Cultivating Willpower
Reflection for this weekend:
“Change does not take a lot of time. It just takes a lot of will. That will has to be cultivated, just as we would cultivate a garden.” ~ Gurudeva Subramuniyaswami
Photo: Lily Flower, Hawaii
Too busy or misguided priorities?
At an event in Portland, Oregon, I was asked, “What if we don’t have time to spend in reflection in the morning?” At the end of the day, it comes down to priorities. What’s important in your life? Everybody has time. I’m sure they have time to update their status or to talk with their…
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How well do you listen?
These days listening is a rare trait. It is rare because most people have great difficulty in concentrating. Another area in life where concentration plays a big part to me is in building relationships with people. One of the ways to build relationships with people is the ability to listen. But you cannot listen if…
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Living in the Moment
To understand how to live in the moment, we need to have an understanding of time. Let’s look at time in a very simple but practical way: If you could divide time into three parts, you could say there was the past, the present and the future. At any given point, awareness can be functioning…
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Awareness, the Dog
Treat your awareness like a dog. I remember a few years ago I went on holidays to the Caribbean, and while I was there, I stayed with a friend of mine. He works for the FBI and is in the Canine Unit, so he has a German Shepherd. A big, beautiful dog. This dog is…
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Taking Responsibility for One’s Actions
Reflection for this weekend:
“Taking responsibility for one’s own actions is the first step in understanding the law of karma.” ~ Dandapani
Photo: Mount Merapi at sunrise, Central Java, Indonesia.
Madurai’s Sacred Citadel to the Goddess
Madurai’s Meenakshi Temple in South India, Hinduism’s grandest citadel to the goddess, is a sacred place of pilgrimage for Hindus the world over and one of the most famous temples in India. This temple, centuries old and hand carved out of granite, covers an area of 16.5 acres. In Madurai, the Goddess Meenakshi is considered…
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Life is Finite
We really don’t know what happens at the point of death, so most of us don’t like to think about it. We live our lives like we’re going to live forever, but the truth is we don’t live forever. We all die at some point. When you realize that life is finite—not short, but finite—you…
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The Need to Learn
I meet so many people that are obsessed about learning, that are perpetually taking one course after another. Learning is good, but more important than the ebullient need to consume knowledge should be the need to apply the knowledge learned in daily life. This is where most people fall short. Learning gives us a high,…
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How to Deal with Energy Vampires
Reflection for this weekend:
“Withdraw your energy from people in your life who are inherently energy vampires. Practice being affectionately detached with them but always kind, gentle, sincere and loving towards them.” ~ Dandapani
What is the best time to meditate?
I am often asked, “What is the best time to meditate?” The best time to meditate is in the morning as soon as you wake up. Don’t look at your phone, don’t check your email, don’t listen to news, don’t go on social media. Take a shower, put on fresh clothes, and go straight to…
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Where are you going in life?
My guru, Gurudeva Subramuniyaswami, once said, “There is nothing more important than knowing who you are, the path that you are on and its final end.” Once you begin the process of getting to know yourself, one of the first things you have to do is ask yourself what is it that you want out…
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