Faith means the willingness to relinquish control
Faith is a complex concept that pervades our entire life. Faith is difficult for us to have because we wish to stay in control and [...]
What we don’t have is not the problem – what we don’t see is
We frequently crave for the many things we don’t have, things often aggressively glamorized by today’s corporate controlled media. Such greed and its concomitant dissatisfaction [...]
Unconsciousness is a state of consciousness – not an absence of consciousness
People who undergo near-death experiences (NDEs) sometimes report that they perceived, from an out-of-body perspective, things that happened while they were medically unconscious. Occasionally, they [...]
Our destiny is bigger than our biology
People are often eager to know their destiny – what lies ahead in their life. This eagerness accounts for the widespread fascination with astrology, numerology, [...]
Focus not on avoiding entanglement – focus on seeking engagement
When a person is traveling on a boat, they need to be aware of the dangers, but they needn’t become paranoid – otherwise, they will [...]
The mind seduces us into doing wrong – and then scolds us for doing wrong
Suppose we have a tyrannical boss who tells us first to do something that doesn’t make sense and then castigates us for having acted senselessly. [...]
To stop defeating yourself, stop deceiving yourself
Suppose a sick person denies their sickness not just to others but also to themselves. By their denial, they deprive themselves of the good health [...]
Gradual destruction is as destructive as sudden destruction
When sudden, huge destruction occurs because of, say, an earthquake, we are jolted out of our routine complacency. Being confronted with the brittleness of our [...]
Our conviction that happiness is our right is right
We all long for happiness and are deeply convinced that we have a right to be happy. But this conviction runs contrary to our lived [...]
Healing requires not just the expelling of germs, but primarily the boosting of immunity
When germs infect us and we start feeling sick, we take treatment for driving out the germs. However, healing requires not just the driving out [...]
The rest of me is no rest for me
The "rest of me" refers to our physical and mental side – the two other levels of our present three-level existence as embodied souls. Our [...]
Don’t equate change of position with change of disposition
Many spiritual novices think that living in the world is the cause of entanglement and renouncing the world is the source of liberation. They sometimes [...]
Pure consciousness is not content-less – it is contamination-less
Pure consciousness is an oft-used term in spiritual circles, but impersonalists interpret it as content-less consciousness. To understand the problem with such an interpretation, consider [...]
The heart of knowledge is the knowledge of the heart
Towards the end of the Bhagavad-gita (18.64), Krishna announces that he will share the most confidential knowledge (sarva guhyatama). Confidential knowledge (guhya) refers to the [...]
Seeking God’s will in his word shows us our way in this world
Different people approach the Bhagavad-gita differently, seeing it, for example, as a historical, cultural or poetic book. Though the Gita has all these aspects, they [...]
When the mind becomes peaceful, we become joyful
Seekers sometimes ask, “Bhakti is supposed to be joyful. But I don’t get much joy in practicing it. Why?” Because the mind interrupts our practice [...]
Infatuation with form is not the problem – infatuation with temporary form is
We are often attracted to good-looking worldly forms. Such attraction keeps our consciousness at the material level and thus ties us to worldly existence. Understanding [...]
The best translation of the Gita is its translation into life
People interested in the Bhagavad-gita sometimes ask, “Which is its best translation?” The best translation is its translation into life. That is, the Gita’s best [...]
Our heart beats for immortality and beats towards mortality
‘Our heart beats for immortality’ refers to our metaphorical heart – the seat of our emotions – and its innate longing to live on forever. [...]
Better to speak less and say more than to speak a lot and say little
We all know ramblers who love to hear their own voice, even though they don’t have much to say. Knowing their penchant for rambling, we [...]
Don’t come up with the truth; come up to the truth
The phrase ‘coming up with the truth’ indicates speculating and hazarding our own way to the truth. It implies that truth is something submerged and [...]