Why monitoring the mind is so important (Managing the mind series 6)
Suppose we are piloting a plane, taking it on an important mission. Suppose further we have been alerted that the plane’s navigation software is vulnerable [...]
Two principles for making our mind our friend (Managing the mind series 5)
Suppose we are named guardians of the son of some old friends who have suddenly passed away. Suppose further that we don’t know their son [...]
Developing a healthy relationship with our mind (Managing the mind series 4)
We don’t usually realize how much our mind controls us. Nonetheless, we do get some glimpses of its grip on us whenever we try to [...]
What’s wrong with treating the mind as an enemy (Managing the mind 3)
Suppose we live in a house whose accessway is controlled by a neighbor. Though they act friendly, they often covert trouble us, by obstructing, distracting, [...]
Are we the fisherman or the fish? (Managing the mind 2)
Suppose a fisherman casts a bait in a river to catch a fish. The fisherman stands to profit and the fish stands to lose its [...]
Watch your mental input (Managing the mind series 1)
Suppose we are going on tour, riding a strong swift horse. Suppose the horse catches sight of a juicy vegetable in a ditch on the [...]
Our mind as an Alzheimer’s patient
Suppose we are the main caregiver for a dear relative suffering from Alzheimer's. When they become non-communicative or even violent, we will be concerned, but [...]
So boring or sobering?
Suppose we are traveling by boat through a vast ocean and we hear a weather warning on the boat radio, “The water ahead is stormy; [...]
Three ways to avoid being misdirected by our mind
Suppose we are walking toward a destination and some passerby suggests we go somewhere else. Just because of their suggestion, we won’t change course. Yet [...]
Dealing with the mind’s negativities (Why we need inner redesigning 3)
Suppose we are trapped in a cell with a cellmate who constantly draws our attention to the many terrible images on the cell walls. While [...]
How to change our inner imagery (Why we all need inner redesigning 2)
Suppose we were confined in a room filled with the darkest images of our life. The first thing we would want to do is to [...]
Let the mind be
Suppose we have to work with a colleague who tends to hyperventilate. Once they calm down, it’s possible to work with them and sometimes to [...]
Why wisdom doesn’t automatically make us wise
When we are taught wisdom-texts such as the Bhagavad-gita by its expert teachers, we may learn much wisdom about how to act wisely when faced [...]
Mindlessly mindful?
Mindfulness is often equated with greater awareness of both our outer and inner worlds. Still, not every detail of the outer world needs attention, and [...]
Are we training our mind in distraction or in concentration?
We all have noticed times when we get distracted, sometimes from important things. If only we could concentrate more, we could do so many things [...]
Beyond mindfulness to purposefulness
Suppose we are working in customer support and a disgruntled customer is speaking with us rudely, even obnoxiously. Still, we may have to plaster a [...]
When living in the present helps, and when it harms
“Live in the present” is valuable advice to counter our mind’s tendency to wander off into the past or the future. That wandering can rob [...]
The law of attraction and Gita wisdom
The law of attraction holds that we attract positive and negative things respectively by cultivating positive or negative thoughts. Is this law true? Why does [...]
How our mind can be a double agent
Suppose a country’s intelligence agency needs to do a vital mission for which they need a particular spy. Suppose further they suspect that spy to [...]
On parenting the mind
When parents decide to have a child, they know they are taking up a serious responsibility. Undoubtedly, parenting can be enormously fulfilling; yet it can [...]
How our mind misdirects our energies
Suppose a child is trying to heat some water on a stove and starts stoking the fire. But somehow the fire starts spreading beyond the [...]