I am not I. I am studying Advaita Vedanta. It is a radical school of spirituality that challenges us to question and reverse our most basic assumptions. It is not for everybody but if you are an intellectual sort of person (like I am) you may find it not only interesting but also useful. One […]
Author Archives: nikhilmg
The Dharma is Subtle
The Dharma is subtle. This is a famous statement from the Mahabharata. It is attributed to the elder statesman of the Kauravas, Bhishma. You must be aware of the context or background story. Draupadi is being undressed in public by Dushasana after the Pandavas (specifically Yudhisthira) lost her to the Kauravas (Shakuni) in a game […]
Digesting Intellectual Concepts
One of my nieces asked me why I hadn’t written a blog post for more than a month. It is nice to know that at least one person is looking forward to my blog. The reason is that this blog is mostly about my experiences and the insights that I have gleaned from them. It […]
Train yourself to be Intelligent
This article is about what constitutes intelligence. I have a very simple and basic answer to this question. Intelligence is being able to understand – at all points in time – the situation that you are facing both internally and externally There is a Tibetan saying: If you are too clever you might miss the […]
Free Yourself of Yourself
I do some reading from time to time related to topics I want to write about in my blog. Just now I was thinking of writing about charisma but my book talked about celebrities, politicians and revolutionaries and the like. I don’t fall into the category of a would-be leader or celebrity so I decided […]
Risks of voting for a Strong Leader
One of my readers asked me why I have not written an article on PM Narendra Modi. That was before the general election this year. Now I am finally doing so and it may be similar to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. But the reason why I was hesitant is itself […]
Need for Sex Education
I sometimes think of myself as a genius. I hope I am not wrong. I think that it is definitely true that I am smart in spots as Tom Watson said of himself. The exact quote is below: I am no genius. I am smart in spots. But I stay around these spots. That is […]
Why I Spent 9 Years in a Cafe
The headline might interest you. I have behaved foolishly for long periods of time in my life. None of them lasted as long as when I spent 9 years in cafes in Mumbai and Pune post the year 2006. You must bear with me. I may well be an eccentric genius. I am capable of […]
Turn the Other Cheek
This article is about the much quoted and little practiced teaching of the Bible which says turn the other cheek. Most people will laugh at this teaching and especially if they are not Christians. And in fact to get along in the world and for worldly pursuits you need to be assertive and stand up […]
More on not Judging
Judge not that you be not judged This is my second blog on this most important teaching. My earlier blog is below: This blog will explain why I think that not judging people (including yourself) is the only sane attitude to have. This is what I understand about the world we live in. It explains […]