Dealing with our inner demons
We are all sometimes urged by impurities, by dark impressions within us. These are colloquially referred to as our 'inner demons.' Sometimes, when trying to [...]
Courage to fight our inner demons
It takes courage to fight against our inner demons. It's much easier to pretend that they don't exist and to pretend that we are good [...]
Self-importance or importance of the self?
Self-important people are obsessed with the idea of their own greatness in everything that they do. Their sole concern is that everybody knows and remembers [...]
Conviction due to courage of conviction?
Suppose we have the courage of conviction — that is, we are convinced about the greatness of a cause and ready to endure difficulties for [...]
Courage by regulated and regular exposure to fear
Suppose someone has claustrophobia. Whenever they come near an enclosed space such as an elevator, they start feeling immense dread internally, and their body starts [...]
How to grow in courage
When we seek to become more courageous, we may believe that we have to uproot fear from our heart. But courage doesn’t require fear to [...]
How to be courageous in the presence of fear
Whenever we strive to be courageous, we may think that we need to be free from fear. But this conception of courage and fear as [...]
Feckless? Reckless? Fearless
Fear is often a significant inhibitor, preventing us from engaging in enterprising activities that may be necessary to fulfill our potentials and do justice to [...]
The second test of friendship
When we form a friendship with someone, we will sooner or later face the first test of friendship: our readiness to sacrifice for that friendship. [...]
Three kinds of misdeeds
When we commit a wrong, especially after resolving not to, we can become disturbed and discouraged. To atone for our errors and prevent their recurrence, [...]
How to use the fault-finding mentality constructively
Some of us may have an innate tendency to notice the things that are wrong in anything we see. Significantly, this tendency can be seen [...]
Gita 16.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 16.9 etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya [...]
Might we all be bound by something worse than ropes?
If we saw someone being dragged around bound by a rope, we would be appalled. Yet millions of us are bound by attachments that bind [...]
How atheism affects our actions
We all pursue the things that we desire and we avoid the things that we fear. Let’s consider how desire and fear are affected by [...]
Three benefits of hearing open-mindedly
When someone disagrees with us, especially on an issue that is important to us, we may feel threatened. Consequently, we may hear them primarily to [...]
How our worldview shapes our capacity to be grateful
Many people recognize that gratitude is a quality worth cherishing, for it promotes emotional health and overall well-being. But not many people recognize that our [...]
Gita 16.24 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 16.24 tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ [...]
Gita 16.16 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 16.16 aneka-citta-vibhrāntā moha-jāla-samāvṛtāḥ prasaktāḥ [...]
Why conserving the energy of our consciousness is difficult
While there is increasing social support, even social pressure, for conserving forms of energy such as fossil fuels and electricity, there is disturbingly little social [...]
Ahimsa: Gita insights on nonviolence and deterrence
Ahimsa, frequently translated as nonviolence, is a concept drawn from the Indian tradition that has gained widespread resonance in today’s world. The Bhagavad-gita, India’s foremost [...]
Two powerful motivators: desire and fear
Suppose we need to choose between paths A and B, wherein A will take us to a good place and B to a bad place. [...]