Turn Your Coal Into a Diamond
“Only when we suspend judgment and know the man and the motive before we criticize, that we shall be able to repose trust where trust is due. We must stiffen our character and educate ourselves up to a higher standard.” — Sri Aurobindo In his mother’s womb, Ashtavakra heard the chanting of the Vedas and […]
The Role of Meditation
“To be consistently alert and aware, to be thoughtful, is the beginning of meditation, for without the true foundation of discernment, mere concentration and other so-called forms of meditation become dangerous and are without any significance.” — J. Krishnamurti Like every popular trend, meditation has turned into a game of vanity. (“You meditated for 10 […]
Strengthen Your Mind
“A word is uttered, and we do not wait to consider its meaning; we jump to a conclusion immediately… the weaker the man, the less restraint he has… When you’re angry, reason out how some news is throwing your mind into Vritti.” — Swami Vivekananda Your mother-in-law says a few mean words. A colleague blames […]
Start With the Person in the Mirror
“By action most, and not by thought and speech alone, can the will of a people be vivified, trained and made solid and enduring.” — Sri Aurobindo Some people dream of change—they keep doing what they’ve always done but wish for different results. Others demand change through the mediums of prose, poetry, and speeches. There […]
There Is No Textbook on Life
“You cling to your own limitations and these little worldly ideas may be your highest ideal. . . But there are others who have seen the truth and cannot rest in these limitations, who have done with these things and want to get beyond . . . Why do you want to bind them down […]
Don’t Break the Streak
“That which tastes like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end — this is the joy of sattva. . . Pleasure from the senses seem like nectar at first, but it is bitter as poison in the end.” — Bhagavad Gita Remember Snapchat streaks? Breaking them felt like the friendship with the […]
First Commit to the Process
“If you want to become an astronomer and sit down and cry ‘Astronomy! Astronomy!’, it will not come… You must go to an observatory, take a telescope, study the stars and planets… Every science must have its own methods… The sages of all countries, ages, pure and unselfish men, declare they’ve found some truth higher […]
Is It a Dream? Or Is It a Goal?
“Wish and will are not the same thing, but divided by a great gulf: the one, which is all most of us get to, is a puny, tepid, and inefficient thing, and, even when most enthusiastic, easily discouraged and turned from its object; the other can be a giant to accomplish and endure.” — Sri […]
The Secret Key to Unlocking Knowledge
“How has all the knowledge in the world been gained but by the concentration of the powers of the mind?… The more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point.” — Swami Vivekananda When Bill Gates and Warren Buffett were asked to write the key ingredient to their respective successes, […]
A Half-Hearted Attempt Is Worse Than Not Trying at All
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” — Swami Vivekananda The next time […]