To overcome passion is the chief purpose of spirituality. Non-possession, non-violence, truth, chastity, forgiveness, contentment, charity and piety all these are prescribed so as to mitigate the force of passions. Self-control is required to mitigate the passions, and practice  Read More →

Being spiritual is important for me because at some point in our lives, materialistic things don’t matter much. But I am not deeply into spirituality — it’s like an on-and-off feeling. Most of the time, I am too busy with my daily routine. But the spiritual side of life is  Read More →

  It was going to be a busy day, I thought, as I drove to office that morning. Our executive director was making a pre-retirement visit to all the offices in the country and I was expected to sit through a day of presentations, speeches and reports. It was a delightful surprise  Read More →

Happiness is our timeless goal. Since we have a notion that anything pleasant or pleasurable to the senses would lead to happiness, our mind craves for such experiences. However, there are several shortcomings in seeking happiness this way.  Firstly, senses always require  Read More →

I am an actor. My first film was a super-hit. It made the producer a lot of money and gave me a lot of fame. The funny part is that I acted in Tum Bin as a project for which i was paid a stipend and not the money that comes to the star of a very popular film. After the release  Read More →

Regardless of whether we live in the US, India or anywhere else, family is the building block of any society, and our greatest fulfillment lies there. Of course, one needs to give due importance to work. But if any society works diligently in every other area but  Read More →

A new study has shown that spirituality can help teenagers cope with chronic illness. Chronic illness can lead to poorer quality of life in adolescents. The research led by Michael Yi, MD, associate professor of medicine, and Sian Cotton, PhD, research assistant  Read More →

The fog descends gently. White mist caresses the hard grey tar of the road. It’s twilight and the moon’s just coming up in the distance. In the quiet evening, I can hear my boots crunching the gravel as I walk on the deserted stretch from my hotel to the shops  Read More →

Like everybody else I am still reeling from the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Five people I know (friends of friends) have died. When I spoke to my best friend Nita-her voice sounded heavy, the pitch nasal. She can’t shake the sadness away. She has two twin  Read More →

I read with panic the notice that there would be a power cut for 11 hours the next day. How would I possibly manage, with no microwave, internet, mobile chargers, lights, fans, AC, refrigerator, television? I cursed the electricity board and  Read More →

Why would hundreds sit atop Vulture’s Peak in Rajgir, Bihar, from sunrise to sunset, braving the scorching sun, experiencing Noble Silence with the visiting 85 years old Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh?  Read More →

When I first heard about the terrorist assault on Mumbai I asked myself why anyone would murder innocent people and what could they possibly hope to accomplish. It then occurred to me that the two questions were related.  Read More →

The piercingly chilly winter evening grew a shade darker as the clouds that had shadowed the mighty sun all day hovered low threatening to burst any time. It was time for the Maghrib namaz (prayers after sunset). I tightened  Read More →

I stood by the large window of my house and looked up at the star studded sky. There were a few clouds floating aimlessly above my head. They seemed to be closer to the stars – my former friends – than i was. I used to speak  Read More →

Life has been a great learning experience. It has taught me that there’s something wrong if spiritual practice and demands from daily life are not in harmony. Spirituality should be able to put the mind at peace and at the same time  Read More →

I was born in Mumbai, studied in a convent school and did my MPhil from Baroda. When I fell in love, it was to a man from the same caste and reigion, but a different community. And, while my family had always been broad-minded until then,  Read More →

I am not really a spiritual person, but I do have a lot of faith, which tends to take the form of prayer for me. I believe that one doesn’t really need to perform elaborate rituals, go to a temple or pray before any particular idol to  Read More →

As six Indian states go to the polls, Pierre Lavalle examines the way in which elections can renew the spirit of a people. We are all aware of the relationship between religion and politics. During the recent American elections, Barack Obama’s middle  Read More →

Mariette Pais remembers her niece Ruth-Ann, who sang the sweetest songs till she became God’s angel On May 8, 1995, a grandmother’s prayers were answered when God blessed the Alvares family with Ruth-Ann, a pretty, bubbly and  Read More →