No one has a right to mistreat you, not even you
No one has a right to mistreat you not even you Suppose someone repeatedly derided us. We would be incensed: “You have no right to [...]
Everything is not in the mind, but everything comes through the mind
Everything is not in the mind but everything comes through the mind Some people say, “Everything is in the mind; if you just learn to [...]
For changing yourself, focus on comprehending yourself, not on criticizing yourself
Suppose someone criticizes us constantly about something we are doing. Instead of understanding where we are coming from, if they simply judge and condemn us, [...]
Watch yourself as if you are someone you don’t know – self-observation opens the door to self-transformation
Watch yourself as if you are someone you don't know – self-observation opens the door to self-transformation Suppose we want to develop a relationship with [...]
Use introspection as a confession by the self to the self
Use introspection as a confession by the self to the self Confession is a religious practice wherein confessants, people who have done something wrong, admit [...]
Respect the dark within you to keep it within you
Respect the dark within you to keep it within you Suppose we had a serious enemy out to destroy us. We couldn’t afford to take [...]
To be thoughtful attribute every thought first to the mind
To be thoughtful attribute every thought first to the mind Our mind is like a thought-factory that churns out thoughts constantly. Most of these thoughts [...]
We are our greatest hope – and our greatest horror
We are our greatest hope – and our greatest horror We all sometimes act like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde; we act sometimes like a [...]
The faster our autocorrect the faster we can be incorrect
The faster our autocorrect the faster we can be incorrect While messaging someone through our phone, suppose we type ‘Hare Krishna.’ But the phone doesn’t [...]
The mind treats us badly yet we trust it madly
The mind treats us badly yet we trust it madly Suppose an investment agent misled us into making bad investments. We wouldn’t trust them again. [...]
Our inner screen is lined with lying links – be leery
Our inner screen is lined with lying links – be leery Suppose we are reading an online article and adjacent to it are many links [...]
The mind makes the easy seem difficult and the difficult seem impossible
The mind makes the easy seem difficult and the difficult seem impossible When we have to do something, we often assess how easy or difficult [...]
See the mind as a predator, not a protector
Suppose a farmer has a guard dog. But if that dog turns into a predator who devours the farm poultry, the farmer would be in [...]
If we don’t marginalize the mind, it will marginalize us
Suppose we are the leaders of a group and are leading its discussion in a particular productive direction. But someone else starts speaking loudly, drowns [...]
When we keep liking whatever our mind likes, we end up not liking ourselves
Suppose we keep eating whatever we feel like eating. When our indiscriminate eating makes us fat or sick, we end up not liking ourselves. Gita [...]
Stop expecting the mind to give up trying to make us give up
When we resolve to do something positive and fail, the mind may dishearten us, “You can’t do it. Just give up.” We may still persevere, [...]
The mind’s triggering may be uncontrollable, but our triggering can be controllable
When a mother and a child are going out for some work, the child may become fearful on seeing something. But the mother needs to [...]
Move from mindlessness to mindfulness by minding the mind
We sometimes act mindlessly, that is, we act without thinking, being impelled by our impulsive mind. The word mind has many meanings: in mindless, the [...]
Tap the mind’s power – don’t be trapped by the mind’s power
We all know of powerful things that can help or harm. Consider electricity, for example. It can heat, cool, cook, transport and illuminate. But if [...]
Tolerance towards the mind’s intolerance imprisons us in impotence
Suppose a tolerant group is interacting with an intolerant group. The tolerant may say, “You can do what you want; I won’t impose my way [...]
The instrumental self is not the self – it is the instrument to the self
One of the most intriguing Bhagavad-gita verses states: Elevate the self with the self, don’t degrade the self with the self; the self is the [...]