Passing blame is easy but disempowering, accepting responsibility is tough but empowering
Whenever things go wrong, our mind naturally looks for a scapegoat. We want to blame others because it seems to be an easy escape-way: “If [...]
More dangerous than the enemies that threaten are the enemies that tempt
Suppose we are fighting a war. We will be on guard against those who threaten to destroy us. But suppose someone allures us with pleasure. [...]
Impurity needs to be feared before it can be found, found before it can be fought and fought before it can be finished
Suppose a person has a treasure kept in a high-security area. But if a thief sneaks in and if the owner is not vigilant, the [...]
What the mind makes us do would be comic if its consequences were not so tragic
In some comedy shows, some people do stunningly stupid things, repeatedly. Seeing their stupidity can be hilarious. Sadly, many people’s real lives are not much [...]
If we are tormented by strong conscience and weak willpower, the solution is strengthening willpower, not weakening conscience
We all face situations in our life wherein we feel impelled to do things that go against our values and principles. At such times, we [...]
Even if we cover the tracks we make externally, the tracks we make internally still cover us
Suppose we wanted to hide what we are doing from others while we are going on a trek through the wilderness. We would cover our [...]
To get out of the mind, go above it to the soul or go below it to the body
The mind can be a deadly enemy that can delude and degrade us at any moment. To protect ourselves from it, we need to get [...]
Mind your mind to know when it is in order, when on the border and when out of order
Suppose we use a laptop for vital, high-stake work. We would not only do the work carefully, but would also carefully monitor the device to [...]
Seeking to understand our nature won’t box us in, it will reveal the box we are already in
Some people resist any system of categorization of human nature. They feel, “This will box me in.” While their concern is understandable, it is based [...]
To be responsible means to stop blaming the outer trigger for the inner trouble
Suppose we feel tempted by someone who wears revealing clothes. Or we feel irritated by someone who behaves in an annoying way. We may blame [...]
The mind is like ice to truth and fire to lies
The mind is meant to serve as a tool for us souls to perceive the world, but it is often the greatest obstacle for us [...]
Ask not why bad things happen to good people, ask what good people do when bad things happen to them
One of the oldest philosophical questions is, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Gita wisdom answers by introducing the principle of karma, which [...]
The mind often recasts antipathy as inability – what it doesn’t want to do, it presents as if it can’t do
Suppose a child doesn’t want to study a particular subject, say, math. He may protest to his mother, “I can’t do this.” If the mother [...]
The media is mostly the mind multiplied, magnified & magnetized
Whenever some people hear of shocking instances of brutality or perversity, they hold the media responsible: “The media is feeding people’s minds with such images. [...]
Those who underestimate their mind undermine their intelligence
Suppose a country has a hostile neighbor. If they underestimate their neighbor, they will not pay attention to their own intelligence agencies which may warn [...]
For inner change, momentum matters more than movement
Suppose we strive to improve ourselves in some area, but fail repeatedly. We may feel disheartened, “There are so many things wrong with me. Even [...]
As long as we don’t mine under the mind, the mind will undermine us
Suppose someone is digging for buried gold. If they find iron coated to look like gold and celebrate prematurely, they will miss the real treasure. [...]
Life becomes meaningless not when we tire of life’s problems, but when we tire of life’s pleasures Gita 03.16
When we face many problems repeatedly, we may become disheartened. And such discouragement becomes aggravated when problems thwart us in something extremely important. We may [...]
Obscenity is objectionable not because it shows too much of a person, but because it shows too little and obsesses people with the too little
Obscenity is becoming increasingly accessible and visible in today’s media and especially on the Internet. And it has some aggressive proponents: “If people want to [...]
If we are robbed repeatedly by the same suspect, it is our intelligence that is suspect
Suppose we are robbed and the prime suspect is a shady neighbor. We would confront them to recover what had been stolen. Or at least, [...]
Resilience comes when we accept what is unchangeable, but don’t accept that everything is unchangeable
What makes some people resilient and some people weak? It’s primarily their vision when things go wrong. Life is tough. Everyone faces adversities. At such [...]