Today is Gandhi Jayanti, a celebration of Gandhi.ji’s birthday. It is one of only 3 national holidays in India. Today is also the International Day of Non-Violence honoring Gandhi’s work of Ahimsa, or non-violence. Let’s […]
Opening the heart leads to love and compassion. Giving opens the heart. We can give love, dharma teachings, nonjudgmental listening, emotional support, food, medicines, shelter, or money. Tolerance opens our heart. It counters anger, which […]
We all want to be happy and not hurt. This is universal, including even animals. Yet we forget this simple yet profoundly true attitude that binds us all as living beings. Every time we meet […]
In an increasingly interdependent world our own welfare and happiness depend on many other people. Other human beings have a right to peace and happiness that is equal to our own. Thus, we have a […]
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This popular saying about courage and strength is very true. From a dharma perspective it means to take whatever comes our way into the path. When […]
Healthy self-confidence is essential for compassion. It covers both sides of the equation. Humility leads to concern and compassion for others. Self-confidence leads to taking care of ourself through self-compassion. Moving towards this attitude of […]
We oscillate between too much and too little ego. We are down on ourself or puffed up arrogant. Yet arrogance is often a reflection of insecurity. It stunts our growth as a human being as […]
In our everyday life we have the strong habit to notice and judge others based on differences. It may be gender, age, skin color, ethnicity, country of origin, language and accent, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, […]
How do we practice compassion? The six perfections (Sanskrit paramitas) are instructions for practicing compassion. Generosity has various methods, like giving money, shelter and food, giving time, giving kindness, listening non-judgmentally, giving love, and giving […]
We are on an Easter egg treasure hunt searching for treasures. The treasures are not painted Easter eggs. Rather they are our destructive negative emotions, often lurking just under the surface. You might think, “these […]
Human Values Institute