The choices you make make you
The choices you make make you During our life, we constantly make choices. Even when we know that our choices are consequential, we may not [...]
Don’t let the craving for clarity distract us from working with whatever clarity we have
Don’t let the craving for clarity distract us from working with whatever clarity we have Suppose we are driving through a storm. If water, sleet [...]
When emotions appeal within us be the umpire not the appealer
When emotions appeal within us be the umpire not the appealer In cricket, the fielding players often appeal vociferously, claiming that the batsman is out. [...]
Let emotion inform, but not form, your decision
Our emotions are a big part of who we are, but they are not all of us. We are bigger than our present emotions, most [...]
Don’t stay crying in the night – start crying for the light
A child lost in a strange dark place may start crying helplessly, but an adult similarly lost will instead of collapsing into tears look for [...]
Determination is the fruit of purification – and its root too
The Bhagavad-gita (07.28) indicates that we will become determined in our devotional practices when we live purely and stop impure actions. This begs the question: [...]
Learn to see Krishna’s love with the eyes of knowledge
Our culture often bombards us with explicit images of what is considered to be love. If we equate love with such gushy expressions alone, we [...]
Don’t challenge the wisdom of God – let the wisdom of God challenge you
To challenge the wisdom of God means to approach his words with a cold, critical attitude, with the intention of disproving, defying and denigrating it. [...]
Don’t get back at God – get God back
When people hurt us, we often want to get back at them, hurt them the way they have hurt us. When things go wrong in [...]
Don’t waste extra thought on people for whom you are extras
“If I do that, what will people think of me?” Such concern over the world’s opinion can sometimes protect us from unworthy actions but it [...]
Are we sending our intelligence on a vacation?
Imagine a person who has a priceless treasure carefully protected by a competent guard. Suppose a thief persuades the owner to send the guard on [...]
Plans may not work, but planning works
“My plans never work, so I have decided to give up planning.” We may think like this when our plans to balance our material obligations [...]
Navigate the troughs of consciousness by focusing on the peak
As aspiring devotees, we may find the state of our consciousness oscillating up and down like a sine wave. We may feel sometimes attracted and [...]
The obnoxious is obnoxious because it is noxious
A prevailing intellectual fad sees all value-judgments as subjective: “If you think something is obnoxious, it is obnoxious for you – but not necessarily for [...]