Why some people think consciousness comes from the brain — and why it doesn’t
Why some people think consciousness comes from the brain — and why it doesn’t A child may think that milk comes from a bottle in [...]
How attachment blinds without letting us realize that we are blinded
Suppose an aggressor attacks a person and brutally destroys their eyes. We would consider that aggressor atrocious. Shockingly, we all are attacked by a terrible [...]
The essence of karma is universal harmony not judgmental morality
Some people oppose the idea of karma: “It is just one among many differing systems of morality. These systems simply make those who follow it [...]
Knowledge expands the avenues available for us to address those problems
Suppose someone is coughing. If they have no medical knowledge, they might just try to suppress their cough, which might make the disease worse. A [...]
To help the distressed address both their distress’ immediate cause and remote cause
Suppose a doctor encounters a patient suffering from alcoholism and condemns that patient, “You are a wretched drinker; you deserve to suffer.” That would be [...]
Present yourself in the present to the One who is always present
Present yourself in the present to the One who is always present We live in an uncertain world where sudden and severe changes can fill [...]
To feel small can be disempowering to feel small in God’s presence is empowering
Suppose we walk on the streets of a giant metropolis, surrounded by huge skyscrapers, thousands of passers-by and hundreds of cars. We may feel small, [...]
If we are defeated by temptation, it doesn’t mean we can’t win — it just means we can’t win alone
Suppose we resolve to reject a temptation, but fail, and fail repeatedly. We may become disheartened thinking, “I can never win against this temptation.” Our [...]
Our individuality is defined not by what we wear, but by what we hold dear
We live in an age that urges us to ‘be yourself’. And such a call to affirm our individuality can be good, provided it is [...]
Individuality breeds creativity and spirituality, individualism breeds self-obsession and self-destruction
We live in an individualistic culture. To understand its positives and negatives, let’s differentiate between two terms: individualism and individuality. Individualism refers to the mindset [...]
The mind overpowers us by making us believe that we are powerless
Suppose a person about to confront an opponent is told that their opponent is so powerful that fighting is fruitless. If the fighter believes that [...]
The resilience of the human spirit reflects our longing for and our belonging to transcendence
Life is tough. The difficulties that befall us can be morale-sapping. One thing that inspires us to persevere is stories of people overcoming challenges. Their [...]
When the part offers its whole to the Whole, the Whole makes the part whole
We often feel a sense of incompleteness, a feeling that something is missing in our lives. Usually, we try to overcome this feeling by getting [...]
Even if your better choices don’t create a better world, they will create a better you
The daily news of destruction, deceit and death can dishearten us: “In this big bad world, I am so tiny; I can’t make any difference.” [...]
Find your own story or you will become a bit player in someone else’s story
Suppose we have a significant part in a story being enacted in a mega-theater where multiple plays are going on simultaneously. But suppose someone misleads [...]
To put ourselves together, put aside the things that pull us apart
Suppose we are driving and come across an intersection with many roads ahead. We need to choose the road that takes us to our destination. [...]
Spiritual growth is defined not by the possessions we give up, but by the conceptions we give up
We live in a glamor-driven world; we tend to look at things externally, making inferences about their nature by their appearance. We may carry this [...]
Gita 15.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 15.9 śrotraṁ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṁ [...]
We may be circumstantially distanced from Krishna, but we don’t have to be devotionally deprived of Krishna
Life sometimes puts us in situations where we don’t get what we want or even need. If we are deprived of material resources while practicing [...]
When the sensual deludes the eye, the spiritual eludes the I
The world around us is filled with innumerable sensual stimuli. And most such stimuli assault us through our eyes. When our eyes become captivated with [...]
Where we are doesn’t determine who we are
We might sometimes be at a terrible place in life — we may be addicted to something harmful. What could make us feel worse is [...]