How faith in God’s protection and rational precautions can go together
Faith in God's protection doesn't mean outsourcing our rationality in decision making to God; it means ensuring our rationality doesn't restrict our relationship with God. [...]
Whatever helps me find meaning, let it help me find you, the shelter of ultimate meaning
Bhagavad Gita 15.11 yatanto yoginaś cainaṁ paśyanty ātmany avasthitam yatanto ’py akṛtātmāno nainaṁ paśyanty acetasaḥ Striving yogis seek and see, The Self within, in [...]
Let me not just tire of mundane desire, but also retire from mundane desire
Bhagavad Gita 15.5 nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣā adhyātma-nityā vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saṁjñair gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat Fighting off pride and delusion’s veil, Retiring from attachments [...]
Let me seek not just freedom from the world, but also freedom for loving you
Bhagavad Gita 15.4 tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ tam eva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī Then seek that [...]
Lead me to see life with a lens that is both wiser and warmer
Bhagavad Gita 15.10 utkrāmantaṁ sthitaṁ vāpi bhuñjānaṁ vā guṇānvitam vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ When soul departs or yet remains, Enjoying nature’s shifting chains; The [...]
Help me to cultivate detachment as acceptance, not as indifference
Bhagavad Gita 15.3 na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādir na ca sampratiṣṭhā aśvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā The form of this tree [...]
Grant me the realization to see what is real and the purification to seek what is real
Bhagavad Gita 15.1 ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit A tree with roots above, branches below, Eternal [...]
Let me not be overfed on the world and underfed on your word
Bhagavad Gita 15.10 utkrāmantaṁ sthitaṁ vāpi bhuñjānaṁ vā guṇānvitam vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ How the soul departs, resides, or enjoys the modes’ play, Those [...]
Treating our mind like an inherited property
Treating our mind like an inherited property Treat our mind like an inherited property that we can't sell: take what is usable and stay away [...]
Learn to see what is being shown and what is not being shown
If we see only what we are shown, we never grow in our capacity to think deeply. Conversely, if we never see the things that [...]
The oldest lie in existence
The oldest lie in existence is the idea that we can become God. We are constantly targeted by lies, some spread intentionally by those who [...]
How devotion simultaneously fulfills our deep needs for belonging and participation
Devotion fulfills our twin needs of universal belonging and personal participation in a reality bigger than ourselves. As social creatures, we naturally desire interaction, but [...]
How to see our inner darkness and see beyond the inner darkness
How to see our inner darkness and see beyond the inner darkness We all have dark desires within us—selfish, manipulative, and even abusive tendencies. If [...]
Overcoming self-consciousness with a focus on higher purpose
Whenever we become excessively self-conscious, we tend to worry too much about how others see us, what they think about us, and what they might [...]
A Christmas Reflection: The Many Faces of a Religious Celebration
1. Individual Perspective I have witnessed the celebration of Christmas in multiple settings—at my convent school, during my speaking tours in North America's Bible Belt, [...]
Three attributes to persist in self-improvement
Three attributes to persist in self-improvement Three tips to persist in the journey of self-improvement Self-improvement is not an easy path, particularly because the tools [...]
When we feel forgotten by God …
We are never forgotten by God, even when we have forgotten God. When we go through life with many tests and trials, it is natural [...]
Even if we have to live with our mind we don’t have to live for our mind
Even if we have to live with our mind we don't have to live for our mind - We are stuck with our mind, but [...]
From wishful and fretful thinking to prayerful and purposeful thinking
Let our thinking not be wishful or fearful; let it be prayerful and purposeful. Our thinking capacity is our most powerful capacity. It is the [...]
3 Ways to free our inner world from the mind’s control
3 Ways to free our inner world from the mind's control The mind treats itself as the master of our inner world and treats us [...]
Seeing divine benevolence with the eyes of knowledge
The Bhagavad-gita (15.11) urges us to use jnana chakshu, or the eyes of knowledge, to understand the relationship between material reality and spiritual reality. Such [...]