How we may overestimate the power of speech
How we may overestimate the power of speech - Suppose someone’s car stops working. They infer, “The spark plug is the problem,” whereas their friend [...]
Why we may underestimate the power of words
Why we may underestimate the power of words - Suppose a friend comes to us with a black eye, a bleeding nose and a broken [...]
Why speaking effectively is as difficult as loving authentically
Why speaking effectively is as difficult as loving authentically - When we love someone authentically, that love involves a dynamic tension between our concern for [...]
Seek more to connect than to correct
Seek more to connect than to correct - On the brink of the Mahabharata war, Arjuna was overwhelmed by misdirected compassion and was about to [...]
How not to share spirituality
How not to share spirituality - Suppose a blind person is out in the cold, covered only by a thin, torn sheet. Wanting to give [...]
When being truthful makes us unhelpful …
When being truthful makes us unhelpful - Suppose a first-grade student struggling with math approaches their teacher and says: “This is so difficult.” And the [...]
How to respond when someone hurts us?
How to respond when someone hurts us?- When someone speaks harshly or acts cruelly toward us, how we respond depends primarily on their disposition. The [...]
Get rid of misplaced guilt
Get rid of misplaced guilt- Suppose a policeman feels guilty about putting a vicious criminal in solitary confinement. If that criminal has been duly tried [...]
What does growing up mean? – 2
What does growing up mean? - 2- When someone complains too much about how hard things are, they are sometimes told to grow up. What [...]
What does growing up mean?
What does growing up mean? - If someone is whiny, a candid well-wisher may exhort them: “Grow up.” What does it mean? It refers not [...]
Two ways to deal with resentment
Two ways to deal with resentment - Resentment is a toxic but telling emotion. To understand what it is telling us, we need to attentively [...]
How can we be grateful when we don’t feel grateful?
How can we be grateful when we don’t feel grateful? - When we strive to cultivate gratitude, we often find it elusive. At one moment, [...]
How to feel grateful when life gets tough?
How to feel grateful when life gets tough? - Here are two thought-exercises: Dwell on the wonders of life: Though life can be demanding, even [...]
Why gratitude is especially difficult in today’s world
Why gratitude is especially difficult in today's world - Even when we have enough of the things we need, we don’t always feel grateful for [...]
Why is it so difficult to feel grateful?
Why is it so difficult to feel grateful? - If asked specifically to list things we are grateful for, we all can easily list several [...]
Gita 02.14 – Explanation from Bhakti Shastri Class
2.11-2.30: counters first argument – compassion In this context Arjuna says, I am concerned because my relatives will not be there with me, and [...]
The first application of spiritual knowledge
The first application of spiritual knowledge - Suppose a medically well-informed person gets a disease with scary symptoms. If they know that those symptoms are [...]
How the mind is a robber who pretends to be a well-wisher
How the mind is a robber who pretends to be a well-wisher - Suppose a robber comes to our house pretending to be our well-wisher [...]
How to get the mind to go along with us?
How to get the mind to go along with us? - We sometimes resolve to do certain things that are important for us. But our [...]
How to get away from the mind when it troubles us?
How to get away from the mind when it troubles us?- When someone speaks negative things constantly, we may feel the need to get away [...]
How to ensure that our phones are connecting us not disconnecting us
How to ensure that our phones are connecting us not disconnecting us - In today’s fast-moving world, we seek phones to stay connected with our [...]