Gita 03.06 explained
Now Krishna contrast it by telling that if one does practice renunciations then what will happen? Bg 3.6 karmendriyāṇi saṁyamya ya āste manasā smaran [...]
Three levels of deception
When we strive to develop a virtue by disciplining ourselves, we may succumb to deception at three levels. Intention to deceive others: We may seek [...]
What moments of weakness can do — and what they can’t do
When people fall to vice, they often explain it as “just a moment of weakness.” Let’s evaluate this explanation. We all are finite and fallible [...]
Why lying to ourselves is so dangerous
Suppose someone we work with lies to us frequently. They claim that they can do things they can’t do. Or they claim that they can’t [...]
Honestly dishonest?
Suppose a person does something because they are misled. To help them correct themselves, they need to be shown how they are being misled. We [...]
More damaging than the lies we tell others are the lies we tell ourselves
Suppose someone has diabetes and they secretly eat desserts. If they lie to their caregivers about what they are doing, that’s bad; they will worsen [...]
As long as we hide behind ourselves, we can’t challenge ourselves
Suppose we are afraid of some aggressor and choose to hide behind some protector. Later, if our protector starts oppressing us, we won’t be able [...]
The most exhausting burden is a mask
If we see someone carrying a huge burden on their back, we may feel pity for them. Yet we ourselves may be carrying a heavier [...]
The cunning combination of complacency, complicity and carnality consumes our conscience
Our conscience is our inner guard – it cautions us whenever we feel tempted to do anything unworthy. However, just as a carnivorous predator may [...]
When we rationalize, we indulge in rational lies
To rationalize is to give some fallacious reasoning to prove as right something that is wrong and that we know is wrong. We resort to [...]
Compartmentalization is a mental mechanism for self-deception
When we strive to live according to some elevated principles, there results an inevitable tension between our precepts and our practices. The level that we [...]
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 [...]
Know the mind by the company it craves
A well-known saying goes, “Man is known by the company he keeps.” We can apply this principle to our inner life for discerning the nature [...]
Don’t equate change of position with change of disposition
Many spiritual novices think that living in the world is the cause of entanglement and renouncing the world is the source of liberation. They sometimes [...]
When we hide ourselves from ourselves, we destroy ourselves
Leading a principle-centered life involves a dynamic tension between our aspirations, which are determined by our cherished principles, and our actions, which is often determined [...]
Temptation induces the pretender’s mask to fall and the seeker’s guard to rise
As spiritual seekers, we aspire to follow the principles of moral and spiritual integrity given in the scriptures. But due to our past conditionings we [...]
Spiritual advancement comes not just by change of activity but by change of mentality
Materialism habituates us to seeking happiness by changing our externals new dress, new car, new job, new house, even new spouse. When we come to [...]
See rituals as opportunities to spend quality time with Krishna
The various rituals that are a part of spiritual life – chanting, praying, worshipping and meditating – are opportunities for us to spend time with [...]