Happiness comes not by maximizing our possessions, but by minimizing our attachments
Today’s materialistic culture makes us believe that the more possessions we have, the happier we will be. However, such “happiness” lasts only as long as [...]
Let the sight of death transform into insight about mortality
Death. We see it around us daily, all the more so nowadays with the media bringing global news about natural and manmade disasters. Despite such [...]
Our fears increase with our years – and decrease with our ears
We fear losing the things dear to us. And ultimately we fear losing our very life, the basis for enjoying various things. In our youth, [...]
Study the Gita for transformational spirituality, not material technicality
The Bhagavad-gita is encyclopedic – not in length, but in scope. It addresses a wide variety of subjects, explaining them all in the context of a theistic devotional worldview. One such subject referenced by the Gita (07.04-05, 13.06-07) is Sankhya, a system of philosophy that analyzes material nature into various components.
The mind can make us blind, even when our eyes can see
Suppose we are in a disturbed frame of mind and are driving to a meeting. Our map tells us that we have reached our destination, but we can’t see the meeting venue anywhere. Despair starts overpowering us. Somehow, we get the idea to close our eyes, breathe deeply and pray. When we open our eyes, we find the venue right in front of us
Thought is perfected in thinking of that which is beyond the grasp of thought
Some people ask, “Scripture says that God is beyond the grasp of our thought. Yet it asks us to think about him. Why?” Because thinking [...]
A sanitized take on reality can’t take us to spiritual sanity
Sanitization refers to the removal of offensive elements from a work to render it more acceptable to its audience. While sanitization is frequently done for [...]
Humility propels us on the journey from self-absorption to Krishna-absorption
People sometimes ask, “Isn’t humility demeaning and disempowering to oneself?” No, actual humility is elevating and empowering, freeing us from self-absorption in all its forms, [...]
To grow in humility, stay rooted in reality
Most of us have met egomaniacs who think that others have nothing better to do than hear them expound their glories. Such hubris stems from [...]
The obligation to endure gives us the right to know
Death is the most covered-up reality in our contemporary world. Of course, what is covered up is not the fact of death per se, but [...]
To be awake is to be aware of our wake
Suppose a person is sleepwalking. They flail their arms and hit a loved one – something they would never do when they were awake. Being [...]
Count yourself out of material existence
“Count me out of this,” is an idiomatic way of saying, “I won’t participate in this.” Counting as a precursor to withdrawal comprises the modus [...]
To say that consciousness is unknowable is to say that consciousness is knowable
Consciousness is one of the biggest unanswered questions in modern science and in modern thought at large. For centuries, thinkers have agonized over questions such [...]
Consciousness is the energy that enables us to experience all energies
Some people ask, “Consciousness is an energy. Why can’t it be considered another material energy, like heat or electricity? Why consider it spiritual?” Because consciousness [...]
Krishna’s supervision happens by his super-vision
Supervision refers normally to overseeing, but it can also refer to a vision that sees far beyond the ordinary, just as the word superman refers [...]
Don’t just solve the problems of life – solve the problem that is life
Suppose a person while driving a car competently tackles the problems along the way, say, the car breaking down or running out of fuel. But [...]
Work – don’t carry workload
When we see our work as workload, we feel burdened. We can’t avoid our work, but we can avoid seeing it as a load. How? [...]
Gita 13.31 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now the focus is shifting [...]
Our spirituality is bigger than our humanity
We humans have something special that other species don’t have – something that has enabled us to do distinctive things such as compose literature, develop [...]
Activity, productivity and connectivity are no substitute for spirituality
We are all, by nature, active – we want the joy of doing worthwhile things. But not all activity is equally worthwhile. So we strive [...]
When we are alone, we are alone with our worst enemy
Suppose warriors at the end of a day of heavy fighting return to the security of their camp. Just as they relax, they are attacked [...]