Why we are NOT defined by our desires
One of the Bhagavad Gita’s most life-transforming insights is its clear, categorical, and consistent emphasis on differentiating between us and our mind. While some of [...]
Gita 5.23 explained
Now Arjuna gets a question at this point, yes I know, even if I agree that material enjoyment leads to misery but still by knowing [...]
When we can’t give up an unhealthy habit …
If an unhealthy habit keeps recurring despite our best efforts, how can we progress in self-transformation? By changing our attitude toward that habit: we can [...]
Why we may relapse into unhealthy behaviors
When we succeed in giving up some unhealthy behavior, we usually feel encouraged, even delighted. But then seemingly out of the blue, we relapse. When [...]
What temptation can do — and what it can’t
Whenever we resolve to discipline ourselves for some worthwhile purpose, we will, sooner or later, feel tempted. To deal with such temptation, we need to [...]
How to avoid unhealthy reactions to unwanted emotions
Suppose we experience a craving that runs contrary to the principles we hold sacred. Faced with this unwanted emotion, we may react by becoming judgmental [...]
Do bad thoughts comprise bad karma?
At one level, yes. Because thinking is also a form of activity, and every activity comes under the jurisdiction of karma, we are accountable for [...]
Why we need to scan our consciousness regularly
When somebody is canned from their job, that means they are dismissed, often unceremoniously. Our conscience is our inner watchdog that sometimes gets canned, even [...]
Even if we can’t drive away inner impurities, we can still drive away from inner impurities
Suppose an obscene billboard comes up in our neighborhood. If we want our locality to be family-friendly, we will want that image removed. But if [...]
Even if we can’t stop feeling sensual urges, we can stop feeding sensual urges
Suppose we live in a forest cabin. We may not be able to prevent the arrival of unwanted animals. But we can avoid feeding them, [...]
We don’t have to outweigh our urges; we just have to out-wait them
Suppose a thief is trying to barge into our house by breaking the door. Suppose further that the door has a loose bolt that we [...]
When we resist our urges, they may become scarier, but they don’t become stronger
Suppose an animal trainer is domesticating a wild tiger by starving it till it becomes compliant. Like all other living beings that are kept hungry, [...]
If we think we have no vices, we are novices
A novice housekeeping employee may think that a room that appears to be clean is clean. But some dust may be so settled as to [...]
We can’t always control how we feel, but we can control how we act
We all face situations wherein our emotions go wild and push us to act impulsively, say, angrily. Regretting such actions, we resolve to become self-controlled. [...]
Even if we can’t change our desires, we can change our attitude towards our desires
When we aspire to live a principle-centered life, our worldly desires often tempt and divert us. How can we deal with them? We can learn [...]
Resist the temptation to expect immediate resistance to temptation
When we start practicing spiritual life, we may resolve to give up sensual indulgence. But as our material attachments are deep-rooted, they frequently overpower us. [...]
In the spiritual race, if we strive to be finishers, we will be winners too
Sometimes, people participate in runs to express their solidarity for a cause. In such runs, who wins the race is not as important as who [...]
The test of spirituality is not absence of temptation but persistence amidst temptation
Some people think, “To practice spiritual life seriously, I need to be free from temptations. And as I still get tempted, I can’t practice spiritual [...]
See temptation as an attack, not as a defeat
Suppose soldiers guarding the national border against a hostile neighbor find bullets whizzing past them. Naturally, they will see the bullets as signs of attack [...]
Our greatest power is not the power we have over others, but the power we have over ourselves
Many people hunger for power. Such power-hungry people usually define power in terms of externals, in terms of how much they can control others and [...]
Sex is a bodily function – letting it become a mental obsession is illusion
Some people ask, “Sex is a natural bodily function. Why is spiritual life against sex?” Spiritual life is not against the natural bodily function of [...]