Don’t massage or pinch the false ego; pat it onwards
The Bhagavad-gita treats our bodily misidentification paradoxically. It analyzes cogentlythat we are not our material bodies, but are souls. Yet out of the 25 names [...]
A talk that no one walks
Fanatical materialists claim that matter is all that exists and that consciousness doesn’t exist as an independent causal agent. Whatever consciousness seems to exist, they [...]
Are we bandaging an infected wound without cleaning it?
We often make resolutions to improve ourselves, to correct our unworthy behaviors, to live more spiritually. But we frequently fail in our resolutions. Why? Because [...]
The human talent for misery
We often use our talents to make ourselves miserable. Not intentionally of course, but creatively nonetheless. Addictions are a classic example. Individually, an addicted person [...]
Is the knife cutting to heal or to wound?
The scriptures compare the spiritual master’s words with a surgical knife. Those words cut through the misconceptions and illusions that bind materialistic people, thereby healing [...]
Activating our skeptical antenna
Insects usually have their antennae extended and on high alert. All the more so when they sense dangers, especially predators. As spiritual souls residing in [...]
Might we be running in the right direction on the wrong train
Suppose we want to go north, but somehow board a train going south. Will running northwards within the train take us to our desired destination? [...]
Map changes – and change maps
When we take a treatment, we intuitively map changes; we evaluate whether our health improves. Similarly, when we practice spirituality, we need to map changes: [...]
Playing God or playing with God?
Be it attempts to create artificial rains or create artificial life, modern technology frequently aims to bend nature to human will. This desire is essentially [...]
The heaven that turns out to be hell
People today think of heaven not just as an enjoyable place to be attained after death, but also as any enjoyable place or activity. Our [...]
What we speak about others speaks about us
We reveal more about ourselves when we speak about others than when we speak about ourselves. Our words offer listeners glimpses into our heart. When [...]
Forgive the unavoidable, avoid the unforgivable
Gita wisdom is eminently practical. It reveals lofty levels of devotional consciousness as our ultimate goal, but also outlines a down-to-earthpath for getting there. Let’s [...]
Are we living our life at the center or at the periphery?
In our life, we presume that we are the choosers and the doers, the central protagonists in an ongoing, unfolding drama. But are we, really? [...]
Let our potentials, not our problems, define us
Our materialistic culture pits us in constant competition against others. Such exposure may make us feel that we have a lot of problems, “I don’t [...]
When comforts become ends, life becomes a dead end
Imagine a group of people who board a crowded train. Due to the discomfort, they struggle to first find standing space, then leaning space, then [...]
Are we placing in the treasury that which belongs to the dustbin?
We clean our home regularly because dirt inevitably comes in from somewhere. While cleaning, first we check if the dirt is coming from any specific [...]
Go beyond the beyond
Many people think that the goal of spirituality is to go beyond emotions and actions, and attain peace by merging in an impersonal light. However, [...]
Is the noise without muting the voice within?
All of us have an inner voice that expresses our deepest concerns, our noblest values, our highest aspirations. That inner voice is the voice of [...]
Long in shadow, short in substance
Few things are as long in shadow and as short in substance as sensual pleasures, especially sexual pleasures. The actual experience of the pleasure is [...]
Are we clearing the inner fog?
Driving through a fog is arduous and dangerous: arduous because we have to constantly strain to see what lies ahead and dangerous because despite our [...]
Filling our mind, emptying our pocket, starving our heart – is this progress?
Today’s materialistic culture charms us by portraying itself as progressive. But is it really? Beyond its impressive technological wizardry, what does it actually do for [...]