Verbal restraint and verbal candour
If we sweep too many things under the rug, then what we end up with is not a rug but a lumpy path that only [...]
Playing it safe with silence
Speaking what everyone is thinking but no one is speaking doesn't always make us fearless. It can make us headless and mannerless. When something inappropriate [...]
Bringing out the best part of ourselves
Self-control is not necessarily suppression of the self, it is selection of what is worthy within the self. When some people are told to discipline [...]
Protecting our spirit to help
Just because we can't help everyone doesn't mean that we should help no one. Helpfulness is always a virtue; It is just helpfulness without thoughtfulness [...]
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 [...]
A warning about giving others a warning
Some people see warnings as a sign to stop what they are doing and others see the same warnings as signs that they should keep [...]
Why some people love to be gossiped about
Some people love to be the topic of gossip and that reveals more about their own mentality than about the gossiper's mentality. Generally speaking, we [...]
How NOT to respond to mistakes
Pondering our mistakes is helpful if the focus is on how we can learn, but pondering our mistakes can be harmful if the focus is [...]
How NOT to plan for our future
Just because our plans don't work does not mean that we should not plan; It just means that we should not be attached to our [...]
When to NOT take credit
Some people take credit for things that they have not done and others take credit as a result of their planning things that have just [...]
How to identify insecure people
When a candid evaluation of others is seen simply as a series of compliments and insults, then that person is seen as unreliable and not [...]
Gita 02.11 – Explanation from Bhakti Shastri Class
2.11-2.30: counters first argument – compassion – by Gyana And now Krishna begins that is the next verse. BG 2.11 sri-bhagavan uvaca asocyan anvasocas [...]
When others disturb us…
How we respond to others disturbing behavior reveals our character much more than whatever we might speak in words. Actions speak louder than words. This [...]
How to deal with loss
The best way to deal with loss is not by losing our temper, but by losing our attachments. Whenever we lose something, especially something that [...]
Proving point or improving viewpoint
Proving our point is counterproductive if we are not improving our viewpoint. Sometimes when we know that someone else is wrong and we go about [...]
Three levels of empowerment
To have options is empowering; To have the intelligence to know which options are good for us is even more empowering; And to have the [...]
When losing peace of mind is good
Lessons that disturbed our peace of mind may well take us toward peace of the heart. Sometimes, we may value peace to such an extent [...]
When people behave strangely…
Just because some actions are inconsiderate does not necessarily mean that they are unwarranted or inappropriate. When someone behaves in a way that does not [...]
Gita 02.23 – Explanation from Bhakti Shastri Class
BG 2.23 nainam chindanti sastrani nainam dahati pavakah na cainam kledayanty apo na soshayati marutah SYNONYMS na -- never; enam -- this soul; chindanti [...]
Feeling unsettled: Good or bad?
To be unsettled is unhealthy when we are living a life of values and purposes. But it is healthy when we are settling for complacency [...]
The secret of effective devotion
Devotion is not just emotion, it is emotion expressed through dedicated action. Some people dismiss devotion as simply expressive and sometimes ineffective emotion. However, devotion [...]