Yes! You Can Change Your Past Are you bound and chained and immobilized by what you thought happened to you? I cannot even count the number of persons who have come to me, bemoaned their circumstances, and then attributed their current situation to something that happened in their past. Some …
Srikumar Rao
Was the Prisoner Really Freed? (Or was he free all along?)
Was the Prisoner Really Freed? Or was he free all along? It was an advertising gimmick and an expensive one. There were full page ads in magazines and newspapers that proclaimed the prisoner would be freed by force. There were television commercials that invited viewers to come and watch …
Is he really such a jerk? (A tip for dealing with difficult people …)
Is he really such a jerk? A tip for dealing with difficult people Are there persons in your life who inflame you and leave you a quivering jelly of frustration and indignation? You can develop ulcers. Or you can reframe the situation. Here is a story that illustrates it beautifully. It is …
You Are Not the King (Neither are you the fugitive …)
You Are Not The King Neither are you the fugitive! In my last blog, I narrated the tale of King Janaka and what became an existential question for him. A question that nagged him constantly and would not let him be. Which was ‘real’? Was it ‘real’ that he was a king who ruled a …
Did the Sage Dream He Was a Butterfly?
Did the Sage Dream He Was a Butterfly? Or did the butterfly dream it was the sage? As I mentioned in my last blog, great teachers frequently use parables to explain profound truths in a manner that really sinks into the minds of their followers. The Chinese philosopher, Chuang Tzu, …
This is the Truth (And the truth will set you free …)
The great teachers always taught through parables. The best ones have survived through the ages and taken countless seekers to higher levels of consciousness. There is one tale that is particularly powerful and there are many versions of this in various Wisdom Traditions. Here is my version of …
What Gives You Deep Joy?
What Gives You Deep Joy? Have you let others put you in a prison? Father Anthony DeMello in one of his exquisite meditations invites you to consider two scenarios. In the first, you have done something that is difficult and considered by many to be a great accomplishment. Perhaps you …
An Extraordinarily Difficult Exercise
An Extraordinarily Difficult Exercise (It is simple, but you will fail. Don't let that stop you from trying.) When I was teaching Creativity and Personal Mastery at top business schools, I had students perform a simple exercise. I invite you to do that same exercise now. Sit in a comfortable …
Suffering Is Good For You! (Or is it?)
Suffering is Good For You! Or is it? There are many, including some I revere highly, who say that suffering is good for you. In India, we have poet-saints who sing of the glories of adversity. One of the more famous of these made a heartfelt plea for more anguish in his life because then …