Analyzing a spiritual text without applying it is like examining food without eating it
Suppose someone is starving. If they are given food and they spend all their time examining the food, such behavior would be strange indeed. Food [...]
The essence of commitment is recommitment
We sometimes resolve to do something constructive such as exercising, meditating, studying wisdom-texts or becoming more tolerant in our relationships. But we often fail to [...]
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 train your mind, you won’t face any problems.” Is that true? Not [...]
When we make God our friend, we become our own friend
We are often our worst enemies. When we get some lucky breaks, we let them slip away because of laziness, distractedness and impulsiveness. When we [...]
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 [...]
Stop playing games with your mind – and with those who play games with your mind
Suppose a person starts playing with a poisonous snake, treating it like a pet or a toy. They would be courting danger. Suppose they had [...]
Boring people find people boring
We all probably know some people who bore us to death. Nothing they say or do interests us – and they keep saying and doing [...]
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, [...]
Our mind is constantly hiding – and is constantly ready to give us a hiding
On our daily path, suppose someone waits hiding for us. Catching us unawares, they bully and beat us. As long as they are hiding, [...]
To regulate your eating, listen to your body, not to your mind
Our body is like a car. Both cars and bodies give signals when their fuel tanks or stomachs respectively start becoming empty. We respond to [...]
Even if the mind is not shrill, it is still a shill
A shill is someone who enthusiastically pretends to buy something from a shop so as to allure others to also buy. Our mind is sometimes [...]
The mind is like a bully who has terrorized us for long – it’s time to stand up
Suppose a school has a bully who terrorizes smaller children. Bullies generally prey on the weak and the weak-willed. Whoever becomes scared of them, they [...]
Spiritual vision sees people not as philosophical categories, but as conscious beings
When we gain spiritual knowledge, our zeal to share it with others may blind us to basic human courtesies. While interacting with people, we may [...]
There is more to us than what faces us
Suppose an unarmed civilian is facing an armed aggressor. The odds may seem hopeless. But if they discover that they have a weapon more powerful [...]
Satisfaction comes by knowing ourselves, not by making ourselves known
Suppose we see someone who turns heads wherever they go. We may naturally want to be similarly well known. Given the world’s hugeness and crowdedness, [...]
If we repeatedly let our mind take us to hell, eventually it won’t let us come back
Addicts often live in their own mental hell. Their mind subjects them to tormenting emotions: unbearable cravings, crippling self-flagellation, utter hopelessness. How do addicts enter [...]
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 someone. We will observe them carefully, noting how they behave in various situations, especially in difficult situations. [...]
During our idle time, the mind works overtime
We often look forward to holidays when we can just relax, free from life’s daily grind. But unfortunately, during such breaks, small things get to [...]
When fighting temptation, focus just on surviving the present battle, not on winning the whole war
Suppose we were to fight a boxing match against a formidable opponent. Suppose further, before and during the fight, an acquaintance from the audience discouraged [...]
The mind’s complaining about a problem is often a bigger problem than the problem itself
When the weather is bad, say, too cold, we all are inconvenienced. But some people start complaining repeatedly, “It’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s [...]