Life is a battle. Everyone is grappling with energies within themselves and outside of themselves in order to try to experience comfort and pleasure. From without we have to navigate ever adapting complexities in our environments, interactions, relationships, responsibilities and duties, and so on. …

“Intrinsic in every soul is the ability to rise in course of time.” — Bhaktivinoda Thakura This opportunity to unlimitedly improve ourselves and refine our consciousness is what brings excitement to life. In any aspect of life (work, study, relationships, practices, and so on) complacency breeds discouragement. We have an…

Feeling Oneself Helpless… “Whenever we build our security or borrow strength from our possessions or our credentials, or from our appearance or our memberships in certain social cliques, or from status symbols or past achievements, or from someone else’s faith and testimony, what happens to us when these things change…

“For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil there is one striking at the root.” — Henry David Thoreau In the fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, the material world is compared to an upside-down tree. It’s upside-down because it is like a reflection of the spiritual world. The…

(Reflections on the relationship between integrity, vulnerability, satisfaction, and selfless service.) Recently I’ve been contemplating the dynamics of satisfaction. My guru describes satisfaction as a superpower — an inherent quality within us all that can be awakened and expanded through a conscious lifestyle oriented towards our spiritual nature. It’s no…

(Reflections on World Bhagavad Gita day) According to the Oxford Dictionary, for something to be substantial is for it to be “of considerable importance or worth.” A second definition is “strongly built or made.” 💪 In other words, for something to be substantial, it has to be underpinned by something…

Two years ago today was the most meaningful day of my life — the day my guru officially accepted me as his student and I made lifelong vows to stay committed to my spiritual practice, do my best to love God and serve others, and to avoid certain activities that…

“You can not rise any higher than your priorities, and you can only upgrade your priorities by good association” — Vaisesika Dasa In the past ten days I have been able to re-connect with more than half a dozen friends who I hadn’t seen in a year and a half…

The other evening, at the Bhakti Center in New York City, my teacher gave a talk entitled “Fan the Spark — tips for rapid spiritual growth”. He shared so many inspiring and practical points. Here are some simple ones that stuck out: 1) Organize your life around the principle of…