Be not self-seeking, be seekers of the self
Self-seeking people care for their own pleasures, without caring for anyone else. Such people can’t be seekers of the self because what they seek is [...]
The resilience of the human spirit reflects our longing for and our belonging to transcendence
Life is tough. The difficulties that befall us can be morale-sapping. One thing that inspires us to persevere is stories of people overcoming challenges. Their [...]
When the part offers its whole to the Whole, the Whole makes the part whole
We often feel a sense of incompleteness, a feeling that something is missing in our lives. Usually, we try to overcome this feeling by getting [...]
To understand one thing, we sometimes need to revise how we understand everything
Suppose we are struggling to solve a mathematical sum, but are getting nowhere. The problem is that we have blundered in the first step itself; [...]
Everyone has values, but not everyone’s values reflect real value
Many people lament the lack of values in today’s world: “So many corrupt people sacrifice higher principles for petty pleasures.” Actually however, everyone has values [...]
The capacity to trade the present for the future is the defining human characteristic
All living beings live at the fleeting junction of the past and the future. That junction is the present, which is there at one moment [...]
We are not masters in our own house, but we don’t have to be slaves
Suppose we are living in a house where the doors suddenly creak open and bang shut, and lights randomly turn on and off. Suppose we [...]
Just because we can do the impossible doesn’t mean we can do everything
Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary – what is the spiritual perspective on this saying? To understand, let’s first differentiate between doing the [...]
Just because a wound is painless doesn’t mean it is harmless – even when we are not hurting, we still need healing
Suppose we had a painless injury. We would go on living normally, while the wound would worsen, eventually felling us. We all are souls who [...]
Arrogance keeps us not just in ignorance, but also in ignorance about the extent of our ignorance
Suppose someone swims in an ocean, knowing that the ocean is so vast that they hardly know anything about it. While swimming, they will be [...]
Science is the study of matter, spirituality is the study of what matters
We live in an age of science and technology. Technological advancement has increased enormously our knowledge of the world around us, especially our knowledge to [...]
Proving that we are right is not as empowering as probing if we are wrong
We sometimes think that we know a lot. Yet no matter how much we know, still, what we know is always lesser than what we [...]
Spiritual knowledge is meant to make us devotionally fit, not intellectually fat
Food nourishes our body, gives us energy and makes us fit to face life’s responsibilities. However, if eaten excessively or inappropriately, the same food makes [...]
Just as our body needs physical nutrition, our soul needs metaphysical orientation – a sense of place and purpose in the world
If we lack physical nutrition, we have no energy to do anything. We become similarly de-energized when we lack metaphysical orientation. Usually, we orient ourselves [...]
The human spirit is too big to stay satisfied within any material cage, however grand
Birds naturally long to fly. Even if kept in the most comfortable cages, they still look for ways to escape into the sky and fly [...]
Karma is not like a mysterious contagious disease – it is logical, not diabolical
When we understand the principle of karma – of how we are accountable for our actions – we become cautious to avoid wrong actions and [...]
Technology may change our world for the better, but let it not change our worldview for the worse
We live in a world that has been dramatically transformed by technology, be it through electricity, airplanes or net connectivity. Many places whose extreme weather [...]
Spiritual growth is defined not by the possessions we give up, but by the conceptions we give up
We live in a glamor-driven world; we tend to look at things externally, making inferences about their nature by their appearance. We may carry this [...]
Death is meant to point to enlightenment, not be a plot point in entertainment
Death is one of life’s most sobering realities, being the irreversible closing of curtains on our present lifetime. Before that terminal encounter, we frequently encounter [...]
What we know doesn’t define us as much as what we want to know
Suppose someone who is in a disaster-hit area knows the path to a safe, prosperous area. Naturally, they will be respected for their knowledge by [...]
Thinking that thinking is troublesome, is troublesome
Some people avoid thinking about life’s big questions such as: “What is life meant for? What happens after death? What really counts?” They deem such [...]