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Staying alive to ambiguity in a media storm
Thought for the Day BBC Radio 4 14.07.23 When a storm blows up in the media we get drawn in. Milan Kundera and the Buddha can help us stay alive to humans realities behind the news. One of the many lessons the Czech novelist Milan Kundera, who died this week, urged on…
Tackling The Food Crisis Means Changing How We Think
As food prices rise, we need to question the system that created it. Systems thinking and the Buddhist teaching of Dependent Arising can help Thought for the Day, BBC Radio 4 13.07.2022 As food prices rise, many people here in Wales, as elsewhere, are skipping meals…
Buddhists Respond to the Invasion of Ukraine
Thought for the Day, BBC Radio 4 03 March 2022 – Vishvapani As the Russian Tanks roll into Ukraine, how relevant is the Buddhist teaching of non-violence? Each week I meet with local members of my Buddhist Order for a chapter meeting, and we talk about what’s…
How to Stop Climate Change: Less Stuff and More Contentment
Ho can we find things we love that enhance the quality of our lives without increasing the quantity of our stuff?
Buddhism & Vaccine Equity: the Wise Way is Generosity
The case for a fair and equitable roll out of Covid vaccines is clear, but the developed world is failing to heed it. Buddhism teaches that a generous response is also a wise one Thought for the Day 08.10.2021 The case for global vaccine equity seems straightforward….
As covid restrictions wind down, we need to balance control with freedom
Weekend Word, BBC radio Wales, 16.07.2021 From next Monday, if you take a train from Swansea to London you’ll be required to wear a face mask as you travel through Wales. Once you’ve passed through the Severn Tunnel, you can take it off if you want because the rules…
Solidarity with India in the Time of Covid
It’s becoming impossible to ignore the gulf between what’s happening with Covid in the developed world and the developing world. But to respond to what’s happening in India we need to feel it It’s high spring in Britain as we move towards the end of lockdown. But in…
Covid created a mental health crisis. Now we need to rethink education
Though for the Day 05.02.2021 After the pandemic we’ll face the cost for mental health, especially among young people. But the problems are longterm, and we need to rethink meditation. The new Welsh curriculum, which prioritises wellbeing approaches, including…
In a pandemic without borders we need vaccine equity
Rich countries are pre-ordering massive quantities of the covid-19 vaccines. But what about the poorer countries who are pushed to the back of the queue? Think of a Buddhist and perhaps you imagine the Buddha’s untroubled gaze, or someone meditating with their eyes…
Surprising Buddhists Insights Suggest How to Tackle Terrorism
The case of the supposedly reformed terrorist who killed people at a conference on offender rehabilitation raises fundamental questions. It should prompt us to look at the role of views and beliefs in light of the Buddha’s teachings
Keeping a Global Perspective on Covid
Coronavirus has created a crisis in developed countries like the UK. But the wider impact is being felt even more strongly in the developing world. How can we keep that wider perspective? Thought for the Day, BBC Radio 4, 14.05.2020 by Vishvapani…
Isolation and Connection in the COVID-19 Crisis
If we want to meet the challenge with an expansive response, I think we must start with our feelings in this moment and the people around us right now
Future Generations Need us to Think Big and Act Sustainably
Wales is pioneering a radical approach to sustainable development that links climate change with other kinds of social change. It chimes with Buddhism’s holistic view of wellbeing The Wellbeing of Future Generations by Vishvapani | Thought for the Day 26.1.2019…
Staying Ethical in the Brexit Debate
Amid the conflict over Brexit, perhaps the best contribution a Buddhist can make is not about the substance, but about how we conduct the debate itself Talk on BBC Wales, Weekend Word, 14.12.2018 Whatever you think about Brexit, most people would agree that we’re in a…
Fire, Ice and Darkness
Greed and hatred are evident in the world. But behind them is the most powerful force of all: ignorance Prophetic statements can be simple and understated, and none is simpler and more cooly accurate than Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice. Some say the world…
Engaging Politically as a Buddhist
The UK is experiencing political turmoil in the wake of the EU referendum and, judging by my Facebook feed, many British Buddhists are following events closely. Here are some reflections on how we can do so most effectively. Engaging as Buddhists When Buddhists engage…
Keeping Perspective in the Brexit Crisis
On Thursday night, many of us in Britain went to bed hoping and expecting that Remain would win the EU referendum. We woke up to learn of the opposite result. Now we’re in the midst of financial and political crisis that is spreading in all directions. I share the…
Sexual Abuse is Society’s Shadow
Stories of sexual abuse are everywhere in British life. We need to do more than condemn this behaviour. We must acknowledge it as the shadow side our society
Rude Awakenings: Zen at War
Zen at War revealed to people in the West the extent of Buddhist collusion with the Japanese War Effort in WW2. This article explores the issue that raised with the book’s author, Brian Victoria
Mindfulness is Political
Mindfulness practice is sometimes presented as a way of coping better with what society throws at us. But the implicit message is more radical and more political. What does mindfulness tell us about our society and how we might change it?
