The soul seems far out because it is far in
Some people think that the concept of the soul is far out because it seems incomprehensible or even unbelievable. Yes, the soul is difficult to [...]
Better to look stupid than to act stupid
Sometimes when life’s complexities perplex us, we may hesitate to ask others for help because of the fear of looking stupid. But by letting such [...]
Matter is not just foreign – it is alien
Foreign refers to that which despite its differences is essentially similar to us – foreigners are, after all, humans like us; they breathe air, eat [...]
The soul wears out the body and the body wears out the soul
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The soul wears the body in the sense that the body is like a dress for the soul, as the [...]
The best time to win the battle against temptation is before it begins
To practice spiritual life means to enter into a war against temptation, the temptation for enjoying matter. The arena of battle is our own consciousness, [...]
Materialism makes us spoiled children
When spoiled children get infatuated with a toy, they demand it from their parents. Even if they have been given many other things, they evaluate [...]
Psychological techniques are a subset of philosophical insights, not their substitute
Many people treat psychological techniques as a substitute for philosophical insights. If a technique calms their mind, which they believe is the purpose of psychology, [...]
The mind makes us more foolish than a fool
“Experience is the best teacher – and a fool learns in no other way.” The implication of this well-known saying is twofold: Firstly, wise [...]
Don’t let device aggravate vice
We all have our vices that if given a free run can harm others and harm us too. Keeping such vices under control has been [...]
Biological hunger is need, but sensual hunger is greed
Biological hunger refers to the body’s call for food, whereas sensual hunger refers to the senses’ craving for sense objects. The Bhagavad-gita (02.59: niraaharasya) uses [...]
Be special above the ordinary, not among the ordinary
We all want to be special. Materialistic culture directs our longing for specialness towards material things. It makes us believe that we will stand out [...]
Pure consciousness is not content-less – it is contamination-less
Pure consciousness is an oft-used term in spiritual circles, but impersonalists interpret it as content-less consciousness. To understand the problem with such an interpretation, consider [...]
Don’t let being well-off come in the way of being well
In today’s materialistic culture, being well-off is enthroned as life’s primary, if not only, goal. The pressure on us to accumulate the trappings of success [...]
Change recollection from selective to comprehensive and deceptive to protective
Alcoholics, for a few moments of pleasure, undergo the indignity of slurred speech, incoherent behavior and overall foolishness that takes a heavy toll on time, [...]
The soul is bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof, windproof – and time-proof
“Waterproof!” Declares the ad of a trendy gadget. Ads like these tap our apprehension that such gadgets may get inadvertently damaged. These apprehensions stem from [...]
The greatest fear is the fear of losing the key to freedom
Material existence is like a prison, for it subjects us to multiple miseries, especially the ultimate agony of death. What imprisons us eternal spiritual beings [...]
Surgery seems like violence, but is benevolence
Some people claim, “The Bhagavad-gita teaches that killing is ok because the body is anyway going to die. Such a teaching licenses indiscriminate violence.” This [...]
The usage “spirit of matter” is an oxymoron that points to an ox and a moron
An oxymoron is a literary device in which contradictory words are placed together to convey a deeper meaning. The usage ‘the spirit of matter’ is [...]
Frustration is unavoidable, but hopelessness isn’t
we feel frustrated when things go wrong. While such frustrations are unavoidable for everyone, they become accentuated to the level of hopeless frustrations for those [...]
Gita 02.71 explained
BG 2.71 vihaya kaman yah sarvan pumams carati nihsprihah nirmamo nirahankarah sa santim adhigacchati SYNONYMS vihaya -- giving up; kaman -- material desires for sense [...]
When spiritual life seems dry and tasteless….
As spiritual seekers, we sometimes go through dry phases when our devotional practices seem to give us no happiness. More often than not, the cause [...]