Cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves
We often emphasize the importance of healthy relationships with others, but even more crucial is having a healthy relationship with ourselves. In a healthy relationship, [...]
The dual defenses against self-destructive impulses
Whenever we struggle with conditionings that impel us toward actions we know we shouldn't do, two defense mechanisms can protect us: conscience and intelligence. Conscience [...]
Anxiety: is it coming from insecurity or from gravity?
Anxiety: is it coming from insecurity or from gravity? - Anxiety can arise from a sense of insecurity or a sense of gravity. The latter [...]
Navigating the inner marketplace
Introspection is meant to tune out the louder voices inside us so that we can tune in to the wiser voices inside us. Suppose we [...]
Transform our wandering into a pilgrimage
In the Bhagavad Gita (18.61), Krishna states that he is directing the wanderings of all living beings from his strategic vantage point, which is within [...]
How to dump emotional bumps and slumps during meditation
Life is filled with ups and downs, or alternatively, life is filled with bumps and slumps. Things go up and down at times. If we [...]
Are nostalgia or utopia distracting us from meditation?
Meditation is essentially about connecting with a timeless divine reality that resides and presides beyond the mundane reality, which is constantly subject to change due [...]
Remembrance of Krishna — From Factual to Personal
The Bhagavad-gita (8.5) emphasizes the significance of remembering Krishna at the time of death. By such remembrance, we can attain Him without any doubt. But [...]
How discipline in meditation helps in discipline in all areas of life
Whenever we try to do anything worthwhile, we need to discipline ourselves, especially in terms of giving up something that seems enjoyable initially, even though [...]
Temptations are like precision-guided missiles
In a war, the enemy is not just passively waiting to be attacked by us, nor is it hyper-angrily racing to attack us. If the [...]
Recognizing our most dangerous enemy and our essential protector
If we have an enemy who wants to destroy us, then we will be alert to the danger and try to protect ourselves. However, if [...]
How does humility differ from low self-esteem?
Humility differs from low self-esteem because the two lead us to value different, even opposite, things. When we suffer from low self-esteem, we start thinking [...]
Treasure the treasure of time
Treasure the treasure of time Suppose we get a huge inheritance, but with a peculiar stipulation: an inescapable expiry date. If we squander it, it [...]
Why science’s quest for reality misses consciousness
Suppose someone who has lived in darkness suddenly encounters light. They may naturally ask, “How did the darkness give rise to light?” Actually, darkness did [...]
Why can’t some people see the obvious?
Why can’t some people see the obvious? When we try to explain something to someone and they just don’t get it, we may wonder, “What’s [...]
Disliking ourselves is not humility
Every culture glamorizes certain models of beauty, wealth, ability. Many people compare themselves negatively with those models, deem themselves inferior and inadequate, and even start [...]
When skepticism is healthy — and when it becomes unhealthy
In today's world, skepticism is often considered an intellectual virtue; skeptical people proudly say, “I'm not gullible. I don't believe the religious mumbo-jumbo that so [...]
How appreciating other spiritual paths can distract us — and inspire us
We live today in a multicultural world where people from many different faith-traditions interact at the workplace as well as in cyberspace. In order to [...]
Beyond feel-good spirituality — and beyond feel-bad spirituality
Many people nowadays present spirituality as a tool for helping us feel good about ourselves. Such a presentation serves a vital human need because today’s [...]
Why do good people do bad things
When people do bad things, especially if they are normally good people, then their bad actions can shock us. If we had trusted them and [...]
Have we earned the right to criticize?
When we see someone doing something that seems wrong to us, we often feel the urge to criticize and correct them. We may feel we [...]