The first of the Four Practices (sādhana-catuṣṭaya) is discernment (viveka). What does it really mean? What does it do? How do I practice it? How does it help my spiritual life?

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?

Unless we are fit to undertake spiritual study and practice, we won’t benefit from them. What does spiritual fitness mean? How is the Principle of Competence (adhikārī-vāda) connected with spiritual fitness?

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.

In the earlier post, we saw what part of me survives death and what doesn’t. That raises an obvious question—what happens afterwards? Where do I go? What do the books say—and does it make sense?

What really dies when I die? Does anything of me survive death? Where does this surviving part of me go? What does my future look like after I die? Many questions, but are there any definitive answers? Is there a way to think that may help me deal with the reality of death?

Mental impressions play an outsize role in our lives. They generate desires, they influence our decisions, and they determine our character. That’s a lot! It is helpful to know how these mental impressions (saṁskāra) are formed, what they do, and what we can do to use them to our advantage.

Is the world that we see a “material” entity made up of atoms and molecules—or is there something more to it? Is the world alive in some way or form? Is it conceivable that the world of the living and the nonliving could itself be a living entity—perhaps a Cosmic Person (virāṭ)?

There are many ways to understand the world-phenomenon (saṁsāra). One way is to see it as a Cosmic Play, or līlā. What does līlā mean—and what can it do to rejuvenate my spiritual life? In this Cosmic Play, who is playing? What is the play all about? When does it begin and when does it end?