At its heart, adhikāri-vāda simply means that the spiritual benefit we derive is directly related to the capacity we have. We  all have the ability to increase our capacity. What should we do to increase our spiritual fitness?

When the Principle of Competence fell into the hands of incompetent people, it took the form of “the condition for eligibility.” Who had access to knowledge and who did not have access—this became a highly contested issue. What was the corrective that Swami Vivekananda offered in the matter?

What do we mean when we say that something is real? Can one thing be “more real” than another thing? Can some things be real only for a time—and can we distinguish them from things that are real all the time? It is helpful to pause and question our notions of reality.