Spiritually Speaking

Meanders of Mind

09 Jun 2023 01:54 AM IST

Psychologists and writers have analysed the meanderings of the human mind in a host of different ways. For spiritual scientists, mind remains the subject of their primary concern, on which they have based many of their treatises, which delineate the fact that one of the chief characteristics of mind is

When Buddha bowed to smallest of creatures

06 Jun 2023 00:36 AM IST

Stories abound of events after Buddha achieved enlightenment. Tucked among them is a little-known story that a few meditative minstrels recite. They sing paeans of how marvellous nature’s response was to Siddharth becoming Buddha. The peace engulfing him blended aesthetically with the tranquility of the surroundings, as if the universe

The Householder Sanyaasi

06 Jun 2023 00:34 AM IST

A householder is one who holds the house until the house starts holding him! Sanyaas never allows the giving up of activities; it only allows the giving up of attachment to activities and their fruits. A householder can only feel bound if he feels shackled by the anxiety that his

Caring for the Planet

06 Jun 2023 00:33 AM IST

There is a perfect balance in nature. Our world, our environment and nature itself form a living, interdependent system. Seen from the proper perspective, there is no division or duality. Life itself appears to be a single unit. It is a living, conscious entity. It was formed by the hands

Simple ways to live in

03 Jun 2023 01:31 AM IST

Although a spiritual journey is one of inner solitude, the influence that relationships have on that journey cannot be underestimated. Relationships show us how far along we are on our path. It is in relationships that our biggest challenges come. We can see them as obstacles, or we can see

We are human beings, not human doings

03 Jun 2023 01:30 AM IST

We live in the age of ‘busy’. Busy people not only do a lot, they also think a lot. Being lost in thought, thinking constantly about things that have to be done, or could have been done, judging what others did wrong, judging the self for what could have been,

LOOK WITHIN

03 Jun 2023 01:28 AM IST

How do we feel when we think about a conflict we are having with someone? We remember all the things the other person has said, and the way we responded. We brood over their rude, selfish, or obnoxious nature, and how they have wronged us. We feel self-righteous, indignant, or

You cannot argue with a wall

30 May 2023 02:06 AM IST

Often, in bitter arguments among loved ones and intimate friends, things can turn very nasty. Name-calling, giving the silent treatment, gas-lighting, talking about unrelated issues like one’s family, background, education, disabilities, habits, morals, and ethics, and even one’s appearance, create deep rifts and chasms that cannot be breached. Verbally abusive

Bringing in a beautiful world

27 May 2023 06:48 AM IST

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it is true that through time, what has been considered beautiful has changed as the centuries have rolled by. Most of us have around us things we find to be beautiful, attractive or remind us of beautiful times.

Taking charge of your mind, and your life

27 May 2023 06:46 AM IST

Cases of mental disorder are growing exponentially across the world. This is happening in many ways. Some people get a disturbing thought and are stuck with it; they torment themselves by repeating it over and over again in their mind, unable to control their thinking. Fear, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and

Letting go: Leaving the past behind

27 May 2023 06:42 AM IST

We live in an extraordinary world of eight billion people living in 195 countries, speaking over 6,500 languages, and participating in more than 4,500 religions. Each one of us contributes to all the stories, the collective memories, that are intertwined with one another. These stories are in the psyche of

Vanprastha: Modern retirement & spiritual reflection

23 May 2023 03:58 AM IST

Vanprastha is the third stage in the ancient Indian concept of ‘Chaturashrama’, which is divided into four stages based on natural human growth and needs. Etymologically, Vanprastha is derived from “van,” meaning forest, and ‘prastha,” meaning going to. But one must wonder: now that we are centuries ahead of the