All noes are not created equal
We often instinctively resent whenever we are told no to something that we wish to do. Such resentment is understandable because we equate the no [...]
Don’t let persistence of vision cause persistence of illusion
Persistence of vision refers to the erroneous perception caused by the eye’s inability to perceive change occurring at a high speed. For example, if someone [...]
Yesterday’s victory doesn’t protect us today
In a series of matches, a team may have won a match yesterday, but that victory doesn’t guarantee victory today. True, the previous win can [...]
Suffering defines the human condition, but the human condition doesn’t define us
Suffering is an undeniable reality of the human condition, as the daily news of death and disease and destruction demonstrate. And these are just the [...]
See the “Yes” in the “No” to a “No”
Suppose a person driving on a road comes to a sign, “Road closed – take alternative route” with a pointer to that route. Those who [...]
Ask the question that underlies all questions
Children who ask questions are frequently appreciated for their healthy curiosity. But given how many things there are to know in the world and how [...]
Out of sight is out of the mind provided the mind is out of it
“Out of sight is out of mind” is a common saying that embodies a sound principle for self-regulation. For example, if we are fasting and [...]
Accepting our powerlessness can be most empowering
When people fall sick, a lot of their misery comes from resenting their sickness, “Why am I suffering when everyone else is enjoying?” Such resenting [...]
Resist the temptation of confusion
Sometimes life’s challenges leave us confused. Devotee-seekers may face such confusion when deciding, say, which spiritual master to take initiation from or which ashram to [...]
What is not eternal is eternally inconsequential
Success in any field requires focus on the important things while putting aside the unimportant things. When we understand our eternal spiritual identity and strive [...]
Strive for not the good life but God’s life
The good life is a life of material success and happiness accompanied by religious piety. God’s life is the life that God wants us to [...]
We can’t avoid perceiving sense objects, but we can avoid pursuing them
The culture assaults our senses with perceptions of tempting sense objects and we often can’t avoid those perceptions. How then can we protect ourselves from [...]
Spiritual knowledge transforms hopeless end into endless hope
Death is the hopeless end of all our aspirations of success and happiness at the material level of reality. At that final moment of our [...]
To think we are beyond danger is the greatest danger
When a boat is at sea, the danger of a storm exists constantly. If the boater becomes lulled into complacency by, say, the calm waters [...]
Break the habits that can break you – before they break you
Some people say, “We drink, but we don’t get drunk – we drink moderately.” Such reasoning neglects the subtle and subconscious way habits become addictive. [...]
Circumstances are like carpets – keep them below, not above
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances. Not being able to respond appropriately to them, we may even feel as if we are simply being [...]
While knowledge curbs the senses, devotion conquers the senses
Knowledge, specifically spiritual knowledge, helps us understand our spiritual identity and thereby recognize the necessity of controlling the senses that drag us towards material enjoyment [...]
Don’t just ask for decisions; ask for the education for making decisions
The Bhagavad-gita begins with Arjuna facing a specific problem: to fight or not to fight. This problem, though ethically entangling, asks for a straightforward decision: [...]
The ego’s dissolution is not self-destruction, but the doorway to self-actualization
When we are told that we are wrong, we often resent it. Worse still, when we are told that we are wrong about our core [...]
The stars continue to shine even if we can’t see them
Stars brighten and beautify the night-sky. But when thick clouds darken the sky, we can’t see the stars, though we know with out intelligence that [...]
Better to admit, “I am wrong” and be right than to insist, “I am right” and stay wrong
The Bhagavad-gita begins with Arjuna deciding to not fight in the upcoming war (01.46). Yet given the grave consequences of either decision – to fight [...]