Can we help everyone?
Wanting to help others is a sign of our empathy, and acknowledging that there are some people that just cannot be helped is a sign [...]
Gita 18.63 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.63 iti te jñānam [...]
Why imposing our spirituality on others is wrong
Suppose a boy proposes to a girl. Suppose further that she refuses — and he reacts by threatening her with a gun, thus compelling her [...]
Is our need to nurture aiding or impeding those whom we nurture?
We living beings have a deep need to nurture. That noble need is what inspires us to become parents, even if caring for infants sometimes involves sleepless [...]
What tolerance implies and what it doesn’t (Religious tolerance series 3)
When we cultivate tolerance, we accept others’ right to beliefs and behaviors different from ours. By such tolerance, we harmonize with the way God has [...]
Krishna demonstrates how there’s no force in love
Toward the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna tells Arjuna to deliberate on his words and then do as he desires (18.63). This statement reveals how [...]
How to make difficult decisions
Throughout our life, we make decisions, consciously or unconsciously, about what to eat, what to read, whom to spend time with. Some decisions are far [...]
What does it mean to “follow our heart”?
Suppose we have to decide about complex and consequential issues such as choosing a career, a life-partner or a spiritual teacher. We may be told, [...]
Understanding the relationship between love and freedom
Love is founded in freedom: Suppose a boy proposes to a girl saying, “I love you. Will you marry me?” Suppose she declines. And he [...]
When the tendency to doubt helps
In today’s educated circles, doubt is celebrated as an intellectual strength. Whenever thoughtful people encounter any claim, especially any claim connected with religion or spirituality, [...]
What is the difference between philosophy and ideology?
The world can often be so complex and convoluted that we urgently need some framework to make sense of things. And philosophy strives to provide [...]
When what we do doesn’t seem to matter …
When we experience how the world is filled with big problems, we may think, “What a tiny person like me does or doesn’t do hardly [...]
Are soldiers heroes or victims?
In many traditions, warriors were often praised as heroes; in much postmodern thought, they are often seen as victims. Why victims? Because nowadays soldiers often [...]
Concern for others or concern for power over others?
Some people say they want to do good to others. But when others don’t cooperate, they use force to get others to do their will. [...]
Does devotion suppress our individuality and intelligence?
Some people feel that if they start practicing bhakti spirituality, they will simply have to obey God and thereby suppress their individuality, creativity and initiative [...]
How to share knowledge effectively
Spoon-feeding someone means giving them so much information so pre-digested that it neither requires nor allows any further thinking or effort. Usually, the word spoon-feeding [...]
Philosophical education teaches us how to think, ideological indoctrination tells us what to think
We all speak, but that doesn’t mean we know how to speak effectively. Similarly, we all think, but that doesn’t mean we know how to [...]
The Gita equips the thoughtful to become more faithful and the faithful to become more thoughtful
Some people say, “Thoughtfulness and faithfulness don’t go well together. If someone thinks too deeply, many of the things they are called to believe will [...]
Contemplation is the foundation of action; without contemplation, what we do is not action but reaction
Some people view contemplation and action as opposites: “If we are contemplative, we can’t be active.” To substantiate their view, they point to the classification [...]
The denial of free will converts God into devil
Some people say, “Everything is controlled by God – we have no free will. Whatever we do is ultimately done by God.” Though they may [...]
We can’t deprive others of their right to be wrong, but we can empower them to use that right rightly
If we see someone ignorantly walking towards the edge of a dangerous cliff, we will naturally warn them, “Don’t go there.” Usually, they will heed [...]