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Life, Afterlife and the Search for Meaning

As bhakti-yoga requires faith, do we need to give up our questioning nature?

Gita 01.26 When we can’t fight the circumstances that make us fight against our loved ones, we have to fight against our loved ones

Developing service attitude 2 – How to see reciprocation in our service

Developing service attitude 1 – Service attitude transforms knowledge into realization

How to develop self-confidence

If the mind pushes us forcefully towards wrong, how can the mind be directable?

Gita 01.25 What catches ouar attention is determined by what is prominent in our external situation and in our internal disposition

Is our real problem the original sin in the heart – not the mind – and is believing in Jesus the only solution?

From sentimentalism to sentiment 2 – FEEL acronym – Expression and Learning

From sentimentalism to sentiment 1 – FEEL acronym – Firmness and Education

Immigrating to the spiritual world

Gita 01.24 The position of maximum visibility is also the position of maxiumum vulnerability

Gita 01.23 Virtue doesn’t count when determining the military count in a fight

Stop fighting battles that are already lost and start fighting the battle that is never lost – Vritrasura pastime analysis 3

Focus on potentials, not on problems

Gita 01.22 Asking to see something that is already known points to a dynamic that is not known

When the source of liberation becomes the source of illusion 2 – Mohini-murti pastime analysis

How to transform our heart 2 – Vritrasura’s dramatic transformation

Why does Jagannatha Puri temple forbid non-Hindus from entering?

Gita 01.21 The non-partisan position of the Gita’s revelation points to its universality

When the source of liberation becomes the source of illusion 1 – Mohini-murti pastime analysis

How to transform our heart 1 – Vritrasura’s dramatic transformation

By helping others we may feel a sense of self-worth, but won’t it increase our ego too?

Gita 01.20 Life is so unpredictable that it can unbalance the unflappably balanced

Transform your mind, transform your world

Gita 01.19 The Pandavas win the mental battle before the physical battle

Loneliness – Why, what to do?

FEAR acronym – How to find inner security

Reflections on Western outreach

Understanding God’s role in our life

When life hurts 3 – When our good deeds causes problems – Prahlad pastime analysis

When life hurts 2 – When people attack us – Gajendra pastime analysis

The Gita tells us to do karma, but also asks us to understand karma – what karma does it refer to?

Are negative emotions due to a lack of compassion towards oneself?

Gita 01.18 The Pandavas lost Pandu but gained Drupada as a father figure

Gita 01.17 Don’t let minor grammatical disputes overshadow major narrational and philosophical thrust

What is the significance of Duryodhana’s use of the past tense in Gita 01.09?

When life hurts 1 – when a small mistake causes huge problems – Parikshit M pastime analysis

Finding security in insecurity

Amidst problems, how can we avoid giving up the things that give us strength?

Gita 01.16 Yudhishthira doesn’t come first in the list of warriors but is still their undisputed leader

Gita 01.15 The devoted see God before they see the world, the undevoted see only the world

Is the mind a covering on consciousness or does the mind contain the covering?

How our mind creates our reality – and how to change it

Gita 01.14 The Gita’s audio-visual camera starts with the character of the questioner’s interest, but shifts now to the central characters

How do we understand Prabhupada’s statement – vegetarianism and nonviolence are not qualifications for devotion?

We need to forgive ourselves to give ourselves to Krishna

Krishna has faith in our potential – let’s have faith in his potency

Gita 01.13 Actions that throw caution to the winds are preceded by caution

If we are already complete as parts of the Complete, how can we feel incomplete?

Security in Insecurity – Learning to flourish amidst change

Demons in krishna-lila 4 – Vatsasura – Weakness is forgivable, wickedness isn’t

Gita 01.12 Just because we get others to do what we want them to do doesn’t mean we have won them over to our side

If material deprivation makes us discouraged in devotion, what can we do?

Gita 01.11 The protector too needs to be protected

If we don’t feel like practicing bhakti, should we pray to Krishna for help?

Demons in krishna-lila 3 – Trinavarta – Giving up useless argumentation

How can we have a spiritual relationship with everyone?

Gita 01.10 Symmetry of structure stresses contrast in content

Cultivating the mood for studying Bhagavatam

Demons in krishna-lila 2 – Shaktasura – Overcoming Lethargy

Was Sati’s reaction to her father’s actions justified or was she also implicated?

Gita 01.09 Duryodhana’s slip of tongue leads to his speaking the truth unintentionally

Gita 01.08 We need to be calm-headed, not cold-blooded

How can we consider the consequences of our actions without becoming speculative?

Demons in krishna-lila 1 – How the metaphorical points to the transcendental and how Putana represents false guru

Gita 01.07 Be aware of how what we say to one person may be heard by others

How Gita wisdom helps us to deal with pain

Can saying that Krishna sees inside-out lead to devotees refusing to be accountable to other devotees?

Gita 01.06 Duryodhana diplomatically continues to incite Drona against the Pandava army

How to immigrate to the spiritual world

The MIND enigma – Mystical, Impressionable, Neutral, Directable – Insights for better mental health

Gita 01.05 Our mode of description reflects our intention

Does becoming spiritually advanced means treating all situations and all people equally?

Gita 01.04 Duryodhana tries to change Drona’s emotion for the opposite side from affection to anger

Are Krishna’s feelings like our feelings or different from our feelings?

The power of purpose

The way to Vrindavan is through Kurukshetra

Gita 01.03 Context can convert compliment into criticism

Does fear of temptation indicate lack of devotion?

Isn’t the rasa-lila too exalted to discuss in our regular classes?

Gita 01.02 Sanjaya addresses not just the content of Dhritarashtra’s question but also its intent

If after some wrongdoing, we feel guilty and don’t feel like coming close to Krishna, what can we do?

Gita 01.01 The Gita’s first word dharma conveys its essential, universal theme

If bhakti practice doesn’t make us joyful, what can we do?

Overcoming discouragement in spiritual life

Our longing for love – comparing materialist, Abrahamic, impersonal and bhakti explanations

Is remembering Krishna the highest service and all other services are for those who can’t remember him constantly?

The truth that warms the heart influences more than the truth that lights the way

The home as the decentralized transmitter of devotional culture

Rise from being full of thoughts to being thoughtful – 4 reflections

Who or what is Krishna?

Bhagavatam tenth canto study 55 -10.10.10-14 Narada curses not impulsively, but after deep reflection

Understanding “emotions”, “negative emotions” and “overcoming negative emotions”

Bhagavatam tenth canto study 54 – 10.10.1-9 The curse that takes us away from the things that take us away from Krishna is mercy

The time to understand time is now

Is our attempt to mitigate destiny also determined by destiny?

Bhagavatam tenth canto study 53 – 10.9.18-23 The kingdom of God is the kingdom of love

Role of self-confidence in bhakti