off d cuff

This year began like any other. Two months into it, we naively believed the pandemic meant an endurance test of a few weeks. Under lockdown, we convinced ourselves that if we locked down or locked up, masked up or paid up, the problem…
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Whenever you perform before an audience, feel that…there is only one person listening to you, and imagine that that person is a child only two years old. This is the human way.The divine way is: if you bow to the Supreme inside each…
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Lack of livelihood and starvation may not motivate one to seek higher pursuits in life. Vivekananda made it clear that spiritualism cannot be practised on an empty stomach. The Buddha had taken recourse to the 'middle path', realising that…
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A common emotion we experience is anger. Anger is an extension of ego. It is also an expression of sadness. Whenever you act with anger, deep within, you will actually be feeling sad. Therefore, anger is an active form of sadness.…
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The four main pillars of mainstream spirituality are that the formless cosmic God belongs to all; divine revelation is possible through a genuine master; rites and rituals cannot by themselves help us gain divine knowledge and that all…
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The first and more manifest way is the argument from motion. It is certain, and evident to our senses, that in the world some things are in motion. Now whatever is in motion is put in motion by another, for nothing can be in motion except…
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It is quite helpful to recognize our reactivity and responsiveness, and the difference between the two, specially when we make judgements about others. And to illustrate this, two incidents come to mind. A friend who had been holding…
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Listening to the all-embracing tenor of the new US president-elect Joe Biden's acceptance speech, one was reminded of the stirring speech of the second inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln. The simple, soulful, opening line of his address,…
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What is consciousness, where is it located in the brain? Recent scientific research may provide possible answers. There are several definitions of consciousness, but the most accepted one is that it is awareness. When a being becomes aware…
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While walking through the streets of Madurai, the young Venkataraman happened to meet an elderly relation. When asked why he was not being seen around and where he had been, the relative replied' 'Arunachalam'. The very name Arunachlam…
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