How can we reach others with our words?
When we speak with others, how can we make our speech persuasive? By appealing to both their head and their heart. Such effective communication is [...]
Concern for others or concern for power over others?
Some people say they want to do good to others. But when others don’t cooperate, they use force to get others to do their will. [...]
Looking out for number one or looking at Number One?
To look out for number one is a phrase that means to act for one's own interest without caring for others. We tend to look [...]
Unspoken threats to our freedom
We live in an age which treasures freedom as the foremost among cherished values. If governments issue any injunctions restricting citizens’ freedoms, they often receive [...]
How morality and moralizing affect our spiritual growth differently
We all need morality as a behavioral safeguard. If we indulge in some unhealthy pleasure indiscriminately and repeatedly, we become attached, even addicted. Over time, [...]
How free pleasures are not free …
Today’s culture often dangles many pleasures that seem free. For example, the Internet offers loads of entertainment, apparently free. But are such pleasures really free? [...]
Does devotion suppress our individuality and intelligence?
Some people feel that if they start practicing bhakti spirituality, they will simply have to obey God and thereby suppress their individuality, creativity and initiative [...]
How can we be more cheerful?
We often think that we will become happy when some good things happen to us or when our dreams are fulfilled. While that is true, [...]
Why material progress is deceptive and dissatisfying
Materialism is the belief system that holds matter is all that exists, or at least matter is all that matters. With this belief system, we [...]
When our repentant tears reform and when they don’t
We may shed tears of repentance when we have made some terrible mistake or acted in some grievously immoral way. Those tears can clean and [...]
How to deal with feelings of inferiority
How to deal with feelings of inferiority Our media often shows us glamorized images whereby we worry about how slim, smart or fluent we are. [...]
Gita 13.18 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 13.18 jyotiṣām api taj [...]
Gita 17.04 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 17.4 yajante sāttvikā devān [...]
How people are equal — and how they aren’t
We live in a world that cherishes equality. Affirming our innate aspiration, Gita wisdom explains that people themselves are equal in that everybody has a [...]
How can we defend ourselves from our mind?
Our mind often speaks as the nasty, discouraging inner voice which says that we are nothing; we count for nothing; whatever we do will eventually [...]
How can we be humble without letting ourselves be trampled by others?
Humility is one of the most treasured virtues in spiritual life, but it is often seen as weakness in material life. If we are humble, [...]
Why our determination falters when faced with temptation
We all have a certain capacity for determination that enables us to resist temptation. Still, we are innately pleasure-seeking. To resist temptation steadily, we need [...]
Material breakdowns or spiritual breakthroughs?
We are often so caught in the immediate that we don't spend time to consider the ultimate. Material things are immediately accessible, essential and enjoyable, [...]
Are you trying to be peaceful or purposeful?
We live in a world that often agitates us with many anxieties and perplexities. Naturally, therefore, we seek peace of mind. Significantly however, we need [...]
Are you aware or are you just existing?
The state of being alive is associated with activities such as growing, reproducing, preserving one's existence. The state of being aware is usually associated with [...]
How to ensure that anger is constructive, not destructive
We all sometimes encounter injustice and brutality, as when we see police excesses against the helpless. If such experiences make us feel outraged, that is [...]