The things that hurt us = the things we think hurt us?
Suppose we are bitten by a snake. We may get panicky, dreading that the snake bite will kill us. Actually, the snake-bite can't kill us; [...]
Is hurt = harm?
We often equate hurt, the sensation of pain, with harm: injury or damage. And they do frequently correlate. If our hand goes too close to [...]
How to improve our relationships
A major challenge in relationships is dealing with differences of opinion: “When do we stick to our stand? When do we listen to others?” To [...]
How can we differentiate between lust and love?
Lust manifests grossly as the craving for sexual gratification. It also manifests in a subtler form as the craving to control others so that they [...]
Why can’t some people see the obvious?
Why can’t some people see the obvious? When we try to explain something to someone and they just don’t get it, we may wonder, “What’s [...]
When pride masks itself as humility
Suppose we get an opportunity to serve Krishna, say, by speaking about him. We may think, “I am too fallen and impure. I'm not qualified [...]
Three ways to see our abilities spiritually
We all have certain abilities. Though we often think that those abilities belong to us, they sometimes inexplicably desert us, as when talented sports players [...]
What do we need to be happier?
Many people think that to be happy, they need to become richer and thinner. By their wealth, they believe they can buy the things that [...]
Why we remain strangers to ourselves …
We are often fascinated by characters depicted in novels and movies. Fans fill blogs analyzing every single dialogue spoken by fictional characters in, say, Star [...]
How to live amid danger
We often worry when visiting dangerous areas infested with terrorists or infected by pandemics. If fear overwhelms us, we can remember that we can [...]
How to assess the value of our work
We often value our work based on the paycheck it provides — the bigger the paycheck, the better the work. Such assessment is understandable because [...]
Why spirituality isn’t world-rejecting…
Why spirituality isn’t world-rejecting… Some people think that jumping over the world, with all its problems and complications, is the way to reach God. Yes, [...]
Why things seem to happen to us not for us
We sometimes feel, “Good things rarely happen to me, but bad things happen repeatedly. Things happen to me, never for me. If only [...]
How can we reach others with our words?
When we speak with others, how can we make our speech persuasive? By appealing to both their head and their heart. Such effective communication is [...]
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. [...]
How morality and moralizing affect our spiritual growth differently
We all need morality as a behavioral safeguard. If we indulge in some unhealthy pleasure indiscriminately and repeatedly, we become attached, even addicted. Over time, [...]
How free pleasures are not free …
Today’s culture often dangles many pleasures that seem free. For example, the Internet offers loads of entertainment, apparently free. But are such pleasures really free? [...]
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 [...]
“Why don’t you enjoy the things God has provided?”
Some people oppose the principle of forbidding anything: “If God didn’t want us to take intoxicants, why did he create intoxicating substances in nature? And [...]
How is the concept of dharma universal?
Suppose a person is driving a car on the road — then they are belonging to a whole bigger than themselves: the road transport system. [...]
How to change our inner frequency
We all have a certain frequency to our thoughts. Roughly speaking, this correlates with the thoughts that most often frequent our mind. If we frequently [...]