I have no religion, but I have many, that is, I have selected bits from a wide range of faiths, and put them together to form my own personal version of religion.

I don’t have a faith, but I have faith, that is, I have complete trust in human wisdom, through the ages, to come up with something that will provide guidance for living a good life.

In short, I have a miscellany of stuff picked up from here and there, as I search through the stores of human wisdom accreted over thousands of years. I suppose such a nondescript collection could invite disapproval, even scorn, for being no more than a hodge-podge, a higgledy-piggledy ragbag. On the other hand, I am convinced that since it is not given to any one religion to be the sole repository of truth, as it is not given to any one philosophical system to be the sole arbiter of wisdom, this kind of rough-and-ready eclecticism may not be a bad thing.

I love the agape of Christianity, the compassion of Buddhism, the practicality of Hinduism, the hospitality of Islam, the gentleness of Taoism, the social discipline of Confucianism, the intellectual heft of Judaism.

I barely understand Zen but have a special affection for its playfulness. How delightful to teach eternal truths through teasing conundrums that completely disregard the strictures of logic and reason, appearing as just so much whimsy! (For a while, I had fun creating my own Zennisms, coming up with such outrageous riddles as ‘Where was your other forehead when the cow passed by the window?’ )

Most of all, I love the primal religions for their sense of affinity and warm empathy with nature. I remember reading about an aboriginal group in Australia that actually apologises to the prey before a hunting expedition! If it comes upon a beehive, it does not take away the whole honeycomb but leaves part of it behind for the bees. I remember thinking, ‘If civilized society thought and behaved this way, our planet wouldn’t be in the sorry state it’s in today!’

In the true spirit of the food-loving Singaporean, I call my cobbled religion the ultimate smorgasbord offering the best selections, at which I feast daily with utmost satisfaction.

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About Vignettes...

A continuing flow of little, readable pieces that will constitute what I feel is an important 'legacy of values' to leave behind. Read more about Vignettes...