To think we are beyond danger is the greatest danger
When a boat is at sea, the danger of a storm exists constantly. If the boater becomes lulled into complacency by, say, the calm waters [...]
Break the habits that can break you – before they break you
Some people say, “We drink, but we don’t get drunk – we drink moderately.” Such reasoning neglects the subtle and subconscious way habits become addictive. [...]
Circumstances are like carpets – keep them below, not above
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances. Not being able to respond appropriately to them, we may even feel as if we are simply being [...]
Even if we can’t get over things, we can still get on with things
Sometimes life throws at us devastating reversals that cause overwhelming grief, fury or frustration. Some losses may even make us feel that life itself is [...]
Temptations will come, we don’t have to welcome
Seekers sometimes ask, “I am practicing bhakti-yoga seriously, yet I feel tempted by worldly desires. Why is bhakti not working?” Bhakti is definitely working. The [...]
Don’t beat yourself down – pick yourself up
When we make mistakes, we naturally feel annoyed, even infuriated, with ourselves. While these feelings can help if they prompt us to self-improvement, they can [...]
Don’t just hear the mind – mind what you hear
The mind often misdirects our energy. It makes us crave for trivial things or makes us worry about things that haven’t materialized and may never [...]
Falling down is not failure – staying down is
Some devotee-seekers ask, “While striving to live according to devotional principles, we sometimes slip and fall. How can we best deal with such falls?” Not [...]
Money talks – and walks away as it is talking
“Money talks” is an idiomatic way of stating that those who show money are taken seriously – others respect them and hasten to do their [...]
Better to look stupid than to act stupid
Sometimes when life’s complexities perplex us, we may hesitate to ask others for help because of the fear of looking stupid. But by letting such [...]
The best time to win the battle against temptation is before it begins
To practice spiritual life means to enter into a war against temptation, the temptation for enjoying matter. The arena of battle is our own consciousness, [...]
The source of misery is not frustration of desire, but domination by desire
When we don’t get something that we want and feel miserable, we attribute that misery to the frustration of our desire. But might such an [...]
The threat in here is much bigger than the threat out there
In a war, the threat from the enemies out there is big. But much bigger is the threat from the enemies in here – the [...]
We can’t undo, but we can rebuild
There is a grim finality to life. Once a moment has passed, it has passed forever. Once an action has been done, it can’t be [...]
We may not be caught for our wrongdoings, but we will be caught by our wrongdoings
Many people think that immoral behavior is ok as long as no one catches them. For example, people from culturally conservative families may think that [...]
Don’t let device aggravate vice
We all have our vices that if given a free run can harm others and harm us too. Keeping such vices under control has been [...]
The vain live in vain
Those who live under the illusion that they don’t need God are from the spiritual perspective vain or arrogant. Actually, we all need God, at [...]
Biological hunger is need, but sensual hunger is greed
Biological hunger refers to the body’s call for food, whereas sensual hunger refers to the senses’ craving for sense objects. The Bhagavad-gita (02.59: niraaharasya) uses [...]
Don’t let being well-off come in the way of being well
In today’s materialistic culture, being well-off is enthroned as life’s primary, if not only, goal. The pressure on us to accumulate the trappings of success [...]
Our past explains our inclinations, but it doesn’t excuse our actions
Imagine a computer used by a child primarily for playing games. From the moment it is turned on, it repeatedly gives prompts for playing. Such [...]
Information puffs us up; application builds us up
Devotion requires not the rejection of our material side, but its harmonization with our spiritual purpose. We can use our material abilities and resources in [...]