Two ways to deal with our past
Even if we can't escape our past, we can still outgrow it We all carry scars from our past—deep wounds that cause fears or impressions [...]
How self-destructive desire corrupts our intelligence
The Bhagavad Gita (3.43) exhorts us to use our intelligence to fight against self-destructive desires but simultaneously warns (3.40) that even intelligence can be corrupted [...]
Three meanings of ‘fire’ and how they apply to our inner world
The word fire has multiple meanings: a natural force that burns, the dismissal of someone from their job, and an energizing enthusiasm or motivation (as [...]
How the mind and the intelligence are to work together
The mind is meant to be the complement to the intelligence, let it not become the replacement of the intelligence We live in an age [...]
In pursuing self-discipline is our imagination working for us or against us?
Whenever we decide to discipline ourselves, we are often jolted into action by external situations. For instance, we may notice how much weight we have [...]
Do we have an inner deception detection mechanism?
As we go through life, we learn that we can't always take things and people at face value. Part of growing up involves realizing that [...]
Emotional intelligence: Knowing when to respond with equanimity and when with empathy
When someone experiences emotional turbulence, especially during difficult or potentially traumatic times, our response can significantly influence not only their emotional state but also their [...]
How purposefulness helps us move through complexity to clarity
Purposefulness helps us move through complexity to clarity Life is often characterized—and sometimes confounded—by complexity. Externally, the world around us offers an overwhelming array of [...]
How to avoid acting thoughtlessly
When we are thoughtless, it's not that we have less thoughts; it's that we give less thought to the thoughts that drive us. We all [...]
How to protect attention
How to protect attention If we don’t have anything to focus on, we will focus on anything. Attention is a complex and ongoing phenomenon. It [...]
When we feel tormented by desire, what can we do?
When we feel tormented by desire, what can we do? Indulgence in a desire may provide immediate relief from its torment, but it takes us [...]
Break up with our mind or a break from our mind?
Break up with our mind or a break from our mind? We can't break up from our mind, yet we need to have breaks from [...]
3.37 Self-discipline: the war within you, not the war with you
Discipline often feels like a fight with ourselves, like we are being robbed of pleasures that seem rightfully ours. But the Bhagavad Gita (3.37) flips [...]
17.16 From bitter thoughts to better thoughts
Have you ever felt that your life is not as successful as you had dreamt it will be? You may feel bitter because the world [...]
6.5 Too emotional or too unemotional? Find the balance
We’ve all been too emotional at times or too detached at others. The Bhagavad Gita (6.5) reminds us that we shouldn't degrade ourselves with our [...]
5.22 To Overcome Attachment, Cultivate Curiosity
Have you ever tried to detach yourself from a guilty pleasure, only to relapse again? Surprisingly, the most effective way to fight attachment isn’t detachment— [...]
Let me take the war against temptation seriously (2.68)
Let me take the war against temptation seriously Bhagavad Gita 2.68 tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā "Therefore, O mighty-armed, be [...]
Let me see your boundaries as protectors, not deprivers (2.63)
Bhagavad Gita 2.63 krodhād bhavati saṁmohaḥ saṁmohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati "From anger arises delusion’s haze, Which shrouds the mind in forgetful daze. [...]
Let my joy be in inner connection, not outer gratification (2.57)
Let my joy be in inner connection not outer gratification Bhagavad Gita 2.57 yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas tat tat prāpya śubhāśubham nābhinandati na dveṣṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā [...]
What’s wrong with the worldview of dread?
What's wrong with the worldview of dread? The worldview of dread refers to a deep-rooted fear of the entangling nature of existence, characterized by a [...]
What’s wrong with the worldview of despair?
The worldview of despair arises when individuals believe that life has no inherent meaning. This outlook often emerges when people recognize the futility of materialistic [...]