Remembrance Day Meditation
Remembrance Sunday is an invitation to find a space in our harried lives for a silent opening to all that war has meant for the country: a national meditation on what Wilfred Owen called ‘the truth untold / the pity of war, the pity war distilled.’
The Measles Epidemic and Making Wise Choices
The measles cases in South Wales stems from parents’ fear and confusion. Here’s the Buddha’s advice on making wiser decisions and confronting our fears, rather than being driven by them.
Buddhism and Abortion
Buddhism has traditionally opposed abortion, while tolerating its practice. Exploring this difficult territory means looking at ethics from a Buddhist perspective and considering how we balance compassion for the unborn child and for the mother
Responding to Praise and Blame
A vivid account in one of the earliest Buddhist texts describes how the Buddha guided his disciples in responding skilfully to both praise and blame. The story is full of his wisdom about how we can avoid harming ourselves or others through our speech and how we can nav…
The Symbolism of the Olympic Torch
The Olympic Torch is being carried through Cardiff, today, passion near my house. The city is entranced, and I have been reflecting on its appeal. Weekend Word BBC Radio Wales, 25 May 2012
Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill – he’s not the first
The Norwegian mass murderer meditated to numb his emotions – echoing the way it has been used by some Zen Buddhists. The effect of any practice depends on our values
The Fall of a Banker
Fred Goodwin was a start of the banking world. His risks failed, the market turned and he’s been stripped of his knighthood. The worldly winds are blowing again: Weekend Word (Good Morning Wales, 03/02/12)
Hungary’s Gypsy Buddhists & Religious Discrimination
Hungary’s Gypsy Buddhists are under attack, along with other minority religious groups, from the country’s far-right Catholic-supporting government
Rugby Values
Welsh rugby is ascendent, English rugby’s in the doghouse. This talk on BBC Radio Wales teases out the underlying values this reveals
Giving Life
As the UK debates how much women should be paid to donate eggs to infertile couples for IVF this Thought for the Day explores the real value of altruism, placing it in the context of Mahayana Buddhist teachings.
Beyond the Driven Economy
In the grip of a recession we want economic growth, but we also fear its consequences. Is there an alternative and what light can Buddhism and mindfulness practice shed? Thought for the Day 13 October, 2011
Worldly Winds in the News
A man has risen to fame, riches and power, but things turn against him and he is facing disgrace. We must wait till the final act to discover if the fault’s his own or he’s a victim of injustice, but either is the material of tragedy. Strauss-Kahn, Gaddafi … This …
Thought for the Day Archive
Here is the text and audio of talks for Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, where I have been the Buddhist contributor since 2006 commenting on the affairs of the day from the perspective of the Buddha’s teachings.
Understanding karma shows why we need justice for war crimes
Ratko Mladic is on trial for war crimes. Is this justice … or karma? This Thought for the Day talk explores the real meaning of karma and how this teaching fosters the ethical awareness we need to confront violence.
Rigid Beliefs Created the Economy Crashed. Now we need Buddhist Economics
The problems of the financial crisis stem from deep set beliefs. Try looking at money through a Buddhist lens … When Lehman Brothers Bank collapsed in October 2008, threatening to take the rest of the banking sector with it, Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the US F…
As Riots Rage, an Act of Forgiveness
Thought for the Day. In the midst of the UK riots an act of forgiveness showed the way towards healing British society
Wise Decisions
How can we make wise decisions? Here’s the Buddha’s advice on how to ditch all the false authorities and doubtful reasoning that usually guide us and find a more authentic basis for deciding