A thief used to come and steal from Swami Sivananda’s ashram in Rishikesh. During a festival, the ashram was giving prasad in the form of blankets and other necessities to poor people living in the area.

The thief came to be given this prasad.

Prasad is tangible nourishment blessed in a ritual invoking a form of the Enlightened Self: a Guru or Deity.

Some residents of the Ashram came to Swami Sivananda and advised him not to give prasad to the thief. They felt that the thief had already taken many things; why should Swami Sivananda give him more? (more…)

What do you miss when you are distracted?

Well, you might miss the exit on the freeway, or something the person speaking to you just said. This is ordinary distraction.

But most of us are distracted in a more insidious way most of the time. (more…)

From a reader in Malaysia:

I have felt spiritually stuck for a long time.  It’s like I am in a box, suffocating with cramped thoughts and feelings. I need help. (more…)

A reader from New England asks:

I was reading your post on the Precious Words of My Teacher. You wrote there about the “plane of equality.” What does that mean?

Most human beings experience various aspects of life as higher or lower, better or worse,  more attractive or less attractive. This is pure suffering. (more…)