Suppose someone we know succumbs to an unworthy temptation. On being confronted about their wrongdoings, they may apologize and promise to never repeat that lapse. [...]
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: [...]
Seek the association that warns us about our urges, not warms us to our urges
Suppose we meet a stranger belonging to a group that is hostile to us. Naturally, we would be reserved while dealing with them. But if [...]
To understand one thing, we sometimes need to revise how we understand everything
Suppose we are struggling to solve a mathematical sum, but are getting nowhere. The problem is that we have blundered in the first step itself; [...]
Manage the garbage in your mind, and minimize the garbage to manage in your life
Garbage that is not cleared often tends to multiply – even if it is kept in a bin, the bin starts stinking or polluting the [...]
What we feel doesn’t fell us, what we will does
When we strive to free ourselves from impurities, we may still feel impure desires rising in our consciousness. To not become disheartened by such desires, [...]
To keep small things small, keep big things big
Suppose we are driving on a crowded lane and we notice someone driving wildly on an adjacent lane. If we get angry at their irresponsible [...]
If we don’t give the devil his due, he will take more than his due
The devil is envisioned in some traditions as a malefic being who tempts us toward wrongdoing and then traps us in distress. But beyond such [...]
Determination is distilled desire directed decisively
To achieve anything challenging, we need determination. How can we develop this elusive thing called determination? To understand, let’s divide determination into its components. Essentially, [...]
Stop struggling to turn off the inner darkness, start striving to turn on the inner light
Suppose we are lost in a dark room. We stumble over various things, hurting ourselves. To avoid such trouble, do we try to turn off [...]
Proving that we are right is not as empowering as probing if we are wrong
We sometimes think that we know a lot. Yet no matter how much we know, still, what we know is always lesser than what we [...]
The human spirit is too big to stay satisfied within any material cage, however grand
Birds naturally long to fly. Even if kept in the most comfortable cages, they still look for ways to escape into the sky and fly [...]
Amidst unmanageably distressing times, reduce your working frame to manageable units of time
Sometimes, we face such huge distress that everything seems dark. How can we deal with such times? By reducing our working frame. If we start [...]