Faith in yourself vs faith in God
Confidence is essential for doing anything challenging. Those with confidence have an energy and a magnetism: energy that enables them to push beyond the boundaries [...]
How we might defeat ourselves in our inner war
Suppose an army is defending itself against invaders. Suppose the invaders have been allowed in by a prominent general who has turned traitor. If the [...]
Compassionate action = compassionate disposition?
Suppose a doctor is treating a patient competently, but with the sole motive of earning money. Though the activity is compassionate, the mood isn’t compassionate. [...]
The power of being detached from fruits
Why does Krishna want us to be detached from the fruits of our work? (Bhagavad-gita 02.47) Because he wants to ensure that our care and [...]
When achievement doesn’t provide fulfillment — and when it does
Whenever we achieve something special, we may feel elated. Yet often achievement turns out to be anticlimactic; the thrill is short-lived. Why achievement may not [...]
What provides fulfillment and what doesn’t
When we seek to do something worthwhile, we often compare what we are able to do with what others are doing. And if others are [...]
The things that hurt us = the things we think hurt us?
Suppose we are bitten by a snake. We may get panicky, dreading that the snake bite will kill us. Actually, the snake-bite can't kill us; [...]
How to stop comparing and start contributing
When we interact with others, we often start comparing ourselves with them. We feel superior to them if our talents or achievements are greater than [...]
Is hurt = harm?
We often equate hurt, the sensation of pain, with harm: injury or damage. And they do frequently correlate. If our hand goes too close to [...]
How to improve our relationships
A major challenge in relationships is dealing with differences of opinion: “When do we stick to our stand? When do we listen to others?” To [...]
How can we differentiate between lust and love?
Lust manifests grossly as the craving for sexual gratification. It also manifests in a subtler form as the craving to control others so that they [...]
Begin each day by putting on our armor
If we were fighting a war, we would begin each day by putting on our armor. Actually, we all are at war internally against negative [...]
How following tradition literally may defeat the essential purpose of following tradition
Suppose somebody had sanctified their consciousness by bathing in a sacred river regularly at a particular place. This practice may have been going on for [...]
Opening our mouth and opening our Gita
Everyday, we open our mouth hundreds of times to speak something. Much of this speech is pointless chit chat. Even if it is functionally useful [...]
The importance of complexifying things
The importance of complexifying things When we want to understand things, we often want them to be explained simply. Indeed, effective education centers on [...]
Is death just a snag in our biological hardware?
Some people believe that humanity can attain immortality if we just understand what causes the aging process and then reprogram the genes that cause that [...]
Why our advice often goes unheeded
Why our advice often goes unheeded Suppose we give a bag full of warm clothes to someone traveling to a cold place. If they somehow [...]
“Why don’t you enjoy the things God has provided?”
Some people oppose the principle of forbidding anything: “If God didn’t want us to take intoxicants, why did he create intoxicating substances in nature? And [...]
What the faults we see in others tell us about ourselves
What the faults we see in others tell us about ourselves Our mind often sees outside what is present inside it. If greed or lust [...]
Why do small desires exert a big pull on us?
We all sometimes get caught in small desires that delude and distract us. These desires are small in the sense that they are about trivial [...]
How the mind and intelligence work — and how to make them work for us
Our mind often comes up with impulses such as to eat something or to watch something online. If we start giving into such impulses, we [...]