I am reading a Bertrand Russell classic, The Conquest of Happiness, and there is a chapter in the book relating to Work. I think this book is a classic of Self Help and any and all youngsters should read it. Not only is Russell a master of English prose but the advice and suggestions that […]
Author Archives: nikhilmg
Less is More … A Guide to Meditation
I’ll start by telling my story and you can decide whether you have had a similar experience. I love reading and I am committed to meditation. I have a large library of books at home and those include many books on Buddhism and Buddhist meditation practices. I have books by Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, […]
Life in Old Age – the View of Socrates
I will soon be counted amongst senior citizens and like most people I am not looking forward to the experience of being old. I think many of my family and acquaintances will be of a similar age and will find the following passage of The Republic by Plato interesting and instructive. It is about being […]
A Possible Solution to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Well I think I have your attention with this headline. I myself do not have a solution to COVID-19 pandemic but I may be able to point you (or the Government) to some people who do. The solution may be available from the enlightened mystics in India or in the Himalayas. Here are the reasons […]
Why is it that People never learn
This is going to be a short article but I think it is very relevant and insightful. The question is, ”Why is it that people never learn?” I am going to answer the question based on what I myself have experienced. I know that doing what I recommend will produce results – in other words […]
How can we die with the calm dignity of Socrates?
The conventional view about death and dying is that it is a great misfortune and a great suffering. The Buddha mentions death as being a great suffering that no one can avoid and he exhorts us to seek Nirvana so that we can be free of the continued cycle of birth, death, rebirth and suffering. […]
Looking upon Death as an Adventure
This is the second of a few articles on death and the fear of death. I hope what I have to say will give comfort to those who – like me – are no longer young. I also think that there are practices that will help us deal with the fear of death and who […]
Are You Afraid of Dying…Then Read This
I would like to write some articles on the subject of death. I know that this topic makes a lot of people uncomfortable so if you like you can skip my later articles on this subject and only go through what I am posting today. Who knows, you might be better served by not reading […]
Why do we suffer
This is an attempt to respond to the most basic of all questions: “Why do sentient beings suffer? Or why is there evil in this world?” Surely if God was omnipotent and filled with love and compassion, he could have created a universe in which sentient beings were always happy and did not have to […]
Creative Thinking to deal with COVID19
I’ll start by saying that I have no creative solutions to COVID19 but I can offer a couple of brainstorming tips on how to go about being creative. In Zen Buddhism the following statement is almost a truism. It goes like this: “If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is […]