Protecting our spirit to help
Just because we can't help everyone doesn't mean that we should help no one. Helpfulness is always a virtue; It is just helpfulness without thoughtfulness [...]
Gita 04.11 explained
Bg 4.11 ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ Word for word: ye — all who; yathā — as; [...]
How conceptions of the Divine affect religious tolerance (Religious tolerance series 5)
If the followers of a tradition have internalized an exclusivist conception of the Divine, then they will see those who don’t worship their God as [...]
Will all paths lead to the same goal when the goal is all-pervading?
In countering the all-paths-same-goal claim that is attributed to the Bhagavad-gita (04.11), Srila Prabhupada gives an example: Consider a railway station with many trains headed [...]
How is everyone on Krishna’s path?
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna offers what might be best described as user-friendly spirituality. This is seen in his declaration that all people are on his [...]
Does Krishna teach Arjuna that all paths lead to the same goal? – part 2
As discussed in the first part of this series, the idea that all paths lead to the same goal doesn’t hold true for Arjuna’s different [...]
Does Krishna teach Arjuna that all paths lead to the same goal? – part 1
[This is now the first part of what was previously written as a single article. On the request of readers for greater elaboration of the [...]
How appreciating other spiritual paths can distract us — and inspire us
We live today in a multicultural world where people from many different faith-traditions interact at the workplace as well as in cyberspace. In order to [...]
How God is rational and reciprocal — and is more
Understanding God is most difficult because he is the biggest reality in all of existence. By definition, he is supreme and is therefore superior to [...]
Why the Gita is misunderstood — and how it can be understood
Suppose we want to talk with someone who has closed body language. We hesitate in opening up to them because we don't know what will [...]
Without going deeply into one tradition, we can’t deeply appreciate any tradition
When we start exploring life’s spiritual side, we may hesitate to commit ourselves to any particular spiritual path: “Won’t that make me close-minded and incapable [...]
Everyone is equal in God’s eyes, but God is not equal in everyone’s eyes
When we approach God we may have a concern, “Does God care equally for everyone?” Krishna’s benevolence towards even the demonic is seen in the [...]
Respecting religious pluralism doesn’t require disrespecting religion
Today, society is becoming increasingly multicultural. Due to the increasing connectedness of the whole world through communication and telecommunication, people are exposed to religious traditions [...]
Even for those who think God is the last thing they need, God remains the first thing they need
Most people are caught in materialism, in dreaming and worrying how they can possess and enjoy things in the here-and-now. Being thus obsessed, they feel [...]
Why bother whether the glass is half-empty or half-full when you can drink from either?
Based on our past ways of thinking and living, we all have developed an attitude that is optimistic or pessimistic or an unpredictable combination of [...]
Harmonize conceptions of the divine with revelation by the divine through surrender to the divine
Different traditions whose ranks incorporate not just lay people but also serious seekers and even saintly seers have varying conceptions of the divine. Why? Because [...]
For the cynic, the truth lies in the heart
Some people are inveterate cynics who ascribe the darkest motives to even the noblest actions. When such cynics target religion, they see God as a [...]
No one owns the truth table except God – and he has many invitees
“My way is the only way.” This is the exclusivist credo of some religionists. In disarming contrast, Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita (04.11): “All people [...]
From our place, at our pace, Krishna offers his embrace
Krishna’s love for all of us is so encompassing that he accepts us wherever we are. And he invites us to come towards him from [...]
Might we be protecting our heart from Krishna instead of for Krishna?
As aspiring devotees, we long to relish the spiritual emotions that the bhakti scriptures extol. Such devotional longing is natural and desirable. However, it comes [...]
When strengths make us weak and weaknesses make us strong
To survive and thrive in our hyper-competitive culture, we usually hide our weaknesses and hype our strengths. Such a strategy may be necessary in material [...]