How to sustain our determination in meditation
We can consider meditation to be like any other skill that we seek to learn. Sometimes, we think that to become more determined, we need [...]
Why we fail in improving ourselves
Why we often fail in our attempts at self-improvement is because we are tricked by our mind into aiming for instant improvement – and then [...]
Why we fail in improving ourselves
Why we often fail in our attempts at self-improvement is because we are tricked by our mind into aiming for instant improvement and then we [...]
Misdirected Attention – Why? What to do?
Why does our attention sometimes get misdirected toward things that are unimportant while straying away from the things that are important? Sometimes a traffic accident [...]
Our mind’s attention vs our attention
Our mind is by nature fickle (Bhagavad-gita 06.34). It gets attracted to almost any and every shiny object that comes within its attention, be it [...]
The simple way to do something wonderful
Once an award-winning painter was asked, “How do you draw such magnificent paintings?” The painter’s reply: “One line at a time.” We often admire profusely [...]
How accountability can save us from humiliation
We all may have some unhealthy habits that we grapple with. We may overcome them temporarily, but eventually we relapse. How can we protect ourselves? [...]
The essence of discipline is to make our intelligence faster than our mind
Suppose we tend to waste too much time on Facebook. We can try to discipline ourselves, but fail. Why is becoming disciplined so difficult? To [...]
For inner change, momentum matters more than movement
Suppose we strive to improve ourselves in some area, but fail repeatedly. We may feel disheartened, “There are so many things wrong with me. Even [...]
When the mind says our victories are too small to count, cross-question it – What other way is there to big victories
When striving for self-mastery, we sometimes succeed in taking small steps forward. For example, suppose we find it difficult to wake up early in the [...]
Virtue that is more talked than walked is not necessarily infertile, it may just be infantile
Suppose someone speaks big things, but doesn’t live accordingly. We may dismiss their talk as big bluster: “What they speak is infertile – nothing comes [...]
Intelligence means to know which thoughts are to be pinned and which to be binned
Suppose we regularly use sticky notes. If too many notes clutter our notice board, we would need to sort them. We would pin those that [...]
When the mind shows us all that we don’t have, the intelligence needs to show us all that we do have
Our mind frequently craves for the things we don’t have. And such craving is aggravated by today’s media which dangles before us images of thousands [...]
Focus on the mind’s track record, not on its sound track
Our mind frequently repeats a soundtrack within us: “Eat this, watch this, touch this, enjoy this.” This soundtrack, by sheer repetition, can overwhelm us. For [...]
Small victories are not big victories, but they are stepping stones to big victories
When we fight against our lower desires, we sometimes succeed. But our mind frequently undermines our success: “What’s the big deal? You resisted temptation today, [...]
The key to training ourselves, and trusting ourselves, is small steps, carried out
When we have to do something challenging, we may struggle and falter. And if this happens repeatedly, we may lose confidence and give up. To [...]
See the effort in focusing the mind as an exercise, not an exertion
Suppose a person arriving at an airport finds that they don’t have any porter to carry their luggage from the carousal to the car. They [...]
See the mind not as too strong for us to resist, but as too weak to resist the world’s toys
When we wish to do something constructive, the mind often diverts us here, there and everywhere. Seeing how forcefully the mind distracts us can be [...]
To forget that one is forgetful is to become a fool
We may know people who are notoriously forgetful. They forget scheduled meetings and when we exasperatedly call them, they reply predictably, “I forgot.” If we [...]
Don’t let the mind play truant in the school of bhakti
Suppose a mother sends her child to school, but the child after wearing the uniform and carrying the satchel slips off to play instead of [...]
Let scripture lead beyond the head’s complexity to the heart’s simplicity
The heart’s simplicity refers to, in the context of spiritual life, the simple love of the heart for Krishna, the uncomplicated faith that just by [...]