Taking personal responsibility helps improve relationships In one instance, I observed closely how taking personal responsibility for our lives, thoughts and feelings can help us achieve success and also develop healthy interpersonal relationships. Once while counselling a young member of the ashram, I noticed his agony at not getting recognition and rewards for his tireless…

‘It’s easier to dodge our responsibilities but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.’ —Josiah Charles Stamp, English economist Responsibility has more to it than doing an assigned job nicely. In its true sense, it refers to our ability to choose our responses to challenging and provocative situations. Response-ability—the ability to make a…

I knew one man who had a large family to take care of. He was a teacher in a small school and earned a meagre salary. He was also an astrologer but never charged money from anyone for his astrology consultation. He also freely taught school subjects like maths and physics to children in the…

When a person fails to see himself having an identity beyond this body, he invests all his energy on this fallible mass of flesh. He thus struggles perpetually. Instead of lasting peace, he only gets momentary respite from suffering when his senses contact the various sense objects. Thus he spends his whole life chasing these…

Nobel peace prize attracts media attention worldwide. Why? I guess somewhere deep within we feel hope; someone who is sincerly attempting to usher peace in a strife filled world has been recognized. And we hope against hope that the world will see less wars, violence and rape; we want more peace, goodwill, love and happiness. …

  To live successfully in this world and in our relationships with other humans, we think we need to negotiate, bargain, be diplomatic, control, play games etc.But the truth is we need to first have good relationship with our own inner selves; only then we can have life enhancing relationships with others. And how do…

“The world is little. People are little; human life is little. There is only one big thing- desire.” –    Willa Cather (American novelist and winner of Pulitzer prize) Do you intensely yearn for intimacy or crave for an object? It’s only natural because the human heart is a seat of emotions and desires; we can’t do…

Winning the war of life Scriptures – that speak of events which happened millennia ago are as relevant today as when they were first penned down five thousand years ago. The secret, however, is to read or hear unhurriedly and attentively. Then if something resonates, pause, and recognize it. Allow the value or principle in…

Daily benefits of scriptures While driving through the crowded streets of Mumbai, I may witness a man hurl abuses at another. Under normal situations, I’d instantly judge a person who shouts at another, as violent, angry or unreasonable. A culture of a study of ancient writings, however, helps one hone his sixth sense; as a…