We can craft for us our own personal ‘Scripture’ With our every thought, word, deed and gesture.

Come, see how finely he regales His flock with those foolish tales That hail from times so very old, Which for aeons have been retold, What as ‘God’s Own Word’ they call (Mere lies for which vast millions fall), These myths absurd, all most bizarre, From both logic and ethics very far. In silence I watch while he continues Loudly haranguing the packed pews. From him I turn, then to myself I ask, “How can this man take on the task Of reciting those tales, day in and out, Dem

Suppose you were placed in a kitchen and given a box containing assorted vegetables, fruits, spices and condiments, to do with them just as you pleased. There might be several things you could then set about doing. For instance, you could rustle up a fine meal, using the contents of the box to cook one or more healthy and delicious dishes. On the other hand, if you were in a lazy mood, you might mix all the contents of the box together to produce a foul-tasting hash or a blan

This tome’s from God, so you say, But I must insist, ‘Oh no! No way! For, this I’ve now come to realise: It abounds in absurdities and lies. Use reason’s gift God gave to you, Then you might see as I now do. O come out of the dread and fear That make you this tome revere, Because you think you’ll go to Hell If you doubt what the tome does tell. As ‘God’s Own Word’ to it you cling, But, in actual fact, it’s no such thing. If this one simple fact is understood, You’ll rejec

When we reach here our stay’s end, To this question maybe we’ll attend: "What good value did I add Through this life here that I had To the stock of goodness on Earth, Where I was made to take birth, And was made so long to stay, From where I’ll soon go away?"

May this truth we understand: The vast cosmos is ‘Holy Land’, Yes, in fact, the whole of it, And not just one tiny bit!

Among the greatest blessings a person can enjoy is an intimate, loving relationship with their parents. This was one great blessing that eluded me, particularly after I reached adolescence, especially with regard to my late father. Our relations, for the most part, were strained, and remained so right until he passed on. The fact is that my father and I hardly knew each other. We were to each other almost like strangers. In any relationship between two or more people, each of

There is a phrase in a certain language that roughly translates as ‘A human being is a bundle of mistakes’. This phrase indicates that making mistakes (understood here as an action that one later comes to regard as wrong) is something intrinsic to human beings and can be regarded as one of their distinguishing features. Of none of the millions of other species or life-forms that exist in the universe, including animals, fish, birds and plants, do we say that they err or make

By Flippy Binkles Dolcy and Chinny lived in a big apartment complex named ‘Peep Ho Woods’, in a crowded city called Bingle Bo. The little kids were brother and sister and dearly loved their pretty cat, Cherry, who lived with them. Ginger, a cuddly and friendly outdoor cat, was a frequent visitor to their home: he would drop in almost every day for lunch. The kids loved going to their school, which had a big playground. But the part of the city where they lived was very crow

As soon as my eyes I closed, In bliss I was, in joy reposed. If such bliss lies so very near, Elsewhere why pine to disappear In the hope that there I'll win The very joy I found within?

As you now are, I once was, too, Believing all that you now do, Dogmas that from times of old As ‘God’s Word’ to us they sold, In loud voices they would invoke, Claiming this was what God spoke. But then deep inside a doubt arose, So strong that I could no longer pose To have firm faith in what they said And in their many tomes that I read, For, it became to me so amply clear That what to me did long appear As ‘God’s Own Word’ was not at all That which they made us to call,

Life’s a great blessing, this they say, But we may not always feel that way. Sometimes, a burden it may appear, An onerous load, a great torture sheer. If again I feel so, maybe what I must do Is to turn my attention all back to You, Saying, “This life to me it’s You who gave, So, from this anguish me You must save. If as a great blessing this life I’m to know, You make me feel that it’s really, truly so.”

A good measure of the worth of a lifetime spent on Earth is the contribution it has made to what can be called ‘the stock of goodness’ in the world. The same can be said of the worth of our use of each day, or even each hour, that we get to spend on this planet. What value-addition, through our actions and through our very being, did our one hour, or our one day, or our lifetime here as a whole make in terms of the overall ‘stock of goodness’ in the world? Did we simply pass

Into this new day us You've brought, A chance again to be here we've got, Make its each moment be best spent, That is, fully according to Your intent.

No charming spot on Earth's face, Or in the rest of vast cosmic space, Can for us in beauty and joy excel That place in us where You dwell: Our heart's throne, where You preside Over Your kingdom, Your realm inside.

Tozy (name changed) is now an old man, but he has spent the better part of his life living in the shadow of fear. Over the decades, that fear has shifted shapes and forms, but its roots trace back to his earliest childhood memories. For as long as he can remember, anxiety has been his constant companion. A Childhood Built on Fraught Foundations Tozy grew up in mortal fear of his parents, navigating an deeply ambivalent relationship with both. His mother was capable of warmth,

Do you sometimes feel that time weighs heavily on your hands and you wish you had something exciting or meaningful to do instead? Do you at times feel empty or flustered for lack of something truly purposeful to keep yourself engaged in and with? In short, do you sometimes feel bored? It is perhaps natural to feel bored, at least occasionally. In fact, it is quite likely that most, if not all, of us do at times feel that way. It may not always be that we feel we are using our

Last week, I created a new record for myself by watching almost half a dozen movies in less than the same number of days. This is possibly more than the number of movies I have watched in the last entire decade as a whole! I rarely see movies, but last week, a cultural centre that I often visit was screening a number of films, all free of cost. From their description, they seemed to be on important social themes, and so, I thought they might be well worth watching. A friend o

When your destination is so near, Within your own self, inside here, Why far-off need you seek to go, That’d be foolishness, isn’t it so?

You decide what I must do, I leave the matter all to You. You tell me, You be my guide, Make me do what You decide. My own course I won’t choose, To decide on my own I refuse. This burden You must fully take, Deciding all for me, for my sake.