Stay unaffected by desires
The ocean is one of the most prominent realities in nature and scripture draws many lessons from nature. So let's look at what we can [...]
Gita 02.70 explained
Next verse Krishna will describe how we can have inner happiness how we can move from lower level of happiness to higher level of happiness. [...]
Does self-improvement center on fighting against our desires?
Our desires often obstruct us in our efforts to improve ourselves; for example, we may resolve to regulate our diet, but may be sabotaged by [...]
The difference between what we want and what we want to want
Our wants often arise from external factors such as peer pressure, cultural glamorization or corporate-controlled media promotion. During our reflective movements, we may realize that [...]
How desires differ from emotions — and why the difference matters
When we make resolutions for self-mastery, we are often thwarted by our emotions and desires. Emotions are largely reactive, arising from the things we perceive [...]
To avoid emotional extremes, center your emotions on the eternal, not the external
We sometimes experience mood swings, whereby small good things make us elated and more commonly small bad things make us dejected. If such mood swings [...]
What we feel doesn’t fell us, what we will does
When we strive to free ourselves from impurities, we may still feel impure desires rising in our consciousness. To not become disheartened by such desires, [...]
We can’t avoid perceiving sense objects, but we can avoid pursuing them
The culture assaults our senses with perceptions of tempting sense objects and we often can’t avoid those perceptions. How then can we protect ourselves from [...]
Focus not on what we have to renounce for spirituality; focus on what serious spiritualists get that enables them to renounce
Prospective spiritualists sometimes fear, “If I practice spirituality, I will have to give up so many enjoyable activities. How can I live without them?” Such [...]
Be thoughtful; believe not thoughts that make us fools
We are constantly full of thoughts, but we are not always thoughtful. In fact, many of our thoughts make us fools, for they impel us [...]
Ever flowing, never flooding is the state of the serene consciousness
How can spiritual seekers stay peaceful amidst tempting circumstances? The Bhagavad-gita (2.70) shows the way with a metaphor from nature: just as rivers flow into [...]