We have to lose our mind to gain our soul
“Lose one’s mind” can have multiple meanings, based on literal and idiomatic usages of the word lose. These meanings can illumine various aspects of bhakti [...]
The mind will smother if we don’t see it as the other
Murderers who don’t want to leave any telltale signs by using a weapon sometimes smother their victims. The mind acts with similar calculated malevolence while [...]
The mind is like a dog that barks but can’t bite – unless we let it
A dog that barks ferociously can terrify passers-by. Their fear disappears, however, if they come to know that the dog barks loudly, but can’t bite. [...]
Devotion makes the mind’s power our power
Our mind is phenomenally powerful. Within a fraction of a moment, it can take our thoughts from one end of the world to another. Unfortunately, [...]
Build roads, not roadblocks
Suppose someone had to go to a place that wasn’t accessible by road. We would expect them to clear a path to get there. If [...]
Absorption of consciousness in Krishna brings about expansion of consciousness through Krishna
Expansion of consciousness is an oft-used term in spiritual circles. People seeking deeper fulfillment in life intuit that they can do so by expanding their [...]
Devotion helps us discover the richness of life
We often go through our lives with a feeling of chronic impoverishment. The culture around us specializes in showing us all the things we don’t [...]
Don’t just talk about yourself – talk to yourself
People who like to talk about themselves can come off as egotistic when they describe their successes and as whiners when they explain (away) their [...]
Nothing distracts us as much as we ourselves
We live in a culture of mass distraction. Worldly things around us try to catch our eye in myriad ways. And with us lie devices [...]
Unconscious decisions are usually unhealthy decisions
Suppose we suddenly feel hungry. Nearby, we might have some snacks – some fatty, some non-fatty. If we consciously contemplate what we are doing, we [...]
Awareness of lack of self-awareness is also self-awareness
When we practice meditation and strive for spiritual awareness, we often find that our mind wanders here, there and everywhere. We may become discouraged, thinking, [...]
Purification means changing the mind’s default programming
While practicing spiritual life and striving for purity, we may become disheartened: “Today’s culture fills me with so many impure desires. And my mind too [...]
Distraction is draining; concentration is energizing
When we practice meditation and strive to focus our mind on higher spiritual reality, the struggle to concentrate can be disheartening. But we don’t have [...]
Our material needs are like painkillers – necessary but not sufficient
Some people argue that our spiritual side is optional and superfluous – our material needs are what matter. Yes, material things are necessary, but they [...]
Material progress centers on having what we want; spiritual progress, on wanting what we have
Some people feel that taking to spiritual life means abandoning all efforts to progress in life. But their feeling stems from an unexamined assumption: progress [...]
When your mental expressway gets overcrowded, direct your thought traffic with your intelligence
Suppose we are caught in a traffic jam on an expressway. We honk and maneuver, but make little progress. But instead of staying vexed, we [...]
Caring means sharing
Suppose one person tells another, “I care for you.” But suppose the first person is having food and the second person is hungry. The claim [...]
Observe your mental neighborhood just as you would observe your physical neighborhood
Suppose in a new neighborhood, we glance at a passerby with interest. They invite us to a hotel for a chat, and we go along. [...]
Asanas cannot free us from vasanas
Asanas (physical postures) are nowadays gaining popularity as means for improving fitness and figure. Bodily improvement, however desirable, is just a fringe benefit of the [...]
Maya is not just illusion in perception – it is essentially illusion in conception
Thoughtful people know that our perceptions can illusion us. Such illusions are, say, mirages or the apparent bending of a stick kept partially in water. [...]
Gita 06.46 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 46-47: The topmost yogi fixes his [...]