Spiritually Speaking

The sweetness of silence

18 Mar 2023 01:31 AM IST

In a world where it is difficult to find a space or a moment of time that is free from a cacophony of sound, it is refreshing to know that silence can be reached by simply going within, even when surrounded by movement, discordant noise, and agitation. We can use

GIVE YOURSELF THE PERMISSION TO MESS UP

14 Mar 2023 01:43 AM IST

It’s a straight nail that gets hammered in. Being puritanical, virtuous and too straight in life must be something for us to aspire towards. However, if such behaviour becomes a sanctimonious display to show-off and gain admiration of others, or is turned into an opportunity for one-upmanship, then it becomes

Listening to the inner teacher

11 Mar 2023 01:51 AM IST

Learning means to commit to memory, by study and experience. In whichever way a teacher appears in our lives, whatever we learn, the lessons are committed to memory. Once learnt, the inner teacher is then capable of retrieving the lesson at the appropriate moment at a time of need. If

Letting go and moving on

11 Mar 2023 01:47 AM IST

Most people want life to flow forwards and feel that they are getting somewhere or progressing. Yet so many feel that they are shackled by things that happened in the past. Time moves on but we stay stuck in the past. We cannot let go of the past. There are

Being better is to return to my true self

11 Mar 2023 01:45 AM IST

Achieving our goals requires having a clear aim, the enthusiasm and determination to achieve it, a systematic plan for the same, and disciplined and sustained efforts. Self-help books list various strategies and steps for achieving our aims. When we set an aim for ourselves, it is a recognition of the

Seeking compassion and strength from Lord Hanuman

07 Mar 2023 01:13 AM IST

1981 saw me in Siddhabari propelled by an intense desire to visit this spiritual retreat in the lone serenity of the Himalayas. This retreat of the Chinmaya Mission was a small hamlet of a few humble cottages perched on a hillock with a dense pine forest on three sides, and

WHAT KEEPS US FROM BEING HAPPY?

07 Mar 2023 01:11 AM IST

We all want to be happy. However, most of us don’t know how to remain happy in all situations. What is it that keeps us unhappy? Is it possible to be happy all the time? People don’t realise that they are themselves the cause of their unhappiness. We don’t like

The secrets of breath you refuse to see

07 Mar 2023 01:10 AM IST

Stop breathing. Absurd, did you say? It’s that involuntary act we engage in constantly. It’s a marker that signifies that something still possesses life. The moment a physical entity stops breathing, it is deemed useless and is discarded, though with some fanfare. Nobody wants to touch something that is dead.

The full stop saves us a lot of trouble

04 Mar 2023 08:03 AM IST

How we punctuate our thoughts determines, to a considerable extent, our state of mind. Learning correct punctuation in the mind can save us a lot of time, energy, and trouble. When we encounter an unexpected or unwanted situation, we often punctuate our thoughts with a question mark, “Why are they

Happiness – choice or destiny?

04 Mar 2023 07:57 AM IST

We are the architects or our own destiny. We are free beings and have to make choices. Happiness is a decision that I have to make. Many of us have been brought up to believe that happiness is some utopia that can be reached only when the next goal has

DO YOU REALLY WISH TO GO WHERE YOU ARE HEADED?

28 Feb 2023 01:37 AM IST

We often don’t get to choose our path in life. It’s already chosen for us. Chosen by someone we obey; by our circumstances; by our habits, by our morality; by our compulsions. Our life is hardly ever chosen by us. We are headed down a path in life, right in

Beliefs – Illusion or reality?

25 Feb 2023 02:27 AM IST

What we believe to be true is the scaffolding upon which we construct the lives we lead. Beliefs have a major impact on our life, they create the vision we hold, and this shapes our attitude towards life and relationships. The beliefs we hold are bound within our culture, both