How to deal with loss
The best way to deal with loss is not by losing our temper, but by losing our attachments. Whenever we lose something, especially something that [...]
The difference between forgiving and trusting
The difference between forgiving and trusting is vital for us to understand if we are to not make forgiveness more difficult than what it needs [...]
Purification is inner empowerment
We may think of purification to be something religious or sacred and not very relevant in our daily lives. However, purification empowers us internally. When [...]
Dealing with our inner demons
We are all sometimes urged by impurities, by dark impressions within us. These are colloquially referred to as our 'inner demons.' Sometimes, when trying to [...]
Courage to fight our inner demons
It takes courage to fight against our inner demons. It's much easier to pretend that they don't exist and to pretend that we are good [...]
What to pray for amid distress
When confronted with a huge problem, especially one that causes acute or unbearable distress, we often desperately turn to God for help. We pray for [...]
Outer thanks inner greed — how gratitude may be subverted
When we strive to practice a virtue like gratitude, it is very easy to make it into a ritual that is done externally without [...]
The pillow of gratitude
Even when we understand that gratitude is beneficial for our well-being, feeling grateful constantly throughout the day is not easy, given how demanding and [...]
The healing power of gratitude
When we lose a loved one, for example, or when we experience rejection in an important relationship, the catastrophic severity of the wound to our [...]
Learning the language of gratitude
For two people to connect effectively, they need to learn a common language and be on speaking terms. A similar dynamic applies to our mind’s [...]
Two obstacles to gratitude
When we try to cultivate gratitude, we may encounter various obstacles, with greed seeming to be the most evident candidate. The focus of gratitude and [...]
Gratitude for the ordinary
During our life, whenever we receive something special — for example, getting an unexpected job promotion or winning the lottery — we feel overjoyed. And [...]
How to deal with our emotions
We all are prone to be swept away by our emotions, thereby acting self-destructively. How can we protect ourselves from this danger? Some people try [...]
Dealing with the fog of emotions
Suppose we are driving full speed along a road and suddenly thick fog envelopes us. Even if we turn our car lights fully on, the [...]
When the world is a place of distress how should we deal with distress in our life?
When the Bhagavad-gita (08.15) deems the world a place of distress (dukhalaya), what does this imply for our efforts to combat distress in our life? [...]
Four levels of gratitude
Gratitude can be valued and sought at four distinct levels of increasing depth A positive emotion: Focusing on the good things in our life infuses [...]
Responding to adversity — Resentful? Regretful? Or grateful?
When adversity befalls us, we don’t have much choice about what has already happened. But we do have a choice about how we respond. Our [...]
Dissatisfaction: cause and cure
We could divide the world around us into two categories: the things we have and the things we don’t have. Whenever we see something desirable [...]
How to feel grateful when we don’t feel grateful
To cultivate gratitude, we need to expand our conception of what it is. Gratitude as an emotion: While gratitude is certainly an emotion, it is [...]
Beyond pat explanations for our unhealthy behaviors
Suppose an airplane crashes, leading to huge casualties and damages. When questioned about the cause of the crash, suppose the airline company reports, “The plane [...]
How to better manage our emotions
Our emotions are an essential part of who we are; without them, we would be reduced to a flavorless, robotic existence. Though they add value [...]