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 [...]
Focus on our availability for God, not God’s availability for us
Stop worrying whether God is there for us; start working on whether we are there for God. When facing difficulties, we may sometimes expect support [...]
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 [...]
Don’t be difficult while going through difficulties
Our life may be difficult, but that doesn't give us the right to be difficult When we face tough situations, they naturally affect our behavior. [...]
The under-explored relationship between morality and meaning
Morality often carries associations with religious moralizing, conjuring stereotypical images of outdated codes of conduct dictated long ago. These are frequently dismissed as being regressive [...]
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 [...]
A Diwali Deep Dive – Significance of the Six Festivals
A Diwali Deep Dive – Significance of the Six Festivals Diwali is not just a festival of lights; it’s a festival of insights. Each day [...]
Why we need to listen to our intelligence, not our mind
Why we need to listen to our intelligence not our mind Listening to our intelligence insulates us from illusion, whereas listening to our mind insulates [...]
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 [...]
How spirituality, meditation and bhakti are related
How spirituality, meditation and bhakti are related When we take a life of deeper meaning or higher purpose, we may encounter many terms that seem [...]
Senseless shameless soulless
Actions that start as senseless can lead us down a slippery slope, where we may end up not just shameless but even soulless. One of [...]
How to make the best of the things that are significant but impermanent
Whatever feels important and seems permanent today will eventually become little more than a memory. Experience it fully while it endures, so that it becomes [...]
How to pass life’s tests
If we don't protest against the mind's pretexts, we will never pass life's tests. When faced with life's difficulties, especially those requiring us to persevere [...]
Gita 06.12 – Explanation
Gita 06.12 – Concentration is the foundation for purification Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-12-concentration-is-the-foundation-for-purification/ tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kṛtvā yata-cittendriya-kriyaḥ upaviśyāsane yuñjyād yogam ātma-viśuddhaye (Bg 6.12) Word-for-word: tatra — [...]
Gita 06.11 – Explanation
Gita 06.11 – Seek a balance between externals and internals Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-11-seek-a-balance-between-externals-and-internals/ śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ nāty-ucchritaṁ nāti-nīcaṁ cailājina-kuśottaram (Bg 6.11) Word-for-word: [...]
Gita 06.10 – Explanation
Gita 06.10 – Popular yoga is not spiritual yoga Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-10-popular-yoga-is-not-spiritual-yoga/ yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ ekākī yata-cittātmā nirāśīr aparigrahaḥ (Bg 6.10) Word-for-word: [...]
Gita 06.09 – Explanation
Gita 06.09 – Equal vision towards those who relate unequally is challenging Audio link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-09-equal-vision-towards-those-who-relate-unequally-is-challenging/ suhṛn-mitrāry-udāsīna- madhyastha-dveṣya-bandhuṣu sādhuṣv api ca pāpeṣu sama-buddhir viśiṣyate (Bg 6.9) [...]
Gita 06.08 – Explanation
Gita 06.08 – Realization brings satisfaction and equal vision Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-08-realization-brings-satisfaction-and-equal-vision/ jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ yukta ity ucyate yogī sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ (Bg 6.8) Word-for-word: jñāna — [...]
Gita 06.07 – Explanation
Gita 06.07 – The controlled mind disregards dualities and discovers the Supersoul Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-07-the-controlled-mind-disregards-dualities-and-discovers-the-supersoul/ jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ (Bg 6.7) Word-for-word: [...]