Deepen detachment by discernment
Often when we are unable to resist our lower desires, we may blame ourselves for not being adequately detached. While this may be true, we [...]
Often when we are unable to resist our lower desires, we may blame ourselves for not being adequately detached. While this may be true, we [...]
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 [...]
Suppose a person with cough decides to suppress it. Such suppression is unsustainable – one can’t suppress the urge to cough for long – and [...]
Suppose a doctor neglected treating a patient, despite having the necessary capacity. Such negligence would be culpable – in doing nothing, the doctor would be [...]
A great danger for those following the right spiritual path is a sense of self-righteousness – the pride that we know the truth makes us [...]
In a war, the threat from the enemies out there is big. But much bigger is the threat from the enemies in here – the [...]
Some people hesitate to take up spiritual life because they think that it requires them to renounce things such as worldly possessions, activities and relationships. [...]
Those who get a treasure protect it vigilantly from thieves. Similarly, when we get devotion for Krishna and understand that it can provide us everlasting [...]
“It’s just about me.” That’s how we sometimes minimize our moral lapses. We think that as long as we can maintain an appearance of being [...]
Self-interested people sometimes try to make their questionable opinions seem respectable by quoting esteemed authorities out of context. By such cherry picking, they make those [...]
We are all distinct individuals. Given our differences, no material formula can work uniformly for everyone, just as one shoe can’t fit all people. Acknowledging [...]
Those who live under the illusion that they don’t need God are from the spiritual perspective vain or arrogant. Actually, we all need God, at [...]
If we find ourselves in an epidemic-hit area, we will be anxious to avoid getting infected or, if we have already been infected, to be [...]
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, we reject the temptations that violate our principles. However, temptation doesn’t so easily take no for an [...]
We are all products of our past. The circumstances we went through and the choices we made have contributed, for better or for worse, to [...]
The idea of doing nothing often catches the fancy of those who want a retreat from the rush of materialistic life. And our culture does [...]
The Bhagavad-gita’s teachings on doership are paradoxical. Initially, it (03.27) deems as deluded those who think themselves to be doers. Yet it (18.63) concludes by [...]
To practice spiritual life means to wage an inner war against the illusion created by our lower desires, especially lust. The Bhagavad-gita (03.36-43) vividly outlines [...]
When the culture depicts lust as the expressway to enjoyment, how can we understand the Bhagavad-gita’s declaration (03.37) that lust is the enemy of the [...]
We may get the question: “If I am a soul different from my body, then why can’t I realize myself as such?” Because of our [...]
“What makes good people do bad things?” This is a question that has vexed thinking people throughout history. We all have probably witnessed acquaintances suddenly [...]