In modern times, with psychoanalysis a subject of widespread fascination, people are conditioned to blame their problems on others’ treatment of them — on the cruelty or indifference of parents, teachers, society — anything, to avoid having to face the need to improve themselves.

It is mere subterfuge on the ego’s part to plead helplessness in the face of difficulties. The root causes of our problems grow out of sight, in the subconscious. We put down those roots ourselves, originally, by wrong deeds that we performed in the past. Today, however, if anyone behaves badly toward us, it is him we blame for our hurt.

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Put the Past Behind You!

Nayaswami Savitri

Question from Amrita: I love my parents and my parents love me too. But like most other parents,they have also made mistakes in parenthood which has caused prolonged problems for me in childhood. I used to bedwet till about 15, 16. Instead of showing sympathy, they used to shame me on purpose in front of kin and blamed me of being lazy and…

Clarifying the Meaning of Nishkam Karma

Question from Kailash: I’ve just started to practice nishkam karma as much as I can, though it can be very difficult at times. The reason is there are some genuine interests of mine such as pursuing a job in some science subject and also a lifelong interest in it. But when doing nishkam karma, is it wrong to pursue such selfish interests? Is…

How to Measure Your Spiritual Progress

The more deeply you enjoy the peace of meditation, the more satisfactory will be your progress. Spiritual advancement can be judged also by how free you feel from the constant goading of egoic individuality. The hurts, whether large or small; the pains of life, both physical and mental. The desire for recognition, fame, or worldly power and importance. By how…

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Who Is to Blame when Bad Things Happen?

Nayaswami Anandi

Question from ABC: Why do people blame God when bad things happens? Why is it that humans blame God and not the humans that does the crime? Or can God be blamed for the crime of humans since he created us? Or is he free of blame becuse he gave us free will?