Spiritual Pub: The Beginning of An Inner Revolution

Gratefulness: The Only True Prayer There is

In today’s world, the word “prayer” seems to have lost its true value and meaning. Rarely can we find a person who prays for no reason at all. Whenever you see that somebody is praying, surely something is wrong. He is praying for money, job, success, and so on. Or, he prays and remembers God when he is in deep trouble and utterly helpless. There always seems to be something hidden in our prayers. I don’t deem this activity as a prayer at all, because it’s not authentic and truthful. It’s not a pure song coming out of our joyful heart. It is more like dry, dull prose soaked in our selfish desires. [...]

Light the Lamp of Awareness

In a classroom filled with fifth graders, while the teacher is lecturing, some children are busy gossiping, and others drowsing. Aware of her students’ conduct, the teacher says, “Okay children; remember we learned definitions last time. I am going to see if you were paying attention.” Suddenly a pin-drop silence pervades the room, and the children glance nervously at each other. The teacher approaches a little boy, and asks, “Will you give me the definition of ‘unaware’?” [...]

Life is Not a Question Mark

That’s right. Life is not a question mark. Life is not logic, theory, or some kind of jigsaw puzzle that can be explained, defined, or solved. The more you try to figure it out or solve it, the more confused you will be. Life is simply as it is. Life is a mystery, contradictory, inexplicable, insolvable and baffling. Life is not an object that can be dissected, analyzed, and studied. [...]

What is the Purpose of Life?

Deeply frustrated by the pangs of outer reality, crushed and crippled under the harsh wheel of hopes and aspirations, and tired and tattered in the mad race of competition and achieving, ultimately, these questions start pounding in our mind: * What is the purpose of life? * Why am I here? * What is the reason behind all this? All these questions are intertwined and simply a variation of each other. They are basically all related. And in this article, we will examine these questions to their deepest core, and hopefully we will all be able to gain some understanding. [...]

Acceptance: The Key to Transcendence

There is so much joy and beauty in life, yet our lives seem like a burden, a huge load of pain and suffering, which keeps on dragging us down from cradle to grave... What is it that is keeping us from discovering the inner beauty of our lives? What is it that is preventing us from achieving total contentment? Every individual has the utmost potential to be profoundly happy, and enjoy this ultimate existential gift called life in full ecstasy and eternal bliss. Yet, we miss this divine opportunity to rejoice life in its fullest, like an emperor. Instead, we end up like a beggar, reducing life to a sad tale of misery and suffering. Our life becomes a desert, dry and lifeless, and simply wilts just like a flower at the end of the day. The only difference is that a flower achieved its full blossoming and radiance, and its fading is simply the way of nature. But, look at us, we neither bloomed nor shone fully, despite having the tremendous potential to achieve the ultimate flowering. Why? [...]

Jealousy: The Cunning Game of Comparison

Ask a fifth grader who has secured a second position in his class if he is happy? He is not, because the kid who is first has reaped more applause, prizes, and praise than him. He returns home with less excitement than the other kid. His parents try to cheer him up by saying, “Don’t worry, you did a great job. You came in second in the class. You have left many others way behind. You only lost to one. And, remember there is always next time. You will beat him and be the number one.”[...]

A Simple Secret to a Fulfilling Life

Who doesn't go through an occasional feeling that life is meaningless and empty, and living is totally worthless? My certainty is coming from my own experiences, and I know it's tough especially when things are not going according the way you have always wanted. Feelings as mentioned above are bound to well up as you have always given a path to high hopes and then suddenly you realize that life is not as simple as you may have thought[...]

Meditation: The Art of Witnessing

Meditation is neither a technique nor a method. It is neither a concentration nor a prayer. As I have mentioned in my article Meditation: The Ultimate Transformation, to me, meditation is simply a process - a process of growth that will bring total transformation in our lives. Focusing on some object, chanting a mantra or reciting God's name repetitiously is not a meditation.

How to Accept Criticism with Joy, Compassion, and Openness?

Whenever the word “criticism” is mentioned, it seems to invoke a negative image in our mind. Most of us tend to take it as an insult, discouraging, or offensive, and are unable to handle it easily. And yes, criticism can make a person nervous, mad, and defensive. I have seen people getting offended quite easily and quickly when they hear words of criticism about them. Even a person of high status and considered to be noble, humble, and respectable gets angry when he is being criticized.

Meditation: The Ultimate Transformation

First of all, what is a meditation? People have defined meditation in a variety of ways. When I was a kid, my teacher told me it’s a kind of a concentration. I carried that definition with me for a long time until I came to realize myself its true meaning. Meditation has been misunderstood as concentration in the west. It’s a big mistake. Concentration can never be a meditation.

The Fallacy of Fate

You are a hard worker. You have been toiling all your life to make a better living for yourself and your family. You are a sincere and a moral person. You have always walked on the path of truth and honesty. You do not choose immoral methods to get what you want. You do not knit a web of lies to find your way to the top. You pray to God everyday from the bottom core of your heart. To summarize, you are a man of moral character, good discipline, religion and sincerity. Yet, you haven’t found success in your life.

A Tale of Repressed Sexuality

In my article entitled 5 Golden Sutras to Be In Sex , I talked about how sex has been repressed, condemned, and chastised in many societies. I also suggested five sutras that could turn sex into something divine, and a joyful experience rather than just a fleeting moment of fun, or a release of energy. It’s true that instead of accepting sex as a natural phenomenon, and a blessed gift from the existence, the unconscious societies have devolved it into something ugly and perverted[...]

10 Books That May Guide You in Your Screenwriting Journey

Do you love movies? Are you passionate about writing? Do you have stories in your mind that you would like to share with everyone? Then you might be looking for a way to translate your idea and vision onto paper. And, a screenplay will help you do so as it is the art of storytelling for film[...]

5 Ways to Stop Complaining and Criticizing Unnecessarily

Who does not like to grudge, grouch, complain, and criticize? Who hasn’t done it – almost everyone living in every nook and corner of this world does it. And yes, we all are aware of the fact that it’s not good to complain or criticize unnecessarily, still we tend to do so. What is it that’s so addicting and hypnotizing about complaining and criticizing that we never seem to learn a lesson, and keep on doing so repeatedly? What is the psychology behind it? This article will endeavor in answering these questions and offer 5 key solutions.[...]

Personality vs. Individuality

Ever had that humiliating experience when your first date goes awry when he/she points out how you lack a personality. Then you kick dust all the way home, while wondering how to build an attractive, charming or positive personality. And eventually, you pour all your energy into hundreds of books and articles devoted simply to unraveling the secrets of a better, stronger, charming, sexy or positive personality. Let me tell you one thing it’s not your personality, it’s who you are, that really matters in the long run, and there is no need to waste your time and be overwhelmed in such a web of consolations. No need to be worried; you have just arrived at the right place.[...]