Wisdom of the Sages

Beware what you set your heart upon, for it surely shall be yours. – Ralph Waldo Emerson / all we do is desire / desire + karmic merit = next body / lessons from the Twilight Zone / advancing in spirituality means we can laughing at ourselves / Krishna's not impressed with sacrifices, severe austerities or mystic yoga / krishna fulfills our material desires in a way that we realize we don't want t...

it's never too late to learn Sanskrit or plant a fruit tree / be bound in friendship not guilt / redirect desires through divine friendship / study like you'll live forever, do sadhana as if you'll die tomorrow / we should always be learning / set aside some time every day exclusively for spiritual practice / working on the functional level, with the fundamental always running in the background /...

we're walking right past clues to the magic of the universe / the stars admonish us for our pettiness / the recipe for inner satisfaction - tying your functional dharma to your fundamental dharma / Bhagavatam ties all sorts of theistic worship into one excellent principle - Bhakti / knowledge of calculus doesn't diminish addition and subtraction / duty, performed for any reason but love, is a wast...

"He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety" Ralph Waldo Emerson / we all have 2 identities - functional and fundamental / an advanced human being is never malicious / even the mental states are of the body / we're all victims of the three modes of material nature / there's no karma for devotees / the recipe for inner satisfaction - tying...

the Gita's universal question - "what is the right thing to do?" / 3 stages of the Gita's popularity / it's not just action that entangles - it's motive / wisdom lying between the polarities, and on multiple levels / moral dilemma vs ethical dilemma / Krishna gives a philosophical world view with a moral framework for ethical dilemmas / the Gita's battlefield setting -  violence is absent in terms...

How to deal with heartbreak? / How to understand the Demigods? / Can one have pride in Bhakti?

differences of opinion embittered by group hostility / Daniel Dennett's Four Steps to Arguing Intelligently / expressing respect by trying to understand the other / understanding morality requires more than citing the moral rules of scripture / sometimes good people perform bad deeds / Bhisma's progression to consequentialism / Prthu leaves it at 99 / the more we resist providence, the more we ent...

the gravity of Indra's transgression / all that glitters is not gold (there are plenty of phony holy men out there) / Prthu prepares to kill Indra / the Brahmanas prepare to kill Indra / Brahma overlooks Indra's behavior / deontological ethics vs consequentialism / the stories of Balaka, Kaushika and Mrigari the hunter / ya can't reduce dharma to a list of rules / sometimes it's better to speak a...

we're not buying into the false dichotomy – that other-worldly thought is opposed to worldly good / feeling vitalized by plugging into Bhakti / use the thorn to remove the thorn / Bhagavavad-gita on fake sannyasa vs real sannyasa / cultivating internal renunciation while embracing one's external duties SB 4.19.10-12

the reality of death can quickly deepen our spiritual insight / when it's bad it's good / ritual is meant to re-mind us / the perennial danger of 'religion' / seeing God in fire, the sun, water and other elements, in the heart of the guest, and in one's own heart / when Indra embarrasses himself it's in front of everyone! / real prosperity is accepting the gifts of the cows, earth, rivers, trees,...

C.S. Lewis week begins / when it's bad, it's good / prosperity can be an obstacle to approach Krishna with sincere feeling / how intellect can shape samskaras as they enter the subconscious mind / why is Lord Indra always being humiliated? / Bhagavatam is full of dharmic reversals / even the most successful materialist suffers from fear and envy / Indra steals the last horse / Indra send a seductr...

Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder. - Henry David Thoreau / Sage vacation tips - don't travel for happiness - travel to learn, rejuvenate and especially to cultivate devotion / satva guna conditions one by a sense of happiness / we're second hand gods - we man...

There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. - Henry David Thoreau / #1 purpose – to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large… in order to check the imbalance of values in life, & to achieve real unity & peace / spiritual knowledge dissipates fear and thus conflict / perceiving the oneness and commonality on the spiritual level /...

there's a handbook to our universe / we are all souls passing through many bodies / with the human body comes more possibilities & more responsibility / minimize the pain in this world / the cosmic order between humans and the earth SB 4.18.19-22

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind" Henry David Thoreau / the mind's fluctuations are stilled by practice and dispassion / we've got rājasic & tāmasic saṁskāras, distracting memories & tendencies inherited from time immemorial / how practice becomes firmly established / through regulation comes freedom / re-establishing...

all your money won't another minute buy / if I can only walk with sufficient carelessness I am sure to be filled / nature is constantly speaking to us / life is a riddle / there's truth in many paths, but some go further / hierarchical inclusivism / Bhagavatam presents a relentless focus on Bhakti causing dharmic reversals in terms of age, gender, caste and status / a learned person takes the esse...

Vedasara speaks of his journey as a 5 year old, lost in India, wandering with his 8 year old brother, how they grew up in a bhakti-yoga ashram, and of his services today in Atlanta, Georgia, serving the unhoused, and sharing Bhakti from heart to heart.

How to handle negative energy in the workplace? / Can I just choose a mantra? / Can I practice Krishna Bhakti and still believe in Jesus too? / Why are there so many paths, philosophies and religions to begin with?

everything is right / Bhaktivedantins see this world as a reflection of the spiritual world / am I a toiler? / for money, for little pleasures, for being slightly honored, we scold & insult each other / austerity is the wealth of the brahmanas / we need a thick skin and a thin skin / memories of Navidwipa Mandala Parikrama / the Earth surrenders / fate is the language of God SB 4.17.27-36

don't starve your inner Buddha / all sin already carries the divine forgiveness in itself / perceived danger when spirituality is seen through the lens of social justice / a deeper, more genuine compassion born of spirituality / spiritual vision cuts through division / in deep meditation, there is the possibility to see everything is good, everything is perfect, everything thing is Brahman / every...

"my goal is this: always to put myself in the place in which I am best able to serve, wherever my gifts and qualities find the best soil to grow" / turning your ambition over to Krishna / aligning the heart with the great souls / being bigger than the pettiness of the material world / the most genuine compassion is grown out of deep introspection / you might be the jerk / the universal system of o...

the material world is pruning everything away - you can get bitter or grow / I had to experience despair in order to experience grace / humility is the conduit for grace / sharing Bhagavatam pleases the great devotees / foreshadowing of Prithu's pastimes / anything started on this day will grow without diminishing / start something auspicious today / Vaishnavas spiritualize everything / the day we...

allowing one's mind & heart to be shaped by the stories of the Bhakti tradition / a tsunami of Bhakti inundates NY / the beauty of kirtan masters inspiring devotion / government has both liberal & conservatives concerns / does absolute power corrupt absolutely? / when there's no trust, there's a need for transparency / government can't play favorites / the common portrayals of the relationship bet...

Raghunath & Kaustubha answer questions about mantra meditation.
Is there a way I can clear my mind before chanting? / Is it considered disrespectful to not keep your beads in a bag when you chant? / Is chanting while multi-tasking disrespectful? / Is it OK to silently chant the mantra? /  Is it acceptable to chant while practicing yoga asana?

wisdom is ripened knowledge / you can give knowledge but you can't give wisdom / daily sadhana cuts away ego, fear, anger, arrogance & resentment / seeing value in both liberal & conservative viewpoints / the trainings of sages is the safeguard against tyranny / the greatest burden on Mother Earth is a liar / I'll lose my own happiness if I don't learn tolerance / I'll compromise my own well being...