Learn to doubt and to go beyond doubt (Dealing with doubt 5)
Suppose we are lost in a risky territory with many invisible dangers such as concealed ditches and explosive mines. If we run recklessly through such [...]
Handling the gun of doubt (Dealing with doubts 4)
If we are traveling through a dangerous area, we need a good gun. Similarly, to function in an illusion-filled world, we need the gun of [...]
How self-doubt differs from self-appraisal (Dealing with doubts 3)
Suppose we have two acquaintances: one who gently explains to us our limitations during a mature discussion when we are seeking to learn from our [...]
04.40 The liberating power of doubting our doubts (Dealing with doubts 2)
In some sports like judo, players use their opponents’ strength against them. When we are assaulted by doubts, we too can use a similar strategy. [...]
How doubt misleads (Dealing with doubt series 1)
Suppose we are living on some land and want to purchase some other land. Suppose further we have with us someone who insistently shows us [...]
The process of desiring seen fragmentally and holistically (Desire management series 14
To manage our desires effectively, consider the components of the process of desiring: the desirer, the desire and the desirable. We all are individual desirers; [...]
Can we order our desires ? (Desire management series 13)
The word ‘order’ can have two meanings: instruction (“You have to take medicine thrice a day — those are the doctor’s orders”) or arrangement (“The [...]
How to deal with unending desire? – Desire management series 12
A major problem with desire is its endlessness. When indulged, desire doesn’t end — it subsides temporarily only to return soon with greater force and [...]
How is human desire connected with divine desire (Desire management series 11)
Desire is a formidable power that can both work for us and against us. To manage it effectively, we need to see it in relationship [...]
How to tap the power of desire (Desire management series 10)
Desire is a power like petrol; unlike petrol however, it is not mechanical, being associated with consciousness. While tapping petrol requires appropriate instruments, tapping desire [...]
Four stages in managing desires — Desire Management series 9
To understand how desire management can progress in our inner world, let’s compare it with how people management may progress in the outer world. Both [...]
How to know when desire becomes dangerous? — Desire management series 8
When we use something powerful like electricity, warning systems such as fuses alert us if electric power starts rising to dangerous levels. Like electricity, desire [...]
Educated about desires or educated for desires? — Desire management series 7
Suppose we come to know that a pulmonologist died due to chain smoking. Such not atypical news makes us ask: “When they were better educated [...]
What’s wrong with desirelessness? — Desire management series 6
Desires often make us do things we regret. On understanding how desires sabotage us, we may seek to become desireless. However, desirelessness is self-contradictory in [...]
How desire is both the lock and the key — Desire Management series 5
Suppose we are locked in a prison. Suppose further that the lock doubles as a key — say, it is touch locks that if operated [...]
Three ways sensual desires imprison us in misery — Desire management series 4
A prison is essentially a place of restriction — a prisoner’s movements are restricted by the prison walls. But if the restrictions are not as [...]
Why self-awareness matters more than self-discipline — Desire management series 3
Whenever a desire drives us into doing something regrettable, we may think that desire is the problem and self-discipline, the solution. However, the root problem [...]
How our desires shape us far more than we realize — Desire management series 2
Suppose we are driving a car through dark, difficult, dangerous terrain. To drive safely, we need the car’s engine and front lights both to function [...]
How desire takes control of our life — Desire management series 1
Suppose we get into a car and start it to go somewhere. Suppose further that next time when we get into that car, it starts [...]
Avoid hell in the mind, avoid hell in the world
Some people think of hell as merely a belief of some religious groups. Others think of hell as merely a physical location meant for the [...]
Why applying what we know is so important
As is often said, knowledge is power. But where exactly does the power of knowledge lie? Not just in its informational content, but in its [...]