Ask the Monk- Answers to Life's Most Intriguing Questions

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Asking questions is an important part of learning as it provides a unique framework for thinking and opens doors to unexpected revelations for us. Digging into how or why things are the way they are paves the way for enlightenment.

Meanwhile, keeping the doubts to ourselves can keep us from truth, thus, depriving us of the valuable opportunities life has to offer. But what kind of enquiries are we supposed to make?

In Ask the Monk, celebrated monk Nityanand Charan Das lucidly answers over seventy frequently asked questions- by the young and the old alike-on topics such as karma, religion versus spirituality, mind, God, destiny, purpose of life, suffering, rituals, wars and so on. These answers are extremely crucial to help us embark on the journey of self-discovery and self-realization.

Nityanand Charan Das is a practising monk at the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple-ISKCON Chowpatty-in Mumbai, and a visionary who wishes to revolutionize the current urban scenario by aiding people in leading a life of purpose, fulfilment and satisfaction. He also specializes in guiding today's youth, including children and teenagers, to reconnect with their roots and lead a simple yet happy life.

He first connected with ISKCON when he was twenty-one years old and in college. He joined as a full-time monk at twenty-four, after completing his engineering degree. He focuses on leading a balanced life wherein one should think of advancing not only materially but spiritually as well.

He specializes in simplifying sacred teachings, so they resonate with anyone and everyone, and his message is simple: Spiritual life is not a life of rejection. It is a life of connection.' We do not have to give up anything, we simply have to add this valuable dimension to our lives.

Complementing this, he facilitates trips to sacred destinations, conducting retreats to provide practical experiences of spirituality. His divine radiance can be felt far and wide-his lectures are heard in every major city of India and in more than fifty countries across the globe. He is also the author of the national bestseller Icons of Grace: Twenty-One Lives That Defined Indian Spirituality and Bound by Love.

Asking questions is a sign of intelligence. The power of asking questions in both our work and personal lives cannot be overstated and impacts every area of our lives. In fact, in hindsight, we can observe that every learning we have had has been brought about by us asking questions.

During our childhood, questions and curiosity are a natural part of our interactions with the world around us. There is always a wondering 'why' and an inquisitive 'how', much to the bewilderment of the adults. Over time, as we grow older, we become less and less curious. Society drills it into our minds that giving answers is more important, be it when giving exams, in interviews or to contribute to a conversation. As adults, we eventually stop asking questions, and conform by falling into a routine.

Children seldom hesitate before asking us 'why' countless times until they're satisfied with innocent wonderment, to understand the world around them.

Simply imbibing this one quality from them, applying the same sense of critical questioning to our lives, has the power to transform, to revolutionize our lives. Defining our 'why' is of utmost importance. If we do not ask 'why' over and over again, we will never succeed at the 'what'.

The Vedic scriptures, guidebooks for humanity, encourage us to question things, right from the very beginning of our human lives.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages