One of the main foundations of Buddhist philosophy and teaching is that life is suffering. The Buddha said: There is this Noble Truth of suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering… The Buddha goes on to say that there is the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering, the […]
Author Archives: nikhilmg
Use setbacks – Carpe Diem
The Chinese have a culture that is significantly different from Western Civilization and also from India to a very large extent. Their script is completely different from that of western cultures. It is logographic which means that their symbols represent a word or a part of a word. English, Hindi and other languages use a […]
Have you felt a lack of Zest for Life? Here’s the Reason
All people – sooner or later – get a sense of the transitoriness and hollowness of life. If you are young and you experience this then a short-term cure is to seek a life satisfying to instinct. Get married, have kids spend 25 or more years supporting and caring for your family. I am not […]
What I want from the Modi Government
I must start by saying that I am in a very comfortable position compared to the majority of people in India. I do not have any financial pressures, do not have a family to support and have food on the table and a roof over my head. I also have more than enough time to […]
The Essential Principle of Life according to Socrates
This article will be about two of the most essential general principles to live by. I can do no better than to quote the philosopher, Paul Brunton, in his own words. The following passage is taken from his book The Secret Path. I would have liked to live in Athens at the time when one […]
Words to live by from Rumi
I read this poem by the Persian poet Rumi and liked it so much that I had to share it with you. At times less is more and I will not spoil the effect by commentary – This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, […]
How to Succeed in Business
So you have decided that you want to be an entrepreneur. Congratulations!! But do you know that out of every 100 businesses that are formed only 10 will be in existence after the initial five years and out of these remaining 10 only one will still be in existence after the next 5 years. So […]
Want to be a Genius like Einstein? Here’s how …
I am not sure if this is widely known but it is possible to train oneself to become a genius in any field through Eastern Meditation practices. Here is a story illustrating this point: A herdsman in a village used to take his herd of cows to graze in the fields daily. He used to […]
Build not your House on Sand
Here is the story of the words of Jesus which explains the above headline. The parable illustrates the importance of building one’s life in obedience to the teachings and example of Jesus. “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house […]
What the Mahabharata demands of our Rulers
It’s election season now and I happened to read the rhetorical questions the sage Narada asked of Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata stating the requirements of a righteous ruler. Yudhishthira of course met all these requirements but I don’t think too many of our politicians do. But maybe given time we can – as an educated […]