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 [...]
Two connections between gratitude and mental health
Nowadays, there are increasing concerns about mental health. More and more people find themselves feeling internally slowed, stymied, or even sabotaged by their own emotions, [...]
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 [...]
Might life be better if we pursued something other than happiness?
We live in a world that oversells happiness to us, with unending promises and unendingly glamorized products. And we have minds that are programmed with [...]
Facing losses but not feeling lost — the reorienting power of gratitude
Suppose we are driving through a remote area guided by GPS and suddenly the GPS connectivity gets lost due to a heavy storm. Not knowing [...]
From gifts in life to the gift of life
When striving to cultivate gratitude, we often attempt to look at the things that are good in our life and see those things as gifts. [...]
Is gratitude a state or a trait?
Gratitude can be both, and it is best when manifested as both. Let’s see how. State: Gratitude as a state refers to the emotions of [...]
What we do with our blessings
In our life, we all have both blessings and problems. Unfortunately, we often tend to fixate on our problems, which may arise due to our [...]
How to work with our mind
Even a little introspection can demonstrate to us how distracting and distractible our mind is — it gets captivated by trivial things and then makes [...]
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 6 summary — part 4
[How is it possible to keep the mind equally disposed when dealing with people of opposite qualities — such as the virtuous Yudhishthira and the [...]
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 6 summary — part 3
[What happens when the consciousness is steadily fixed on the self?] By the sustained practice of yoga, all material movements of consciousness stop; and the [...]
Gita 02.69 explained
BG 2.69 ya nisa sarva-bhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisa pasyato muneh SYNONYMS ya -- what; nisa -- is night; sarva [...]
Balancing candor with consideration (02.69 Gita analyzed 6 — Spiritual level)
The Bhagavad-gita is a holistic guidebook for spiritualists, as is seen in how it balances candor with consideration. It (02.69) candidly states that spiritualists and [...]
Gita 5.20 explained
But how will one practically do this? So now Sri Krishna will describe a process, so set of verses from here are both descriptive and [...]
Gita 02.17 explained
2.11-2.30: counters first argument – compassion So Krishna is building up a flow of thought over here, and He is saying that there is [...]
What is self-realization?
When we gain a realization, that essentially means we understand and accept as a reality that which is already a reality. By extension, when we [...]
Gita 13.33 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So it will not be [...]
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 [...]
Gita 02.61 explained
Now Krishna will describe in next verse how one can practice spiritual life, how can one get higher taste, till now He said that [...]
What differentiates spiritualists from fanatics? — 2
The differences between them arise from differing priorities. Fanatics value certainty above all things, whereas spiritualists value curiosity above all things. Let’s see how these [...]
What differentiates spiritualists from fanatics? — 1
Let’s explore what differentiates the two so that we can detect and reject any fanatical tendencies that may be lurking in our heart. Approach to [...]