1. In Search of a Lost Love – Lessons From the Musk Deer

    April 9, 2012
    Mother Nature is always speaking. She speaks in a language understood within the peaceful mind of the sincere observer. Leopards, cobras, monkeys, rivers and trees; they all served as my teachers when I lived as a wanderer in the Himalayan foothills. They shared the kind of lessons that elevate the spirit. One particularly illuminating lesson from the forest comes in the form of the Himalayan musk deer. The musk deer is referenced in Sanskrit poetry and philosophy owing to its peculiar behavior. Prized by the perfume industry for its exceptional...

  2. Two Minutes of Wisdom at The Huffington Post

    August 6, 2011
    Radhanath Swami speaks as part of The Huffington Post series “Two Minutes of Wisdom” which features short messages from an array of spiritual leaders. To view the video on Huffington Post’s website, click here

  3. A Swami and His Father

    June 19, 2011
    Radhanath Swami writes for The Huffington Post: “I was recently blessed with the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with Dr. Cornel West — a brilliant thinker and someone I have come to regard as a heartfelt friend and spiritual brother. Among the many profound things Dr. West spoke that evening at Princeton, one thing he said struck me deeply. “I am who I am,” he said, “because someone loved me.” As I reflected on his words, images of various mentors and teachers flashed in my mind. I...

  4. Becoming Hindu and Finding the Essence of All Spiritual Paths

    June 13, 2011
    The tension between the essence of spiritual teachings and the harmful fundamentalism that often arises in the name of religion is an issue that has engaged my mind practically as far back as I can remember. I recall in my childhood asking, “How is it that hatred could fester in the name of a loving God?” Experiences of religious discrimination had traumatized my young, impressionable mind. Whereas religious prayers sing of peace and harmony, religion has divided human beings through an atrocious history of enmity and bloodshed. Yet, behind the...