Nowadays many books urge us to think positive. Certainly, we shouldn’t shackle and cripple ourselves by negative thinking. But to tap positive thinking properly, we [...]
The "rest of me" refers to our physical and mental side – the two other levels of our present three-level existence as embodied souls. Our [...]
http://bhagavadgitaclass.com/bhagavad-gita-chapter-01-text-30/Losing our way is often unnerving. Much more unnerving is feeling so hopelessly lost as to think that there’s no way ahead. This happens when [...]
Seekers sometimes ask, “Bhakti is supposed to be joyful. But I don’t get much joy in practicing it. Why?” Because the mind interrupts our practice [...]
“Acting our way to feelings” means choosing conscientiously to act based on our intelligence, even when our feelings don’t agree, till eventually those actions engender [...]
“You are depriving yourself of so much pleasure,” the mind whispers when we practice spiritual life seriously and regulate sense gratification. We may neglect the [...]
The Bhagavad-gita (02.58) uses the example of tortoise safe inside its shell to recommend that we keep ourselves spiritually safe by withdrawing our senses from [...]
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 [...]
During ragging in colleges, senior students often push their juniors to drink alcohol with the wise-sounding rationalization, “Babies don’t drink - adults do.” Obviously, drinking [...]
Serious seekers often worry, “Will I fall back into the illusions of material existence?” Yes, if we keep worrying about falling into illusion. No, if [...]
Fame is life’s driving purpose for many: “I would do anything to be the cynosure of all eyes, as are sportstars.” Little do they realize [...]
“Have it all.” This is the mantra of today’s consumerist culture that impels us to believe that the more we have, the more we will [...]
What we internally conceive as necessary, we externally pursue. Thus, an alcoholic internally thinks of alcohol as essential and externally chases it. What are our [...]
Prospective spiritualists sometimes fear, “If I practice spirituality, I will have to give up so many enjoyable activities. How can I live without them?” Such [...]
Checkmate signifies final, irreversible defeat. In material existence, checkmate comes in the form of death. It terminates all our dreams and schemes for enjoyment at [...]
We sometimes make small things unnecessarily big. When we are on our way to office, unseasonal rains delay us and upset our schedule for the [...]
Our culture makes us believe that we will become happy by improving the things around us – clothes, cellphones and cars, for example. Will we? [...]
We all long for happiness. And millions of things in this world promise us happiness. But none of them can provide lasting happiness because none [...]
Few things can check and choke us as badly as resentment. When things go wrong, resentment builds up within us, seeking a target – outwards, [...]
Laughing at others – their fallacies and follies – is something we often enjoy. If not publically, then at least privately. It makes us feel [...]
“That couldn’t have been me.” This is what people say when they think of what they did under the spell of alcohol – actions that [...]
