Is the Gita’s declaration about the world’s distressful nature pessimistic?
When we hear the Bhagavad-gita statement (08.15) that the world is a place of distress, we may wonder, “Isn’t this pessimistic?” No, if we understand [...]
When we hear the Bhagavad-gita statement (08.15) that the world is a place of distress, we may wonder, “Isn’t this pessimistic?” No, if we understand [...]
Some people think that to be spiritual is to be anti-material, that they need to give up everything material for attaining the spiritual. However, the [...]
When we are sick, we accept the prescribed treatment as an austerity necessary for our recovery. And we often dream about the various treats we [...]
Consider alcoholics who want to break free from their addiction. They often place themselves voluntarily in rehabilitation clinics whose monitored environment takes away their freedom [...]
Suppose we have a tyrannical boss who tells us first to do something that doesn’t make sense and then castigates us for having acted senselessly. [...]
When an army is fighting a war, it depends on its intelligence – its information sources – to know the strength of the enemy. But [...]
We all long for happiness and are deeply convinced that we have a right to be happy. But this conviction runs contrary to our lived [...]
Suppose we plan to go for a picnic, but suddenly get fever and have to abandon our plan. And we lie on a bed resenting [...]
Suppose a patient with an upset stomach is told by a doctor to restrict diet. If the patient focuses on all the foods that are [...]
Suffering is an undeniable reality of the human condition, as the daily news of death and disease and destruction demonstrate. And these are just the [...]
When germs infect us and we start feeling sick, we take treatment for driving out the germs. However, healing requires not just the driving out [...]
Traditionally, nature has been considered a mother who provides for life’s necessities. But some people characterize it negatively as a stepmother or even a witch [...]
Suppose a person driving on a road comes to a sign, “Road closed – take alternative route” with a pointer to that route. Those who [...]
Nowadays many books urge us to think positive. Certainly, we shouldn’t shackle and cripple ourselves by negative thinking. But to tap positive thinking properly, we [...]
The "rest of me" refers to our physical and mental side – the two other levels of our present three-level existence as embodied souls. Our [...]
http://bhagavadgitaclass.com/bhagavad-gita-chapter-01-text-30/Losing our way is often unnerving. Much more unnerving is feeling so hopelessly lost as to think that there’s no way ahead. This happens when [...]
Seekers sometimes ask, “Bhakti is supposed to be joyful. But I don’t get much joy in practicing it. Why?” Because the mind interrupts our practice [...]
“Acting our way to feelings” means choosing conscientiously to act based on our intelligence, even when our feelings don’t agree, till eventually those actions engender [...]
“You are depriving yourself of so much pleasure,” the mind whispers when we practice spiritual life seriously and regulate sense gratification. We may neglect the [...]
The Bhagavad-gita (02.58) uses the example of tortoise safe inside its shell to recommend that we keep ourselves spiritually safe by withdrawing our senses from [...]
Materialists often take things at face value. If something looks attractive, they assume it will be a source of pleasure. Even when it doesn’t give [...]