The more we expect meditation to be a break from hard work, the more meditation becomes hard work
Our daily life, with its many obligations, requires hard work. So, if we make time to meditate, we expect meditation to serve as a break, [...]
Whatever karma may get us to, Krishna will get us through
Accidents, diseases, atrocities – when we see such tragedies befall people around us, we may become fearful: “What if something like that happens to me? [...]
Enlightenment raises us from the fear of death to the death of fear
The fear of death haunts all living beings. This fear actuates the many intricate adaptations for self-preservation among nonhuman beings as well as the elaborate [...]
The propellant of spirituality is not detachment but attachment
People often think of spirituality as centered on detachment – renunciation of pleasures, positions, possessions, even individuality and relationships. Such a conception makes spirituality appear [...]
Empower your thoughts to break free from their tired and tiring avenues
Life is never easy; every day brings new obstacles and some days bring major reversals. We don’t have the power to make life problem-free, but [...]
Cultivate compassion for the complete being of all living beings
“Aren’t spiritualists self-centered, being concerned only about their own liberation and not about the elevation of others?” Some people get this question when they see [...]
The greatest danger is the danger of forgetting the danger
During a war, a wily enemy often induces in a well-equipped opponent a false sense of victory – and then fells the unprepared opponent with [...]
Purity transforms the roads to misery into the roads to ecstasy
When we travel along a road, we usually ask ourselves: Where will this road take me? Just as we travel physically along various roads, we, [...]
To think outside the box, think about Krishna
"Think outside the box." That’s a common saying among those who want us to break free from stereotyped thinking. However, such people don’t know the [...]
Let the example of power come after, never before, the power of example
“My way or the highway.” This is the conflict resolution mantra of the power-hungry. They sometimes rationalize their power-centric tactics with the Bhagavad-gita’s call for [...]
Strive not to look good in the eyes of the world; strive to get good eyes to look at the world
People often worry whether they look good in the eyes of the world; they fuss about being in tune with the latest fashions. However, the [...]
The greatest threat to individual freedom is the individual
Few things raise people's guard as much as threats to their freedom from totalitarian governments. Yet they often overlook the greatest threat to individual freedom [...]
Things may belong, but for how long?
We treasure our belongings, especially those belongings that are worth a lot financially or mean a lot emotionally. Many people go even further, making their [...]
The goal of spiritual life is to make spiritual life our goal
Many people see spiritual life as a pious recreation, as an elective break from the stresses of daily living. Whatever be our initial impetus for [...]
Obsession with fame deprives us of prema
Most people get a rush of exhilaration when they go to a new place and find recognition and admiration for them in the eyes of [...]
Choose the self-definition that is eternal and factual, not fickle and fallible
The world usually defines us by our possessions – what we wear, what we drive in, what we own, for example. Being influenced by this [...]
Dissatisfaction is caused not by bhakti’s impotence but by the mind’s petulance
“This meditation stuff doesn’t work.” We may think like this when we don’t feel happy while chanting the holy names of Krishna. The problem, however, [...]
Seek to know Krishna not theoretically but transformationally
Many Bhagavad-gita readers are puzzled by its repeated declarations that knowledge about Krishna grants liberation: “So many people know Krishna, but they aren't liberated. Are [...]
Be flexible, but not fickle
As students of the Gita, we may face this question. “How can we live according to the Gita’s ancient tradition in today’s world?” By being [...]
Illusion means that the content of our experience blinds us to its context
Sometimes we get so caught up in watching a movie that we forget where we are, even who we are. The content of our experience, [...]
Confront reality before reality confronts us
Gory scenes of mangled flesh, spattered blood and distorted corpses may be a stable in horror movies, but still they cause most people’s stomachs to [...]