Be a Stoic. Follow the four cardinal virtues. The four pillars of Stoicism known as the cardinal virtues are Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Temperance. These pillars serve as a practical framework for living a virtuous, happy (eudaimonic) life by focusing on what is within our control—our thoughts and actions while managing emotions and acting ethically for the common good. Lucius Seneca was a stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome. I am sharing some of his quotes with you. Continue reading
Dear ones, in these troubled times we sometimes tend to walk with blinkers. We are unaware of the grief which the countries at war are experiencing. What can we do to alleviate this misery and anguish? We can start by helping people who are in distress in our respective places. We can volunteer and we can fund raise for war torn countries. Continue reading
The Gita describes love as being the essence of one’s being. When one attains liberation, one realizes one’s true nature as love itself.
But if each day,
Each hour you feel
That you are destined for me
With implacable sweetness
If each day a
Flower climbs up to
Your lips to seek me.
Dear ones, you will have the same response when you read this quote.
Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize. – Marcus Aurelius, ‘Meditation’
Life is not so short, but that there is always time enough for courtesy. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Civility costs nothing and buys everything. – Montagu
A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. – Joseph Joubert
A tree is known by its fruit, a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship and he who plants kindness gathers love. – Saint Basil
What is the color of slate? It varies from grey-blue, greenish-grey, black tan or purplish grey. My grandma was deaf and she had a dark, grey slate on which we would write. The slate I am writing about is the slate of one’s being. Continue reading
What have we learnt from her?
Are we stable and grounded?
How are we coping with the ever-changing world around us?
How is our emotional well-being?
Are we able to remain in a balanced state?
Are we honoring her?
She is honored by kind words, kind thoughts and kind intentions which become reparative actions. Continue reading
The more I live, the more I become convinced everyday that every human being is divine. In no man or woman however vile, does that divinity die… You must know what you are, what your real nature is. You must become conscious of that infinite nature within. Then your divine bondage will burst. – Swami Vivekananda
The main idea in Tantra is having faith in oneself, which according to Tantra is equivalent to having faith in God because neither Tantra nor Vedanta views God as something different from the person. Therefore, if we leave aside the idea of God sitting somewhere up in heaven while we are down here faith in God simply means having faith in ourselves, in what we do and express and achieve to the best of our ability—slowly and slowly developing the creative aspect of our personality. – Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Is it possible to become aware by the daily practice of Asanas and pranayama? When we have finished our sadhana, do we rush off into our daily life activities? Do we snap at our children, dogs, partner and our colleagues? Do we feel empathy for someone who is not able to perform a task properly? There are so many daily issues and how do we react to them? Continue reading
According to Tantra we should be honest and true to ourselves. We can be anybody, a sage, or a criminal. This does not disbar us from seeking a spiritual life. What does this mean? The questions asked are what is a spiritual life? What reward do we get by its pursuit? What is the purpose of our life? Why are we here? Continue reading
It is said that words stay in the ether, and they never vanish. We are always exchanging words and sometimes they are so cruel and hurtful. We regret afterwards, at least I hope we do and the other person will always remember them. What can we do about it? How is it possible to stop being abrasive and offensive? Continue reading