As the year draws to a close and we get ready for the next, it is time to look back and to look forward. Why do we need to do this? What happens if we don’t?
Questions About God
Having addressed a few questions about the world and about the self, we must now turn our attention to God, who is probably the most significant among the triad of religious inquiry. What kind of questions come to mind when we begin to think about God? Here are a few.
Questions About Me
Questions About the World
The Flow
Death by Choice
Death is inevitable. Do we have any choice in the matter? Yes, we do. Not necessarily about when to die, but how to die. The external circumstances of death are beyond our control. But the internal preparation for death is entirely within our control. Only if we know how to die well, we’ll know how to live well.
Hearing the Mantra
We hear sounds and voices throughout the day. They come from outside as well as from inside. If we cannot control them, the ability to hear can get overwhelmed and leave us exhausted. What chance do we have, then, to hear the mantra clearly, as we are expected to do in the practice of Japa? How can I make Japa an activity that I will look forward to everyday?
Looking Deeply
What is my true nature? Why does the real me remain hidden? How am I connected with everyone and everything? Śrī Śaṅkarācārya’s Vivekacūḍāmaṇi addresses these questions, and shows the relationship between me and everything else. All I need to do is to look deeply—and keep looking deeply until I see the truth in its fully glory.
Joy and Sorrow
On Relationships
A Conference of Stones
Where Am I?
God as Guest
Hospitality is not just about food. Even a kind word or a smile or a friendly nod goes a long way. If God is in everyone and in everything, what excuse do I have to be nasty to others? If I want to change my life for the better, all I need to remember is that, no matter in which direction I look, I am seeing God and no one else.
Bhagavad Gita and "Strength"
Bringing the Lord Home
Four Goals?
Spiritual But Not Religious
Opium and the Peacock
Doing Dialogue Interreligiously
Dialogue occurs not only through personal conversations and encounters but also via letters and emails, essays and books. It happens both in real time and also spread over days, years, even centuries. It’s the exchange of ideas that is central to a dialogue, not when or how that exchange takes place.