Destiny determines our situations, but we determine our decisions in those situations
Whenever we are put in a sudden unexpected and unfavorable, even unbearable situation, we may resent and even condemn either God or ourselves for having [...]
The life of pleasure or the pleasure of life
Only when we stop chasing the life of pleasure can we find the pleasure of life. The life of pleasure means that we think life [...]
Awesome or Wholesome?
Not everything wholesome is awesome, and not everything awesome is wholesome. We are often attracted to things that feel good, even if they're not actually [...]
What provides happiness – & what doesn’t
Happiness comes not by gaining something enjoyable, but by pursuing something valuable. The world teaches us that when we get desirable objects, especially objects that [...]
Karma: resignation or responsibility?
When we study the Bhagavad-gita teachings on karma, we may often read into it ideas that are prevalent in contemporary conceptions about karma. Such ideas [...]
How bhakti helps us balance destiny and responsibility
When we adopt a spiritual worldview, especially a devotional theistic worldview, it changes our approach to life, specifically in terms of how we view destiny [...]
How to balance destiny and responsibility
When we face a difficult situation, to what extent do we accept that situation as destiny and to what extent do we take responsibility for [...]
How to balance destiny and responsibility
When we face a difficult situation, to what extent do we accept that situation as destiny and to what extent do we take responsibility for [...]
The difference between cleverness and wisdom
When we interact with others, we often like to be perceived as lively and witty. Accordingly, we may aspire to come up with clever comments [...]
Why we are NOT defined by our desires
One of the Bhagavad Gita’s most life-transforming insights is its clear, categorical, and consistent emphasis on differentiating between us and our mind. While some of [...]
Are we the fisherman or the fish? (Managing the mind 2)
Are we the fisherman or the fish? - Suppose a fisherman casts a bait in a river to catch a fish. The fisherman stands to [...]
So boring or sobering?
So boring or sobering? - Suppose we are traveling by boat through a vast ocean and we hear a weather warning on the boat radio, [...]
How we end up neglecting life’s important things
How we end up neglecting life’s important things -When people face sudden disaster or death, they often realize that they have wasted so much of [...]
How to help others choose wisely?
When we aspire to share some wisdom with others, especially to help them make better choices, we need to balance two things: truth and grace. [...]
How to choose the lesser pain and how to make that pain lesser
Suppose we are bound in a car that is racing toward the edge of a huge mountain cliff. If the bonds holding us down are [...]
Are we devaluing our life by overvaluing our autonomy?
Sometimes, life puts us in situations that reduce our autonomy: a demanding job, a difficult relationship, a dreadful disease. If we overvalue autonomy, deeming it [...]
How our actions matter to others more than we think
How our actions matter to others more than we think - When we function in the huge world filled with countless people, we may wonder, [...]
Free entertainment expensive entanglement
We sometimes get allured by the promise of free entertainment on the Internet. Because it seems free, we may spend far more time than what [...]
When what we do doesn’t seem to matter …
When we experience how the world is filled with big problems, we may think, “What a tiny person like me does or doesn’t do hardly [...]
How we all can be dangerous be we strong or weak
Suppose someone is strong, be it physically, economically, politically. We easily understand that they can be dangerous if they start abusing their strength. However, [...]
When is fearlessness a facade for foolishness?
When is fearlessness a facade for foolishness?- Suppose a child goes dangerously close to the parapet of a skyscraper. When his mother warns him, “Move [...]