These are thoughts that aim to provoke or push a person into thinking about being spiritual and the benefits that might bring.
Quality of Life depends upon our skill at remaining happy: In a fast-moving world that increases the frequency of setbacks we encounter and where mental health is increasingly a problem, people need to build skills that help them consciously remain happy.
There is no happiness without mental peace: We all are searching for happiness that is unconditional – wherein the mind does not set conditions for itself to be happy and is happy regardless of what is going on. And, unconditional happiness can only come from keeping the mind peaceful. Effective techniques of meditation can help.
Why mindfulness is not enough: Mindfulness initiatives will miss their potential untill they addresses the inherent restlessness of the mind.
Why TAME meditation appears to work better than other techniques: TAME meditation appears to be more effective than other meditation techniques because it activates three essential elements of meditation: detachment, transformation, and stillness. Meditation needs all three.
Use Meditation to counter depression and stress: Modern approaches towards depression and stress are not working as they do not understand the mind that creates them. It’s time to rethink our approach.
Scientific Spirituality: A scientific, experiment-based approach towards spiritualism and ancient Indian texts could serve us well.
TAME Meditation can block out pain: In my personal experience, TAME meditation technique can reduce and even block out pain. This works best for pain that is constant and predictable. And, Medical Science needs to pay attention.
Float above reality …. to remain always happy: Use the TAME meditation technique to keep yourself emotionally detached from ups and downs of the daily grind. This can feel like physically floating above the world. Don’t get divorced from reality, but don’t get drowned by it either.
Mental Health risks may arise when desire and anger run amok: Desire and anger rage within most normal people but are kept in some level of check. When these checks are particularly ineffective, mental health issues may arise. Exploring how bad (mental) actors can be controlled might help.
What does it mean to be spiritual “Spiritual” and “spiritual advance” are words used frequently in my writing. In this article, I try to lay out a simple description of a “spiritual person” and what I mean by “spiritual advance”.
Why should I be more spiritual? Being more spiritual makes me happy everyday. It gives me a level of control over my mind that I did not earlier have. And, it gives me a more satisfied life.
The world has no clue: the truth is hidden from our eyes. It is verifiable. And yet, the world is clueless about it.
Do we really understand the meaning of religion: According to ancient Indian spiritual texts, religion is being true to oneself. So, each of us must have the freedom to explore and decide for ourselves what our true self is.
The first step towards genuine happiness …. recognizing what it is not: Happiness does not come from fulfilling desires. Once we truly understand this, we have taken our first step towards happiness.
The World does not really understand Yoga: Yoga is primarily a mental exercise. Most people wrongly see it as a physical one and thereby miss out on the vast benefits it offers.
Experience Heaven in this life itself: One does not need to wait for an after-life to experience what heaven might feel like. But it needs focus, effort, and persistence.
Desire is the root-cause of all suffering: There is a toxic tendency within us to reflexively never be satisfied and always want something more. This prevents us from being happy. Spiritual techniques weaken this tendency and make us happier regardless of what is happening around us.
A non-spiritual life is a waste: According to Indian spiritual texts, a life lived purely for self-enjoyment is a waste. In this article, I examine this assertion.
Controlling the mind: It is possible to acquire significant level of control over one’s mind and thereby lead happier lives. The approach may need to be radically different from what you might expect.
Controlling the mind – Article 2: Second in the series of articles on controlling the mind based on learnings from the Indian epic of Mahabharat. Here I cover the bad actors within the mind.
Controlling the mind – Article 3: Third in the series of articles on controlling the mind based on learnings from the Indian epic of Mahabharat. This post covers the good actors within the mind that make us more spiritual, at peace, and happy.
Mental Shelters: Each of us likely has “mental shelters” that we often take refuge in. In difficult time, these shelters might disappear and this loss may create distress. It helps to cultivate “spiritual shelters” as these are more resilient.
The Ultimate Wealth: It’s not based on money. The super-rich will find it very difficult to acquire. So will the very poor. Rest of us have a chance if we work towards it.
Where do you live? Here’s another way to look at your place of residence.
Spiritual Advance can accelerate in a crisis: Spiritual advance happens in fits and starts. And, it can accelerate significantly during a crisis, if the person makes an effort.
What about God: Everyone appears to have a personal relationship with God. Even atheists appear to ignore or disbelieve Him with a passion. Does He have a role to play in a personal spiritual journey?
Slowing down is essential for spiritual advance: a life full of hurry cannot possibly advance spiritually.
Right role models: We need roles models today that are different from the ones we have been seeing.
A thought experiment on God and His universe: starting with basic assumptions about God and drawing interesting conclusions that are also broadly in line with ancient Indian texts.
Matter, mind, and senses: Bhagwad Gita says that matter and senses have been co-designed in a specific manner so as to enable matter to engender specific reactions from the mind. Modern science confirms that matter, surprisingly, behaves differently when it is interacting with our senses.
Let it be: Excessive stimulation of senses is detrimental to spiritual progress. Abstinence and moderation are pre-requisites for brining peace to the mind.
Why one should read the ancient Indian epics: A constant push is important for a person to advance spiritually. Else, a person risks regressing into the normal thought patterns that trap all beings.
The Final Frontier: It doesn’t lie in fields like deep space, advanced medicine, or quantum physics. It lies within the mind. And, the world will ultimately realize this truth.
Video-game analogy: using a modern analogy to explain the reality according to the Indian spiritual texts.