How desire is both the lock and the key — Desire Management series 5
How desire is both the lock and the key — Desire Management series 5 - Suppose we are locked in a prison. Suppose further that [...]
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 [...]
Our conviction that happiness is our right is right
We all long for happiness and are deeply convinced that we have a right to be happy. But this conviction runs contrary to our lived [...]
Illusion drives us compulsively; Krishna draws us compassionately
We all like to be free – we resent it when we are forced to do something. In fact, many people often hesitate to practice [...]
Change recollection from selective to comprehensive and deceptive to protective
Alcoholics, for a few moments of pleasure, undergo the indignity of slurred speech, incoherent behavior and overall foolishness that takes a heavy toll on time, [...]
Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs
When we get doubts, the forces of illusion delude us further into thinking that our doubts are evidences of our intellectual superiority over believers: “I [...]
Materialism makes the materialist non-existent and materialism meaningless
People sometimes object to spirituality, saying, “It requires so much faith.” Actually, everything requires faith. Even materialism requires faith – the faith that we ourselves [...]
See in the potency of illusion the glory of its master
When we see someone lost in a novel, we infer that an excellent author must have written it. Similarly, when we see people, who are [...]
Rationalization is temptation’s spin-doctor
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, we reject the temptations that violate our principles. However, temptation doesn’t so easily take no for an [...]
Those who mistake the route to be the root stay uprooted
Many people confuse the mind with the soul because both are inside. However, the soul and the mind differ cognitively, constitutionally and functionally. Cognitively, the [...]
Things are not what they seem, but they are not a dream
Materialists often take things at face value. If something looks attractive, they assume it will be a source of pleasure. Even when it doesn’t give [...]
When the mind makes the irrational seem rational, catch it in its irrationality
When we do something irrational, we may wonder, “Why did I do such a thing?” Because the mind may have stupefied us by using some [...]
The defining characteristic of humanity distorted by ignorance is inhumanity
Both materialists and spiritualists consider humanity as the pinnacle of evolution. Materialists believe that humanity is the apex of a multi-millennia journey that began with [...]
Let the intelligence’s discrimination lead through the mind’s delusion to the heart’s devotion
We all have an inner enemy within us – some mysterious presence that impels us to act against our best interests. Different traditions refer to [...]
Ignorance makes the insufferable seem irresistible
Drunkards suffer terribly due to their addiction – the hangover, the mortification at finding oneself crazed out, the humiliation when one becomes an object of [...]
When we hide ourselves from ourselves, we destroy ourselves
Leading a principle-centered life involves a dynamic tension between our aspirations, which are determined by our cherished principles, and our actions, which is often determined [...]
Losing our way to find our way
Life sometimes brings us to a dead end. In the face of overwhelming obstacles, everything seems lost. We feel as if we have lost our [...]
Blinded and addicted or illumined and liberated?
Suppose everyone in a country was addicted. With everyone suffering the pulls and falls of addiction, the addiction would seem normal. Because addicts frequently see [...]
The great achievement of materialism
Materialism is the belief system that matter is all that exists. Sometimes it takes a slightly more tolerant form as the belief system that matter [...]
We can’t reach new planets without leaving the earth
The prospect of traveling to new planets is both stimulating and unnerving. It’s stimulating because of the excitement ofexploring uncharted territory. And it’s unnerving because [...]
Don’t fall for the mind’s “no time” trick
“You don’t have any time.” This is how the mind often summarily rejects our plans for devotional activities like mantra meditation. We may indeed have [...]