Seeking satisfaction through accumulation increases accumulation, not satisfaction
We all want to be happy. However, where we seek happiness determines whether we will become happy or not. Frequently, we look for happiness through [...]
If we don’t ask “What am I doing?” we will end up asking “What have I done?”
While driving, if we don’t conscientiously keep the car on track, it will by default go off track. And we may find ourselves in a [...]
The mind makes the easy seem difficult and the difficult seem impossible
When we have to do something, we often assess how easy or difficult it is. For example, if we are traveling, we use a weighing [...]
Intelligence means to understand how the mind makes us misunderstand
Suppose we are driving a car and our rear-view mirror gives us a distorted picture, making a proximate car appear distant. If we turn around [...]
Don’t go behind the mind, go beyond the mind
To go behind the mind means to follow the mind, to do whatever it does. To go beyond the mind means to seek something higher, [...]
A season of grieving may be necessary, but a lifetime of grieving isn’t
Suppose we get physically wounded, but are immediately told to resume normal activities. We won’t be able to. A similar principle applies to emotional wounds [...]
The mind makes us juggle too many balls – and then makes us drop them all
Some circus artists juggle many balls, expertly catching them all before they fall. Still, even they have their limits – they can’t juggle too many [...]
Ditch the road that ends in a ditch
Suppose we are driving along a road, and we find that it ends in a ditch. We would immediately look for a way to avoid [...]
Even if we can’t be grateful for all situations, we can be grateful in all situations
Suppose we have a sickness for which we are being treated. Understandably, we will find it difficult to be grateful for being sick. But we [...]
Why crave for any pleasure that makes us a slave?
If someone is enslaved, they would try to break free. If instead someone who is free tried to become enslaved, we would consider them insane. [...]
Focus on the mind’s track record, not on its sound track
Our mind frequently repeats a soundtrack within us: “Eat this, watch this, touch this, enjoy this.” This soundtrack, by sheer repetition, can overwhelm us. For [...]
To lose the will to fight is to lose the fight
The Bhagavad-gita’s dramatic setting depicts the greatest archer of the times, Arjuna, on the verge of fighting the greatest war of his life on the [...]
We are not products of our situations; we are products of our decisions
When difficult situations come in our life, we often feel negative emotions such as anger, resentment or self-pity. Though such feelings may be natural, even [...]
Whatever snags our attention sabotages our intention
Suppose a student is driving along a road to their college. Along the way, their attention is caught by a theater playing a recently-released attractive-looking [...]
To be purposeless is to be powerless
We need a strong sense of purpose to translate whatever talents we have into tangible achievements. However, even if we have a purpose and even [...]
Tap the mind’s power – don’t be trapped by the mind’s power
We all know of powerful things that can help or harm. Consider electricity, for example. It can heat, cool, cook, transport and illuminate. But if [...]
Work not to run away from yourself – work to realize yourself
Work can be a responsible-seeming way to stay irresponsible. When we succumb to workaholism, work becomes our rationale for neglecting life’s other important aspects, such [...]
Our life’s quality is determined not by how we look, but by what we look forward to
We are often obsessed with our looks. Undoubtedly, how we look matters, especially in today’s materialistic society where people are judged by their appearances. We [...]
Don’t let the quest for perfection become the tomb of progression
When we try to grow spiritually, we may seek perfect self-control. But just as a child falls before learning to walk, so too do we [...]
Let introspection be for fact-finding, not fault-finding
While striving to live according to principles, if we falter, we become disheartened. Even if we introspect to find out why we fell, that introspection [...]
To offer our best, we need to discover our best
Suppose someone has a precious inheritance buried in their backyard, and they want to give a valuable gift to their loved one. Naturally, they would [...]