See anger as a sign of weakness, not strength
When we get angry, we often speak and act in regrettable ways. Still, we falter and fail in our attempts to resist anger. How can [...]
Eventual defeat doesn’t justify immediate defeat
When we strive to live a principle-centered life by resisting temptations, we may find some temptation irresistible and feel, “Since I will indulge eventually, why [...]
Don’t expect illusion to get out — you get out
“Get out” we may tell someone who has hurt us terribly. In the past, kings would exile offenders from their kingdom, with such banishment being [...]
We don’t have to defeat our lower desires – we can just let them lose
Tennis players don’t have to hit winners in each point; if they can just keep the ball in play, their opponent may tire and err, [...]
Victory comes not just by courageously fighting our battles but also by cautiously choosing our battles
Often a machismo-filled notion of a hero is someone who fearlessly charges into some battle and single-handedly against overwhelming odds wrecks havoc in the enemy’s [...]
Tolerance means withstanding the presence without succumbing to the influence
Suppose we have a disagreeable neighbor. We can’t evict him, but we don’t have to waste our time quarreling with him. We do the needful [...]
Temptations will come, we don’t have to welcome
Seekers sometimes ask, “I am practicing bhakti-yoga seriously, yet I feel tempted by worldly desires. Why is bhakti not working?” Bhakti is definitely working. The [...]
As long as we mistake the irresistible to be essential, we deprive ourselves of the essential
Sometimes worldly desires, especially immoral and anti-devotional sexual desires, seem irresistible. No matter how much we try to resist them, they seem to keep returning [...]
Pass the test, get the taste
We all long for happiness. And millions of things in this world promise us happiness. But none of them can provide lasting happiness because none [...]
The way to transcendence is through tolerance not indulgence
All of us periodically battle urges that damn us: urges born of lust, anger and greed, for example. We want to be free from these [...]
Don’t let inner burdens add to your outer burdens
We often feel strained by the pressure of having so many things to do. Even if we have a heavy workload, our strain frequently comes [...]
The war against lust is a war of attrition
A war of attrition refers to a war in which victory requires wearing out the opponent. As spiritual seekers, we need to wage war against [...]
Surrender to Krishna is difficult, but surrender to the body is doomed
Surrender is a word that often brings negative connotations, making us imagine that it involves forced submission to an aggressor. But surrender is simply a [...]
Tolerance is the stopper between temptation and transgression
“I have been striving for selflessness and purity, yet I feel repeatedly tempted by selfish and impure pleasures. Will I never make spiritual advancement?” As [...]