Murali Venkatrao

Christmas is behind us, and a New Year beckons us. What is the intent we set for this new year? We could resolve to run faster, eat better, be thinner, anger less, be more disciplined, or strive for any one of a myriad of such goals. At the heart of all these pursuits lies humanity’s fundamental drive: all to avoid … Read More

6 weeks ago, about 24 of us went on a pilgrimage to India. We visited the ancient city of Benares, which is said to have existed from before Creation – talk about being timeless – and were blessed by the extraordinary spiritual magnetism of this place. It was also to home of Lahiri Mahashaya. From there, we went to the … Read More

When someone close to us — a partner, child, or friend — follows a different faith, it can feel deeply personal. Our times are full of sharp divisions, with many insisting that their way alone is right. Yet Jesus offers another perspective in the Gospel of Luke: “He that is not against us is for us.” His teaching reminds us that … Read More

The common notion of being a Christian is for one to admit that he or she is a sinner; and that the only way to be saved to accept that Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins. But can one really be saved by a passive declaration of a belief? Jesus himself counseled a more dynamic approach that emphasizes … Read More

It is said that God never gives us more than we can handle. Yet, the challenges in life can sometimes become overwhelming, to the extent that we begin to think that God is unfair, or that He doesn’t exist, or is impossible to attain, or that we are sinners who somehow deserve to suffer, or some other variation of this. … Read More

Bad moods are self-perpetuating. The trick, Swami Kriyananda writes, is to refuse to accept negativity as your reality. Even when in throes of fear, anger, melancholy, or grief, insist on seeing yourself as something greater. There is a deep spiritual reason why one should try to do this. The Bhagavad Gita says that the real cause of all suffering is … Read More

The teachings of India affirm that our true potential is to be Divine. All saints testify unanimously to the Joy that is hidden behind the ups and downs of worldly life – if only we can “be still and know”. While the scriptures and saints say that we are the “children of the light”, the pull of delusion is very … Read More

Celebrating the Mahasamadhi (conscious exit from the body) of Paramhansa Yogananda and Sri Yukteshwar “What happens when we die?” is one of those “ultimate” questions that all religions and philosophies seek to answer. Answers range from you go to hell (or, on the off chance that you did everything right, to heaven), to you dissolve into nothingness. But Paramhansa Yogananda … Read More

Did God create the universe or become it (ft. Murali Venkatrao) Good morning, everyone. I have two pages of notes today because the topic is a pretty heady one. Did God create the universe or become it? I’ll speak a little bit about it because it’s a very interesting topic and it’s kind of fun to stay in the headspace … Read More